How to Test
When testing a game, the tester must use a Test Table. Depending on the type of test you’re doing may change how that test table looks and what information is stored within the test table.
There are four key bits of data that are required for the testing process.
- Details of Test – What the test is aiming to do or check
- Expected Result – What should happen during or after the test
- Actual Result – What actually happened during or after the test
- Amendments – What changes need to be made to fix or improve the issue.
Example Test
When testing a game, regardless of the approach you take, a Test Table will always look similar unless specific data is required.
Below is an example Test Table with multiple tests.
| Details of Test | Expected Result | Actual Result | Amendments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pressing Space to Jump | When Space the character should move upwards | The character moved upwards | None |
| Pressing Space when the character is already in the air | The character shouldn't move up if they are already in the air | The character didn't move up and continued to fall | None |
| Hitting a falling obstacle | When the character hits a falling obstacle the characters position should be reset | The character is moved back to the start of the level | None |
| YOU WIN screen appearing upon level completion | When the player gets to the end of the level, the YOU WIN screen should appear. | The YOU WIN screen did appear but it is behind the player. | Adjust the layer of the YOU WIN image so that it appears in front of the player. |
| YOU WIN screen appearing upon level completion | The YOU WIN screen used to appear behind the player rather than in front of it. | The YOU win screen only appears in front of the player now. | None |
| Collecting Screws and Screws Vanishing | When the character touches a screw, the screw should vanish. | The screw vanishes when touched by the player. | None |
| Collecting Screws and Counter Increasing | When the character touches a screw, the counter should increase. | The counter increases by 1 | None |
| Collecting Screws and Sound Playing | When the character collects a screw, the collection sound effect should play. | The sound plays once. | None |
You can see when the test is failed, regardless of how it failed, it is then tested again once the fix has been put in place.
Additionally, breaking tests down into smaller tests (like the collecting of screws) allows you to know exactly what is being tested and what works as expected.