differences between fighting and racing games
TRANSCRIPT
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Differences between fighting and racing games
Introduction
Fighting games and racing games are very popular in today’s video games industry and remain very distinct and unique in their ways which makes it easier to compare and distinguish both genres. Now I am going to reveal some the key elements that separate both genres using screenshots while explaining what they mean from a tester point of view.
Differences
The first thing to be clear of between fighting (also known as combat sport) and racing is that they are both sports for example boxing, wrestling, judo and more comes in the fighting category while Formula One (Car racing), Tour De France (cycling) or the Marathon (running) are racing events, so when it comes to video games these sorts of characteristics will easily be picked up and used to differentiate them from others genres (like adventure, music, platform, RTS) when it come to classifying them.
As a genre, fighting games are not like almost any other genres, while other genres like racing games try to often simulate reality or real sports as real as possible like F1 2012 or WRC 3. There are lots of elements used in fighting games that makes it difference and clear of hardly any trace of mixture with other genres. Its visual style, fighting abilities, the side view camera, the backgrounds and more just stimulate and show the uniqueness that underlined its originality. It can't be replaced or redefined by another genre, either when simulated or in video game world. To start notifying the differences between both fighting and racing games genres, I am going to use some gameplay images to shows the key elements that make both genres different in their ways.
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What fighting and racing games usually include n
The health bar Number of lives
Amount of damage inflicted on opponent
Super move bar level Side view /Side scrolling
Time limit
Player position
Rivals/opponents
Circuit and player position indicator Speed, Gear, Boost, Fuel etc...
Number of laps remaining
Name and facial indicator
Fighting Games Racing Games
Third Person view
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Move list consisting all the special moves and combos (combinations of buttons)
Pick-‐ups such as speed boost
Map: Circuit and player position indicator
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Players to be switched from
Weaponry
First person view
Time in progress Next turn direction indicator
Car and character customisation
Unlimited time
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These are some distinctive elements found in both genres that make them unique and separate from each other. Furthermore, this is what some of these elements used in both genres mean from a tester point of view:
! Player health Bar – this is mainly used to help players identify the damage taken or inflicted on their opponents. The health bar indicates how much health a player has, in certain games when a player is hit the damage inflicted is often shown telling the damage percentage with the number of hits imposed on to the player. From a tester point of view the damage inflicted on opponent and vice versa will have to be checked for clarity ensuring the damage has been done when hit by looking at the health bar, when players are taking damage its imperative to ensure the health bar diminishes accordingly and also ensuring that you die when the health bar is completely diminished. Another important thing is to ensure the correct amount of damage inflicted on players is measure correctly on health bar i.e. a special move should have more damage.
! Time limit, rounds and number of lives – fights are usually done within a time limit which normally counts down to zero and usually restarted in every fighting round, at each round the player with less damage at the end of the time given wins the round. To win a round you must defeat your opponent by fully diminishing his health as shown on health bar, however to win a fight you must complete at least two rounds which is why players on opposite sides are given lives normally two lives which give them the chances of fighting each other twice in order to win a fight. The number of lives normally determines the amount of rounds a player has to be defeated in order to lose a fight (vice versa). From a tester point of view you would have many consideration and different combinations of tests, you would have to consider if the fight stops when the countdown time is at zero, check if the fight ends when a player is beaten (health bar diminished) and has no life remaining and see if another round started when a player is beaten (health bar diminished) and has another life remaining. There are many sort of test to be considered for these, typically functionality and gameplay testing.
! Side view/ side scrolling camera – This is the main camera view in fighting games, the screen will often scroll forward or backward following the speed and direction of the player character, the scroll will go at certain point then stop requiring players on screen to fight within a certain boundary or limited space, their importance is that it allows players to be fully seen within the fighting area, both players are seen facing each other looking at each other direction which is very important as this is what occurs in real fighting, usually a rule in boxing to always keep an eye on your opponent. From a tester point of view this camera angle will have be checked against each player’s position, ensuring all characters are visible within the staging area of the fight, does the scrolling stop at a certain point depending on the player’s position. Configuration and UI testing may also come into play to ensure the players are visible at every screen resolution when the camera moves and also ensure the colour is adequate while ensuring that all on displays like the health bar remains intact.
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! Move list – Most often in fighting games players are assisted with a move list which is a feature from the pause menu allowing players to check the moves they can apply with their character, the move list includes all the combos and super moves that can be performed by a player using combination of buttons. Some moves are very effective when performed on opponents which is why fighting games often have Super move bar level that determines the type of move a player can perform during a fight, if full the player can perform the most fatal and effective move but when that bar is low the contrary happens. From a testers point of view you would first be considering a feature, functionally and spell check tests for the feature ensuring it’s selectable, consistent and contain all commands and moves. Players are not to be mislead whereby those move listed must function when applied. This will mainly require lots of play through and functionally testing typically using checklist for all the move, yet alone all the other characters in the game to test from, all to ensuring all the commands and combination of buttons shown on move list has the right end result.
! Switching player/tag team play – this another characteristic found in fighting games that are unfound in racing games, having the ability to play with more than on character in a single fight just adds fun to the game play. This feature in generally rapid and applied with just a click of a button to switch. This has no adverse affect to the way the game is played whereby as you’re fighting, when hit your health decreases periodically so as the other player when switched. What this means from a testers point of view is that they would have to ensure that the switching is functioning and consistent, the testing approach might be that you’re testing the feature against the players ensuring every character is playable, and also checking the compatibility with controllers.
In contrast to racing games
! Laps and rounds – You do not have health bars or lives, instead of controlling a person you have a car and as you race you have to undergo certain laps in other to finish a race where as in fighting games you have rounds. The number of laps in racing games normally sets a period within a race i.e. lap one, lap five, final lap. Likewise in fighting games rounds are used to determine a period in a fight i.e. final round or round two, but the difference in both genres is the process in which they occur whereby in a racing game you have to redo or repeat a track which determines a lap whereas in fighting you normally have to die or defeat your opponent to finish a round. So what does this mean from a testers point of view, this means completing a lap in a racing game might be longer than completing a round in fighting game whereby you would have to cover a whole track to complete the lap whereas in fighting you have a set of combos that can help you demolish your opponent quickly. This would also mean that there is a significant difference between completing a race as oppose to a completing a fight whereby you must complete numerous laps to complete a race which will take quite a while meanwhile completing a fight wouldn’t last longer depending on the rounds you win. This would generally cause a time issues when testing a number tracks or laps.
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! Third person view and first person view Camera – these are camera views that can be changed within racing games usually with a click of a button, these are used to ensure players have the best view possible when racing, changing to their appropriate view. In contrast to side view scrolling camera used in fighting games, the first person view generally allows you to look forward and help you see where you’re going from a drivers eye view while the third person view allows you to see the car or vehicle in full view showing the rear, wheels and body of the vehicle. These setting best fit racing games which is why they are rarely adopted in fighting games as the side view helps to see the position of both the player and opponent in one shot facing each other. What this means from a testers point of view is that both third person and first person view will have to be checked for consistency and clarity whereby when changed the camera views will have to be adequate at all times providing the right view at the right position.
! Pickups – This is one of the key features in racing games used to boost players speed or hamper their opponents. This is comprised with different weapons, usually used as projectile attacks to traps opponents as well as non-‐combative items like speed boosts. These are not found in fighting games, however fighting games may allow you to use weapons in a combat way by doing different combinations of button press whereas in racing games you can either pick items or go around it and they are used with just a click of a button not combos or combination of buttons. So what this means from a tester point of view is that you don’t have to skillful or technically driven when applying this feature (utilizing pickups) against opponents, these can results in quick functionality tests picking up the items and testing their functionality, this can be done using test matrices.
! Time and player position – the time shown in racing games do not count down like in fighting games but instead shown to illustrate the time taken to complete laps or race. Races are determine and based on players finishing position, these finishing positions are establish by the time taken to complete the race. It can take you as long as you want to finish a race but the key factor is the time endured to complete a race that determines your position against other rivals/players. This would typically mean that testers will have to consider and undergo many different permutations referring to players position and time i.e. does the player with least time at end of race win, does the player with the most time endured in race finish in last position and also what happens if two or more players finish at exactly the same position.
These are the sort of test that would rarely be implemented in fighting game as they do not share the same characteristics. There are many more elements used in both genres that typifies their differences which in turn brings different challenges and ways of testing, these are some element that I know of that would make the testing approach on both genres very different.