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TSoG testing crew(first post updated)

Started by Xemadus Echina, March 28, 2010, 02:56:28 PM

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Xemadus Echina

i got this idea from a recent post i made.  since there are a variety of things in this game that could have multiple outcomes, and a variety of glitches and bugs. why not have an official testing crew to find the truth?


also if you would like to join just say so in here for now.

As of now KZ is the leader of this group.  I created a banner and I will post the most recent version here.
current
[spoiler]Aside from the words on the banner, this is pretty much the final version.  If anybody on here wants a different picture to be used then just send me a link to it.  Also I still need a title for Mike, Tas and Smart.
I left the previous version here for comparison! I like the improvements I made :)[/spoiler]
[spoiler]The finished banner will have a different background as well as a founding date and the name of the forum along the bottom (I might be able to put a hyperlink on it but I'm not sure if it'll work.)  Also it will be aesthetically pleasing (the pictures and the names will line up)
I decided to make my own portrait TRPG themed so I didn't stick out as much ^_^'[/spoiler]

Here is a to do list courtesy of KZ
[spoiler]There are several areas that can be filled and researched:
-for instance, one can go ahead with the high money stat and create numerous sub-games to verify the minimal levels for aptitude, personality and psy power required to complete each side quest (Umma, Arman, Mahboob, Al'al, Crypts, etc)
-one can also go searching for bugs (like I've been doing recently) by verifying whether the cut-scenes work properly- that is to say, see if the right cut-scene appears depending on which member of the team is dead (this applies to prison break, bandit mission, labour rescue cut-scenes)
-one can go and look through all the different texts to see wherether there are bits which are cut-off (ie sentnec not finished) or typos present (in the most different of places- in the menu, in the battle-objectives sreen, in dialogue, world map, etc)
-one can test the enemy AI- take one unit and then set up many different combinations (backstab opportunities, kill oportunities, distance-related movement, etc) in Map Editor and find any situations where the enemy AI can really be imrpoved
-one can also check out the dialogue branching trees- see if all the options work and that there are no incorrect connections, that the right actions/effects follow the word choices, etc (for instance, I just did this with the Azma Lair dialogue, had about 10 games running simulatneously to see that the tree was working right)
-one can also, through trial and error in map editor (by using the in-game team), see what the formula's for damage are for each of the attacks, as well as verifying and collecting enemy stats
-one can also go through the wiki, article by article and try to standardise the information, correct mistakes, add extra information
-one can go through the old forums and find threads which led to the general forum populace agreeing on certain things (e.g. meaning of Shadowling colour, their structure, the pseudo-scientific basis for the elemental attacks and shields) which have been more or less integrated into TSoG (like explanations for attacks)[/spoiler]
im writing a book!
http://sinisterdesign.net/forum/index.php?topic=236.0;topicseen
heres a free verse poem I wrote for school
You never know
Just what you will find after you
Lost your favorite thing. But
The important thing is that the
Game you play will help you to get by.

Presentiment

Everyone in the world is the official testing crew.

KZ

That's right- look at the bug and walkthorugh threads, people spontaneously accumulate information then publish it, or they find bugs and report them. If someone is interested in some stats, sometimes someone else does look it up- I have ventured into stats determination myself, but there isn't always enough time to find out all that is needed.
Welcome to the forums!
Read the rules, use proper grammar and punctuation, play the games, share your ideas and enjoy your stay!

Presentiment

Stats are easy to find with the money cheat.

Xemadus Echina

the whole point of my idea is so that we could create an organized setting for topics such as bug hunting or cheat determination among a select few who actually LOOK for those sorts of things instead of one large area where people who find things accidentally post things along side the pro's.  but as i said earlier, if this idea offers nothing new then feel free to remove it from the forums.
im writing a book!
http://sinisterdesign.net/forum/index.php?topic=236.0;topicseen
heres a free verse poem I wrote for school
You never know
Just what you will find after you
Lost your favorite thing. But
The important thing is that the
Game you play will help you to get by.

Presentiment

Quote from: rainen on March 28, 2010, 03:13:13 PM
the whole point of my idea is so that we could create an organized setting for topics such as bug hunting or cheat determination among a select few who actually LOOK for those sorts of things instead of one large area where people who find things accidentally post things along side the pro's.  but as i said earlier, if this idea offers nothing new then feel free to remove it from the forums.

What.Is.The.Point.

Xemadus Echina

the point is to create a community within this community of proven "hardcore" players.
im writing a book!
http://sinisterdesign.net/forum/index.php?topic=236.0;topicseen
heres a free verse poem I wrote for school
You never know
Just what you will find after you
Lost your favorite thing. But
The important thing is that the
Game you play will help you to get by.

Frosty

They put cheats in the game to check for bugs. :(
Yeah, I'm a snowman. Got a problem with that?

KZ

How is that related to the topic at hand, Frosty?
And no, the bugs are not put in there solely for bug testing- that's just one of the uses for them.
Welcome to the forums!
Read the rules, use proper grammar and punctuation, play the games, share your ideas and enjoy your stay!

Xemadus Echina

either way what i'm getting at is: should we create an area for the more dedicated members to interact with each other, or should we just ignore the idea and continue on as if it never existed.
im writing a book!
http://sinisterdesign.net/forum/index.php?topic=236.0;topicseen
heres a free verse poem I wrote for school
You never know
Just what you will find after you
Lost your favorite thing. But
The important thing is that the
Game you play will help you to get by.

CraigStern

This could actually be useful, insofar as people could be organized to all test specific areas of the game at once, meaning I could collect all the bugs in a given area and fix them at once rather than jumping around to the millions of little things people find in different areas all the time. That would be an efficiency gain for sure.

Presentiment

Unfortunately that isn't what he suggested.

He just suggested picking out a bunch of hard-core TRPG'ers (most of us, I hope, are not) and telling them to find bugs, which won't improve anything, other than maybe some kind of juvenile apartheid.

Zhampir

Well I for one, like the idea. and since I usually have quite a bit of free time, I would not mind dedicating myself to a particular area. I'm not a good boss-of-myself however, and I would not know where to begin, or where to focus my efforts.

KZ

Well, if there is a general desire to get started and organized, why not?

There are several areas that can be filled and researched:
-for instance, one can go ahead with the high money stat and create numerous sub-games to verify the minimal levels for aptitude, personality and psy power required to complete each side quest (Umma, Arman, Mahboob, Al'al, Crypts, etc)
-one can also go searching for bugs (like I've been doing recently) by verifying whether the cut-scenes work properly- that is to say, see if the right cut-scene appears depending on which member of the team is dead (this applies to prison break, bandit mission, labour rescue cut-scenes)
-one can go and look through all the different texts to see wherether there are bits which are cut-off (ie sentnec not finished) or typos present (in the most different of places- in the menu, in the battle-objectives sreen, in dialogue, world map, etc)
-one can test the enemy AI- take one unit and then set up many different combinations (backstab opportunities, kill oportunities, distance-related movement, etc) in Map Editor and find any situations where the enemy AI can really be imrpoved
-one can also check out the dialogue branching trees- see if all the options work and that there are no incorrect connections, that the right actions/effects follow the word choices, etc (for instance, I just did this with the Azma Lair dialogue, had about 10 games running simulatneously to see that the tree was working right)
-one can also, through trial and error in map editor (by using the in-game team), see what the formula's for damage are for each of the attacks, as well as verifying and collecting enemy stats
-one can also go through the wiki, article by article and try to standardise the information, correct mistakes, add extra information
-one can go through the old forums and find threads which led to the general forum populace agreeing on certain things (e.g. meaning of Shadowling colour, their structure, the pseudo-scientific basis for the elemental attacks and shields) which have been more or less integrated into TSoG (like explanations for attacks)

All of these things are useful and doable (I myself have tried my hand in each over the years) and if we could collate it all together, it would be great.
So, what do you think, folks? Up to any of the above? :)
Welcome to the forums!
Read the rules, use proper grammar and punctuation, play the games, share your ideas and enjoy your stay!

Steel Ersatz Man

I'm up for it! I'll start now!
We are the steel alliance. None shall take our hill!