TEST-AUTOMATION: Implement automated new_game world creation for testing infrastructure

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Issue Type

TEST-AUTOMATION - Testing Infrastructure Enhancement

Severity

High - Required for comprehensive game testing

Phase Discovered

Phase 5.10: New Game Setup Implementation - discovered during new_game target development

Description

The new_game target requires interactive input (conqrun -m and conqrun -a) which prevents automated testing of game functionality that depends on having an initialized world.

Current State

• new_game target implemented but requires manual interaction for world creation
• conqrun -m prompts for super-user password interactively
• conqrun -a prompts for player addition interactively
• This blocks automated testing of many game functions that require a world to exist

Impact Assessment

Critical for Testing Infrastructure:

• Many game functions require an initialized world to test properly
• Unit tests for game logic need world state (nations, players, sectors, etc.)
• Integration tests cannot verify end-to-end game functionality
• Regression testing blocked for world-dependent features
• CI/CD pipeline cannot include comprehensive game testing

Functions Requiring World State:

• Player management and authentication
• Sector operations and world manipulation
• Combat system testing
• Economic/trade system testing
• Navy and military unit operations
• Administrative functions
• Report generation

Recommended Solutions

Option 1: Expect Script Automation

Create expect scripts to automate the interactive portions:

# scripts/automated_world_creation.exp
expect "Enter Super-User Password:" { send "testpass\n" }
expect "Confirm password:" { send "testpass\n" }
# ... handle all interactive prompts

Option 2: Non-Interactive Mode Implementation

Investigate adding command-line options for non-interactive world creation:

• conqrun -m --password=testpass --non-interactive
• Environment variable support: CONQUER_ADMIN_PASSWORD=testpass
• Configuration file approach for test scenarios

Option 3: Test World Templates

Create pre-initialized world data files for testing:

• Minimal test world with basic structure
• Comprehensive test world with full game state
• Scenario-specific test worlds for different test cases

Option 4: Mock/Stub Approach

Implement test-friendly world initialization:

• Test harness that bypasses interactive setup
• In-memory world state for unit testing
• Test fixtures with known world states

Implementation Priority

Phase 6+: Should be addressed during testing infrastructure expansion

• Required before comprehensive game function testing
• Blocks many integration and system tests
• Essential for automated CI/CD testing

Acceptance Criteria

• Automated world creation works without user interaction
• Test worlds can be created with known/predictable state
• Solution works in headless/CI environments
• Multiple test scenarios supported (minimal, full, custom)
• Integration with existing CMake test infrastructure
• Documentation for test world setup and usage

Dependencies

• new_game target implementation (✅ completed in Phase 5.10)
• Testing infrastructure framework (Phase 6)
• Test harness and fixtures design

Files Affected

• scripts/ - Automation scripts (expect or alternative)
• tests/ - Test infrastructure integration
• CMakeLists.txt - Test target integration
• Documentation for automated testing procedures

Session History

• Phase 5.10 (2025-09-28): Discovered during new_game target implementation
• Interactive nature of conqrun -m and conqrun -a identified as testing blocker

Technical Notes

• Original Makefile has same limitation - not a regression
• Interactive design appropriate for production use
• Testing automation requires separate approach
• Consider security implications of automated password handling