I take a lot of flack for this, but I pick people that I know well for the simple reason that i am familiar with them, and I know they'll do what I need them to. I know it's probably not fair, but it's how I like to work, and it's what works best for me. to each his own.
On 1/4/10, Thomas Ward <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Claudio, > Well, as a game developer and someone who has run my own private beta > teams I have to say there is a lot more to the selection process than > you may realize. When a developer such as myself puts out a request > looking for beta testers it is easy to get back several applications for > the position, but only 10 to 12 out of those applications will actually > be selected for the team. Therefore my job as the lead developer and > beta tester is to somehow select 10 to 12 people out of 40, 50, or 60 > applications for the position. The only way to do that is by looking for > specific skills and qualities that would make a good beta tester in my > opinion. I have to do that, because not everyone who applies for a > testing position is exactly qualified for the position he/she wants. > Just like any employer I pick and choose based on certain criteria which > i feel would best be suited for the job. Here is a few that I personally > look for. > The applicant's language skills. When testing it is important for the > tester to be able to clearly state his/her opinions, problem with the > product, and be able to communicate effectively with the other beta > testers. Since communication on a test team is vitally important I'm > likely to reject an application if the applicant makes consistent > grammatical and spelling errors, and the message is difficult to read. > Previous experience testing software. Just like any employer I tend to > look for references and prier experience testing software. It is nice > for me to be able to ask developer x if he/she has had such and such an > applicant as a beta tester, and how well he/she did while testing. A > good reference from developer x goes a long way towards getting on my > beta team, and a bad reference will put the applicant at the bottom of > the list. So references are just another way for me to sort out the > potential applicants. > The applicant's hardware/software. Not only does a potential tester have > to meet certain criteria his/her computer also may have to meet specific > criteria for testing. Given the number of types of computers out there, > different operating systems, processors, etc it is vitally important > that a developer try and gather information on as many different > computers and configurations as humanly possible during the early > testing period. Now, that USA Games is now going forward with a > cross-platform design initiative it will be more important than ever to > include a little bit of everything in the testing process. Generally, it > would be a good idea to have at least one representative for each > platform targeted such as Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Mac OS, > and Linux. A team consisting of 12 users all running the same operating > system would obviously be too narrow a target group, and so I may decide > to reject someone on the grounds I already have the maximum number of > testers for a specific target group. > The applicant's reputation. As a developer I often look at the > applicant's reputation or character for possible membership on one of my > test teams. I wouldn't want a known software pirate for obvious reasons, > and someone who is frequently disruptive on list wouldn't exactly be a > good choice either. So a person's reputation will definitely be factored > into my decision for beta testing. > The applicant's technical skills. As a beta tester I expect an applicant > to be able to perform basic computer operations such as adding and > removing software from his/her computer, being able to install required > dependencies on his/her own, be able to trouble shoot problems that > arise during testing, and to do all of this with little to no > documentation. The object of selecting a test team is to test the > software, run it through various test situations, etc and the developer > is not there to hold someone's hand and walk them through basic skills > like installing software, removing software, deleting files, downloading > software from the internet, whatever. Therefore some basic computer > skills are absolutely essential for a beta tester. > For example, currently I'm working on porting Mysteries of the Ancients > to C++ and have already cross compiled a version for the Linux OS. > Before it goes public I'll be forming a test team to test the Linux port > of the game. I'd expect a tester using a Debian based Linux to be > familiar with the Linux operating system as well as package add/remove > tools such as dpkg and apt-get. Similarly a Red Hat based Linux user > would be familiar with his/her Linux operating system as well as package > add/remove tools like rpm and yum. The Linux user would have to be > familiar with the Gnome desktop environment, and have basic skills using > a screen reader like Orca. I'm not going to pick a Linux tester that > doesn't have at least these technical skills for the position. > As far as responding to each and every applicant sometimes that isn't > feasible. When I announced beta testing positions for Mysteries of the > Ancients I got just over 60 applications. That's just to many people to > respond to individually. Instead I inform the members who were selected, > and let the rest know via this list that I've selected my testers and > that the positions are filled. Anyone who was not personally contacted > by me is not on the team. That is the most effective and only way to > approach that many applicants at once. > > Cheers! > > > > --- > Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] > If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to > [email protected]. > You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at > http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. > All messages are archived and can be searched and read at > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. > If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, > please send E-mail to [email protected]. > --- Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to [email protected]. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. 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