Company: T.T. Games
Project Overview
My second project at T.T. Games involved porting the original LEGO City Undercover to new platforms: PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and the then upcoming Nintendo Switch. This was a high profile project, particularly as it was slated to be a launch title for the Switch. The primary goal was to deliver a stable, high quality experience across all platforms, introducing a new co-op mode while carefully removing legacy content from the original Wii U version.
My Role & Responsibilities
As a core member of the QA team, I was responsible for ensuring feature parity and quality across all new platforms. My duties included:
- Conducting full playthroughs of the entire game on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and the Nintendo Switch, becoming one of the first testers to learn the ins and outs of the new Switch hardware.
- Systematically testing all in game collectibles, including achievements, police shields, and character/vehicle unlocks to ensure 100% completion was achievable.
- Leading testing efforts for the open world hub, which involved verifying a vast amount of content like super builds, challenges, races, and hidden collectibles.
- Collaborating daily with another tester to rigorously test the newly implemented two player co-op mode from start to finish.
The Challenge
The main challenge was twofold. First, we had to meticulously verify the removal of all the Nintendo Wii U specific content, such as GamePad functionality and exclusive Easter eggs, as any remnants could lead to legal issues. Second, I was tasked with ensuring full testing coverage of the massive open world hub. This required me to strategically divide the world into sections and assign areas to each team member to avoid redundant testing and ensure no part of the vast map was overlooked.
Gameplay Highlights
Here is a highlight from the Open World that I was responsible for testing.
My Approach & Actions
- Designed and managed daily test plans for the QA shift, assigning specific sections of the open world map to individual testers for both single player and co-op testing.
- Conducted focused regression testing on areas of the game that previously relied on the Wii U GamePad to confirm that new control schemes and UI elements were fully functional.
- Performed extensive functionality testing on all platforms including the at the time new Nintendo Switch platform.
- Authored detailed bug reports in Jira for a wide range of issues, including collectible tracking errors, co-op stability problems, and legacy content that had not been properly removed.
- Worked closely with the porting team to provide feedback and verify fixes, ensuring a consistent gameplay experience across all four new platforms.
Impact & Results
- My systematic approach to open world testing maximized the team’s efficiency and ensured that the vast amount of content in the hub world was thoroughly vetted with minimal overlap.
- I played a key role in identifying several instances of legacy Wii U content that had been missed, preventing potential legal and quality issues before the game was submitted for certification.
- My early testing and feedback on the Nintendo Switch version helped the team stabilize the build for its successful launch on the new console.
- Ultimately, our team’s diligent testing contributed to the game releasing with high review scores and minimal bugs across all platforms, successfully revitalizing the title for a new audience.
Technologies & Tools Used
- Jira (for bug tracking and reporting)
- Microsoft Excel (for managing test coverage and checklists)
- Console Development Kits: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, & Nintendo Switch
- Proprietary T.T. Games Engine & Debug Tools