Hey everyone,
Welcome to Developer Briefing #96!
This week we give you a unredacted all access pass into the wonderful world of QA in Hell... Let Loose.
In the coming weeks we'll once again focus on upcoming content but we wanted to share one of the most critical aspects of the dev process that's also rarely spoken about.
Toss a bug to your QA.Without further ado it's time to go behind the curtain, let's hand over to David from Team17 QA!
A day in the life of QA
A typical day in QA starts out with smoking the new build. This is a relatively short test plan that has checks for the most basic functionality of the game. The aim is to quickly identify any issues that could affect testing on the new build or that are incredibly noticeable and weren’t occurring in the previous build, such as Smoke VFX looking a bit off.
There’s always a focus for the day, and once the smoke is completed, we’ll begin working on it. In the case of new content, we’ll usually have a test plan that has been prepared by the lead QA with checks that cover all the design specifications for the new feature. The checks are divided into various sections, for example, on Recon Vehicles we have a number of checks for the Controls and Movement, Animations, Audio, Resupply and Repair, damage taken to the different areas of the vehicle, and of course the unique Recon Ability functionality.
Once the test plan has been completed, we’ll focus more on destructive testing around the new feature. This involves being as creative as possible in trying to find ways to break this feature of the game. When an issue is discovered we then work towards systematically isolating variables to find out which action or series of actions lead to the issue occurring. After identifying a solid set of steps, QA enter a bug report into our database, which then gets sent to Black Matter. The aim is to always provide BM with steps that are able to reproduce the issue 100% of the time.
Issues that are fixed then require QA to go back and regress them. We attempt to reproduce the issue to ensure that it is no longer occurring and that the fix hasn’t caused any knock-on effects or created new bugs. The issue is then closed if it has been successfully fixed, or reopened with additional information to help Black Matter with resolving the issue. In the instance below, fixing a texture issue on the stone fence ended up also granting it levitation powers.
QA also help by providing feedback on the game, either as part of our testing or as part of playtest sessions we occasionally organise with team members working on other projects. There are times when a new feature may take a relatively short time to implement but take significantly longer to test and ensure it’s bug-free, so QA is constantly communicating with Black Matter developers and production to ensure we are all on the same page.
While there is always an overarching plan, QA is always ready to adapt to the needs of the project and shift focus at a moment’s notice. Just to give some perspective, QA submit an average of 200 issues per month, and we have closed just over 6600 issues since the project began. The bottom line is that there’s no shortage of things to test in a game like Hell Let Loose, and we’re here to do our best in ensuring our players have the best possible experience!
All Work and No Play...
While QA requires a lot of patience, attention to detail, focus, and hard work, you can always count on events or issues that will make you laugh, chuckle, or at least bring a smile to your face. We wanted to share a few images that (fortunately) never made it to the live environment.
This came about when we were testing debug commands on the main menu and realized we could move the debug camera. 
The upcoming Golden Gun DLC for Update 008* 
*QA are legally required to clarify that there is in fact not going to be a Golden Gun DLC for Hell Let Loose This one was fuel for nightmares. It came about when all head cosmetics were updated. 
Yes it occurred in-game as well, and bandaging the “creature” made for an eerie scene. 
A special thanks to our community for reporting issues!
QA wanted to thank you for your participation in reporting issues you encounter. This is far more useful than you can imagine. Whether it be in-game, on the Steam forums, Discord, Reddit, you name it, your reports are hugely appreciated and greatly aid our investigations. Keep ‘em coming!
And with that, we leave you with QA’s mascot, the undisputed fan favourite, long gone, but never forgotten:
Original Mendez
Onwards to the next Dev Brief!
That wraps up todays Dev Brief!
We hope you enjoyed a dive into the life of QA on Hell Let Loose, and a window into their very own front lines!
As always, we really look forward to hearing what you think of today's dev brief so feel free to put your thoughts in the comments below or over on the Steam forum.
Have a great weekend everyone!
See you on the frontline.
