RANT: UI updates are never tested on 4:3 displays

Platform, device version and operating system:

IPad

What you were expecting to happen, and what actually happened:

I was expecting that after the last dozen bugs that happened with UI updates on 4:3 displays, somebody would have wised up to the idea that this needs to be part of the standard testing suite. Especially with the way the app store prevents hot fixes, anything that might involve the iPad needs extra attention.

Literally every UI change over the last several versions has had bugs on 4:3 displays because of zero testing. I’m not exaggerating. This isn’t acceptable.

The latest issue prevents anyone on these displays from quitting battles, which is a way more serious problem than the past bugs.

How often does this happen? When did it begin happening?

Every time the UI has any change whatsoever, it isn’t tested properly and this kind of thing happpens. Every single time.

Steps to make it happen again

Use an iPad, or a PC with a 4:3 resolution. Of course, PC users can change their resolution if they need to. iPad users not so much.

Do better.

7 Likes

See, that’s where you’re wrong!

They also didn’t test any of the other aspect ratios!
The UI is messed up for many more people than before.

I call that a success story for democracy!

3 Likes

I want to follow this up with some positivity, because I think there are ways to make this better going forward. And for context, my wife and I are both long-time players; we buy the elite pass for every new campaign and want to support the devs who make this game possible. I’m also a developer myself, and as someone with an unfortunate history with testing issues myself, I understand. My frustration is with the fact that the same mistake has happened repeatedly and without fail for a long time with every new release. Until now it’s usually been minor and relatively easy to live with.

There is a way to fix this more reliably. The UI needs to be laid out via a soft-code file like the ones used for troops, campaign events, assets, etc. Switching to such a system would mean that any future issues with UI placement can be hot-fixed without having to go through a whole submission process with the app stores.

As of right now the game is badly broken for at least the next two weeks. It’s not acceptable considering bugs of this exact type have happened so frequently and so inevitably in the past, but by changing the UI layout to use data files for placement, this can be the last time it happens—for more than a few days, anyway.

I’m also aware this is what I would call a “project”—not a huge overhaul but an annoying task to take on for sure. But it’s a permanent fix for a problem that otherwise can’t be fixed quickly the next time it happens, or the next time after that, or the next time after that.