Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Testing phase
Testing is closely related to the production phase. This phase
begins with alpha and goes through gold:
alpha
All pieces of the game are done (albeit some may need
finessing), and a complete build can take place, prepping the proj-
ect for testing.
Beta
All final pieces of the game are done, and the game is ready
to be tested in greater detail. The Q/A department goes over every
aspect of the game in great detail, and upon locating
bugs
or errors
usually categorizes them as A (top priority), B, or C. Each bug is
catalogued, and the game is sent back to the production team for
revamping. The higher-priority items are fixed first, but all bugs
and their issues are addressed by the production team and corrected
before the game is resubmitted for testing.
Gold
The game is complete and ready to be shipped. Time to
open the champagne!
postproduction phase
This phase covers all the work for a product that occurs
after the game ships, such as additional marketing, trade shows, articles, and
advertising. It should be understood, though, that much of the first marketing
for a game can begin before the project is complete, to get the audience excited
and talking about the upcoming release.
Builds
During the production phase, the majority of games go through a series of
builds. A
build
takes all the art, audio, and coding done at the time and creates
a playable version of the game that can be reviewed and tested. A game can go
through dozens of builds before hitting the final, finished version that's ready
for release.
Tracking progress
Pipelines and charts for tracking progress must be flexible. When a tracking
chart is created using Excel spreadsheets or Gantt charts, it should include
milestones
, which are the deadlines. These deadlines are taken seriously in the
industry. When one is missed, it tends to create a domino effect, causing other
