MASSIVE TALKING CHAPTER FOUR : SECRET TESTS'''
Massive Entertainment Reveals
15, August, 2006
Interview With Consumer Test Manager Martin Hultberg.
1. Has The FPS Mode Been Tested?
All main features have been tested over a long period of time, in different versions. The FPS mode is not finalized yet though and its considered work in progress. As far as we are concerned, it is still an experiment with an unpredictable outcome.
2. How is the overall performance of the current build?
It varies some depending on which map you play. There can also be big differences between various builds, as some problems get fixed and others are created after the implementation of new features or content. But the game, in general, is usually very stable and plays well. When we get comments like ?Jaw dropping graphics and intense gameplay. A must for any serious RTS gamer? and ?An incredibly good multiplayer experience with great graphics you don?t get tired of easily. Many maps with great variation? we know we are on the right track.
3. Have there been any surprising gameplay events that would be nice to tell to us about? (Like flamethrower burning airplanes out of the skies...)
Indeed, interesting things have popped up during testing. The ?bridge builder shuffle? is an infamous one. Basically, there is an engineer unit in the game that allows you to build bridges. Its pretty big and slow, has no offensive capabilities but it can take a pounding. A few testers quickly found out that mixing bridge builders into their assault force meant they would survive longer thus increasing the chance of taking a command point. In a certain game mode, this lead to bridge builder rushes where hordes of bridge builders converged on a single point, while artillery on both sides tried to take out the enemies bridge builders in turn. Naturally, this was not quite what we had in mind and the game designers had to implement a solution for it. There was also the old (and now forgotten) "My God I am lost"-Jeep-bug. Hummers would drive to a point and once they arrived, they started moving aimlessly around in circles, backing up and driving forward in an ant-like pattern. If you had several Jeeps in the same area, they got confused by eachother and it all looked like a piece of modern coreography.
4. When will the Beta begin?
Some months after we hit alpha. The exact dates are Publisher secrets, for now.
5. In which stage is the game? ((pre) alpha, beta?)
When I am writing this, we are at pre-alpha.
6. Will, if a tester asks, things be changed?
Probably not if just one tester asks since we look at how several testers react to a certain issue. If multiple testers experience a problem with something, or come with a suggestion, it?s a pretty strong indication that we have to take it into consideration. But we cannot act on the request of just a single individual, if we did, we would never be able to finish the game. The point of the tests is to observe and analyze general player patterns, not to get game design ideas that we can use. But you do see the occassional tester that spawns out a lot of useful ideas, people who should probably look into a career as Game Designers.
7. At the moment on MSV site we can see 2 types of tests Map and Gameplay ones. Would you call these tests "Alpha Tests" or are they something entirely different??? In other words are these tests still classed as pre-alpha or woot???
The tests we do with the gamers at the office are not related to the alpha or beta milestones, they are carried out regardless of where the project is in the development cycle. Granted, we can test more things at beta than at alpha, but the chances of actually changing things grow smaller the further along the project is. That?s why we want to start this type of testing as early as possible. To clarify: The tests at Massive are extensive and contain almost all parts of the game.
8. How does player report on his/hers impressions of the game - by filling some Q&A form, by talking to you guys directly or by entering "Teh Pwnzorg" machine which is directly wired to central nerv system of the tester "spitting" out on the other end exact information about gamers experience?
All of the above, minus the machine. We usually have written feedback through various forms and we also have oral feedback through dialogues during the play sessions and discussions afterwards. The discussions are lead by either the test manager or the test manager together with additional developers. Often, the Lead Game Designer walks around the test lab and peaks at what people are doing. Sometimes, he will ask someone why they just did what they did, or what they expected to happen when they did what they just did. He says it's like getting... ehr... "sugar".. injected directly into his veins.
9. Would you make some major corrections to map or game data if majority of testers "ask" for it?
Absolutely. We already have done so, in fact. If we find out that something needs fixing, we will definitely tend to it if we can. That?s the entire point of the tests. A lot of exploits are discovered in the tests too, and those are naturally fixed.
10. Will they be testing the multiplayer portion of the game, the single player, or both?
Both. There are different types of tests; Some are simple "load" tests, just aiming at testing the extremes of the game. Others are quality tests "how fun is this solution/map/feature/weapon?", and then there are tests that focus on details, like the interface, the credit system, the unit balance and so on. We test everything we can think of. In the beginning we tested the first screenshots and the announcement trailer on the testers.
11. Will the testers be experimenting with different game modes (deathmatch, domination etc)? If so, what are they?
Every aspect of the game will be tested, this includes game modes. I cannot discuss the different game modes in detail at this time however.
12. Is the game currently being tested for balance? Are all sides and units being tested or just one or two?
A certain amount of balancing data is drawn from the tests, but its not the main focus. At this stage, it's more like a positive side-effect of the testing. The real balancing tests will be carried out later.
13. It's clear VUG wants a good game with no bugs etc. Are there other purposes (commercial, balancing...) of testing?
The consumer tests are not really for bug-hunting, there's the QA (=Quality Assurance) team for that. The QA team is in both our office and in L.A. The purpose of the consumer tests is to make sure that the game is fun and that it plays out as we want it to. We want to know that the product lives up to players expectations, that they have a good time with it and that our features and content are implemented in the best way possible. Typically this process is called "to verify the product" - In normal English: "Does this game kick ***??
Last update: December 13, 2006, at 02:54 PM
