9.1 Purpose
- Establish validation practices for functional correctness and visual stability.
9.1.1 First test pass
Run this pass before spending time on polish:
- Load the level from a fresh game start.
- Spawn at the default spawn point.
- Drive the main road/test route at normal speed.
- Check the console/log for missing files, invalid JSON, or material warnings.
- Reload the level and confirm your latest saved changes are still present.
If this pass fails, fix it before adding more assets.
9.2 Functional checks
- Level loads without errors; player spawns correctly (from the template baseline).
- No missing materials/textures; no placeholder/“orange” materials.
- Continuous collision on roads, bridges, and key props.
- Main routes are reachable from the default spawn.
- Water, vegetation, and major props are not floating or clipping in obvious locations.
9.3 Visual stability
- No z‑fighting at intersections/decals.
- Vegetation/props do not float or clip terrain.
- Day/dusk/night remain readable; fog does not wash out contrast.
- Reflections are coherent on water and reflective materials.
- LOD transitions do not pop aggressively at normal driving speed.
9.3.1 Drive test matrix
Test the level in more than one condition.
| Test |
What to check |
| Default spawn |
Vehicle spawns safely and camera starts correctly. |
| Main route |
Roads, collision, signs, and navigation-critical turns work. |
| High-speed pass |
No sudden collision bumps, holes, or unreadable corners. |
| Off-road/edge areas |
Terrain edges, water edges, and barriers behave as intended. |
| Dense scene |
Props, vegetation, decals, and lights stay performant. |
| Night/dusk |
Roads and hazards remain visible. |
| Clean profile |
No hidden dependency on local cache or other mods. |
9.4 Logging and diagnostics
- Review the console/log for missing assets, path issues, or invalid references.
- Validate relative paths and avoid absolute paths to local drives.
- Fix the first missing file/path warning before chasing later symptoms; one bad path can cause several secondary warnings.
9.5 Compatibility and cache
- Test with only the level enabled; disable other mods to detect conflicts.
- Clear cache when restructuring folders/materials.
- Restart the game after changing material files, datablocks, or loaded level structure.
- Test the packaged
.zip, not only the unpacked working folder.
9.6 Edge cases
- Steep slopes, road edges, guardrails, tunnels/enclosures.
- Water edges and shore transitions.
- Spawn point clearance for large vehicles.
- Vehicle reset behavior near bridges, cliffs, water, and dense props.
- AI/navigation-critical roads if the level uses traffic, routes, or bus lines.
9.7 Validation criteria
- Drive from end to end without visual artifacts or collision gaps.
- No critical warnings/errors in the log after a full pass through dense areas.
- Acceptable visibility and performance under multiple times of day.
- Packaged level loads on a clean profile.
- All expected assets are included in the package.
See also: Troubleshooting
, Packaging and publishing
.
