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The Honourable Guild of Test Pilots

Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 4:24 pm
by Cody
The Honourable Guild of Test Pilots

It has recently come to my attention that some OXP authors are having a little trouble finding quality test pilots for their latest creations… why this should be, I cannot really understand. The usual method of announcing a WIP and asking for testers is not always effective it seems, as I suppose these posts can easily be missed by some commanders (or perhaps it’s a case of ‘someone is bound to have volunteered already, so I don’t need to’).

What I propose is a list of commanders who are willing to help OXP authors test new missions, ships, etc. This will often entail stepping out of a player’s comfort zone, flying an unfamiliar ship, battling new enemies, getting killed repeatedly, testing exotic new weapons etc… a day in the life of a test pilot can be ‘interesting’, to say the least (although it can be very repetitive at times). Sometimes, you’ll find that you have little or no time left to just ‘play’, sometimes (though rarely) you’ll be testing stuff that may crash the game or your machine… but we all like to have shiny new OXPs, don’t we? If we have a list of available and willing commanders, then all an OXP author need do is find this thread, select one or more suitable testers, and PM them.

A simple post in this thread from anyone interested in being a serious test pilot, clearly stating such things as which OS you use, whether or not your machine is shader-capable, which particular gfx card/chip you have, have you completed all the native missions, and maybe which type of OXPs you’d be interested (or not interested) in testing, will suffice. For some OXPs, only genuinely experienced commanders with iron-assed ships will serve, but that is not always the case. You can end up with scores of slightly different savefiles that need to be well organised (one of my failings, but I tend to get too immersed… this also can be useful to OXP’ers, however). Often, an OXP WIP can change daily, or even hourly, depending on new ideas or feedback… that can be ‘fun’, but that’s the job, as they say. All commanders are welcome to apply, but bear in mind that this job usually needs the ability to edit/replace plists, scripts etc, to follow instructions to the letter, and will often require a high degree of commitment, as some major OXPs are months in the making… whereas some only require a few flights to ensure that a ship/object looks and performs as it should (and you do get to fly some great ships/missions before anyone else).

When that klaxon sounds in the ready-room, you gotta load-up and launch!

So… is this a good idea? If you think so, and you think you’ve got the ‘Right Stuff’, then add yourself to this thread.

NB: please keep your posts short and to the point… and remember:

Image

Re: The Guild of Test Pilots

Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 4:36 pm
by Ironfist
Think this is a good idea.

Lets get the ball rolling:-

Desktop runs XP SP3 32 bit and 64 bit - Oolite 1.75.3 and oolite-trunk is only installed on 32bit XP
also run Mint 11 in 64 bit with 1.75.3 and Oolite-trunk.
Currently deadly with the latest commander.
Machine is shader capable spec in signature.
Have the ability with inter-changeable disks to install and boot any Linux version or multiples.

Ironfist

Re: The Guild of Test Pilots

Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 5:43 pm
by Fatleaf
And don't forget to add that as a test pilot absolute trust is a must. Secrecy is paramount. Any screenshots are only released with the authors permission.

It is in the hand book you know! 8)

I hear-by put myself forward for the task.

I am running windows7 which is shader capable.

Re: The Guild of Test Pilots

Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 12:49 am
by RyanHoots
El Viejo wrote:
What I propose is a list of commanders who are willing to help OXP authors test new missions, ships, etc. This will often entail stepping out of a player’s comfort zone, flying an unfamiliar ship, battling new enemies, getting killed repeatedly, testing exotic new weapons etc… a day in the life of a test pilot can be ‘interesting’, to say the least (although it can be very repetitive at times). Sometimes, you’ll find that you have little or no time left to just ‘play’, sometimes (though rarely) you’ll be testing stuff that may crash the game or your machine… but we all like to have shiny new OXPs, don’t we? If we have a list of available and willing commanders, then all an OXP author need do is find this thread, select one or more suitable testers, and PM them.
These are the voyages of the space ship "Testme"
Her mission: To get out of the tester's comfort zone. To Teach the tester to fly an unfamiliar ship. To battle new enemies, and to test exotic weapons.
To boldly test what no Commander has tested before!

Count me in. I am good with secrecy (I have secrets I wouldn't tell for a million dollars), and I have a Dell Latitude D610 with Ubuntu 10.04 with KDE 4, computer doesn't support shaders. I run Oolite 1.75.3.
I like testing player ships, equipment, weapons, and NPC ships, all under battle conditions. Ships or equipment I test will be put to the ultimate test: Thargoids. I can only test missions in Galaxy Five.
I can edit, replace, and generally work with, plists files. I am an OXP developer, so I am okay with stuff not working. I get rid of stress by killing all the Vipers GalCop can throw at me
.

RH is officially retiring from OXP testing. Besides, my Latest.log is already littered with errors from all sorts of test ships I have in progress...

Re: The Guild of Test Pilots

Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 10:33 pm
by Svengali
Nice idea El Viejo.

It would be cool if test pilots could add their gfx-card. Sometimes OXPers will look for specific cards to test shaders...

Okeydokey, my turn .-)

Code: Select all

OS:		    Win XP
GFX:		   NVidia GeForce Go 7950GTX, 512MB, OpenGL 2.1.2
Oolite:		v1.75.3 + Trunk + Console
Shaders:	  Full - OGL 2.1.2
Screen:      1920x1200 (Full) && 1024x768 (Windowed)
Ship:		  Cobra MkIII (Griff)
Rating:		Elite, different savedgames available
Interests:	Technical implementation, shaders, scripting

Status:		Employed, but quick tests are still possible
Status will be updated from time to time.

Re: The Guild of Test Pilots

Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 11:12 pm
by Smivs
As both author and tester I can only agree with this idea.
Everybody ultimately benefits from rigourous testing, as the OXPs are more likely to be as good as they can be on release.
The author knows his/her OXP has been through the mill and works as well as it can.
The testers have the opportunity to not only get a sneak peek at future releases, but can also find it a very satisfying task. You will find this adds a new dimension to the game, and it's good to work as part of a friendly team as well. Meaningful feedback is one of the most useful things to an author. It's also good to know that the WIP you are working on is going to be better for your input.
It can be a tedious chore as well, I'll be honest, but even that can be good if it draws attention to deficiencies in the OXP.
Put simply it can involve a lot of effort, but can also be good fun and very rewarding. If that's for you, why not sign up?

Re: The Guild of Test Pilots

Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 1:19 am
by Mauiby de Fug
I'll throw my hat into the ring too! (Or at least I would if I had one...) I've recently finished playing a run through a mission WIP, and have to say I've loved it. So I'd be happy to try and do some more testing.

Running Linux (Ubuntu Oneiric), latest Oolite version 1.75.3 and have trunk installed as well, so I can also test there if needs be. Currently
am running on a computer with no shaders.
I'm pretty damn good at reading error messages and debugging from a latest.log file, have a good enough knowledge of Javascript in Oolite to be able to follow what's going on and understand most scripts, and am not scared of editing things. Can also use the Debug console if necessary.
Default ship I fly is a Caddy Omega for those who want to see how things stand up to what some deem an "uber" ship, but I'll be perfectly happy to switch ships for the purposes of testing things. Am rated Elite so can probably hold my own in a fight!
Authors can expect responses with (hopefully) constructive criticism, rather than a simple "This is awesome". I can't guarantee regular hours and feedback every day - I tend to play Oolite in binges lasting hours at a time, every now and again. Meaning that if you want me to test missions, then I'll play a large session in one version, won't get around to doing any more for a few days, and then have another long bout on a later version. Long term commitment from me on this basis is not a problem.
Am happy to test pretty much anything, although I don't have many different types of missiles in my Ooniverse, so might not have much to compare those to.

Re: The Guild of Test Pilots

Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 11:09 pm
by Commander Wilmot
I don't know when or if I will have time, but when I do I would like to help. I will be a good test subject for low end computers. I am running Oolite on an hp mini netbook, I think one of the 1100 or 1200 models.

Re: The Guild of Test Pilots

Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2011 9:02 pm
by CaptSolo
Solo answers the call. Has flight suit on - final letters home prepared in case of no return. :-)

Sign me up!

Edit: My machine has no shader support.

Re: The Guild of Test Pilots

Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2011 9:42 am
by Switeck
I can both test and have "stuff" to be tested. 8)

I've been working very long on a breakthrough that needs both a tester and a debugger. If you are interested, pm me!

Re: The Guild of Test Pilots

Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 1:43 pm
by Smivs
Volunteers wanted

I have been reworking my Accessories OXP over the last few weeks, and think it is about ready to ship, but would like a couple of volunteers to check it for me and give some feedback on a couple of aspects of it.
Ideally volunteers should be familiar with Accessories v1.2 and having Rock Hermit Locator installed would also be an advantage.
If you'd like to help with this, please PM me and I'll give a download link to the successful applicants.
Thanks,
Smivs.

Re: The Honourable Guild of Test Pilots

Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 3:14 pm
by Zieman
Hi!

I have small job for the Guild.

I presume people who have posted in this thread are members, so:
El Viejo, Ironfist, Fatleaf, RyanHoots, Svengali, Smivs, Mauiby de Fug, Commander Wilmot, CaptSolo & Switeck - check your PM.

Thanks,
Z

Re: The Honourable Guild of Test Pilots

Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 3:29 pm
by Ironfist
Zieman,

Nothing listed in my inbox.

Ironfist

Re: The Honourable Guild of Test Pilots

Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 3:41 pm
by Zieman
Shoud be now.

Re: The Honourable Guild of Test Pilots

Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 5:54 pm
by Smivs
Checked, replied to, downloaded (although as I explained there will be a slight delay before I can have a look). :)