Pre-August QA Testing

Mihoshi20

Member
If not already planned, there should probably be another beta release version in which all the beta users band together to give the tool a good QA testing so that at least all the obvious bugs can be stamped out before released to the public. A release candidate version if you will. Currently there is the start screen UI not showing all tiles bug that's already known about and I also can't seem to get the player sprite to move using the top down scripts which was also an issue shown in the (Pi) tutorial. Adding and setting up only the press scripts causes the sprite to do nothing when pressing the D-Pad while adding and setting up the hold scripts only allows left and right movement even when using the top down scripts as adding the hold up and down scripts produces the same error shown in the (Pi) tutorials.

With the release candidate/pre-august release, all beta users could test out all scripts and tool functions before-hand to make sure at least the basic functions go off without a hitch before release to the already growing anxious public so that their first experience with the tool and impressions can be as smooth as possible.

Also can it be possible to consolidate some of the graphical assets into one location. I often go into Graphics Banks/Graphics Bank 0 expecting Monster Graphics Bank 0 to be there. It would be nice is the normal Graphics Banks, Monster Graphics Banks, and Game Objects were all in one unified location, grouped together in a graphical assets section. Same with Palettes and Monster Palettes. Unless anyone else thinks it's a bad idea and likes things where they are. I personally would like all related graphical assets and related items in one convenient place, but that's just me. I'd probably also put CHR viewer, Pixel Editor, and Input Editor under tools or group input editor, sound, and Hud & Boxes together in their own section for quick and convenient locating.

Interested in getting other Beta user's opinion of some user experience changes or if you guys like it as is.
 

RadJunk

Administrator
Staff member
1) Not a bad idea. What I REALLY want is mid July - Aug 1, I'd love for ALL beta testers to try and build something "small but complete" using the CURRENT set of tutorials (which may also include patches). Looking for challenges, diversity, etc. I'd like to be able to show by launch (which will be mid August) what people are already doing with the tool. That can be the time for that as well. I don't anticipate all engines will be bug free...there's simply too many variable possibilities. But we'll continue to update patches for various engines and adding new ones.

2) I know that the graphics assets are broken down in a very particular way, in how each part of the tool needs to use them. I'm not sure how much can be changed there, other than moved around. But I can look into it!

As for the issues with the PI tutorial - try the latest beta posted yesterday (The Pi Beta Empty). I patched a few things. With those tutorials I show how to easily jump back and forth between platform and adventure game type scripts, and it all works as expected. :)
 

Mihoshi20

Member
TheNew8bitHeroes said:
1) Not a bad idea. What I REALLY want is mid July - Aug 1, I'd love for ALL beta testers to try and build something "small but complete" using the CURRENT set of tutorials (which may also include patches). Looking for challenges, diversity, etc. I'd like to be able to show by launch (which will be mid August) what people are already doing with the tool. That can be the time for that as well. I don't anticipate all engines will be bug free...there's simply too many variable possibilities. But we'll continue to update patches for various engines and adding new ones.

2) I know that the graphics assets are broken down in a very particular way, in how each part of the tool needs to use them. I'm not sure how much can be changed there, other than moved around. But I can look into it!

As for the issues with the PI tutorial - try the latest beta posted yesterday (The Pi Beta Empty). I patched a few things. With those tutorials I show how to easily jump back and forth between platform and adventure game type scripts, and it all works as expected. :)

1) I like that idea, nothing puts software through it's paces then using it to make a complete product with it and I also don't expect it to be 100% bug free but I'd like us to catch as much as possible before the general public gets a hold of it.

2) Yeah, I don't really want fundamental changes, aside from maybe some sort of nudge and distort added to the pixel editor. I'm talking more organizing their arrangement in the hierarchy tree.

Yeah, trying to watch the new tutorials when I can, will probably have to run through them tonight as Summer Games Done Quick 2018 has me well distracted currently. I tend to drop everything when SGDQ or AGDQ rolls around. I did compare the sizes of the executable files and they seemed the same so I'd assumed nothing in the tool itself changed so I didn't bother a binary compare. Haven't looked through the asm files yet as going to do that when i follow the new tutorials.
 

dale_coop

Moderator
Staff member
Agree with Mihoshi20 on that, some small changes in the tool could be very convenient... I like the idea of regrouping the assets, the palettes, ...
But I know there is still a lot of work to do in the code, so, the design of the tool may not be the priority.
I can understand (to know it well) that between job, family, projects, ... it's hard to make it all work, and find the time to polish everything.
So do your best, as always, Joe... and Josh too.

If you guys, need help, like for tests, opinions, debug, ideas, a lot of great people here for you.
 
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