Friday Ride-a-Thon

[sassymom]

I got two pieces from blue.

 

[CoolTrainerTerry]

There is also a new Turnstile in the Green Space Race Start room.

 

[pinkgalYall]

I bet each day they have a new prize.

 

[PurpleDucky]

woot! 88th in line

 

[StitchfansJr]

I just have two downhills. I can't get on VMK, after I crashed I was unable to go back on.

 

[laxplaya1346]

The only prize available today is the downhill, im guessing that tomorrow will be uphill and then sunday probably doors. The rest will be sold in the emporium or inner-space shop

 

[Mnementh]

If they were going for the looks factor, from what I've seen on this thread and in person when I played, I am severely unimpressed. The only impressive room I've seen is the one that TikiKrissy showed on the top of page 6. It should be easy to win a ride building competition if that's the best the people that actually work for VMK can come up with.

 

[Goofy_Bob]

There is also a new Turnstile in the Green Space Race Start room.

Anyone get a picture?

 

[DaraAllen]

OK, I can't take it anymore. Time to leave the office and go home to PLAY!

Just look for DaraSue, Sclim and PrincessMajelBug to be riding their bottoms off the next five hours or so!

 

[sleepingbeautymama]

I'm so glad I got through these rooms earlier. I've noticed they are getting slower and slower.

 

[Goofy_Bob]

I'm so glad I got through these rooms earlier. I've noticed they are getting slower and slower.

I got through the rooms ealier too. Five times and only got one slide piece.

The ride's going fairly smoothly now I think. I've got 5 down slides in the last hour or so. It takes a little more than 10 minutes to get each one thanks to the long Qs. But I'm thankful for the numerous rooms and longer Qs. I don't have to actively keep trying to get in Q, it takes only a couple of trys and I'm in. Gives me time to work ( ) and/or surf Disboards.

I tried the Contact Us link to send a question about getting pieces for earlier rides, but it's down due to technical issues.

 

[mouseman68]

I just went on blue and a lot of ppl are having a hard time getting through the first screen with the doors.

I think that is why it is taking so long. Just understanding the pieces and how they work.

 

[Goofy_Bob]

Yeah, things have really slowed down. I had taken about 10-15mins per ride before, but I've been in Q for Magenta now for 40 minutes! I'm in 2nd place so shouldn't be too much longer, but WOW!

 

[coolaronie]

Yeah, things have really slowed down. I had taken about 10-15mins per ride before, but I've been in Q for Magenta now for 40 minutes! I'm in 2nd place so shouldn't be too much longer, but WOW!

Ouch.. magenta had a little issue. people couldn't leave the room since they didn't know how to use the teleporters. so thats why it is taking along time. you have to click the teleporters when the two symbols match

 

[CaptHook34]

Im in line for gold right now but i think what is happening is when i enetered the last room, cyan, there were many poepl just sadning in the dorway(afk). I think these people have been afk for a while and are holding up sapce. This is not fair..

 

[qruthie]

I've come to conclusion that when these rides and mazes are being put together they are going for the "wow" factor in the looks department, and don't test it at all the volume of people that will be going through it.

I also think they have a testing problem and it's more than what cat_herder said. This isn't a knock on the VMK staff, it has always been an issue with software. I tested software for years in addition to writing software.

Most likely they are doing positive testing under light loads. Positive testing is when you test to make sure the software works as it was designed to work. That's how most software seems to be tested. Often the problem is compounded by the tester also being the person who wrote the software. The problem with that is, they know how it is supposed to work and that's how they use it so it does work and passes the positive test. For a VMK ride-a-thon, an example of a positive test would be to get on the ride and do nothing. If you end up in the final room and get your prize, the test is successful.

I think they need to do more negative testing and testing under heavy loads. The unfortunate problem is both of those require a lot of resources. Negative testing is very hard to do well, it requires a lot of lateral thinking. Testing under heavy loads is difficult to do because it either requires a lot of people doing live testing at the same time or a really good usage simulator.

Negative testing is when you test for mistakes a user might make. Negative testing was one of my specialties. For some reason, I'm able to reduce myself to a complete idiot and totally misinterpret how software is supposed to be used. One of the easiest ways to do negative testing is to have someone who is unfamiliar with your software use it without reading any instructions. The way I had to do it was similar to that fun "game" where you give a person step by step instructions for doing something like making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Your job is to be as precise as possible. The other person's job is to misinterpret your instructions. The final result often doesn't resemble a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at all.

For a VMK ride-a-thon, an example of a negative test would be to get on the ride and then get off the track where you aren't supposed to get off the track and try to get back on. If you can't get off the track at all, the test is successful. If you can get off the track and get back on from each piece of track, the test is successful. If you can get off the track, walk around the room and then get back on the track, the test is successful. If you get off the track and can't get back on, the test is not successful and you have a bug. I hope you can see from this example just how resource intensive negative testing can be.

I think a lot of frustration with the ride-a-thon this morning is the rides didn't work as they had been advertised. They weren't charging to ride (hopefully on purpose because VMK anticipated us having to help them discover problems) and they were giving out only one prize per person. In my opinion, that's a failed positive test and shouldn't have happened. On top of that, there weren't any instructions for using the switches and doors. In my opinion, that's a failed negative test but is understandable. That would be something to make note of so it doesn't happen in the next ride-a-thon.

In any case, I am enjoying the rides and discovering new items in the rooms. I figured out how to use the switches - you can double click on them as soon as you enter the room, you don't have to be near them. I'm still having problems with the doors because I keep single clicking on them instead of double clicking. I'm also clicking on the symbol on the door rather than on the symbol at the top. That may be uncovering a design flaw in the user interface, it may be more intuitive to click on the door itself.

Oh, I just love the way the ride vehicles float above the track! I keep wishing I could make mine fly around the room!

 

[coolaronie]

Im in line for gold right now but i think what is happening is when i enetered the last room, cyan, there were many poepl just sadning in the dorway(afk). I think these people have been afk for a while and are holding up sapce. This is not fair..

Im betting that the people just got in line and left their computers. they don't know they are already in the room

 

[qruthie]

I am 10th in Q now for the Blue ride.

There are so many inappropriate things I could say right now. I happen to be wearing a blue sweatshirt however, I am not the blue ride. This is Space Mountain, not Body Wars!

 

[FrontierNatasha]

There are so many inappropriate things I could say right now. I happen to be wearing a blue sweatshirt however, I am not the blue ride. This is Space Mountain, not Body Wars!

I don't get it. .

 

[DaraAllen]

I don't get it. .

And the grown-ups in the room say, "GOOD!"