>implying betas are usually a thing
>implying 2.5, the most recent full number update, didn't literally have over 20 posted beta builds
>implying 2.5, the most recent full number update, didn't have a >100 post megathread for release planning partially based on info from these betas
>implying 2.4, the second most recent full number update, didn't also have multiple betas and numerous threads which drew info from them.
Wareya, saying that we don't usually have regular beta builds available for testing for updates is a crock of shit.
Even if you disagree, next time, could you post one? Start a trend, worst case scenario you end up wasting 20 seconds on dropbox.
Hello Machidro.
Here at Faucet Software, we pride ourselves in releasing high-quality, bug-free software. As part of this mission, we try to test things sufficiently prior to release to identify any issues, including utilising the "Beta testing program", the "Release Candidate program" and testing of individual feature branches prior to and after merger.
The program you refer to, the "Beta testing program", was effective in the past. However, recently Betas have been found to be ineffective in testing GG2, due to poor Beta testing program participation. As you will no doubt be aware, the Beta testing program can only be effective where several people use the Beta to play a game. If that does not happen, the Beta testing program is effectively useless, since any bugs that could be found without playing a game are usually found with one of our other methods of testing. Furthermore, contrary to your claims of "wasting 20 seconds on dropbox", Beta creation is considerably more involved. As a consequence, no beta builds were created for this version of GG2. However, we have done testing of feature branches and issued an internal Release Candidate.
Despite all the testing we perform, things can and inevitably always will slip through. We apologise if any of these issues have affected your Gang Garrison 2 experience, and we will try to speedily rectify them.
-- Andrea Faulds
Senior Vice President of Customer Relations, Faucet Software
>ajf senior vice president of customer relations, god help us all
Apart from that though, he's right. Making betas is a lot of work, especially for separated betas. Just leaving them in the open does exactly nothing nowadays, seeing as no-one practically ever plays them, even with the mod lobby system. So on top of making the beta, you also have to organize beta matches, which takes a lot more than 20 seconds even in the best of cases. Usually they don't work well either, as people just do the same thing as every dev does during coding (running around, trying to round corners off platforms, shoot, try all emotes, etc...). People don't like coming to those tests either, because once (if) a crash is found, the dev says halt and works on it 10 minutes, plus 5 until it's compiled and uploaded, by the time of which half the people are gone or in the middle of a different game. If someone by chance happens to try alone and find a bug that hasn't gone noticed, then 80% of the time just posts it in IRC assuming that someone is paying attention enough to notice it, is currently working on it and will post a fix. Soon.
If you /don't/ organize beta matches, then either nothing is found until right before release, where suddenly a load of bugs prop up and you are blamed because "it was tested" and the thing just gets pushed away, or people find a bug every lunar cycle, dragging the whole thing several months (I don't think I have to give examples here).
Betas need bigger communities.
Author
Topic: Gang Garrison 2.6: The Haxxy Awards 2013 update (Read 15578 times)
