Video Game Design and Coding

PLECK lesson 175 · suggested week 35, day 5

Run the final release gate

Objective. Make a release decision supported by evidence.

Godot Engine Standard desktop editor 4.7.2-stable, GDScript (Godot 4), Compatibility renderer. Headless Godot 4.7.2.stable.official.ed1daf0bf passed 106 assertions on the supplied scaffolds, including malformed JSON saves. Audio used the Dummy driver and a synthetic WAV, not a speaker. The visual editor, browser export, and signed-in submission were not tested. The desk still does not run a student's own upload.

About 55 minutes. The due date is chosen by a parent.

Source artifacts, local export, optional web and final checks

Suggested pace: Recall and predict 5 min; Read instruction and scaffold 12 min; Build or design the assigned artifact 25 min; Run acceptance tests 8 min; Explain and checkpoint 5 min.

Materials: Godot Standard 4.7.2 desktop editor (GDScript, Compatibility renderer), Local course folder and prior checkpoint, No paid assets or public account required.

Comes after VGC-L174.

A release gate is a final checklist, not an accreditation or automatic grade. Run all twelve required tests, key content checks, comfort tests, repaired-bug reproductions and source restoration on the named final candidate. Mark each pass, fail or not applicable with a reason. If a blocker remains, label the artifact a candidate and continue repair; do not call it finished. Minor known limitations can be disclosed. The parent/teacher decides how to evaluate the work using the separate rubric.

Worked example

A source archive contains editable scenes and scripts. A runnable export may contain a binary and pack, which is useful for play but not a substitute for editable evidence. Scaffold C-TESTS — A tiny pure-function test harness Setup: Attach to Node TestLab. If using command line, create a separate SceneTree harness rather than running this Node script with --script. Run current TestLab scene in editor; assert reports a failed condition in Debugger. No external test framework or package is needed. ```gdscript extends Node func bounded_score(old_score: int, change: int) -> int: return clampi(old_score + change, 0, 999) func _ready() -> void: assert(bounded_score(10, 2) == 12) assert(bounded_score(0, -3) == 0) assert(bounded_score(998, 9) == 999) print("3 score checks passed") ```

A tiny pure-function test harness

GDScript (Godot 4, not Scratch, Python, JavaScript or C#). Scaffold C-TESTS. Copy starts from this text. The desk does not run it.

Scene and node setup

Attach to Node TestLab. If using command line, create a separate SceneTree harness rather than running this Node script with --script. Run current TestLab scene in editor; assert reports a failed condition in Debugger. No external test framework or package is needed.

extends Node
func bounded_score(old_score: int, change: int) -> int:
    return clampi(old_score + change, 0, 999)
func _ready() -> void:
    assert(bounded_score(10, 2) == 12)
    assert(bounded_score(0, -3) == 0)
    assert(bounded_score(998, 9) == 999)
    print("3 score checks passed")

Checks to run in the editor

  • All three assertions pass.
  • Intentionally change expected 12 to 13 and observe a failure, then restore.

Native Godot 4.7.2.stable.official.ed1daf0bf headless compile and representative node-tree/runtime tests passed; see native-qa-results.json. Visual UI, audible output, exports and website submission still need separate checks.

Run the final release gate — evidence task

  1. 1. Execute the final release checklist from a restored artifact.
  2. 2. Write a release or continue-repair decision with supporting evidence.

Deliverable. Final release-gate report and named artifact.

Acceptance checks

  • VGC-L175-T1. Decision matches test results.
  • VGC-L175-T2. Final version and known limitations are consistent across readme and logs.

Understanding question. Can a release checklist by itself confer school credit or accreditation?

Include a downloadable project ZIP with project.godot, .tscn, .gd and original asset files when code changes. A private, teacher-accessible download link to that ZIP is equivalent. Screenshots or a playthrough do not replace editable source.

If this is still shaky. The required deliverable is an editor-runnable source ZIP. Native or web export is optional if templates or hardware are unavailable. Start with the first assigned task and re-run its acceptance test before adding the remaining feature.

Optional extra. Compare an optional export with editor play and report one platform-specific limitation. Document one changed parameter, your prediction, and the observed effect; optional, not required for completion.

Turn in typed notes and a JPEG, PNG, or WebP screenshot. One https address is stored as text and is not opened, extracted, or run. An MP3, WAV, M4A, MP4, or WebM file up to 4 MB can show a demo. The demo does not replace editable source. Zip and code files are refused. If there is no private link, keep the project on the family computer and review the code in person.

  • Your first 2D game

    Free public tutorial; no account; external asset download is optional, not used by this course.

    · Opening this link does not submit the lesson.
  • Exporting for the Web

    Free public documentation. Local editor play is the required alternative to web export.

    · Opening this link does not submit the lesson.

This is a preview. A parent assigns the lesson and chooses the due date after the student is enrolled. The answer key is not on this page.

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