Task 1 - Game Operating Regions

November 30, 2017

Game Operating System	Explanation
Pre-Game	Pre-Game operating region is the phase before starting a game. In a console Pre-Game phase, before inserting the game disk the player will be treated to a menu with icons. For example, I have chosen to detail out the Xbox 360 Pre-Game menu, the menu will have icons for recent activates, social like online friends, a search engine only added to modern consoles and other apps. The Xbox 360 will be active but the game is not. However, on PC’s this phase will be different, the device will have activated the games app before you start it. For example, PC Players will be treated to a game menu and customizations the settings of a game like tweaking the graphical quality of the game so it can run smoothly on their PC before they click start. Testing Pre-Game issues is simple for console. For example, a game will not start and an error pops up on screen, this means the disk is either damaged, cannot run on that console or the consoles disk reader itself is faulty. Whereas on PC’s if a game launches but doesn't work like frames-per-second drops or other difficulties, this is because the PC’s hardware does not meet the minimum requirements for the game. Although possibly solving this problem means changing a player will have to change the games file, code or even purchase better hardware.
Game Start	Game-Start operating region is the next phase. The game has started but has gone through the process of pre-credits for example, showing the developers and publishers company names and now the game is in its menu stage. On consoles, the player can mess around with their own settings in this menu for example, choosing subtitles before starting the game. Whereas PC users would have already specified their requirements. Activating a game on consoles requires the player to push a certain button that will start the game. For example, Xbox 360 players will be instructed to press “A” or “Start” universally the start button is a triangular shape, like a play button on a TV remote. PC player will press the “Enter” key. Testing Game-Start issues revolve around the games software which will be performing activities that will not be visible to the player. Here bugs can occur for example, the menu’s text or layout is missing or shifting. This issue can be resolved by altering the games code if needed.
In-Game	In-Game operating region is the phase of gameplay. This is when the player carries out activities in the game for example, moving, fighting and interacting with NPC’s which are initiated in the game to perform functions that will react with the player. Here the player will carry out certain actions like story missions, side quest that does not relate to the campaign or multiplayer. Testing In-Game issues is the more active of the others as most bugs come from this phase for example, NPC’s (which have their own operating region) not doing as instructed like phasing through walls and getting caught on objects, areas of the game missing or multiplayer being unfair. Solving these types of problems require developers to ensure that the game script/code is correct. Multiplayer problems can stem from players cheating for example, Lag-Switching this means a player is disrupting their connection to the server so they can take the advantage in the game because they will either be faster on the other players screen or their opponents themselves slower in movement. This can be resolved by banning these types of players from the online part of the game so multiplayer can be more balanced.
Post-Game	Post-Game operating region is the final phase when a player ends the game. A player can leave a game in various ways. For example, “Exit without Saving” is the action the player takes to abort the game quickly. On console, a player can either eject the disk directly or turn off the power. This results in the player losing their save history files issues can occur sometimes not by the game itself, like a faulty Xbox 360 disk drive ejecting the disk or the notorious “Red Ring of Death”. This nickname represents when the all the LED lights flash red on the Xbox’s circular power button, this means an Xbox 360 error that requires servicing of the console. Resolving this issue for the players demands that the developers integrate a feature in the games code called “Auto-Save” which will save the players progression automatically. This also decreases any problems that may occur with “Save and Exit” which takes longer to end the game and eject it. PC players however do not suffer from this problem as deleted files can be found again in the recycle bin or found in a backup hard drive.