Comments by "Edward Cullen" (@edwardcullen1739) on "5 Ways to Improve Your Code" video.

  1. 1. If it's not automated, it isn't a test, it's an evaluation. 2. This sounds like a "I'm not paid to write tests" cope. If a test is a test, it is specific and repeatable - it has a pass/fail criteria. If it's specific and repeatable and runs on a computer, it can be automated. Automated could mean frame-by-frame comparison of a run (a mate worked on a game where they did just that 15 years ago!) But there's LOTS of things that can be automated - take Cyberpunk 2077 - the perks system is notorious for STILL being about 20% completely broken 6 months after release. These perks apply modifiers in specific circumstances. How hard would it be to write a test in-engine that spawned a player with a perk/combination of perks and a corresponding "gallery" of targets that then used an aimbot to attack them? After each attack, you inspect the target and player and ensure that the internal values are correct. Sure, this doesn't cover graphics BUT THAT'S THE POINT. You're automating the "mundane" parts of the game play so that human testers can focus on the parts of the game that can't be automated (too impractical) or don't have pass/fail criteria, like "does this feel good". This is a guess, but I bet Star Citizen's release cycle is almost certainly due to the lack of good test automation.
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