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BHVR needs to hire a QA team and/or run longer, more efficient PTBs

BlackJimmy88
BlackJimmy88 Member Posts: 71
edited October 4 in Feedback and Suggestions

While I can’t prove it, I think it’s pretty clear that BHVR dumps all of its testing on us.

On top of that, the way PTBs are done is just incredibly inefficient. It seems to go:

  1. BHVR introduces a new Killer, new perks, and/or other huge change
  2. We find the problems with them
  3. BHVR either ignores us, scraps everything, or makes changes.
  4. If the latter, those changes are only made after the PTB, so end up going into live completely untested and typically bring their own problems.

At that point, why even have a PTB? It’s the same result either way.

Ideally, BHVR would hire an actual QA team, and the PTB would basically continue to merely be marketing like it is now.

Seeing as BHVR seems to be a Profit > Quality style game dev, then they at least need to rework PTBs so that actually work as advertised. They should:

  • Be active as long as they’re needed, not just a week. I would accept 3-4 weeks for Chapters since they have release deadlines, but otherwise testing should only stop when something can safely be moved to live.
  • Be constantly tweaked and updated so that when something finally goes to live, it’s in as good a state we’re able to get it in. The fact that any changes made from the PTB make it to live untested is abysmal.
  • Reward players for time invested in the PTB. Since they clearly don’t want to pay for a QA team, ai can’t expect them to starting paying PTB players, but some kind of incentive to spend as much time as possible test would prevent people from getting bored and moving back to live. A proper one too, not just BP. They’re using us as free labour after all, so it should actually be worth it. Shards at the bare minimum.
  • Progression should carry over to live. Similar to the above point, the inability to progress is one of the reasons people don’t stick around for the full week. If you’re extending that to an efficient amount of time, people need to be able to progress their characters.

Maybe I’m alone in thinking this, but I feel like things can’t continue as they are. So much needs fixing, and every time something is changed or added, it adds more to the pile.

Comments

  • Emeal
    Emeal Member Posts: 6,601

    The PTB is to identify and get a head start on Large Bugs and Issues, it is not to finish all bug fixes before the release.
    The PTB process isn't very good, but its mostly for a stab in the dark at those bugs and the larger ones do stand out.

    Why do it this way?
    Well, Playstation's Sony takes about 3 weeks to check a large patch for a game, Steam works on a developer trust system.
    So 3 weeks before a release, development is basically put to a halt cause it has been shipped to Sony.

    So instead of twiddling thumbs they have this PTB to catch more issues and get a headstart on those AND prepare a possible day 1 patch. Now from the PTB, they trusted us players too much. "Krasue was clunky" OK said BHVR we can fix that for Release day.

    Come day 3 and everyone is screaming, that flying potato is too strong, now depending on the issue it can be fixed fast BUT that also has to be submitted to Sony and checked and released a few days after.

    TLDR:
    They have a QA Team but things are more complicated. Without the PTB day 1 or week 1 and 2 patches would not be feasible.