Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 11.15
Unreal Tournament 2004Bio-Rifle GunEffects.
A test path is a series of flows, specified by the flow numbers in the sequence in which
they are to be traversed. Paths begin at the IN state and end at the OUT state. A set of
paths provides behavior scenarios appropriate for prototyping, simulation, or testing.
A path defines an individual test case that can be “executed�? to explore the game's
behavior. Path execution follows the events, actions, and states on the TFD. A textual
script can be constructed by cutting and pasting primitives in the order they occur
along the path. Testers then follow the script to execute each test, referring to the data
dictionary for details of each primitive. Automated scripts are created in the same
manner, except lines of code are being pasted together rather than textual instructions
for a human tester.
Many paths are possible for a single TFD. Tests can be executed according to a single
strategy for the duration of the project or path sets can vary according to the maturi-
ty of the game code as it progresses through different milestones. The TFD remains
constant as long as the correct game requirements and behaviors do not change. Some
useful strategies for selecting test paths are described in the following sections.
