Game testing: How to test the game on Mobile / Desktop apps

Tram Ho

Game development life cycle

Pre-Production: In this stage, game ideas, storylines, features, requirements analysis and documentation are implemented. This phase includes technical design documents and feature specifications, game architecture, frame overlays, animation. The following items are considered

  • Music, Camera (zoom in and out, playback, see cinema,) player properties and actions
  • Game logic stream, Rules and conditions to reach the next level
  • Activation objects & events, scores, movements and positioning, player statistics,
  • Non-interactive sequences, Special effects, title screens, multi-button actions
  • Gamepad, movie clip, shock / vibration effect, legal text, use of button functions, use analog & digital mode.

Production: In this phase, actual coding is performed. This stage includes coding, integration of various modules.

Testing and Deployment: In this phase Functional testing, regression testing, Alpha, Beta, Gold are performed. Range and flow checks, data integrity, algorithm specific tests, path tests, incremental checks are also performed.

  • Game testing differs from other Software Testing.
  • Game testing is an iterative process where every new build can be buggy and must be thoroughly tested.
  • All game tests adhere to a basic structure regardless of the size of the game and the time required to produce the game.
  • Professional quality assurance needs to study the rules and requirements of the game. Understand the overall game component structure and file structure, flow and file structure, and game-related dependencies. With each new game prototype, the test documents need to be reviewed regularly to update any changes in specifications, new test cases and new configuration support. Reviewers should ensure that no new issues have been raised.

A Game Tester job includes:

  • Classify requirements based on intended purpose and target audience.
  • Define user and system requirements and should be categorized into functional, non-functional domain requirements
  • Identify testable items, non-testable items, goals and measures for functional and non-functional requirements
  • Check that the functional requirements are complete, consistent and easy to understand
  • Identify customized requirements, conflicting requirements
  • Identify interdependent requirements.
  • Prioritize requests based on difficulty, complexity and importance
  • Determine the theme of the game, Characters, Animation, AI, Cinema, Camera view, gameplay

Types of Game Testing

1) Functional Testing

QA seeks general issues within the game or the game’s user interface and graphics, such as game asset stability and integrity issues. Check user interface to ensure user-friendliness of the game Example: Check colors and backgrounds, menu structure, screen orientation and screen resolution, font size, alignment errors , usability, system navigation such as loading time, standby and display time, sorting, confirmation messages, sequences, animation and game audio elements, instructions and messages conversation. User interaction, user interface, transaction verification, calibration and accuracy testing of mobile phone cameras, screen resolution, mobile responsive design test, sound quality test bar

2) Compatibility Testing

Check that the game is compatible on different devices and on different hardware and software configurations.

For example: Installing and uninstalling games on all supported consoles / desktop / mobile phones.

3) Performance Testing

The overall performance of the game is checked. Performance adjustments are made to optimize game speed.

Important parameters are checked during performance testing

  • Response time on client and server, Transaction completion time, Maximum load performance, Lifespan, coverage, Memory leak, low memory, low battery, Application download time, Concurrent access (Multiple users) to the application server, speed, throughput, reliability, scalability, etc.
  • Battery consumption and graphics performance: Measures battery consumption of mobile games. The battery consumption must be optimal for hours and the game response should be adequate under different heavy loads on different devices.
  • Processor and memory limitations: Performance counters are used to measure application and CPU consumption.
  • Network connection: Measuring the response time of mobile games on different types of networks (Wi-Fi, 2G, 3G, 4G), It provides an overview of the effectiveness of the game on Unreliable network. It also checks connections between mobile devices, data centers or the cloud. Full Time Peak, Jittery Connection, Data Copy, Packet Loss, Data Fragmentation is tracked.
  • Testing game performance, especially MMO

4) Conformance / Compliance Testing

Compliance with market guidelines (e.g. Apple App Store policies), Corporate policy compliance (e.g. prohibited content. Compliance can also refer to regulatory agencies such as PEGI and ESRB Games that target specific content ratings.If there is offensive content that does not match the desired rating, then they are identified and reported.Even a breach of paper submission permission may also cause a game to be rejected, incur additional costs in testing and resubmit.

5) Localization testing

Localization testing becomes essential when a game is targeted for the global market. Game titles, content and text should be translated and tested with devices in multiple languages. These types of testing can be done quickly (with the help of cloud-based device access and test automation).

For example: Need localization specifically for MENA (Middle East / North Africa) region, Arabic localization (Support text from right to left, two-way display), mock localization testing, Double-byte characters (for East Asian languages), local time / date, currency, address format and other local requirements.

6) Soak testing

This test involves having the game run for a long time in different operating modes. For example, no activity has paused or in the title screen. Soak can identify memory leaks or rounding errors.

Example: The game has started and the character is created to stand still for 24 hours. This technique is used to detect problems due to memory leaks and other errors in the game engine.

7) Recovery testing

In software, how well application recovery check can be recovered from crashes, hardware failures, and other similar errors. The application must fail, and then it will be observed how it recovers from failure and environmental conditions.

Example: While a gaming application is running, suddenly restart the game console and check the validity of the data

8) Security testing

It is done to check the safety level of the software operating from external threats. Protect data from external threats, restrict unregulated system access, data breaches, operating systems, communication systems and weak encryption algorithms.

For example, changing the URL from / login to / play on a gaming website is not allowed to directly access the games.

9) Other Games testing

Test of real or virtual characters. In multiplayer video games, connecting to the server and synchronizing game status are two important areas that need to be tested.

Example: 3D multiplayer racing game. Testing new features such as game status updates, friend invitations, premium gift sharing, etc.This ensures a rich gaming experience for users. For example: Facebook, Blog

Sound Testing Check for errors in downloading files, listen to audio files for errors or distortions, CC profiler for color comment analysis Database and game statistics Verify database using debug Error to investigate if the game is using the correct data. Ensure that the data is downloaded in the right place and displays the correct information

White-box testing

White Box tests for Games focuses on the structural, integrated and systemic aspects of mobile gaming.

  • Check code: Source code reviewed, Program logic & common programming errors, compliance with analyzed coding standards.
  • Centralized test: The code sequences are taken to isolated modules and the output is analyzed.
  • Data analysis: The use, interpretation and manipulation of data are analyzed and validated for different modules.
  • Check the path and flow: The exact sequence of the objects is executed.
  • Algorithm-specific test: Test a specific scenario or game feature by setting data variables, data values ​​for the code, and executing it in the runtime environment.
  • Artificial Intelligence Analysis: Statistics running the programmatic movements and plays of the generated AI component. The results are validated to check that all programmable moves are used. For example, grasping on top of a snowboard and playing (punch / kick combined in multi-dimensional action) is used.

Play assistive games using adaptive technology Assistive games are also called accessibility games. Features designed by adaptive technology for people with different disabilities such as poor vision, blurred vision, blindness, inability to distinguish colors, speech, hearing, cognitive impairment, and movement. move and move. Cardinal Direction (CD), Tower of London (TOL) are two popular games that have been modified for visually challenged users. In these games, visual stimulation is replaced by audio input. A tester should note the following while testing a game like

  • The colors will blink according to a pattern and the tones will play for each color.
  • Each color should be accompanied by an audible sound.
  • Visual data should be described in words so that visually impaired people do not face any problems received through the use of screen readers.
  • Players should hear in-game audio in three dimensions and must navigate words using 3D Sounds and Spatial Sounds on the touch screen

Game metrics that a tester should know.

  • DAU / MAU (Daily active users / monthly active users): Percentage of active users playing per day compared to the number of monthly active users. Also commonly referred to as sticky elements.
  • Session: Whenever any user opens the app, it will be counted as one session. Here we focus on the average number of sessions per DAU.
  • Download rating: The rank of a game in a specific app store (iOS, Android Play) by monthly game downloads.
  • Maintain: Figures are important in a free game. For maintenance calculations, separate users into groups based on the date the application was downloaded.
  • Performance index: This is to track the performance of online or continuous games. The frame rate at which the game executes on the client hardware platform or in the case of a game server, the game’s stability and performance can be used to monitor features and update changes. .

The main risk in game testing

  • The game does not create compelling experiences for the target audience.
  • The game has no player-centered design
  • Interesting elements and addictive gameplay are missing in the game.
  • The game is not unique, competitive, fast paced.
  • The game failed due to technical issues, broken features, serious bugs, bad music and poor videos.
  • Game development costs exceed budget
  • The game should have a simple aesthetic design and gameplay.

In brief:

  • The game development life cycle consists of three pre-production, production, testing, and deployment phases
  • Game testing is an iterative process where every new build can have bugs and so it must be thoroughly tested.
  • The different types of testing are:
  1. Functional testing
  2. Compatibility Test
  3. Performance testing,
  4. Compliance testing / Compliance
  5. Testing localization
  6. Immersion test
  7. Trial recovery
  8. Security testing
  • White box testing for games focused on the mobile, structural, and system aspects of mobile games including 1) code testing 2) centralized testing 3) data analysis 4) testing roads and flows 5) Check specific algorithms 6) Analyze artificial intelligence
  • Assistive games are also known as accessibility games. Features designed by adaptive technology for individuals
  • Some important game metrics are DAU / MAU, Sessions, Download Ratings, Sustained and Performance Metrics
  • The main risk of game testing is that it does not create an engaging experience for the target audience

Reference: https://www.guru99.com/testing-mobile-apps.html

Share the news now

Source : Viblo