Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
By looking into the module, white box testing reveals all of the possible values
that can be provided to and processed by the module being tested. This infor-
mation may not be obvious from the product requirements and features
descriptions that drive black box testing.
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Black box testing relies on a consistent configuration of the game and its oper-
ating environment in order to produce repeatable results. White box testing
relies only on the interface to the module being tested and is concerned only
about external files when processing streams, file systems, or global variables.
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A basic game testing process consists of the following steps:
1.
Plan and design the test.
Although much of this is done early on during the
planning phase, planning and design should be revisited with every build.
What has changed in the design spec since the last build? What additional
test cases have been added? What new configurations will the game sup-
port? What features have been cut? The scope of testing should ensure that
no new issues were introduced in the process of fixing bugs prior to this
release.
2.
Prepare for testing.
Code, tests, documents, and the test environment are
updated by their respective owners and aligned with one another. By this
time the development team should have marked the bugs fixed for this
build in the defect database so the QA or test team can subsequently verify
those fixes and close the bugs.
3.
Perform the test.
Run the test suites against the new build. If you find a
defect, test “around�? the bug to make certain you have all the details necessary
to write as specific and concise a bug report as possible. The more research
you do in this step, the easier and more useful the bug report will be.
4.
Report the results.
Log the completed test suite and report any defects you
found.
5.
Repair the bug.
The test team participates in this step by being available to
discuss the bug with the development team and to provide any directed
testing they may require to track it down.
6.
Return to step 1 and re-test.
With new bugs and new test results comes a
new build.
