How QA Could've Saved Fortnite’s Ballistic Launch

Table of Contents

1. Teleportation Bug with Void Tear – Fall Damage Glitch
2. Crashes Across Multiple Modes
3. Inability to Report Players
4. Stuck in Spawn – The Flying Bug
5. Spawn Location Glitch in Ballistic Mode
6. Unbalanced Team Sizes in Ballistic Mode

Fortnite’s ongoing popularity is due to its innovative gameplay, regular updates, and its knack for creating unforgettable experiences for millions of players. However, like any major game, Fortnite has faced its share of issues that affect the player experience. From matchmaking errors to major in-game bugs, the recent launch of the Fortnite Ballistic mode and other gameplay glitches have highlighted the critical need for strong Quality Assurance (QA) processes in game development and distribution.

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Let’s take a closer look at some of the issues players have faced this year:

1. Teleportation Bug with Void Tear – Fall Damage Glitch

A player reported a situation where their Void Tear ability, used for teleportation, caused them to die instantly due to fall damage despite their placement being near a tree for an easy escape. What’s even more puzzling is that another player received kill credit despite not having directly caused the death.

Possible Causes:

• Missed Edge Cases in Test Scenarios: The interaction between Void Tear and fall damage mechanics may not have been tested sufficiently. A thorough QA process would have examined edge cases such as using Void Tear near trees or uneven terrain.
• Server-Side Desync or Physics Bug: The game may have misinterpreted the height or landing mechanics, causing unintended fall damage or kill credit errors.
• Inconsistent Test Environment: If the issue wasn’t reproducible consistently, it could have slipped through QA testing, making it harder to identify during the development process.

2. Crashes Across Multiple Modes

Another common issue players have encountered is frequent game crashes, particularly in modes like Reload Ranked and ZeroBuild BR. Despite players updating their drivers, verifying game files, and ensuring their systems are up to date, the crashes persist.

Possible Causes:

• Insufficient Regression Testing: Updates or patches to certain game mechanics could have affected the stability of other features. A well-established QA team would ensure that each update undergoes thorough regression testing to catch issues before they reach the player base.
• Device-Specific Issues: Given the range of devices players use (PC, consoles, etc.), QA should ensure that every platform is tested thoroughly, accounting for differences in hardware and software environments.

3. Inability to Report Players

In certain instances, players have found themselves unable to report other players for inappropriate behavior, as the “report” feature fails to load properly.

Possible Causes:

• Insufficient Test Coverage: The report feature might not have been tested across all platforms, game modes, or account types. QA should cover every aspect of the game to ensure that all systems work in tandem.
• Server or Backend Errors: Sometimes, the server-side API or network requests can fail, causing essential features like reporting to malfunction.
• Permissions Issues: Incorrect account settings or parental controls might prevent a player from using reporting features. A thorough review of all permission systems is vital.

4. Stuck in Spawn – The Flying Bug

A particularly bizarre issue emerged when players found themselves "stuck" in the air during the spawn phase, unable to move, emote, or interact with the environment. This bug was exacerbated in cross-platform lobbies, where players on PS5 and Switch experienced no issues, while PC players were affected.

Possible Causes:

• Cross-Platform Synchronization Issues: The issue may stem from an error in synchronizing data across different platforms. A QA team needs to rigorously test crossplay functionality to ensure that all players, regardless of platform, experience the same game behavior.
• Server-Side Spawn Initialization Error: A failure to send the correct spawn information to certain platforms could leave players in an invalid state, such as "flying" without control.

5. Spawn Location Glitch in Ballistic Mode

Players in the Ballistic mode reported a spawn glitch where they were incorrectly assigned to the enemy team’s spawn, unable to move, shoot, or interact with the environment, and even floating in the air. This issue persisted across multiple rounds, impacting gameplay and forcing players to quit.

Possible Causes:

• Server-Side Spawn Synchronization Issues: Incorrect assignment of spawn points or failure to sync player states properly between the server and client is a likely cause.
• Game Logic Bug: The spawn logic may have failed to initialize correctly, resulting in the player being stuck in a non-interactive state.
• Network Instability: Packet loss or high server latency could result in mismatched data, leaving players in a permanent bugged state.

6. Unbalanced Team Sizes in Ballistic Mode

One of the issues that emerged after the launch of Fortnite Ballistic was unbalanced team sizes, often starting games with uneven teams, like 4v5 or 3v5, leading to a significant gameplay disadvantage for the smaller team.

Possible Causes:

• Matchmaking Errors: A failure in the matchmaking system to properly assign players to balanced teams or ensure that all slots are filled before the match begins could be to blame.
• Server or Desync Issues: High latency or inadequate infrastructure could cause synchronization problems, leading to uneven team compositions or players missing from the match entirely.
• Early Access Bugs: As the game mode is still in early access, it may not have undergone enough QA testing to catch these issues before release.