Behemoth

Kick Ass Behemoth Video from their new album "The Apostasy"

Behemoth- At the left hand ov God
Music Video from the Album "The Apostasy"

Behemoth

Behemoth - Conquer All

Rohan Online Review and Personal Experience

Rohan Online: First Look Preview

Rohan Online: Blood Feud is a fantasy free-to-play MMORPG built atop a persistent world that is filled with hard fought battles and countless quests to embark upon. As with any modern MMORPG, you may choose to go at it alone, or journey together with friends to solidify your place among Rohan’s greatest of warriors. As you shape your identity in Rohan, you may choose to form guilds and as such, fight for the respect you and your warriors deserve. Furthermore, just last month YNK Interactive announced the addition of Township battles, which will extend the fight from PvP to guild versus guild. In addition to the in-game battles and quests, Rohan has an impressive trade center which consists of a web-based item mall and exchange market. So, let’s take a deeper look at Rohan by discussing the various classes that are available to players, the battle system, a few of the things that make Rohan an awesome MMO, and lastly we can briefly discuss the details of the Trading Center.

Rohan’s Battle System

As with any MMORPG, the warriors you command in Rohan get wiser and stronger with every monster killed and quest you complete. These individual achievements give you experience points, which are used to get your character(s) to the next level. Now, let’s talk specifically on how Rohan’s leveling system is distinct from the other MMOs you are currently familiar with.

Leveling Up

One thing that I noticed right off is how ‘informational’ Rohan is when it comes to how close/far you are from attaining the next levels for your characters. There are several indicators to inform you that your character is reaching the experience points thresholds to get you to the next level. And as you achieve new levels, your character’s health and magic power (mana) are of course raised. In addition to those accolades, you also acquire ability points and skill points. Ability points are dispensable for the generic attributes of your character’s such as strength and dexterity, whereas skill points are used to acquire much more specific powers and abilities.

Distributing Skill Points

There is certainly a method to the ‘madness’ when distributing your acquired Skill Points in Rohan. You see, every time you level up, you acquire one Skill Point. That Skill Point can be distributed on what I’ve labelled as your “Skills Matrix”, which includes all of the unique skills and abilities that your character could possibly achieve. Now depending now how you distribute those Skill Points as you acquire them will determine how well a specific skill has been mastered. On this ’skills matrix’, certain skills lead to mastering other skills which all contribute to the uniqueness of your character. As I would imagine the possibilities are almost infinite!

Before we move on to the trade center discussion, let’s briefly cover a few more distinctive characteristics of Rohan Online: Blood Feud.

What makes Rohan so different?

Modes of Transportation

From beasts, to bindstones, to portal stones, Rohan provides you with numerous ways to move around the continent. And much like sports cars, those mountable beasts certainly separate you from the pedestrianized crowd.

Companionship

Cute, cuddly, and armed with an arsenal of abilities to aid you in your quest, you can acquire pets in Rohan. This certainly puts a spin on the term “man’s best friend”, especially when they can kick in with some extra HP when you need it.

Mini Games

Tired of the old hack and slash? Well, Rohan’s got you covered with plenty of mini games to keep you interested.

Established Economy

Weapons shops, Armories, Style shops and the like are all affordable from Rohan. Want to set up a shop yourself? Put up a Kiosk and become that merchant in town with all the ‘pimped out’ gear. :)

My Personal Rohan Online experience

Well I believe me and a few of my friends started off playing Rohan Online a few months back. To be honest, we’ve kept track of the YNK website to check when the game was available for download and I believe my friend Srikanth was the first to see the ”DOWNLOAD NOW!” link on the site lol.

After, like a day, we got to play the game.. Each one of us, with A3 India online gaming experience on our heads, set to choose the perfect character to suit our gameplay style, look and feel. I’ve experienced many MMOs and I knew what exactly I wanted to play in this MMO. I wanted to break from the “tanker” shackles. Most of the MMOs I’ve played, I’ve always chosen to play a tanker lol.. Rohan was different. I chose a Dekhan. Dekhans are descendants of an ancient Dragon kin.. Their bodies are full of rage and war. Blood of the mighty dragon warriors flow inside a Dekhan. They are warriors of Rohan Online and the best “sexed” out part is that at a particular stage in the game, THEY CAN TRANSFORM INTO DRAGONS! Now that is what I call a WARRIOR.. This interested me even more apart from the looks which is what makes me choose a class :P

So, I login the game. The game kicks me out saying “Connection Lost.. Please click to Exit”. I was like “wtf?”.. I made use of Rohan’s help and support center (Amazing place.. Very good support system). I was on chat with a GM asking him what’s wrong with the game. GM Alex, a god, assured me no worries. He asked me to disable or uninstall NOD32 Antivirus on the computer and check if I could play. Well, I uninstalled the anti-virus and fired the game. It kicks me out again! Now I uninstall the game and re-install it to check if it might work (most problems are usually fixed this way).. Well, the goddamn anti-virus seemed to have gotten pissed. The dirty bastard didn’t leave my computer when I clicked the uninstall button.

In a fit of rage and with the spirit of revenge, I re-installed the whole goddamn OS. Windows XP’s fresh screen made me so fucking happy. I fired the game AND WOOHOO… I was in the game baby!

I chose my class- DEKHAN and I moved to the world.. Believe me, this game works like a dream on good machines. It seemed to perform OK on my computer. I had absolutely no complaints.

I was welcomed by a training bot and a welcome message.. wow.. the tutorial was fantastic. You can actually spend lots of time in the tutorial area. I’ve seen people stay in the tutorial zone till they touch level 15 or 16.. I wanted more action.. I set out to seek my destiny in the world of Rohan. The game system lets you be an Anonymous player (Assasin Mode) or a normal player (Peace Mode). Use Assasin mode to PK people :) . A player in the Assasin mode cannot enter a few other towns belonging to different classes. A Peace Mode Dekhan can see the world of Rohan, has no restrictions in any town.

As I progressed, What made me notice the most was the beautiful graphics and the amazing detail to everything in the game.. From weapons to Armor suits; From trees to air bubbles in the water- Simply beautiful.

The game is so addictive initially that you would definitely not find time for other things in normal life lol.. However, as you progress in-game, you know your role and you know what exactly to do.. It is just differently you do the same things that set you apart from others in-game.

Getting Started- Applying for a Game Tester Job

Want a job as a Game Tester??

It is recommended that you have a college degree even if it is from an Online University before applying for a job as a Game Tester though it is possible to get the job without one. Our ultimate goal might be to get into the Production Floor or Design Team as a Producer or a Designer for which a degree is helpful.

The three attributes that is needed first and foremost to be a Game Tester..

:: Communication Skills - The tester must be able to communicate effectively in two ways: via the written word and via the spoken word.

*Written communication skills- Bug reports are submitted in writing. They have to be clear and concise. The tester needs to be a good speller (and needs to be fluent with punctuation marks and the Shift key). Darn my hide, I put that in parentheses, and it's really important. Let me say that again. A tester must type in complete sentences. A tester must understand, and habitually use, proper punctuation and capitalization. You cannot become a tester at a game company where everybody uses English, if you cannot communicate properly in written English. Here's an exercise that will help you...

To develop your written communication skills, write an essay or a game critique or a game idea. As you write, put yourself in the place of the reader. Every time you express an idea that could raise a question in the mind of the reader, answer the question. By the time your article is complete, there should be no questions in the mind of the reader - except questions that you want to remain unanswered.

- The bug-writing exercise. Check out this example of a written bug report: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=407098. Now make up a totally different bug, on a different platform. That example bug is for a web-based game on a computer. So write a bug for a PS3 game. And one for a DS game.

* Verbal communication skills. The tester must be well-spoken. Words that come out of a tester's mouth must convey his thoughts clearly, giving information to the listener. Imagine these two exercises, which will help the tester in developing verbal communication skills. How a tester performs in these exercises also reveals the level of his existing verbal communication skills. Both of these exercises are best performed in neighboring cubicles -- the two people taking part in the exercise can easily converse but cannot see what the other is doing.

- The paperclip exercise. In this exercise, the tester must describe a randomly-bent paper clip to another person who has a pencil and paper. The goal is for the tester to get the listener/"customer" to draw a picture of the bent paper clip, without the tester ever saying the words "paper clip" or describing what the object is made of or was originally used for in any way whatsoever. Simply describing how the paper clip looks in its present state, the tester must obtain a correct picture of the paper clip on the second person's piece of paper. It can be enlightening for the tester to see what the drawing looks like, after completing the exercise. This exercise can also be performed using pipecleaners or twist-ties. The clip should be bent in a flat (2D) shape, not a 3D shape, since the listener/"customer" is drawing on 2D paper.

- The building blocks exercise. This exercise is used at Nintendo of America to train or test their Customer Support representatives, but I think it applies equally well to the communication skills needed for testing. Both parties to the exercise have identical boxes of wooden building blocks (it could also work with Legos, I suppose). The tester builds a structure from his building blocks and describes his structure to the other participant in the exercise. If the tester does it well, the two structures will be identical. If the two structures are not identical, the tester can learn how he ought to improve.

- The telephone exercise. This is an actual question that a testing applicant was tested with. "Describe the use of a telephone." He thought it was a stupid question and gave a stupid answer. Don't do what he did! When you're applying for a QA job, you will be asked to prove that you'd make a good tester. So if you're asked how to use a common everyday appliance like a telephone, give a clear and coherent description of how to use it. "There are two uses of a telephone: it's for receiving calls, and it's for making calls." Then describe how to act when the telephone rings. Describe how this works for a user of a phone with a wired handset, a wireless handset, and a mobile phone. Then describe how to make a call - if you have a dial phone, if you have a touch-tone phone, and if you have a mobile phone. If you can't do this, you'll never get hired to test games.

:: Computer Literacy - Testers know how to take computers apart and put them back together. Testers know how to browse the Internet, and they know all about email, instant messaging, and chat room netiquette. Testers know how to troubleshoot installation issues, download drivers, update virus DAT files, and upgrade computers. Testers know how to use word processors, imaging programs, scanners, and modems. Testers are often called upon to make screen shots of games, so you need to know how to grab a shot, and crop it in Photoshop or GIMP. Especially important: know how to use a database program. Check out Bugzilla and Mantis, fool around with them to create some sample bug reports.

:: Game Literacy - Play as many games as you can. Compare the pros and cons of this game versus that game. Read game magazines. Know the difference between an FRP and an RTS. Online games, console games, handheld games, board games, CCGs.

Game Testing Resources

Hello Guys,

Me and most of my friends are gamers and I was wondering maybe this information about QA- Game testing might be useful. We all want to get into the game industry somehow ;)

This rip-off from Wikipedia (xD) provides an insight into Game Testing.

Game Testing

Game testing refers to the process of software testing for video games. The formal process, performed by professional game testers, begins well into game development, depending on the game's allotted budget for testing. High-budget flagship titles (called "AAA", pronounced "triple-A") may begin testing with the first playable to otheralpha, while low-budget and casual games might not enter testing until a release candidate (RC) is ready. Professional game testing may involve general playtesting but should not be confused with "public betas" or "stress tests" in which players simply do as they please and report bugs that are found incidentally. Public releases such as these are almost certainly late betas or RCs.

Areas of testing

Functionality

This is the type of testing that is most commonly associated with the phrase "game testing", as it usually entails playing the game in some form. Functionality testing does not require much in the way of technical knowledge, though understanding basic concepts about programming can give testers insight about the possible cause of a problem, which both reduces the amount of work they have to do, and generally makes their reports easier to understand by the developer. Functionality testers look for general problems within the game itself or its user interface. Major issues include stability (does the game crash?), correctness of game mechanics (does the sword deal damage?), and integrity of game assets (are textures corrupted?).

Compliance

In large part, compliance testing is the raison d'etre for the existence of game testing labs. First-party licensors for console platforms (e.g. Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft) have strict technical requirements for each title that is licensed for their platforms. Sony publishes a Technical Requirements Checklist (TRC), while Microsoft publishes Technical Certification Requirements (TCR), and Nintendo publishes a set of "guidelines"(Lot Check) that serve a similar purpose. Some of these requirements are highly technical in nature and fall outside the scope of the game tester; however, other parts, most notably the formatting of standard error messages, handling of memory card data, and handling of legally trademarked and copyrighted material, do fall within the responsibility of the game testers to test. If even a single violation is found by the first party during submission for license approval, the game can be rejected (kicked back) to the publisher, possibly costing tens of thousands of dollars in additional testing and resubmission fees. In addition, the delay may cause the title to miss an important launch window, potentially costing the publisher even larger sums of money. The title cannot be published for the system without first-party approval, so it is in the publisher's financial interest to ensure that the title is tested for compliance as rigorously and as frequently as possible.

The requirements themselves are proprietary documents released to developers and publishers under confidentiality agreements. They are not available for the general public to review, although familiarity with these standards is considered a valuable skill to have as a tester.

Compliance may also refer to regulatory bodies such as the ESRB, if the game targets a particular content rating. Testers must flag "objectionable content" in the game that may be inappropriate for the desired rating. As with licensing, games that do not receive the desired rating must be re-edited, retested, and resubmitted at additional cost.

Compatibility

Compatibility testing is normally required only for PC titles, and testers assigned to this task are expected to have at least basic knowledge of PC hardware. An individual who can assemble their own PCs and setup an operating system is minimally qualified for this job. Compatibility testing differs from functionality testing in that the tester does not really care whether the game itself is correct, but simply that it runs on different configurations of hardware. The tester is usually provided with multiple PCs and/or extra parts. This collection of hardware encompasses various brands of CPUs, video cards, sound cards, and input peripherals such as gamepads and joysticks, and possibly other components as well. The tester is also expected to cross-test different hardware configurations with different operating systems. In addition to a basic pass/fail test, the tester may also be asked to evaluate performance. The results of these performance tests will be used to determine the game's advertised minimum system requirements. In some cases, compatibility or performance issues may be fixed by the developer, especially if a popular brand and model of a certain component is affected. In other cases, especially with legacy hardware or software, support will simply be dropped, and the game's system requirements will reflect this.

Localization

While general text issues are a minor part of functionality testing, some QA departments use dedicated localization testers. This is especially true with Japanese publishers. Early Japanese game translations were rife with Engrish, and in recent years this has become a more serious concern with Japanese developers as games have taken on a more cinematic presentation. To maintain the impact of the drama, localization testers are employed to review the game's script (which may be thousands of pages long for RPGs or other story-driven experiences), looking to make technical corrections as well as reviewing the translation work itself to ensure that it matches natural speech patterns. Thus, a localization tester acts as an editor. Though localization testing is currently a mainstay of Japanese game development, it will likely expand as the Chinese, Korean, and Russian game industries gain global traction. Those seeking work in this area do not necessarily need to speak foreign languages, but being able to understand the original texts is a helpful and desirable skill. Unlike other forms of testing, however, localization may involve very little actual game interaction. In some cases, the only times that the tester needs to play the game is to understand the context of dialog or interface messages that are not immediately obvious. The game's "script", which is not a script in the literary sense, but rather a collection of all the text strings referenced in the game, is typically cataloged in a spreadsheet that the tester is given to work with.

Soaking

Main article: Soak testing

Soaking, in the context of video games, typically involves leaving the game running for a period of hours or days in various modes of operation, such as idling, paused, or at the title screen. This test requires no user interaction beyond initial setup, and is therefore usually managed by lead testers. The purpose of soaking is to detect the presence of memory leaks or rounding errors that manifest over time, resulting in system instability or odd game behavior. Soak tests are one of the checked requirements for first-party compliance and must be performed on every title. Because it requires no user interaction, soaking is also a euphemism for employees shirking their duties (i.e. not playing the game).

Methodology

Main article: Software testing

There is no "gold standard" method for game testing, and most methodologies are developed in-house, by individual video game developers and publishers. And, methodologies are refined from time to time and may differ for different types of games (for example, the methodology to test a MMORPG will be different from the testing for a casual game). But outlined below is a typical methodology of game testing.

• Identification: Incorrect program behavior is analyzed and identified as a bug.
• Reporting: The bug is reported to the developers using a defect tracking system. At minimum, the circumstances of the bug and steps to reproduce are included in the report. Developers sometimes request additional documentation such as real-time video of the bug's manifestation.
• Analysis: This step of the process involves the developer responsible for the bug, such as an artist, programmer or game designer. It is outside the scope of the game tester's duties, though if there are inconsistencies in the bug report, the tester may be approached to provide more information or evidence.
• Verification: After the developer claims the bug to be fixed, it is the responsibility of the tester to verify that the bug no longer occurs. Not all bugs are addressed by the developer. Reported bugs may be claimed as features (often expressed as "NAB" or "not a bug"), and may also be waived (given permission to be ignored) by producers, game designers, or even lead testers, according to company policy.
• Regression testing: As game development progresses, closed bugs are checked again to ensure that they have not regressed, or re-manifested. For example, a programmer might undo a fix, having forgotten why the change was made in the first place. Though tedious, this type of testing is important since unexpected changes to code can cause old problems to resurface in the same or different ways.
• Standards testing: Consoles manufacturers such as Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft have standards they require to be met for games for their platforms. Not all manufacturers standards are alike and some testers are dedicated only to ensuring these standards are met.

As a career

Within the game industry, testing usually falls under a title such as quality assurance (QA). However, game QA is far less technical than general software QA. Many game testers have only a high school diploma and no technical expertise. Game testing is normally a full-time job with expectation of regular overtime, but many employees are usually hired as temps and the length of employment varies. In some cases, if the tester is working for a publisher, the tester may be sent off to work at the developer's site rather than in his employer's own offices. The most aggressive recruiting season is late summer/early autumn, as this is the start of the crunch period for games to be finished and shipped in time for the holiday season.

A common misconception is that professional game testing is akin to a public beta test or stress test, where players are expected to enjoy the game and report any bugs they happen to find. In reality, game testing is highly focused on finding bugs, often using tedious methodologies. Even if one could play the game freely, there is no guarantee that the game is stable or fun enough to be enjoyable. A tester may be required to play the same portion of a game repeatedly for hours at a time. Understandably, burn-out is common in this field.

Despite the demanding and risky nature of the job, game testing doesn't pay a great deal and is usually paid hourly, with wages ranging from USD$8 to $15 per hour. As temps, testers typically receive no benefits or holidays and simply take unpaid vacation days when desired. Many game testers take this job because they enjoy gaming as a hobby; unfortunately this "love of the game" is exploited to its fullest by employers.^{[citation needed]} Some testers use the job as a stepping stone in the game industry, but the success of this strategy is unproven, and depends on which part of the game industry the tester desires to work in. QA resumés, which display non-technical skill sets, tend towards management, then to marketing or production. Those wishing to land a job in programming, art, or design usually need to demonstrate their skills in these areas, either by taking jobs outside the industry and/or working on mods.

Hierarchy

The organization of any test group differs between organizations, but a typical one may include the individuals below.

• Game producer: responsible for the game as a whole. Producers are typically assigned on a per-game basis. They look at the game from a broad perspective, and rarely on a daily basis. In addition to testing, they are responsible for setting deadlines in coordination with marketing. Their approval is required for final submission or "gold" status.
• Manager: responsible for all games assigned to his testing department. The manager rarely tests games himself, but instead coordinates all of the different game projects and ensures that they are on track. They also communicate with (or act as) the human resources department, making decisions for hiring, firing, or settling other issues related to employees, though not on a daily basis. The manager gives final test approval for any project, possibly overriding the recommendations of those beneath him. Managers in turn can be overridden by a producer, though this is rare due to liability concerns. However, if a project is extremely late and/or over-budget, the producer may be forced to override QA's recommendation.
• Supervisor: the most visible authority in the office, supervisors are typically long-term and experienced employees who interact directly with testers and serve as a middleman between them and upper management. Supervisors are usually assigned to multiple titles and may test each to a limited degree. They also handle menial management tasks such as collecting employee timecards. Like managers, supervisors sign off on projects, but mostly in an advisory role. The QA manager will usually base his approval on the supervisor's, since the manager typically does not have intimate knowledge of the game's issues.
• Lead Tester: assigned on a per-game basis. They are ultimately responsible for the testing that occurs on that title, and may communicate directly with the supervisor, manager, or producer where the game is concerned. They are responsible for filing daily reports on bugs and progress. Senior leads are also often the ones responsible for writing test plans, which are then approved by the supervisor, manager, and producer. Junior leads may receive assistance from the supervisor or other leads in creating test plans. Leads are expected to test the game whenever they are not performing their lead duties, and they are responsible for approving bugs and maintaining the bug database for their project. Lead testers do sign off on projects, but have almost no influence over the final decision to ship; their recommendations are usually redundant with the supervisor's since both are mostly aware of remaining issues. Lead testers are also typically responsible for compiling representative samples of game footage for submission to regulatory bodies such as the ESRB and PEGI.
• Assistant Lead Tester: Though fundamentally not much different than a regular tester, an assistant lead is generally recognized as having more experience and/or being of higher caliber, and may be groomed into a full lead position. The assistant lead may handle the more menial tasks of leadership, such as training new team members or dealing with trivial issues. He may also be asked to fill lead duties if the lead tester is absent. Assistant leads may be given higher permissions in the bug database and help with maintenance, though they usually lack full permissions. Assistant leads may or may not be asked to sign off on projects, but in any case their opinion is largely unimportant and is usually identical to the lead's.
• Testers: more formally called "Analysts", these are the rank-and-file workers of varying commitment and skill who are expected to test whatever game they are assigned to. Testers may be assigned to a single game during its entire production, or they may be shuffled around or temporarily brought onto other projects as demanded by the department's schedule and specific needs. They report directly to the lead or assistant lead for any game-related issues, but still go to their supervisors for more general issues concerning employment. Regular testers usually have minimal database permissions, with the ability to add bug reports that must be approved by a lead.

In the media

The main characters in the 2006 film Grandma's Boy worked as video game testers. The main game used in the movie, Demonik, was in reality developed by Terminal Reality, but has been canceled by the publisher.

"Testers", a 2007 webseries, depicts the weekly adventures of a video game tester. The series itself is touted as a viral video game, where the viewer votes and chooses what should happen next.

Check out these informational links:

Sloperama: "Working as a Tester" from game industry veteran, Tom Sloper

IGDA's Quality Assurance Special Interest Group