10-22-2009, 03:13 AM
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#175
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Member of Rush Nation
OVR: 4
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Canada
Posts: 5,446
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Originally Posted by sambf12 |
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Pared and everyone else touching on game testing, I thought you might find this thread interesting.
Something that stood out to me was the limited resources for testing. I'm sure there are very good and valid reasons to NOT have people in the community like yourself test these games, but it seems like it would be beneficial for many obvious reasons if it was possible.
http://2ksports.com/forums/showthrea...=1#post2801267
From b-Dub:
Every year we get a thread or two about this and every year I have to go and remind people how things work.
The testers for 2K are not just 2K Sports testers. They test other 2K games as well. The majority of them are in one office, near LA at one of 2K's main offices. There is a group of testers, but not all of them are testing the same game. I don't know how many are actually testing 2K Sports games, and NBA 2K in particular, but I'm sure it could be more. But that's a financial matter with the company. Also, the testers generally rotate games, so they aren't always playing the same game over and over. Because of that, you can't expect any or all of them to have a great knowledge of basketball or sports. Generally, each day when they arrive, they have a list of things to test out in a certain game, then they spend the day testing those things out and trying to "break" the game.
Also know that testing is usually something that goes on for months and months. But since sports games come out on a yearly basis, that means you have less time to test and less time to fix bugs that may be found before release. So, what do you do when you have a set deadline to get a game out the door and no way to delay that? You have to prioritize. Which bugs need to be fixed before release? Which bugs can be fixed later in a patch? And which bugs can wait until next year, because there just isn't time? I'm sure those aren't easy decisions to make, because a bug that one person doesn't experience to often or finds minor, someone else might experience it often or is very bothered by it.
As for why aren't these bugs found in testing. Again, each day the testers generally have a list of things to test out. Then, closer to release, they get a near finished build to play around with and try to find as many things as they can. But, 15-20 testers (guessing at that number there) with a limited amount of time just aren't going to be able to find all the bugs that 100,000+ people will find. And some of the bugs that members here have reported, may have been reported by a tester, but then the company decided it was a low priority bug. But, if enough members complain about that bug, then it suddenly goes from low priority to high priority.
And why be upset that the patch won't be out within one month release? Don't you want the things in the patch to work? Also, with the approval process that Sony and MS does, it can be real tough getting something out within a month.
I know some of you people don't care to read this or know this, because you think 2K should be able to produce flawless games and have one million testers capable of finding every bug in existence. But, that's just not how it is. Yes, the game may feel rushed, but in a sense, it is. When you only have a year to get a game out, it's going to be a bit rushed in some areas. Think about it. Most games on the current generation of hardware is in development for 3+ years. They can be delayed if need be. They have a long time to test. Games with big multiplayer online features even have open beta. Yet, sports games still stick with the yearly release, with limited amount of testing. It's an outdated system, in my opinion, and that's why sports games always seem behind the curve when compared to other genres. And why it takes them quite a few years for their game to truly feel "next gen". And it's also why some features in the game can feel rushed.
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Great read. Here's my problem with this though. 20 out of 20 testers must have noticed the framerate issues. NBA 2k10 is easily my favorite bball game to date but I'm sick of this under resourced, short development excuse crap. I can accept players teleporting once and a while or defence not double teaming the right way, stuff like that. I can understand how stuff like that could be missed or considered low priority. I have no problem waiting on the patch for that stuff But waiting 2 months for a patch that fixes the most glaring issue, the framerate, some accountability needs to be taken here. I don't want to see an article like ^^^^^ Just tell me u effed up and we will move on. I have to wait and enjoy this awesome game till mid - end November? that's garbage. It's like putting unwrapped presents for your kids under the tree in November. Sorry kids you can't play with that xbox 360 till December 25th. Sorry guys I'm just tired of crap like this. Accountability!! |
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