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Bug Writing Tips

SystemSystem Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,018 Arc User
Here are some tips to writing good bug reports, taken from a post by Moshpet.
I wanted you all to have the basic fundamentals so if you write a bug report out of game, you will be comprehend-able. I you attempt to use this format consistently, will help you to make clear, concise reports that will help the Devs and others to fix things faster.

Typically a good bug report should include the following bits of information. This isn't definitive, and by all means if you can improve on it, do so.


BUG:

Short summary.

Description:

A good description on what the bug is should go here. (Also include your Project ID number if it's for a Foundry issue.)

CATEGORY :

If it's Missions, Map Editor, Story Editor, User Interface (UI), Graphics, Audio, Systems, Duty Officers, etc.

How to reproduce (If known.)

1- step 1
2- step 2 and so on.

LOCATION:

Where you were when the bug occurred, zone/mission/ & /loc (if you know it.)
/loc is very helpful in that a GM/Dev can teleport right to that location and see (possibly) what you see.

#### <- Spacer Of some sort,

(So the person reading it can tell where the bug steps end easily.)

Commentary

Secondary thoughts, observations & so on, it's not always needed but, sometimes the extra feedback you provide will allow the Devs to find a solution faster.

Bugging Crashes

If you should happen to crash and the Cryptic Error Handler comes up, please include a description in the box of what you were doing at the time of the crash. Also, make a note of the number displayed in the center bottom of the box, and post that here for us.

Thanks, and happy playing!
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited October 2011
    I mean no disrespect to you or any of the dev team but alot of these bugs that i am experiancing are very old bugs that have been around for months and months that where never fixed to begin with and i know there been lost of reports on them, for example, the bar fight where alot of the time some of the guys in the bar you can only take down so far so u have to leave wait 5 minutes and try again, dampening fields not disapating the whole time your in map, nighting gale some of the crew u can see in the cages, and several others, I know from what i have read in alot of the chat channels people are realy woundering are yall getting the bug reports that are filed, I am not complaining to be complaining, I just would like to see sto to become the game i see it can become, but to achive this these bugs gotta be fixed , soo just kinda woundering .
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited October 2011
    In tribble server, the free to play server/shard, Every Single Time I have TRIED to submit a ticket - bug report, what-have-you I get a message about it being unable to contact server due to time out, blah blah blah message. I'd submit an in game ticket about it, but that failed too (Yes I seriously tried to submit yet another ticket about the issue and big suprise it also failed).

    Any suggestions? And has anyone else run into the same issue?

    No I am not ranting, well maybe a little, but if the dev's are to know about what we find that needs to be addressed or better yet even fixed. There has to be some type of communication, beyond complaining, ranting, ect. actual constructive critisim.

    IE I completed several Aid the Planet mission of verying levels of difficulty without ever recieving a reward.

    I took the time and effort to do this repeatedly at all difficlty levels to see and prove that it was not an isolated issue or one time bug. Multiple times at each level (along with all the other missions while searching for Aid the Planet missions. In a personal effort to better a game that I personally care about. I would like to be able to submit a ticket, but no ticket I try to submit seems to actually take. (Double checked to make sure a ticket wasnt being generated afterwards. I DID MY PART, but have no way to tell anyone, outside of the forum.

    So real actuall helpful feedback would be appreaciated.

    Thank you for your time.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited October 2011
    In the Secret Orders mission, when you are taking out the disruptor turrets in the briar patch. You cant see the disruptors firing. Shields are showing they are getting hit. But I see no beams or disruptor fire

    *edit. sorry, didnt mean to post this here. reposting.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited October 2011
    In tribble server, the free to play server/shard, Every Single Time I have TRIED to submit a ticket - bug report, what-have-you I get a message about it being unable to contact server due to time out, blah blah blah message. I'd submit an in game ticket about it, but that failed too (Yes I seriously tried to submit yet another ticket about the issue and big suprise it also failed).

    This is an old concern that's been plaguing Champions Online for some time. I think it went live around (or a few weeks before) the Season 4 build. Given that everything seems shared, I imagine it took hold in Star Trek Online at about the same time.

    I really cannot stress how often this particular bug has been reported. I would, personally, love to be able to send bug reports in-game.. in both games.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited October 2011
    Ticket time out error message

    In tribble server, the free to play server/shard, Every Single Time I have TRIED to submit a ticket - bug report, what-have-you I get a message about it being unable to contact server due to time out, blah blah blah message. I'd submit an in game ticket about it, but that failed too (Yes I seriously tried to submit yet another ticket about the issue and big suprise it also failed).

    Any suggestions? And has anyone else run into the same issue?

    From the Posts I have seen commenting on this, the Test Servers are not connected to the Bug Report Equipment, and therefore, players need to come back here, to this Bug Report Thread Section, to submit specific Bug Reports. It is more of a Pain to do it this way, but it seems to be the only way until some changes are made.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited October 2011
    In response. I do not read alot of the forums, I am here to play the game. I tend to only peruse the forums when I have an issue, or questions. If what you have posted is correct, why was it not mentioned on the webpage, or in the F2P dev blog, a simple to submit bugs you must use the forum for now would be nice. Or even a notice when you try to submit a ticket or something. I have (if you are indeed correct) wasted hours trying to figure out if I was doing something wrong when submiting a ticket. Wondering if there was some sort of delay in the system before you can track the progress of a ticket, and so on and so forth.

    A week later someone finally responds to me (Not a Dev or another Cryptic employee)

    A bit of bitterness here, I admit, but does Cryptic really want to here from you and me Joe Gamer. Do they want to know what we find what we think and how we feel about the new changes to the game and those things we find that we feel needs to be fixed.

    Does anyone at Cryptic want to know I spent a number of hours yesterday (try all afternoon and part of the evening,attempting to finish The Ultimate Klingon-Lab of Mystery. But some problem (intermittent I know others that have and have not run into this same issue) where I was unable to beam up the mad scientist (Amar Singh) to finish that part. No other problem he just reapeared where he starts at and not in the othe room like he is supposed too. Despite a restart of not only the game but also my system and going to other missions completeing them and then returning do Lab of Mystery again to run through the whole thing something like 7 times before it worked correctly.

    Not withstanding the issues there, now I have to really wonder does Cryptic want to here about this.

    Or is this some sort of way to sort out what people really feel the need to rant about. Seperate minor issues, form deal brakers?

    Or is it a complete failure of communication between those of us that read nearly every single post ( I am assumeing that somewhere there is a post in the forum about the Ticket System not being active in tribble.) Then there are some of us, myself included, who have neither the time nor the inclination to wade through it all to find those very few and far between gems like the ticket support sytem does not work in tribble at all for anyone.

    They can add an addendum disclaiming any ill intent on how they are handing the tribble test c store points. Oddly enough even here at the peak of Mt. Bitter-Much? I still find that I agree with them on how they are doing it, for the most part at least. I was even surprised at the first stipend. I felt it was even generous on there part. Wise also it was enough for a top tier ship (some of them at least) but not over the top free bags money, a way to test the system realistically, blah blah blah.

    Yep definately feeling the bitterness here myself.

    A daily path to F2P post on the website Home page. Not one whisper about this. Lots of things coniveing us to test. Nothing about how to really report issues you come across in game.

    How about today you tell us that posting bugs can only be done in forum and not in-game maybe?

    Even better you could tell us why.

    And best of all, an apology for all who have tried in vain to tell you something (if you reall y are intersted in hearing form us) to find that not only no one was at home, the phone was disconnected anyway.

    Then maybe I will get on the forum and report bugs and issues I come across, but not until I KNOW that cryptic really wants to hear from me.

    If they want to find me check the top of Mt. Bitter-Much, I'll be there for awhile. If I come down.

    :mad:
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited October 2011
    Then after sitting on the top of Mt. Bitter-Much I looked down and reread the opening post of this thread, the whole why I posted here in the first place. This how to write a good bug report.

    The whole thing if you have ever tried to post a ticket reads like it is telling you how to use the ticket system while also writing a "good" bug report. SO, is the ticket system not hooked up to tribble or is it?

    Or is it supposed to be and there is a "bug" preventing some but not all users from useing the ticket system?

    Whatever it is.

    I know that I am not alone. There are others that have not been able to submit a tribble ticket. Would someone from Cryptic, a Dev, a QA, a PR, even someone in accounting, or marketing, anyone. Please would someone, please, clear this up. To find me refer to my earlier post.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited October 2011
    Given that the in-game bug tool isn't working, it would help to add guidelines for publishing bugs and observations in the forums. Some of the things to document include the following:

    * Should each bug be its own topic? Should people with lists make a single bugs/comments report as a new topic? Should Turbine create topics for the bug categories (e.g., UI, Mssions) and have us post bugs as replies? Different places for bugs versus observations versus comments. I've noticed some are pre-tagging bugs with [bug]. Let us know what to do, and we'll (mostly) do it.

    * What's an acceptable amount of checking for already-reported bugs. The search in the bug tool isn't great, but it works enough that I've found issues and me-too'ed them on prod. Maybe A sticky with short descriptions and links of known/confirmed bugs by build would be helpful.

    * Given we get more frequent builds on Tribble, should our reports include what build the test was done under? Since I'm not reporting in-game when the bug happens, there could be days between finding a bug and reporting it. (I have bugs back from Tribble coming up, but I've been back-testing them with the 6 Oct release).
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited October 2011
    BUG: Crash to desktop

    Short summary. Beaming over to the U.S.S. Khitomir in the tutorial caused a fatal run time error crash.

    Description: Run time error was asked to close in an unusual way which caused the bug and subsequent crash.

    CATEGORY : Intro Mission

    How to reproduce (If known.) Just made a new alien, changed the video settings to desktop (should be default), and changed the controls to RPG. Talked to security, made way to bridge, talked to captain, hailed ship, went down turbolift, talked to teleporter chief, steapped on pad and clicked, then poof dektop. Logging back in places one on the U.S.S. Khitomir

    LOCATION: Tutorial. On the teleporter pad.

    Commentary: I really like starting at a duty station insead of the bridge... much more realistic.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited October 2011
    In tribble server, the free to play server/shard, Every Single Time I have TRIED to submit a ticket - bug report, what-have-you I get a message about it being unable to contact server due to time out, blah blah blah message. I'd submit an in game ticket about it, but that failed too (Yes I seriously tried to submit yet another ticket about the issue and big suprise it also failed).

    Any suggestions? And has anyone else run into the same issue?

    Yep - all weekend, could not post one Bug Report! Had a couple of good ones to. :(
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited October 2011
    BUG: STO Story Progression

    Short summary. All bugs kill this and brings the game to a screeching halt

    Description:

    The story progression takes a big hit every time another bug hits the system.

    CATEGORY :

    STO THE GAME

    How to reproduce (If known.)

    1- Power up STO
    2- Hit a known bug in any of the story episodes

    LOCATION:

    Every sector in the game.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited October 2011
    Thanks for the tips!
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited October 2011
    at VA you are supposed to have all episodes unlocked ? I do not ? I did get the issue I had with shutdown resolved by loading warg games again I got the hail at DS9 finally
    and no slipstream drive yet???????????? I thought that was automatic

    Forging Bonds has a ton of issuse one I respawned into a mountain with 8 Cardassians

    control room was way buggy the room would vanish by a grey wall but the 20 cardassians were still shooting at me but I could not shoot them
    and issue with cover shield getting myself and boff's stuck
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited October 2011
    sean2448 wrote:
    at VA you are supposed to have all episodes unlocked ? I do not ?

    Not anymore because that bug called forced story progression -- I mean the feature they are trying to jam down our throats means you have to play EVERY episode mission to unlock the next frontier.


    Space - the limited frontier. These are the voyages -- oh who am I kidding? This is the path you must take. To seek out -- oh wait let me fix that. The be led on a linear path. To boldly go -- oops my bad. To limp along where all your alts have been before.

    Cryptic can easily fix the bug by having areas open by level but let each area have it's own story progression would be fine.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited October 2011
    This story progression is going to fail. There are still road blocks currently in the system that will hamper people from progressing if they run into even a single bug that prevents them from completing a mission.

    And currently we can't actually report bugs in game so i have no real optimism that we will get any bugs fixed as so many people will not be able to report them. We get zero feedback in the forum so we don't know if the posts we make are being read/dealt with. I feel like our testing time is just a big waste. I say FEEL like, not to imply nothing is being fixed, but when i TRY to report a bug and am denied every time due to "timed out" errors i feel the devs don't really care enough to actually hear about bugs if they can't even resolve the "timed out" feature we are running into. It has been mentioned numerous times and i havn't seen any dev mention of the fact we can't report bugs......that is the point of tribble is it not?
  • supergaminggeeksupergaminggeek Member Posts: 616 Arc User
    edited June 2012
    BUG:

    Two large lights making lag. Bloom lowering doesn't help.

    Description:

    Two bright lights causing massive lag.

    CATEGORY :

    Graphics

    How to reproduce (If known.)

    1- Go to a deep space encounter
    2- Look at the lights. Hard not to, some of the time.
    3- ????
    4- Profit!

    LOCATION: Any deep space encounter, including Borg.
  • alkeldaalkelda Member Posts: 148 Arc User
    edited July 2012
    BUG:

    Vendors empty.

    Description:

    Almost all vendors on Tribble are blank where there should be items for sale. Affects selling things to them, too. This also affects the personel officer (Lt. <some furry>) even if your character is supposed to pick up a duty officer from achieving a C-level.

    CATEGORY :

    Mostly, this is on stations or the Academy.

    How to reproduce (If known.)

    1- step 1 Go to any vendor.
    2- step 2 Open vendor. It is on buy, click sale. Still blank.

    LOCATION:

    Stations, mostly.

    #### <- Spacer Of some sort,

    (So the person reading it can tell where the bug steps end easily.)

    Commentary

    I did notice that the top item (while still invisible) is still buyable. You will be buying blind, though.
    This is probably not a big deal to most players, since they are copying their level 50's from Holodeck. I started off a new character on Tribble, though.
  • alkeldaalkelda Member Posts: 148 Arc User
    edited July 2012
    BUG:

    Certain ships unbuyable from ESD shipyard.

    Description:

    Ships like Yellowstone, Stalker and Odyssey (all 3 types) have a ZEN price of -
    (They cannot be purchased.)


    CATEGORY :

    Ship vendor.

    How to reproduce (If known.)

    1- step 1 Go to ESD shipyard.
    2- step 2 Try to buy one of the ships.

    LOCATION:

    Earth SpaceDock.

    #### <- Spacer Of some sort,

    (So the person reading it can tell where the bug steps end easily.)

    Commentary

    I was thinking that it was intended that these ships not be available, until I glanced at the top release note for Tribble 06/29 and I saw that the 'Stalker was added'. Why add it if you intend to not let it be sold?

    In addition, adding the big escort carrier out the window (in the main ESD shipbay) but not having it for sale is a mean teaser. :(

    I wonder if the Atrox and Armitage will get added to the ship vendor?
  • mikewendellmikewendell Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited July 2012
    Maybe posting bug reports to a thread on HOW to make a bug report is a bad idea?

    Maybe starting a new thread would be better?

    You may also want to keep an eye on the latest patch notes as I know the vendor one has already been acknowledged and listed.
  • scott00362scott00362 Member Posts: 2 Arc User
    edited April 2013
    i got my invite to make a romulan toon , i go to tribble and the only icons showing is feds and klinks , no romulan icon
  • scott00362scott00362 Member Posts: 2 Arc User
    edited April 2013
    :mad::mad::mad:
  • feveefevee Member Posts: 45 Arc User
    edited April 2013
    The icon may not be there, but if you select create new character then choose that green Romulan symbol once in the creator, you will be creating a Romulan character, anyways.
  • cuberiscuberis Member Posts: 19 Arc User
    edited May 2013
    Here are some tips to writing good bug reports, taken from a post by Moshpet.



    Bugging Crashes

    If you should happen to crash and the Cryptic Error Handler comes up, please include a description in the box of what you were doing at the time of the crash. Also, make a note of the number displayed in the center bottom of the box, and post that here for us.

    Thanks, and happy playing!

    Hey thanks, I had no real clue, when it came to typing up bug reports.
  • tajmeytajmey Member Posts: 1 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    I've 18 Toons. 16 Toons are Level 50 or above three of them are Romulans.

    But now I can't copy even one of my Romulans on Tribble. Why??? Is there a limit of 10 Toons to be copied on Tribble? Who's the one to select which 10 Toons I will copy to tribble? Why not me? :cool:
  • soma90soma90 Member Posts: 26 Arc User
    Can't currently log into Tribble it crashes to desktop every time I reach the character select screen.
  • comrademococomrademoco Member Posts: 1,694 Bug Hunter
    soma90 wrote: »
    Can't currently log into Tribble it crashes to desktop every time I reach the character select screen.

    use safe mode from the launcher settings...
    6tviTDx.png

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