Testing Debugging And Release Workflow

Testing Debugging And Release Workflow

Practical validation model for ongoing Arma 2 Operation Arrowhead 1.64 mission development.

This repo cannot lean on a modern SQF unit-test suite. The safe workflow is a mix of source checks, local tooling checks, RPT-driven smoke tests and careful release gates. Every future change should record what was actually verified, not just what was source-reviewed.

Scope: gameplay edits start in Missions/[55-2hc]warfarev2_073v48co.chernarus; generated mission behavior is handled through Tools/LoadoutManager unless a skip-list file needs hand mirroring.

Machine schema for test evidence: agent-test-plan.schema.json.

Test Levels

Level	Use when	Evidence to record
source-only	Static defects: missing files, commented compiles, compile registries, PV channel maps, IDD conflicts, generated drift.	Exact paths, line refs, search command or script, and whether the issue is confirmed or only a lead.
local-tool	LoadoutManager generation, PerformanceAuditAnalyzer parsing, DiscordBot/Extension build or config shape.	Command, cwd, exit code, generated files or expected non-blocking failure such as missing 7za.
hosted-smoke	Locality-sensitive behavior where hosted server also runs client code.	Scenario, mission params, RPT snippets, observed player/server behavior.
dedicated-smoke	Server-authority, PV/PVF, economy, town AI, cleanup loops, BattlEye-sensitive behavior.	Dedicated server RPT, client RPT if available, result and regressions checked.
jip-smoke	Any state that late joiners must see: towns, markers, HQ, commander, supply cooldowns, MASH, endgame.	Join timing, expected replicated variables/events, client observations after join.
hc-smoke	AI delegation, town AI, static defenses and HC registration.	HC connection timing, connected-hc handling, delegated units, server FPS/load effect.
live-server-sensitive	BattlEye, AntiStack DB, public server economy authority, Discord token/data paths, extensions.	Owner approval, backup/rollback path, exact server config, and redacted logs only.

System Test Matrix

System	Source paths	Minimum validation	Notes
Boot/lifecycle	description.ext, initJIPCompatible.sqf, Common/Init/*, Server/Init/Init_Server.sqf, Client/Init/Init_Client.sqf, Headless/Init/Init_HC.sqf, mission.sqm	source-only, then hosted or dedicated boot smoke for reordered init.	Check version.sqf, WFBE_Parameters_Ready, commonInitComplete, townInit, serverInitFull, clientInitComplete. mission.sqm town object init is part of runtime.
PV/PVF networking	Common/Init/Init_PublicVariables.sqf, Server/Functions/Server_HandlePVF.sqf, Client/Functions/Client_HandlePVF.sqf, Server/PVFunctions/*, Client/PVFunctions/*	source-only for registry, dedicated smoke for changed handlers, JIP smoke for stateful effects.	PVF dispatch hardening must test one server-bound and one client-bound message. Direct PV channels are outside the PVF list.
Economy authority	Client/GUI/GUI_Menu_BuyUnits.sqf, Client/Functions/Client_BuildUnit.sqf, Server/PVFunctions/RequestStructure.sqf, Server/Functions/Server_ProcessUpgrade.sqf, Server/PVFunctions/RequestUpgrade.sqf, gear/EASA GUI files	source-only, then dedicated smoke for each migrated spend path.	Record whether the server or client owns final funds/effect. Client menu checks are not authority.
Towns and town AI	mission.sqm, Common/Init/Init_Town*.sqf, Server/FSM/server_town.sqf, Server/FSM/server_town_camp.sqf, Server/FSM/server_town_ai.sqf, Common/Functions/Common_CreateTownUnits.sqf	Dedicated smoke; JIP smoke for town state; HC smoke when delegation is enabled.	Use Towns/camps/capture atlas. For Town AI vehicle safety, test occupied and empty vehicle despawn cases.
Commander and HQ lifecycle	Commander/HQ lifecycle, Server_VoteForCommander.sqf, RequestNewCommander.sqf, Construction_HQSite.sqf, Server_OnHQKilled.sqf, Server_MHQRepair.sqf, Client/FSM/updateclient.sqf	Dedicated plus JIP smoke for commander handoff, deploy/mobilize, HQ death, wreck marker visibility and repair.	Include hosted/locality smoke for mobile-HQ killed EH forwarding and one-message commander reassignment after DR-15 repair.
Construction and CoIn	Client/Module/CoIn/coin_interface.sqf, Server/PVFunctions/RequestStructure.sqf, Server/PVFunctions/RequestDefense.sqf, Server/Functions/Server_Build*	Dedicated smoke for accepted/rejected builds.	Validate commander/repair authority, funds, base area, dead HQ and side ownership server-side after hardening.
Factories and purchases	Client/GUI/GUI_Menu_BuyUnits.sqf, Client/Functions/Client_BuildUnit.sqf, Server/Functions/Server_BuyUnit.sqf	Hosted and dedicated smoke for spawn markers, queues and empty-vehicle cases.	DR-33 queue leak needs repeated empty-vehicle buy attempts to prove decrement behavior.
Upgrades	Live path: WFBE_UpgradeMenu / Client/GUI/GUI_UpgradeMenu.sqf; stale path: RscMenu_Upgrade / missing Client/GUI/GUI_Menu_Upgrade.sqf; server path: Server/PVFunctions/RequestUpgrade.sqf, Server/Functions/Server_ProcessUpgrade.sqf	Dedicated smoke for valid upgrade, invalid id, insufficient funds, wrong-side/role.	Server must recompute level, dependency and cost after hardening. Do not revive the stale dialog class without replacing its missing onLoad target.
Supply missions	Client/Module/supplyMission/*, Server/Module/supplyMission/*, Server/Init/Init_Server.sqf, Server/Functions/Server_OnPlayerDisconnected.sqf	Dedicated smoke, JIP cooldown smoke, reconnect/disconnect player-list smoke, PR #1 vehicle reuse/destruction smoke when relevant.	Keep the pull-based cooldown model; fix dead twin/casing/player-list/trust issues before expanding heli behavior.
Respawn and MASH	Respawn/death lifecycle, Client/GUI/GUI_RespawnMenu.sqf, Client/Functions/*Respawn*, Server/AI/AI_*Respawn*.sqf, Server/Module/MASH/*, Client/Init/Init_Client.sqf	Player death/menu/gear smoke, branch-specific AI respawn smoke, source-only for dead marker path; JIP smoke if markers are revived.	AI respawn has a vanilla polling branch and a non-vanilla MPRespawn branch; smoke both when respawn/orders change. Current MASH marker chain is dead/orphaned; local MASH respawn and mode-5 custom-gear penalty need separate smoke.
Supports and specials	Client/Module/Nuke/*, Server/Functions/Server_HandleSpecial.sqf, Server/Support/*, attack-wave files	Dedicated smoke for authority-sensitive actions; live-server-sensitive for ICBM and BattlEye.	ICBM and attack waves are high-risk because forged PV payloads can create server-side effects.
Tactical modules	Common/Module/*, Client/Module/*, Server/Module/*, Client/Functions/Client_BuildUnit.sqf, Client/Init/Init_Client.sqf, Common/Init/Init_Common.sqf	Match the smoke to the runtime edge: boot init, respawn reapply, unit creation attach, PV/PVF event or server loop.	IRS/CM/Engines attach to vehicles as they are built, Skill reapplies after player setup/respawn, ICBM/IRS/CIPHER initialize from Common init, and some stale modules have no live edge.
AI and HC delegation	Headless/Init/Init_HC.sqf, Client/Functions/Client_Delegate*.sqf, Common/Functions/Common_Delegate*.sqf, Server/Functions/Server_OnPlayerDisconnected.sqf	HC smoke for delegation and reconnect/disconnect behavior.	Init_HC.sqf uses sleep 20, not waitUntil {serverInitFull}.
UI/HUD/dialogs	Rsc/*.hpp, Client/GUI/*, Client/Init/Init_Client.sqf, Client/Module/RHUD/*	Source-only for IDD/resource conflicts; hosted smoke for display open/close and long text.	Duplicate IDDs exist; use display handles and avoid assuming IDD uniqueness.
WASP overlay	WASP/*, Client/Init/Init_Client.sqf, initJIPCompatible.sqf commented WASP block	Hosted/JIP smoke for per-client actions; source-only for dead old init path.	Live WASP features are wired from client init, not the old commented WASP/Init_Client.sqf block.
Tooling and generated missions	Tools/LoadoutManager/*, Tools/PerformanceAuditAnalyzer/*, Missions_Vanilla/*, Modded_Missions/*	local-tool, source-only drift checks.	Run LoadoutManager from an ancestor folder named a2waspwarfare or any repo root containing Missions, Missions_Vanilla and Tools/LoadoutManager/LoadoutManager.csproj. Use A2WASP_SKIP_ZIP=1 for propagation-only runs; 7za is only required for deployment packaging.
Integrations	Extension/*, DiscordBot/*, BattlEyeFilter/*, Server/Module/AntiStack/*	source-only, local build/config checks, live-server-sensitive for production.	Do not expose secrets. Distinguish in-repo GLOBALGAMESTATS extension from out-of-repo AntiStack DB DLL.

Static Analysis Checklist

Run these before any major gameplay patch and after large generated changes:

Check	What it catches
Compile/preprocess registry scan	Commented or missing functions in Init_Common.sqf, Init_Server.sqf, Init_Client.sqf, Init_PublicVariables.sqf.
Missing file scan	Dead execVM, preprocessFile, #include and dialog onLoad references.
PV channel inventory	New direct publicVariable, publicVariableServer, addPublicVariableEventHandler channels not covered by PVF docs.
Client-authority scan	New client-side createVehicle, createUnit, setDammage, ChangePlayerFunds, side supply or upgrade mutations.
JIP replay scan	New transient PV events that should have replicated object variables or pull-based state requests.
IDD/resource scan	Duplicate display/title IDDs and missing Rsc class references.
Generated drift scan	Chernarus versus Takistan outside the LoadoutManager skip-list; modded missions are separate forks/stubs.
Extension trust scan	callExtension return handling, call compile, serialization settings and missing DLL/config assumptions; route through Integration trust boundary audit and AntiStack database extension audit for AntiStack-specific DB wrappers.

RPT Logging Conventions

Use the existing logging helper instead of ad hoc hint debugging:

Log type	Use
WFBE_CO_FNC_LogContent with INFORMATION	Successful state transitions testers need to confirm in RPT, such as accepted high-value server transactions.
WFBE_CO_FNC_LogContent with WARNING	Rejected malformed/unauthorized network payloads, missing generated files or degraded but recoverable state.
WF_Debug-gated detail logs	Noisy values: prices, side IDs, object refs, queue ids, player occupancy decisions, PV payload summaries.
Performance audit records	Long-running loops or known hot paths such as town AI, supply mission tracking and UI/map loops.

Do not add constant always-on logs inside hot loops. For tester-visible changes, one small always-on line at the transition point is better than frame-by-frame tracing.

Minimal Smoke Packs

Pack	Steps
Boot and JIP	Start hosted or dedicated mission, verify no init hang, join a second client after time > 30, confirm town markers, HQ state, commander/vote state and spawn location.
Commander/HQ	Vote or assign commander, deploy HQ, mobilize HQ, destroy deployed HQ, destroy mobile HQ, join late as allied/enemy client, repair MHQ, confirm build action, lock actions, local allied wreck marker and no enemy wreck marker.
PVF dispatcher hardening	Trigger one server request such as RequestJoin or RequestVehicleLock; trigger one client message such as LocalizeMessage; confirm rejected bogus handler logs once and does not execute.
Town AI vehicle despawn	Wake a town, board a town-AI vehicle as passenger/gunner, force inactivity or lower WFBE_C_TOWNS_UNITS_INACTIVE, confirm occupied vehicle survives and empty AI-only vehicles despawn.
Factory queue	Buy repeated empty/crewless vehicles from the relevant factory, confirm local queue count decrements and future buys are not soft-locked.
AI respawn branch split	Run one vanilla profile where WF_A2_Vanilla compiles AISquadRespawn and one non-vanilla/OA profile where AIAdvancedRespawn is attached through AI_AddMultiplayerRespawnEH.sqf. In both runs, kill a non-player team leader, wait WFBE_C_RESPAWN_DELAY, and confirm loadout reapply, camp/mobile/base fallback, forced-respawn reset and non-autonomous move-mode reset. Source refs: Server/Init/Init_Server.sqf:10-12; Server/AI/AI_AddMultiplayerRespawnEH.sqf:1; Server/AI/AI_AdvancedRespawn.sqf:55-125; Server/AI/AI_SquadRespawn.sqf:14-21,53-110; Client/GUI/GUI_Menu_Command.sqf:356,439-442.
Supply mission	Start a truck mission, complete it once, repeat after cooldown, JIP during cooldown query, disconnect/reconnect same UID and verify WFBE_SE_PLAYERLIST replacement/no stale completion, tamper or stale SupplyFromTown / SupplyAmount and confirm server validation after hardening, destroy tracked vehicle once if PR #1 interdiction logic is in scope.
Victory/endgame	Use Victory/endgame atlas. Simulate HQ/factory elimination and all-town capture paths, confirm one winner, one endgame broadcast and one stats log.
LoadoutManager	From the repo root or Tools/LoadoutManager, optionally set A2WASP_SKIP_ZIP=1, then run dotnet run; inspect generated EASA/balance outputs, Takistan copy, version.sqf, and whether packaging was skipped or failed only because 7za is missing.

Propagated Fix Smoke Pack

These checks cover the 2026-06-02 source fixes that have been propagated from Chernarus source to maintained Vanilla Takistan. They are planned gates, not completed runtime evidence, until an Arma 2 OA hosted/dedicated run records RPT snippets and observations.

Fix	Coverage	Setup	Steps	Expected evidence	Failure signals
Paratrooper marker revival	dedicated-smoke, client PVF	Dedicated or hosted run with a commander/player able to trigger tactical paratroopers.	Trigger paratrooper support from a client, observe the requesting client during drop creation and after units eject.	Client receives HandleParatrooperMarkerCreation, marker appears for the requesting player flow, and RPT has no missing/unregistered WFBE_PVF_HandleParatrooperMarkerCreation error. Source refs: Common/Init/Init_PublicVariables.sqf, Server/Support/Support_Paratroopers.sqf.	Drop works but marker never appears; undefined variable/function or rejected PVF handler in client RPT.
Client skill init idempotency	hosted-smoke, respawn smoke	Hosted or dedicated with one Soldier-class player and one non-Soldier class if available.	Join, inspect AI/team cap behavior, respawn, and confirm skill effects still apply after respawn.	Skill_Init.sqf effects are initialized once before WFBE_SK_FNC_Apply; Soldier cap is not boosted twice, non-Soldier keeps configured cap, respawn still reapplies skill effects. Source refs: Client/Init/Init_Client.sqf, Client/Module/Skill/Skill_Init.sqf, Client/Module/Skill/Skill_Apply.sqf.	Repeated cap inflation, lost skill action after respawn, or undefined skill globals after client init.
Hosted server FPS loop sleep	dedicated-smoke, hosted-smoke	One dedicated run and one hosted/listen run with RPT/perf observation.	On dedicated, wait at least two publish intervals; on hosted/listen, confirm server FPS scripts exit rather than running forever.	Dedicated still publishes SERVER_FPS_GUI / WFBE_VAR_SERVER_FPS roughly every 8 seconds; hosted/listen run has no busy FPS publisher loop. Source refs: Server/GUI/serverFpsGUI.sqf, Server/Module/serverFPS/monitorServerFPS.sqf.	Dedicated no longer publishes FPS; hosted/listen RPT or profiler shows repeated FPS loop work.
Supply mission scan narrowing	dedicated-smoke, optional PR #1 heli smoke	Dedicated run with a supply truck, real command center terminal and unrelated nearby objects.	Start supply mission, drive loaded vehicle to command center, repeat near unrelated objects inside 80m, and recheck cooldown after completion.	Delivery completes near a real Base_WarfareBUAVterminal command center, does not complete near unrelated objects, and pull-based cooldown behavior is unchanged. Source refs: Server/Module/supplyMission/supplyMissionStarted.sqf, Common/Config/*/Config_Structures.sqf.	No completion at command center; completion near unrelated objects; new cooldown/JIP regression.
Supply player-object list indexing	dedicated-smoke, jip-smoke, reconnect smoke	Dedicated run with at least one reconnecting player/client UID and an active supply completion.	Join, start or observe supply flow, disconnect/reconnect the same UID, complete supply near the vehicle/player, inspect server behavior.	Reconnecting UID replaces its own WFBE_SE_PLAYERLIST row rather than row 0; supply completion resolves the correct nearby real player object. Source refs: Server/Module/supplyMission/playerObjectsList.sqf, Server/Module/supplyMission/supplyMissionStarted.sqf.	Row 0 overwrite symptoms, stale player object used for reward/completion, or reconnect prevents nearby player detection. Disconnect pruning is still a separate open cleanup.

Release Checklist

Gate	Requirement
Source state	Gameplay edits are in Chernarus source mission; generated targets are propagated or skip-listed files are hand-mirrored deliberately.
Documentation	Feature status, hardening roadmap, relevant atlas page and Agent worklog updated.
Machine evidence	A test record matching agent-test-plan.schema.json is added or linked from agent files.
Runtime smoke	Required hosted/dedicated/JIP/HC smoke packs completed for the changed subsystem.
RPT review	No new scheduler, undefined variable, missing file or extension errors in relevant RPT logs.
Tooling	LoadoutManager run or explicitly not required; missing 7za handled according to deployment need.
BattlEye/server config	Public-server release has reviewed publicvariable.txt, scripts.txt, server config and any production-only filters. Current repo does not ship a complete BE hardening set.
Integrations	DiscordBot tokens/configs and extension DLLs are present only in deployment, never committed; DiscordBot JSON intake, in-repo extension writes, AntiStack DB and BattlEye claims are checked against Integration trust boundary audit, with AntiStack runtime/DB validation in AntiStack database extension audit.
Rollback	Previous mission PBO/package and server config can be restored.

Agent Test Record Schema

Use agent-test-plan.schema.json for future machine-readable test evidence. The important distinction is coverageLevel: a finding marked source-only is useful, but it is not proof of in-game behavior.

Minimal record example:

{
  "schema": "a2waspwarfare-agent-test-plan-v1",
  "id": "town-ai-vehicle-despawn-smoke-2026-06-02",
  "status": "planned",
  "coverageLevel": ["dedicated-smoke"],
  "subsystems": ["town-ai", "vehicle-cleanup"],
  "sourceRefs": [
    "Missions/[55-2hc]warfarev2_073v48co.chernarus/Server/FSM/server_town_ai.sqf:211-216"
  ],
  "steps": [
    "Wake town AI with a vehicle template.",
    "Put player in cargo or turret.",
    "Force inactivity despawn.",
    "Confirm occupied vehicle survives and empty AI-only vehicles despawn."
  ],
  "evidence": [],
  "result": "not-run"
}

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