To test or not to test, that is the question
StummvonBordwehr
Member, Mobile Tester Posts: 1,356
The Road to 2.6 is long and narrow. And filled with bugs and play testing.
A question whether the forum was alive and well, sparked an interesting discussion: Does all people have the capacity and skill for testing?
I am a tester.... but just for mobiles (iOS) only, so I am sitting this one out (and I am not the very best tester in the world to be honest).
But I am mightily pleased to read the threads on the testing of the 2.6 patch. I see many post from a lot of different poster, who are doing one hell of job play testing and documenting the bugs. A big round of applause to you all. Thank you.
But back to the interesting question: I don’t have a clear cut view on the whole testing or not testing issue? Should we all do it, or isn’t ok to sit this one out if one don’t have the skills?
A question whether the forum was alive and well, sparked an interesting discussion: Does all people have the capacity and skill for testing?
I am a tester.... but just for mobiles (iOS) only, so I am sitting this one out (and I am not the very best tester in the world to be honest).
But I am mightily pleased to read the threads on the testing of the 2.6 patch. I see many post from a lot of different poster, who are doing one hell of job play testing and documenting the bugs. A big round of applause to you all. Thank you.
But back to the interesting question: I don’t have a clear cut view on the whole testing or not testing issue? Should we all do it, or isn’t ok to sit this one out if one don’t have the skills?
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Comments
Paying customers are under no obligations (not even moral) to act as free testers, even if they have all the skills in the world.
And I would assume that for most fans who double as testers, it's basically a hobby (still, big props to them).
It is also true that no one suggested that customers have any such obligation, so I don't see what the big fuss is about. Plenty of people are happily willing and able to volunteer to help, and good for them. For those who feel offended by the totally 0 obligation, and honestly, IMHO, quite generous offering of an open beta, I really don't know what to say, other than "Don't help if you don't want to; no one is forcing you to do so with a gun to your head". Open betas are in no way, shape, or form a novel concept in the game developing world, nor are they solely used by Beamdog. I have seen plenty of other companies, including some big names, use open betas. Nothing wrong at all with relying at least partially on altruism to get a job done...
The way I see it, various people will complain no matter what Beamdog does and no matter how they do it. Probably best for them to just do what works best for them and take feedback as it comes.
So indeed, there is no grand dilemma. Help if you want to; don't if you don't.
So, not much to add to @Tresset's statement which is pretty much on point.
I also don't think that you have to be a "good tester" to do so. If one is able to remember the basics (e.g. clean install, no mods etc.) he or she can test. We all shoud remember that Beamdog doesn't have 50 dedicated QA testers testing the game 24/7 so if there is only to be a rudimentary hint given by a player who stumbles upon an irregularity, Beamdog can focus its resources on that specific issue and might be able to solve a bug which otherwise might have slipped through.
I decided for myself that I report any bug or inconsistency I find and if a few more people decide to do so too, we all get to enjoy games with even less bugs. That's definitely worth it in my opinion.
Thank you @JuliusBorisov, @Galactygon, and the complete Beamdog team for keeping it up!
BGIIEE released in 2013.
IWDEE released in 2014.
SoD released in 2016.
So these games have been out for 4-8 years, with numerous patches already in them. The new patch is just yet another "go" at Infinity Engine quirks, in an attempt to provide more bug fixes and introduce a few new features because we love these games and love our players. The games deserve to continue getting support. For example, it was imperative to make them 64-bit, or to upgrade the mobile versions of the games.
When something is being tested in beta, the chances to catch rare instances or something that really catches the eye, are much higher. It's also one of the good ways to get feedback on the features the community wants more.
Just during this whole beta, we had received feedback a few translations were missing, and now they've been added to the games. We caught a rare instance when players left the Durlag's Tower after the chess fight and couldn't return there. That could become quite an issue if it wasn't fixed.
And there are many more examples.
Nobody is forced to participate in these beta tests. The games have been out for a long while. Many players played them 4-8 years ago and now probably moved on. Many players are not interested in testing the update before it's live, be it for moral reasons, or because they have a mod setup which took 6 hours to install and don't want to break it. We completely understand it.
But IE games fans, and this forum regulars, in particular, have always been very enthusiastic about these games. It's no joke that the game first released in 1998 is still popular in 2021. The modding community has been doing wonders. Players who like challenges have been documenting their attempts for many years. This is why it sounded like a good idea to come to the community openly and provide beta builds for you to test - if you really want it. Maybe as a hobby. Maybe for other reasons. Whatever they are, we're very grateful.
We love each of you, your every contribution. Even if you've just created a character and finished the Candlekeep quests. Small steps move mountains.
So adding to @ATigersClaw point on being a good tester: every new tester will have a slightly different set-up, not to mention playing style, compared to the other testers. This quantity in difference will eventually help Beamdog in tracking down specific issues. The more, the merrier is really something that can be applied to this testing.
And no need to go all in on very technical bug-catching. There are already people who come across those issues (for example because they mod the game). You can always contribute by just regularly playing the game. I remember that during a beta testing I just played the game in order to test all achievements. This was a regular playing session, nothing out of the ordinary. Eventually it helped in tracking down certain unlocking issues. Thus contributed to the development while others focused on other aspects.
Yep, seconding this. IMHO, IWD is the most perfect version of computerised AD&D; it's still a masterpiece after all these years in terms of the art, the music, the atmosphere, and the ability to feed the imagination. I've been playing the game for 20-odd years and I still find new things, or new ways to enjoy it. Long may it continue!