Did you create a game recently? Have you got it tested? Testing is vital for a game developer to know the status of his game. Every game developer wants this process, not only to go smoothly but also be as beneficial as possible. The purpose of testing is, of course, clear: detect any problems that will demolish the players’ experience and decrease the quality of your game before it actually releases to the public. Here the three biggest problems you want to know about your game testing.
If any of these are left in your game at the time of your game launch, people may call your game two things you should fear to hear: incomplete and nonfunctional.
- Loopholes: Loopholes are obstacles in the game that players can use to gain an actionable advantage. These achievements must be taken care of if they cause the whole experience to be ruined for every player except the one “cheating.” With various games releasing with such loopholes that ultimately require fixing, it is no secret that identifying these can be quite a challenge.
- Gameplay Problems: Finding game-breaking glitches and bugs are significant. It is a superb day of testing when you encounter a problem with the controls of your game that might disappoint players. Since games are incredibly complex systems, a designer shouldn’t be amazed when the game act in ways you could have never prophesied, simply because a new condition occurred. In other words, you need to check if players are doing something you weren’t anticipating (while still obeying all the rules of the game).
- Dead Ends: The last and perhaps the most obvious problem on the list is the dead end. This, of course, destroys the gameplay experience and thrill as the player can no longer grow because the game doesn’t allow them to. RPG, Action-adventure, real-time strategy, first-person shooter, any and all genres are responsive to this problem. And it might just be the most negative one on this list.
Make sure to look for these major deadfalls and glitches when playtesting, and keep games pleased with your creation.
Are there any other pitfalls while testing in your list? Let us know in the comments section or you may Tweet us @essjay_ent!
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Everyone want that smooth interface and definitely hates glitches. But no game is perfect, when it’s new we feel like it’s the best and then comes a new game and that’s the new best.
I don’t like glitches or bugs. I always meet it online. I know when I am playing, I want it smooth and continously because you will miss the thrill if not. I agree that game developer should seen this in advance that is why they have game tester.
I believe without a Game Tester, maybe the game will have problems and it will be able to destroy the company’s reputation. I wonder how much money you can get for being a Game Tester …
Nice article. I met a Tester before and he’s enjoying game testing a lot. Of course, it’s also a challenge.
Yes, as in the discussion of the previous article where the game developers need a prototype. In addition, they also need a “Game Tester” or also known as QA Tester – Quality Assurance, to thoroughly test video games before the final version is released to the public.
Glitches can happen even on final releases of games. I for one has experience it. It is futile but I wish that creators could reduce that instead of us purchasing add ons which meant more money.
This is why a Prototype or Beta testing is important. It gives the creator a view on how a game should work.
So it’s possible that players can find some workaround on the challenges you have in store for them? But you must have already foreseen all possible actions players would take right?
If there are too many loopholes, then the game ain’t fun anymore. The fun there is the search for the game cheats codes!
The picture reminded me of how dung beetles transport their… Anyway, these are very good points to remember, especially for those budding game creators out there.
Creating games is a very meticulous process. Although I do believe that not all games are released without bugs. The most difficult aspect that a game creator must never neglect is the “fun factor” of a game. Without it, I think a game is doomed to fail.
I think these days, developer tend to “ask” customer help to find the bug for them. They release the alpha version with cheaper price so that the first time players can report the bug. Later they release the final version with full price. I think this is quite a smart move since your customer will be testing it for you AND pay you for it rather than hiring game testers.
Good article. It is very important to test a game and having a prototype is very essential. So, that every prototype that we test will come up wth some corrections which help us to improve the gaming experience. Looking for more articles in the future. Keep up the good work.
That is why you have to maintain and look for the bugs really intensively.
Yes you really have to check those all out. QAs are really important because they’re the ones checking this from time to time.
RPGs are very interactive that’s why it’s very famous. Deadends are surely a bummer because gamers want to grow more and more.
This is why we should do prototypes, yeah? So we test all aspects of the game. And even the overall look and feel of the game. It’s a cost-effective way to make sure everything will run smoothly.
Games seem so intricate. Looks like there are too much things to test especially since games are usually played for hours with different settings and characters. Re. dead ends, not sure exactly to which this pertain to. Is this a technical glitch of the game or do you mean the game becomes too hard that people couldn’t move forward?