How long does it usually take Beta-testing?

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haradan · #1 Post by **haradan** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 7:10 pm

Hi, I was just wondering if anyone knows how long it takes to beta test a full game? Since right now the main priority is beta testing Al Emmo, THEN they will fix bugs, finish it and start selling it, THEN they switch to QG2 to start beta testing, THEN they'll fix bugs, finisht it and release it, I was just wondering If I should prepare myself for a 2 months wait ;) or a 10 months wait.

How long did it take to beta test KQ2, for example? Cheers.

BeerNutts · #2 Post by **BeerNutts** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 9:33 pm

but I'm going to go ahead and say expect the 10 month wait (if not longer).

It will take long enough for them to finish Al Emmo, and even if they started working on QFG2 only right now, I'd still say it would be 6 months or so before they could release the game.

Quest For Glory Fan · #3 Post by **Quest For Glory Fan** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 12:46 am

you have tio understand both of these games are far more complex than KQ1 or 2 and the Al Emmo team is running full tilt by now I expect. After All KING's Quest III is going stronmg and they started a little later.

haradan · #4 Post by **haradan** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 1:30 am

Yeah, that's what I thought. Okay, at least I already know what I want for next Christmas. :p

JustLuke29 · #5 Post by **JustLuke29** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 4:26 pm

A pony?

haradan · #6 Post by **haradan** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 8:20 pm

A pony?

Ummm... close, but not quite.

Da_elf · #7 Post by **Da_elf** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 9:13 pm

a horse? (well you did say a pony was close)

Relight · #8 Post by **Relight** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 4:15 pm

A plastic rocket

TravisOwens · #9 Post by **TravisOwens** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 5:46 pm

Well in proper software development you would NEVER bug test after you've made the game. It's been tried & proven that the best & fastest way to squash bugs is to fix bugs as they are created and NOT move onto something new.

I've heard MS learned this lesson well when the very first version of MS Word was created and they made the mistake of ignoring all bugs until the program was finished, what happened next was a massive amount of bug squashing that took longer than writing the entire program.

Generally speaking, if it took 6 months to write an app and you ignored bugs, it can easily take spiral into 12 more months to fix the bugs. Where as if you squash bugs as they happen, an entire project can be finished in 12 months total.

Of course AGDI could mean they are looking for any lingering bugs, which means they already fixed bugs as they occurred and they're looking for any rare cases that didn't happen during normal game play. In that case it could take only around 6 months.

No matter what, QfG2 isn't going to get any serious finalizing until their current commercial project is finished as QfG2 is just a hobby project they're doing in their spare time.

#10 Post by **Anonymous Game Creator 2** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 6:18 pm

Spare time, full time... it's all pretty much just one big blur these days. |I

But you've hit the nail on the head in saying that locating and squashing bugs afterwards is much more time consuming than simply programming scenes solidly to begin with, and ensuring that there are minimal bugs from the outset. This is how I usually prefer to work. I go through everything in the scene with a fine-tooth comb to ensure that absolutely no obvious bugs exist before moving on to the next area.

Unfortunately, many of QFG2VGA's scenes were not programmed this way; they were merely scripted to be functional so that the 'shell' of the game would be playable from beginning to end. And this is now requiring us to go back and double, triple, and quadruple check all areas of the game to make sure that no "blank spots" remain in certain places, and also that no serious bugs remain.

When making an adventure game in particular, I'd say the most important rule of all is to be extremely thorough the first time around, so that it will minimize bug encounters later on. This is equally important for grammar and spelling mistakes too. Preferably, everything that can be checked and verified before being implemented into the game, should be. There's always the chance you'll miss bugs during beta testing and that they'll sneak their way into the final product.

Gronagor · #11 Post by **Gronagor** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 6:15 am

There are so many reasons for major bugs to creep in even if you were thorough. One that's important to remember is that a programmer always improves (same for a scripter). Easier and better ways are found as you go on. Eventually the scripts from the start of the project differ from the way you scripted at the end... this usually causes a lot of clashes, which could mean you need to rescript the first parts. This is especially the case if you work over a long period of time.

Whether that is the problem with AGDI, I don't know, but I know it is the case with game art. Eventually you have to re-edit all the older pics to fit the newer ones. Immensely frustrating.

Paladinlover · #12 Post by **Paladinlover** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 3:54 pm

Well, I suppose that 10 more months wouldn't hurt. Still, I just hope that when they get Al Emmo finished it can provide the necessary distraction... or then again, maybe I should have a Classic Sierra game marathon and see how many Sierra games I finish in a season! :P

Till next time stay cool :smokin

DKORNBLET06515 · #13 Post by **DKORNBLET06515** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 4:38 am

FIGURING OUT THE BUGS, WHAT THEY NEED TO CHANGE. TO MAKE IT WORK.

JustLuke29 · #14 Post by **JustLuke29** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 1:00 pm

Wise words, DKORNBLET06515. Wise words.

How long does it usually take Beta-testing?

How long does it usually take Beta-testing?

I don't remember the exact length of time...

I WOULD SAY EVEN 14 TO 18 MONTHS