Patching our way to lower software quality?
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In the world of videogames and mobile apps, the increasing availability of high-speed internet is making patching easier, and creating new challenges for quality. Users are becoming more accepting of so-called "day one patches" and automatically-applied mobile updates. What does this mean for testing, when "we'll fix it later" is becoming an increasingly reliable mantra?
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Patching our way to lower software quality?
- 1. PATCHING OUR WAY TO LOWER SOFTWARE QUALITY? Neil Studd
- 4. ET: THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL Atari Inc, Atari 2600, 1982
- 6. FRONTIER: FIRST ENCOUNTERS GameTek, PC, 1995
- 8. DUKE NUKEM FOREVER 2K Games, PC, 1997 1998 2001 2007 2011
- 10. GRAND THEFT AUTO: SAN ANDREAS Rockstar Games, Every Platform Ever, 2004
- 11. DESTINY Bungie, PS3/PS4/Xbox 360/Xbox One, 2014
- 20. BORDERLANDS: THE HANDSOME COLLECTION Gearbox, PlayStation 4 / Xbox One, 2015
- 22. ASSASSIN’S CREED: UNITY Ubisoft, PC / PlayStation 4 / Xbox One, 2014
- 23. BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT Warner Bros, PC / Xbox One / PlayStation 4, 2015
- 25. 1 . KNOW YOUR MVP (NO, REALLY)
- 26. GRAND THEFT AUTO V Rockstar Games, Consoles 2014 / PC 2015
- 27. 2. KNOW YOUR MISSION
- 28. CROSSY ROAD Hipster Whale, iOS / Android, 2014
- 29. 3. FIX WHAT “MATTERS”
- 30. CIVILIZATION V Firaxis, PC, 2010
- 31. THANKS FOR WATCHING! Twitter: @neilstudd
Editor's Notes
- Games/apps, increasing patchability changing user attitudes and acceptance of quality standards What this means for testers 3 tips for how to stay ahead Not mentioning web but sam challenges/tips
- Patchability = double-edged sword +: they CAN patch it -: if they’d had to get it right first time…
- To understand how we got here, literally dig into the past… Quick nerd test! Last year, New Mexico, investigating what many believed to be an urban legend Mass landfill site where, in 1983, Atari dumped millions of unsellable games, many of which were ET Atari paid $25m for rights, 5wks to release with movie / Xmas rush, so it looked like…
- made 5m, after poor reviews it sold 1.5m = 3.5m gathering dust One shot at making it right. Companies lived and died by quality. ET almost killed Atari, and contributed to the 1983 gaming crash which almost killed home gaming entirely. Now I know what you’re thinking…
- Next decade, not much changed. Better gfx, same challenges Game I loved, in the Elite series (Dangerous) – black sheep Released before they thought it was ready, monumental bugs Warp into sun, autopilot into planets, popular soundcard, AI crash on takeoff [1] Fallout: lawsuits - “free of bugs” – bankrupted Gametek My blog (and feedback from other side) Did attempt 5 “patch disks” via mail
- Why things aren’t changing? There’s no internet. Patches began going mainstream with CD-ROM covermounts (£5, 2001!) Even in the early days of mainstream internet, 56k modems and floppy disks are still the norm, patches can’t be large
- The drive to get things perfect before release was equally problematic Classic example, apt name (DNF) Rewrite for different engines [1] 2001 – “done when it’s done” – admirable but flawed Lawsuits and bankruptcies, IP acquired Not so much these days, shareholders want release dates, companies want preorders.
- Then came… the internet! High-speed internet and public wi-fi = both relatively recent (past 10yrs, SFO) easier bandwidth, large downloads more acceptable New practical platforms for distribution/patching
- Before long, patching went mainstream, one notorious case [1] Hot Coffee discovery: resulted in rating changed from M > AO. Withdrawn for consoles, patched on PC (weird patch!) Patches not just for bugfixes, they could solve PR messes / strategic benefit Not only time they removed content… [2] SA 10yr anniversary, “patched out” stuff from the PC version. Couldn’t do it for the console versions!
- Now: everybody’s doing it. PC/Steam: Switched on after being away for just a week: 8 games auto-updated, 1GB total Bandwidth + ease of distribution + recognising opportunities + public acceptance
- Not just games, phones too Number of updates, and frequency… “Update All”
- Even when you look… New permissions (camera/media) with no explanation!
- Means things like this can sneak through Snuck out in an earlier update, nobody noticed as it was part of their “general improvements”! For the most part, public accepting of this Fun but what if they’d been malicious?
- Not always in user interest Updates remove features, or unwanted revamp Worked when you bought the device, then “discontinued” (deprecated APIs, limited business value in continuing to support) Presumed low number of users impacted, but those users will be severely annoyed (me!)
- Users don’t always want this connectivity. E3 2013 When first announced: Always online, must have camera plugged in (uh oh!), can’t play anything without an internet connection… backlash meant they had to remove those plans Sharing or trading games would involve a complex and ill-defined licensing process, potentially wiping-out the used games market overnight, can’t easily lend to friends. PS4 announcement quick to put the boot in…
- Sony E3 2013, an open goal… So while online offers convenient functionality, people still complain when it’s (seemingly) needless and invasive. Doing something “because you can” isn’t always good.
- Console owners weren’t the only ones to get riled by “always online” “Always online”, even if you’re playing offline! If servers have problems – you can’t play (release week). Claimed to be integral to the game, yet [1] “offline mode” did get introduced nine months later, obviously a lot of work. Added the “feature” everybody wanted, but damage already done – didn’t patch away the problem
- More and more connected systems, more and more updates Growing in size, as connections are getting faster and hard disks are growing. “Day one patch” – after gold, allows more work/polish. Some ISPs still cap monthly downloads… if you have 10GB/mth limit, you can’t play for over a month
- Wii U – 5GB day one update, kids at xmas
- Biggest mainstream disaster of last yr Popular series, plagued with problems (skin) Made the effort to patch the problem, but [1] accidentally released whole game instead of patch
- So big patches happen, but sometimes that’s not enough, the damage is done… Disaster of 2015 Updated system specs 1 day before release Recommended “fix” is to switch all graphics options to minimum (PC master race) Pulled from sale and will remain off shelves for some time Conspiracy: Knew it wasn’t ready, but used the “release and withdraw” tactic to buy time…?
- 30yrs since ET, and what’s changed? (read) The difference between this and ET is that this one can (and will?) be fixed with patches. Q: How to patch responsibly? Q: How to get v1 right?
- MVP – incremental, usable functionality, Spotify example Showing for 2 reasons: Reasonable high-level summary, BUT drives me mad! [1] HOWEVER if they wanted mode of transport for 4 people… 1-4 might not be suitable, they might get annoyed before you reach the final product! (McKayla Maroney) And what if you misunderstood requirements altogether? If they wanted 50 people e.g. bus…
- GTAV is an example of doing MVP well, scaled rollout The online mode didn’t launch until 2 weeks after the game came out Heists mode took another 6 months The nature of being online component = patchable online. People moaned of course…
- Display it prominently; mine on wall. The majority of your effort should be focused on achieving this. When starting or verifying work – check it matches your mission If you’re going “off-mission”, ask yourself why (it might be ok)
- Simple core concept – fun retro game with unobtrusive microtransactions Focus on highscores, beat your own or your friends There’s stuff to buy, but it’s not game-changing Free coins, temporary unlock of characters Goes against a lot of monetisation trends – they knew their mission
- Changing. Things which “mattered” before (as couldn’t be fixed afterwards) can be deferred. Now or later, but later often = never. If it’s important enough to fix now… fix it. If it’s not… then maybe (aka The Rock) it doesn’t matter! Learn what matters: ask users (beta) Bug reports: Maximize it (Cem Kaner – RIMGEA). If you don’t, your users will… - Catan
- 2010 – patching (IMPROVING) for four years Game-balancing patches (what are the rules now?!) Major updates as purchasable add-ons New nations offering their own unique gameplay elements – not critical to core experience, but can buy if you want See also: Borderlands
- Know your MVP, know your mission, fix what matters Hopefully you’ll avoid any embarrassing catastrophes