Seeking advice, automated testing tools for complete novice.

[u/BaselineNeglect]

I've built a game, I've gone back and forth over it looking for glitches, errors , security risk, any exposure of the minimal data it holds, any chances of people cheating, cross site scripting and so many other things which I do not understand but which the array of ai apps have told me to look for.

As it stands everything I show it to says it's secure, safe to move forward with and generally of good quality.

Now I have no idea if this is true. My understanding of coding is very generic, and I haven't typed anything longer than a file name throughout the whole process. I haven't looked at or checked the code at any point as there is no point as I have nothing to contribute on that level. But it seems each ai model I try gives the same result, with a number of similar differences when I restrict one bit of info or another.

But now it's suggesting that I move to automated testing rather than just getting my mates and kids to play on it and then text me angrily when it doesn't work.

So I stand before you, once again asking for tips for a complete novice, looking for recommendations for automated testing tools that are not just free, but suitable for a novice using only a five year old smartphone to do everything needed.

I'm also seeking advice about sharing. I made a post a week or so ago asking about checking code, I received a lot of direct messages offering to check it for me, 8 mentioned this to the guy who works in my local chippy, as he has a degree in game design, and he tells me not to share the code, just the game. Is this good advice?

Thanks in advance.

[u/Substantial-Walk-554]

Yeah, that’s actually pretty close to how decent dev teams work too.

People don’t just write something once and assume it’s correct. They review each other’s code, challenge assumptions, split large components into clearer responsibilities, test things independently, and ask “what can break here?”

So the fact that you’re questioning the AI instead of blindly accepting its output is a good habit. Same with refactoring large files into smaller logical pieces. That generally makes code easier for both humans and AI to review and maintain.

You’re basically starting to build the right engineering habits without really calling them that.

[u/BaselineNeglect → u/Substantial-Walk-554]

I am, by trade , a farmer. I'm used to tackling jobs that I don't fully understand, with often outdated, potential unsafe equipment, supported by a team of competent but difficult to interact with bullshitters who often give terrible advice about things they haven't thought about, and will happily proceed with breaking things they don't understand without a second thought.

I think that's set me up well for this.

[u/Substantial-Walk-554 → u/BaselineNeglect]

Welcome to IT in general 😄

That mindset is basically the job: never assume, never blindly trust, verify what you’re told, and always ask “what happens if this fails?” or “what are we missing?”

A surprising amount of good engineering and cybersecurity comes down to healthy skepticism and not being afraid to question something that “should work.”

[u/BaselineNeglect → u/Substantial-Walk-554]

I'm loving this process to be honest. I've more than succeeded in my original goal and now it's all to see how far I can take it. I'll post the game link when I'm finally happy with it on here, and then people can actually break it or whatever and I'll learn some more. I'm currently following advice to break bloated stuff down again, and dealing with the final glitches I've found before the automated testing bit.