An automated model based testing approach for platform games

Iftikhar, Sidra; Iqbal, Muhammad Zohaib; Khan, Muhammad Uzair; Mahmood, Wardah

doi:10.1109/models.2015.7338274

Cited by 42 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…In the case of game software testing, these attributes include cross-platform operability, aesthetics, performance in terms of time and memory, consistency and functional correctness in a multi-user environment [3]. To validate these attributes, researchers proposed various methods to generate test sequences: record/replay [4], handcrafted scenarios [5], UML and state machines [6], Petri nets [7], and RL [8] [9]. However, when game environment changes, test sequences and scenarios such as [4] [5] become obsolete and a manual tester effort is required to create a new test sequence.…”

Section: Related Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Automated Video Game Testing Using Synthetic and Humanlike Agents

2021

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In this paper, we present a new methodology that employs tester agents to automate video game testing. We introduce two types of agents -synthetic and human-like-and two distinct approaches to create them. Our agents are derived from Reinforcement Learning (RL) and Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) agents, but focus on finding defects. The synthetic agent uses test goals generated from game scenarios, and these goals are further modified to examine the effects of unintended game transitions. The human-like agent uses test goals extracted by our proposed multiple greedy-policy inverse reinforcement learning (MGP-IRL) algorithm from tester trajectories. MGP-IRL captures multiple policies executed by human testers. These testers' aims are finding defects while interacting with the game to break it, which is considerably different from game playing. We present interaction states to model such interactions. We use our agents to produce test sequences, run the game with these sequences, and check the game for each run with an automated test oracle. We analyze the proposed method in two parts: we compare the success of human-like and synthetic agents in bug finding, and we evaluate the similarity between humanlike agents and human testers. We collected 427 trajectories from human testers using the General Video Game Artificial Intelligence (GVG-AI) framework and created three games with 12 levels that contain 45 bugs. Our experiments reveal that human-like and synthetic agents compete with human testers' bug finding performances. Moreover, we show that MGP-IRL increases the human-likeness of agents while improving the bug finding performance.

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Section: Related Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Automated Video Game Testing Using Synthetic and Humanlike Agents

2021

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“…In order to achieve accurate results, high-quality models are extremely important. Iftikhar et al [17] developed a UML-based model to support automated system-level game testing of platform games. However, models often have to be manually constructed.…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using an agent-based approach for robust automated testing of computer games

Shirzadehhajimahmood

Prasetya

Dignum

et al. 2021

Proceedings of the 12th International Workshop on Automating TEST Case Design, Selection, and Evaluation

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Modern computer games typically have a huge interaction spaces and non-deterministic environments. Automation in testing can provide a vital boost in development and it further improves the overall software's reliability and efficiency. Moreover, layout and game logic may regularly change during development or consecutive releases which makes it difficult to test because the usage of the system continuously changes. To deal with the latter, tests also need to be robust. Unfortunately, existing game testing approaches are not capable of maintaining test robustness. To address these challenges, this paper presents an agent-based approach for robust automated testing based on the reasoning type of AI. CCS CONCEPTS• Software and its engineering → Software testing and debugging; Interactive games.

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“…The cost of an edge (a, a ′ ) is increased over its natural cost if a ′ G.prefs. This will encourage an optimal path finder to find a path through preferred vertices 7 .…”

Section: Finer Auto-navigation Controlmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The application of MBT for game testing has not been well studied though. Among the few work we could find was that of Iftikhar et al [7]. The case study is the Super Mario Brother, which is a fine grained game, thus implying that MBT can be applied to a fine grained game.…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Navigation and exploration in 3D-game automated play testing

Prasetya

Maurin

Tom

et al. 2020

Proceedings of the 11th ACM SIGSOFT International Workshop on Automating TEST Case Design, Selection, and Evaluation

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To enable automated software testing, the ability to automatically navigate to a state of interest and to explore all, or at least sufficient number of, instances of such a state is fundamental. When testing a computer game the problem has an extra dimension, namely the virtual world where the game is played on. This world often plays a dominant role in constraining which logical states are reachable, and how to reach them. So, any automated testing algorithm for computer games will inevitably need a layer that deals with navigation on a virtual world. Unlike e.g. navigating through the GUI of a typical web-based application, navigating over a virtual world is much more challenging. This paper discusses how concepts from geometry and graph-based path finding can be applied in the context of game testing to solve the problem of automated navigation and exploration. As a proof of concept, the paper also briefly discusses the implementation of the proposed approach.

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An automated model based testing approach for platform games

Cited by 42 publications

References 10 publications

Automated Video Game Testing Using Synthetic and Humanlike Agents

Automated Video Game Testing Using Synthetic and Humanlike Agents

Using an agent-based approach for robust automated testing of computer games

Navigation and exploration in 3D-game automated play testing

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