jam3: Ah. You're talking about HoI3, and seeing as this is the Vicky2 forum, I'm sure everyone read your post and thought you were talking about performance issues in Vicky.
Idea for paradox re beta testing available to all interested
- Thread starter ollobrains
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Yeah sorry, I didn't make that clear in my original post. From what i understand Vicky 2 will be written using the same engine.
I think Paradox could go two fold here.
Use the aforementioned QA company for most bug reports, but get the 20 odd beta testers from HoI3 who provided tons of feedback onboard for this project as well. Those 20 beta testers, if they're familiar with Victoria, could provide the needed bug reports that only those who are familiar with this series are able to. Maybe Paradox could try and hire the most veteran gamers of Victoria amongst those here and who are able and willing to do betatesting, which is no easy task. A NDA and maybe a compensation, perhaps a couple of free games including V2 and a forum icon for their troubles if they do their work well.
Then again, it's up to Paradox. I personally would feel more assured if there were both the QA company and a group of dedicated Victoria gamers betatesting the game properly.
Use the aforementioned QA company for most bug reports, but get the 20 odd beta testers from HoI3 who provided tons of feedback onboard for this project as well. Those 20 beta testers, if they're familiar with Victoria, could provide the needed bug reports that only those who are familiar with this series are able to. Maybe Paradox could try and hire the most veteran gamers of Victoria amongst those here and who are able and willing to do betatesting, which is no easy task. A NDA and maybe a compensation, perhaps a couple of free games including V2 and a forum icon for their troubles if they do their work well.
Then again, it's up to Paradox. I personally would feel more assured if there were both the QA company and a group of dedicated Victoria gamers betatesting the game properly.
I didn't participate to earlier beta testing runs, but this seems very strange. Beeing accustumated to the linux world, I spend much time writing all sort of feedback about various applications, and let's say it face it: public beta testing is not an extra; it's a must !
Though it has to be very well organized to be succesfull, ie split the whole soft into vsmall different parts that should be extensively tested. For an example, one could focus on features A, while another could test features B of the game. This makes it possible even for non-programmers to help debugging softwares, since they get a nice 'howto', on top of simplifying feedback reception.
Nevertheless, I can only salute the effort to finally hire professionnal testers; while the public is probably the only way to correct a soft's 'taste', pros will greatly help packaging the thing correctly - ie find engine bugs. Basically, pros testing is an expensive short-term way to expand a small companies' manpower, before a major release.
On a final note, it should be up to the testing company to set up the whole debugging operation, including public testing. You know: setting up a special bugtracking homepage, breaking the soft into test-piece, hiring public testers, collecting feedback and whatsoever.
After all, that's what they are paid for...
Though it has to be very well organized to be succesfull, ie split the whole soft into vsmall different parts that should be extensively tested. For an example, one could focus on features A, while another could test features B of the game. This makes it possible even for non-programmers to help debugging softwares, since they get a nice 'howto', on top of simplifying feedback reception.
Nevertheless, I can only salute the effort to finally hire professionnal testers; while the public is probably the only way to correct a soft's 'taste', pros will greatly help packaging the thing correctly - ie find engine bugs. Basically, pros testing is an expensive short-term way to expand a small companies' manpower, before a major release.
On a final note, it should be up to the testing company to set up the whole debugging operation, including public testing. You know: setting up a special bugtracking homepage, breaking the soft into test-piece, hiring public testers, collecting feedback and whatsoever.
After all, that's what they are paid for...