Critical Bug Report Guidelines

[magic mountain]

Please look around the boards to see if your bug has already been posted. If it's in Resolved and the bug is still there feel free to make a new thread.

Please make your thread's subject line descriptive and clear, it makes it easier for others who are looking for reports.

Please include a method to reproduce the bug if possible, or multiple methods if you know the problem happens in multiple situations.

Thanks for helping to improve the game.

[Wire]

Also I have finally added the rest of the bug report severity levels as thread prefixes. Please do use them. Here's a fancy pants explanation of the various levels:

Critical: The defect affects critical functionality or critical data. It does not have a workaround. Example: Unsuccessful installation, complete failure of a feature.

Major: The defect affects major functionality or major data. It has a workaround but is not obvious and is difficult. Example: A feature is not functional from one module but the task is doable if 10 complicated indirect steps are followed in another module/s.

Minor: The defect affects minor functionality or non-critical data. It has an easy workaround. Example: A minor feature that is not functional in one module but the same task is easily doable from another module.

Trivial: The defect does not affect functionality or data. It does not even need a workaround. It does not impact productivity or efficiency. It is merely an inconvenience. Example: Petty layout discrepancies, spelling/grammatical errors.

[ZeWaka]

I'll make a separate post. Please do use the thread prefixes. I will personally grump at you forever until you tag it.

[Mordent]

Please consider whether your post needs to be made if it's adding nothing to the bug report. Things that add nothing to the bug report include, but are not limited to:

• Clamoring "feature" for obvious bugs
  
• Mock shock about a bug
  
• Talking about unrelated bugs (please make a new post).
  
• Making suggestions for how to change something (suitable for Ideas and Suggestions)
  

Conversely, some things that are good additions to a posted bug:

• Reproduction steps
  
• Confirmation that you have encountered the bug as well if you have encountered it since the post was made
  
• Notes about what else the bug effects (e.g. "there is a problem with reagents in beakers" "the problem also affects drinking glasses")
  
• Clarification of the bug, if you are aware of it and believe the listed descriptions could use more clarification
  
• Screenshots related to the bug (esp. if related to a specific part of a map bug)
  

[Readster]

Moderation on this subforum has kind of slipped and I'm going to admit this is kind of on us but I'm going to reiterate the point again.

Only post if you are adding something relevant to the information of the bug report. This is not a forum for discussion and it isn't helpful to read through two pages of people talking about the bug to find all the critical information.

Quick rule of thumb: Does your post give coders more information towards the nature, purpose, or execution of the bug? If not your post might not be needed.