How to report bugs for Planetary Annihilation

Discussion in 'Support!' started by LennardF1989, June 7, 2013.

  1. LennardF1989

    LennardF1989 Uber Contractor

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    The simple answer: Not here! Use this site: http://pa.lennardf1989.com/Tracker/

    The long answer: We encourage you to use the PA Tracker (link above, read more about it here) for all your bug reports. When you feel a bug needs more discussion, feel more than free to create a topic besides your report.

    Before creating a new task on the PA Tracker, use the search option to prevent duplicates. And be sure to fill out all fields as precise as possible (version, OS, summary, etcetera).

    We will ruthlessly lock all topics which do not follow these rules. We appreciate you sharing your experience, but bugs go on the tracker and discussion goes on the forum. So when you post about bugs, be sure they are in the PA Tracker as well.

    Thanks! I hereby grand everyone the right to back-seat moderate on this forum and the PA Tracker when it comes to these "rules".
  2. mikeware

    mikeware New Member

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    For more feature/suggestion type topics, should those go in the forum here?

    And do you want a separate thread for each one or just posting one thread with a list of initial impressions?

    Thanks!
  3. LennardF1989

    LennardF1989 Uber Contractor

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    Features/Suggestions indeed go on the forum and unless there already is a topic for a specific idea (in which case you support it) nones stopping you from creating a topic :)
  4. fuzzels

    fuzzels Member

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    I don't see a possibility to filter on OS, am I just overlooking it or?

    Would be useful, especially as the OSX and Linux versions might differ quite a bit and exhibit different bugs.

    PS: see also tracker volunteer thread for a 'pick me' ;)
  5. LennardF1989

    LennardF1989 Uber Contractor

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    I had a discussion with one of my moderators about that and for now we decided to leave it as such.

    The system stupidly enough doesn't have an OS filter built-in, which means I have to add it and I would gladly do that. However, some bugs are interchangeable between platforms. Just because someone's initial task is related to OSX, doesn't mean someone can have the same bug on Windows 7. To prevent having the same bug reported for all OS', we want people to see all of them rather than filter them away.

    Instead, when time allows, I will extend the bug tracker so you can check which OS' the task applies to, rather than just selecting one from the dropdown.

    The OS is just an indicator but in no way meant to scream: "Bug is unrelated to your OS, please ignore this report!"
  6. fuzzels

    fuzzels Member

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    Indeed, a multi-select would be the right way to go.

    Should we (the community) in the mean time try and mark bugs in the comments eg with "also #osx" "also #linux", "also #win7" etc so that once/if this system is in place you can do a sql "UPDATE comments SET platform_osx = 1 WHERE msg LIKE '#osx'" and voila everything is populated?
  7. LennardF1989

    LennardF1989 Uber Contractor

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    Neat idea, but you don't have to tag it. It's unlikely I will run such a query on so many bugs, I will just instruct my minions, ehm... moderators, to go through all bugs :twisted:
  8. hiredmark

    hiredmark New Member

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    Can we get the tracker link in-built into the client? I am sure you will get a lot more feedback that way. Most people simply are not bothered to submit a bug report.
  9. blocky22

    blocky22 Member

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    Having this question answered (proven) would be helpful:

    Why do we need to have alpha testers looking for bugs where there is supposed to be a standard? ie. C++, Windows 7, x64, etc.


    Having bug appear as prolifically as these seem to doesn't make sense to some people.
    There are people who are quite fairly cynical and/or pessimistic about these concepts. [a set of standards (x64 with Windows 7) then someone comes along and writes a sentence in a standard (language i.e. C++) then bugs appear]

    Not everyone can be a computer engineer, programmer, scientist or some other type of technical expert. Someones got to do all the pluming etc.
  10. LennardF1989

    LennardF1989 Uber Contractor

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    I honestly have no clue what you are talking about, blocky22 o.o
  11. fengis

    fengis New Member

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    Why would people sign up for alpha release and not be "bothered to report bugs".

    Reporting bugs is basically like being part of the game making process.

    o_O
  12. hiredmark

    hiredmark New Member

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    It simply takes too long. Most people don't even know about it.
  13. zwod

    zwod New Member

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    I think blocky22 wants to have an explanation for why bugs can appear "even" though "only" standard tools like C++ are used on common platforms like a 64 bit build of Windows 7.

    The answer is simple; because these things are just the tools and do (and can't do) nothing at all to prevent bugs from appearing. It's like having the foundation of a house ready, a pile of wood, a saw, and a hammer. Now build a perfect house on the first try.
  14. mylon13

    mylon13 New Member

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    Another analogy continuing on previous post.

    The Architect of the house, draws one line wrong, and all of a sudden you have an i-beam, going right through a window or door.

    Or the carpenter, puts the door posts, 2cm too close... and finds out a month later... that the door won't fit.

    These kinds of things happen, some more rare than others, but they happen. They also happen in programming.

    Another good example, they found that the double click feature (to select all units in screen from a certain type), was happening too often unintentionally. So they changed it... and all of sudden it was near impossible to do the double click feature. Now they tweaked it even further, and its looking good now.
  15. blocky22

    blocky22 Member

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    Thanks zwod and mylon13, that is what I meant.
    Annoyingly, I've heard and given those same explanations to people and gotten empty and in some situations angry looks.

    I think one problem is that at least some non-technical people think a computer language is just a standard of words and therefore it only means that a programmer needs to read and write.

    I'd really appreciate it if someone could give an explanation to appease these people, then the lives of Technicians and Engineers would be that little bit easier.
  16. mylon13

    mylon13 New Member

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    No problem, and the people that start with empty and/or angry looks... (Empty is not as bad as Angry, aka empty means a challenge, angry means they don't want to understand.)
    To that I go, well do you have a Major in [insert native language here], and why are you not educating this language then at university if your that good at it?

    Computer languages go the same way, you start learning it step by step, (from baby to professor at the university) the thing most people forget, is that computer languages are a combination of a Math Language and Human Language, and that grammar or spelling mistakes can have a huge impact, comparably against regular languages. (to keep it simple)

    And for people who don't get that: A computer only understand 0's and 1's, now you tell it to load your OS and games without any bugs, good luck!

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