Distribution:
How do you distribute your game to your testers?
- Do you send the game folders and they open and test from the Renpy launcher?
Do you build distributions and make those available for DL?
Feedback:
How do you gather feedback from your testers?
- Do you ask them to answer specific questions or just ask for general impressions/feedback?
Do you provide a form they can fill out or just send them a list of questions?
For Devs and Testers:
What is a reasonable amount of time for an alpha/beta testing period to run if the testers are volunteers?
How many versions per testing period is reasonable?
If you have run an alpha/beta test:
What are some things to avoid when asking for people to test for you (esp. volunteers)?
How do you avoid "bad" testers? (e.g. People who say they want to test but don't deliver feedback)
Do you split up testing into storylines/paths so that Test Group A only plays Anna's route and Test Group B only plays Lily's route?
For longer games, how much do you expect testers to test? Only one route? The whole thing? As much as they can?
For people who test VNs/are interested in testing VNs:
What do you look for in an alpha/beta VN that makes you want to test it as a volunteer?
Are you a completionist? If not, would you be willing to play until 100% completion for a testing period?
How do you feel about testing a certain route vs being free to test the whole thing?
Would you prefer a feedback form to fill out or just to tell the developer your general feelings/critique of the game?
What mode of communication do you feel is best for you to give feedback to the dev? (e.g. PM, e-mail, form, live chat, etc)
How many builds would you be willing to test as a volunteer? (e.g. only alpha versions, only beta versions, both, just once, etc)
How much time would you be willing to spend testing a game? (hours? days? until completion/release?)
As you've probably noticed, I'm mostly wondering about dealing with volunteer testers. Would love to hear people's opinions/answers.