Bug Report Guidelines

[Tamamo]

With us now in Open Source, we might have to put forth some new guide lines. Here's what I came up with. The previous Bug forums where a mess. I would much appreciate it, if that did not happen again. :)
DNs previous post (http://armageddongames.net/showthread.php?87487-Read). <-Seriously why was this moved in the first place.

List of Icons and meanings
http://armageddongames.net/images/icons/bugicons/dead_bug.gif Dead Bug: Bug has been confirmed fixed
http://armageddongames.net/images/icons/bugicons/new_bug.gif New Bug: Bug that was recently reported, this the icon you should use. It's icon will be changed later don't worry.
http://armageddongames.net/images/icons/bugicons/not_a_bug.gif Not a Bug: Behavior is intentional and a consensus has been reached that nothing should be changed.
http://armageddongames.net/images/icons/bugicons/sick_bug.gif Sick Bug: Has attempted to be fixed, awaiting confirmation.
http://armageddongames.net/images/icons/unverifiedbug.gif Unverified Bug: A bug that has yet to be verified.
http://armageddongames.net/images/icons/bugicons/verified_bug.gif Verified Bug: A bug that has yet to be addressed but has been verified.

Moved bug is no longer used. Since we don't have categories.

The Debugging Cycle
Find A Bug
Report Bug
Gets Categorized by Moderators
Gets Vertified by members
Gets Fixed by coders
Fix is Confirmed by members

[ZoriaRPG]

I'll add to this:


Specify the version of ZC, or ZQ, in which you observed the bug. It's a good idea to put this in the topic title, too.
Specify the platform (Windows, Linux, OSX) and your OS version.
Provide a detailed account of the problem.
If the bug relates to ZScript, please supply the script, and/or a quest file.
Please do not submit reports for ancient/old beta versions of ZC, unless the bug persists in the latest 'final' release.
If possible, provide screenshots, if they will be helpf to comprehend the problem.
You may provide a link to a quest file to demonstrate the bug.

[Tamamo]

You may provide a link to a quest file to demonstrate the bug.


Let me reiterate to what DN was getting at. When it comes to duplicating bugs, its much more efficient to provide a testing quest. Cause most of the time something that causes the bug to happen isn't getting duplicated if we do it ourselves.

Remember folks, videos and screenshots are helpful. But are by no means a replacement for a testing quest. It is optional though, but it really helps us out.

tl;dr Provide a testing quest. It makes everyone's livesmuch easier.

[ZoriaRPG]

Let me reiterate to what DN was getting at. When it comes to duplicating bugs, its much more efficient to provide a testing quest. Cause most of the time something that causes the bug to happen isn't getting duplicated if we do it ourselves.

Remember folks, videos and screenshots are helpful. But are by no means a replacement for a testing quest. It is optional though, but it really helps us out.

tl;dr Provide a testing quest. It makes everyone's livesmuch easier.

This, likewise, is why when reporting a scripting bug, unless you provide a step-by-step explanation of how to produce it, or some kind of report that makes it damned easy, it's extremely helpful to have whatever script is causing the problem. This simultaneously saves us time, and allows us to determine if it was a script error, and not a ZC bug, that is at the root of things.

I know that I don't really want to muck about trying to figure out what is causing anything on vague assertions. :D

Other than that, I changed my wording above mid-stream, from 'should submit', to 'may submit'--certainly not 'must'--above; as I'd rather at least have a report, so that we know that a problem exists. I can't overstress how crucial it is to have these reports, and few-enough users from Pure, or elsewhere, sign up here just to file them. To those that do, thank you kindly.

[jeffythedragonslayer]

How do I change which bug icons are in my thread titles?