Following are a few generic rules that apply to all of mobile
game testing. We follow those with testing & porting challenges
specific to Van Damme Kickboxing
The phases of testing
that a game goes through are:
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Paradox
Testing lead Jaydev Dhakan |
1.
Alpha
Alpha testing of the game happens at a very early
stage. This is done on a very basic prototype of the game, where the
different modules of the game might or might not be complete, but the
basic modules are implemented. The testers check whether the modules are
working individually as well as in conjunction with the other
modules.
The testers check for:
· Crashes and other glaring
issues, which are easy to detect and reproduce
· Logical
errors that programmers make
· Rigidity and robustness of the
game
2. Beta
At the Beta stage, the game
is tested for compliance with all the design requirements, including the
working of combo-keys and the ease of controls. At this stage the game
is tested thoroughly with the tester play-testing for the fun factor and
replay value of the game. If at all the designer decides to make any
design changes, it is done at this stage. The programmers complete all
the modules in the beta stage and fix the major bugs and crash issues of
the alpha stage. The game is now considered complete from the
development point of view.
The testers check for:
· Collision
Issues
· Broken Rigs
· Design tweaks
· Gameplay testing
·
Animation
· Functionality
· Power meter
· User interface
·
UI flow
· Textual errors
Every Game has specific check needs at this stage. Testing lead
Jaydev shared that,"Van Damme Kickboxing being a fight game,
Collision and Broken Rigs were very important"
3. Process Testing
Process Testing involves
checking for compliance with the guidelines laid down by Java (Java
Verified Process) and BREW (TBT- True Brew Testing). Every application
that a carrier puts on its server is required to observe these guidelines.
At this stage, the game is also checked for compliance with the
handset guidelines, along with re-checking the issues of the Beta
stage.
The testers check for:
· File Size
· Game interrupts like incoming calls
· RAM usage
· RAM refresh at exit
· Animation
· Functionality
· Power meter
Testing of all the ports
While testing the
game on the base Gold Master device to ensure that the game is free of
any gameplay and functional bugs is a challenge in itself, the greater
challenge lies in testing the game across all the platforms and devices
to which it is ported. The challenge lies in ensuring that the game is
fun to play even on smaller devices and the visual aesthetics of the
game are maintained, keeping in mind the limitations of the low-end
devices. For this, the testing team is often required to sit with the
design and the programming team to decide upon what unnecessary elements
can be removed such that the gameplay and visual appeal of the game are
maintained across all ports.
Specific challenges for
Van Damme Kickboxing
Pixel Shift
Spotting
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SPOT THE SHIFT! |
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Image
1 |
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Image
2 | |
Comparing image 2
with image 1.
Is there a Pixel
shift?
If yes then which frame does the pixel
shift occur? and where? |
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Jaydev
shared "One of the major challenges during the testing phase was the
fact that the characters were made of separate body parts and were not
an entire unit. It was very difficult to notice a shift of 1-2 pixels on
the tiny screen as several frames are rendered every second and one
needs to really develop an eye for spotting these minute body-part
shifts. These issues are actually not noticed by the player consciously
when s/he is playing the game, but subconsciously the player tends to
realise the flaw"
Collision Detection
Testing the collision too was a challenge as Van Damme's body parts
had individual collisions with the opponents' body parts. Checking
to see whether the desired action and reaction was taking place
required an eye for detail and tremendous concentration"
After a good amount of time spent testing, finding errors
becomes very tedious. "Every time I find a bug, I tell myself that
I have earned my bread and butter for the day" added Jaydev in a
lighter vein.
According to Jaydev the characters that were the most challenging
to test were:
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Paradox Testing
team
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Bodyslam
The character toughest to test was Bodyslam. Since he had a different
shape, the testing team had to test him meticulously to see if the
animation was smooth.
Twin Terror
Tweaking the AI for this character was tough. While some were under
the impression that this opponent was tough to win against, others
found winning easy. The animation was to be played over several
times and the AI was tweaked every time this was done. Noticing
the change and changing the play tactics according to the tweak
was challenging since the team had to ensure that it suited the
gaming calibre of majority of players.
Finally
Van Damme Kickboxing was ready. Turn on for the Credits and end
notes.
*(Animation
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