User Testing for Combat Testing

1. Overview

Our combat system is built on a few key pieces that work together. At its heart is the CombatManager, the puppeteer pulling all the strings during battle. It leans on CombatMove as a blueprint for all actions, making sure everything is functional. CombatStatsComponent is like a character's vital signs monitor, keeping tabs on health, hunger, and other stats as they fluctuate in the heat of battle. CombatActions is our event handler, making sure everything flows smoothly from one state to the next.

We've implemented a diverse set of move types to encourage strategic gameplay. AttackMove forms the offensive core, with damage calculations considering various factors like strength, defense, and status effects. GuardMove provides defensive options, reducing incoming damage and potentially blocking status effects. SleepMove offers a risk-reward recovery mechanism, restoring health and hunger but leaving the user vulnerable. SpecialMove allows for unique, powerful actions, typically reserved for bosses or special encounters, adding depth to combat scenarios.

2. Combat Flow

1. Initialization: Set up combat state, load player and enemy stats
2. Turn Sequence:
   • Player selects action
   • Enemy AI determines action
   • Actions are executed based on speed stats
3. Action Resolution:
   • Calculate and apply damage/effects
   • Update health, hunger, and status effects
4. State Check:
   • Check for victory/defeat conditions
   • Apply end-of-turn effects (e.g., bleeding damage)
5. Repeat steps 2-4 until combat ends
6. Combat Resolution: Handle rewards, experience, and state transitions

3. Key Test Areas

3.1 Basic Combat Actions

• Test all combinations of player and enemy actions (Attack, Guard, Sleep)
• Verify correct damage calculations and stat updates
• Check hunger costs and recovery for each action

3.2 Status Effects

• Test application, duration, and removal of all status effects
• Verify status effect interactions with combat actions
• Check stacking and overwriting of multiple status effects

3.3 Special Moves

• Test triggering conditions for boss special moves
• Verify correct application of buffs/debuffs
• Check interaction between special moves and regular combat actions

3.4 Combat Resolution

• Test various victory and defeat scenarios
• Verify correct experience and reward calculations
• Check proper state transitions post-combat

3.5 Edge Cases and Error Handling

• Test combat with extreme stat values (0, max values)
• Verify graceful handling of missing components or null actions
• Check recovery from unexpected states or inputs

4. Performance and Quality Metrics

4.1 Performance Targets

• Combat round resolution: < 100ms
• Status effect calculation: < 50ms
• Move combination execution: < 150ms
• Combat end check: < 50ms

4.2 Quality Metrics

• Combat system uptime: 99.9%
• Error recovery rate: 95%
• Invalid state handling success: 98%
• Calculation accuracy: 100% for damage, status effects, and move execution order

5. Integration Test Points

• DialogueBoxService interaction during combat
• GameState updates pre and post-combat
• SaveHandler integration for combat progress
• AnimationDisplay synchronization with combat actions
• ItemUsageContext handling during combat
• StatusEffect system integration with other game systems

6. Combat Manager Test Matrix

Test Category	Test Case	Input	Expected Outcome	Validation Method
Basic Combat Actions	Player Attack vs Enemy Attack	Player selects ATTACK, Enemy selects ATTACK	Both entities take damage based on strength/defense stats	Health values decrease appropriately
	Player Guard vs Enemy Attack	Player selects GUARD, Enemy selects ATTACK	Player takes reduced damage	Player's health decreases by less than a normal attack
	Player Sleep vs Enemy Guard	Player selects SLEEP, Enemy selects GUARD	Player recovers stamina, no damage dealt	Player's stamina increases, health unchanged
Status Effects	Confusion Effect	Player is confused and selects an action	Action may be randomly changed	Check if action executed matches selected action
	Bleeding Effect	Player has bleeding status	Player takes damage over time	Health decreases each turn by correct percentage
Special Moves	Enemy Special Move Combination	Enemy performs specific move sequence	Special move triggers	Special effects are applied correctly
Invalid States	Null Action Selection	Either player or enemy action is null	Error logged, turn skipped	No crash, appropriate error message
	Missing Components	Entity missing CombatMoveComponent	Error logged, graceful handling	No crash, appropriate error message
Edge Cases	Zero Health Combat	Entity starts with 0 health	Combat ends immediately	Appropriate end combat event triggered
	Maximum Stat Values	Stats at maximum possible values	Calculations handle large numbers	No overflow, correct results
Resource Depletion	Zero Stamina Actions	Entity attempts action with 0 stamina	Appropriate handling/fallback	No crash, logical outcome

7. Conclusion

The combat system is a critical component of our game, integrating complex mechanics, stat management, and player strategy. Effective user testing of this system is crucial to ensure a balanced, engaging, and bug-free player experience. Key points to remember:

1. Comprehensive User Testing: Due to the cyclic nature of dependencies and complex constructor arguments in our combat system, traditional unit testing is not feasible. Instead, we rely heavily on thorough and systematic user testing. This approach covers all aspects of combat, from basic actions to complex special moves and status effects. Through meticulous manual testing and user scenarios, we ensure that all game mechanics work as intended and interact correctly.

2. Performance Focus: Maintain a strong emphasis on performance metrics. Smooth, responsive combat is essential for player enjoyment and immersion.

3. AI Behavior and Edge Cases: Our combat AI employs a sophisticated system of weighted probabilities to select moves, introducing an element of controlled randomness. This AI considers factors such as current health, hunger levels, and the opponent's state when making decisions. While this creates more engaging and unpredictable combat, it also introduces a wide range of potential scenarios. Pay special attention to these varying combat flows, particularly focusing on edge cases where the AI's decision-making might lead to unusual game states. Thorough testing of these scenarios is crucial for ensuring the overall stability and polish of the game, as well as maintaining balanced and fair combat across different encounters.

4. User Experience: While technical correctness is crucial, equally important is how the combat system feels to the player. User acceptance criteria should guide testing to ensure the system is not just functional, but also intuitive and enjoyable.

5. Integration: Testing its integration with other game systems (dialogue, save/load, animations) is taken into consideration to ensure cohesive player experience and made functional sacrifices accordingly.

6. Iterative Improvement: Use the insights gained from user testing to refine and balance the combat system. Be prepared to make adjustments based on player feedback and test results.

By thoroughly testing the combat system with this framework in mind, we can deliver a polished, engaging, and technically sound combat experience that will be a cornerstone of our game's appeal. Regular revisiting of these test criteria throughout development will help maintain the quality and balance of the combat system as the game evolves.