Bug Report ... Forum

[MKG1734]

OOTP Development team / staff,

Can we please get a Bug Report Forum instead of the several dozen page Bug Report thread?

A forum would serve both the OOTP community and the development team well. It would ensure that posts are not being overlooked as well as ensure that if there is a common issue, there could be a thread within the forum that many people could post examples of. It would also ensure to the community poster that the bug report was, indeed, checked by the development team and verified to exist or whether the team needed more information with regard to the post. The current bug report thread is a mess (61 pages of bug reports!) and is a disservice to the efforts of everyone who wants to help improve the game.

Thank you,
Matt

[Matt Arnold]

This is my first release cycle with the team, and I think I agree with you. It would be more effort to moderate (moving threads, merging threads, etc..) but might help keep things "cleaner".

I'll talk it over with the team, and we'll try to figure out the best way to keep the bug reports forum easy to use for all.

[MKG1734]

Originally Posted by Matt Arnold

This is my first release cycle with the team, and I think I agree with you. It would be more effort to moderate (moving threads, merging threads, etc..) but might help keep things "cleaner".

I'll talk it over with the team, and we'll try to figure out the best way to keep the bug reports forum easy to use for all.

Thank you for the quick reply. It seems it would be highly beneficial to everyone in that the forum members would know if / when a bug report was checked by the development team and if it was resolved or if more information is needed to resolve it.

The current bug report thread is 61 pages long. 61 pages. With duplicates taking up a significant amount of space. To navigate the thread is a headache and there is generally no answer given from the development team regarding the status of a particular bug ... and even if there is, it can be several pages later in the thread. At least this way, duplicates could be posted in the same thread within a new forum, and duplicate posts could be moved within the forum to the correct thread. As for the effort to moderate, if duplicates are run across, it may be easiest to simply note that the bug has been reported in another thread, and close the thread off. But that's what the forum moderators are for.

Above all else, creating a Bug Report Forum as opposed to a single 61+ page thread may help the development of the game more than anything.

[Fyrestorm3]

I'd be behind this.

[NoOne]

this is not an argument, but merely a workaround for the time being.

when you search,use the option show results by post/reply and not by thread. you will then get links to the individual replies related to your search. no more sifting through 60-pages. plus, you get to easily find all the duplicates that may have more info than the first one you find.

i have a workaround for a bug i encountered and found 2 duplicate posts in the bug thread. i wasn't sure where to post it. definitely didn't belong in the bug thread.

[jaysdailydose]

I would greatly appreciate this being done.

As others have said, its *extremely* hard to dig through the 61-page thread to find useful information... which then leads to General Discussion being overrun with posts that may or may not be significant to progress.

I would volunteer as an unpaid moderator to help out, as well, if it would help the devs with progress.

[TLB1975]

Big believer in this idea. One other benefit is that this could help move all "bug" discussions to one board vs currently with most being in the "general discussion" area.

[ra7c7er]

A bug report forum is going to need a very active moderator who can direct posters to the correct threads, merge threads constantly, and close and delete unnecessary posts.

Just look at the general discussions now. It's full of double and triple posts about the exact same thing from different people (even the same people). That will go triple for a bug forum. Believe me I know I've been a mod before.

So while I agree with a bug report forum instead of a thread. It will need to be moderated much much heavier then is being done now with the current threads.

Also part of the biggest reason the bug thread doesn't work is becuase too many people go on there and just comment on other peoples posts. The bug thread isn't a place to give insight it's to post bugs ONLY. If you have a work around or know why something isn't working don't post there send that person a message. If you stripped out all the "comment" posts in the bug thread I bet it'd be half or less the pages it is now.

One more thing. If a bug thread is made. Made mandatory titles for posts.

i.e.
XXX XXX XXX - Bug report
XXX XXX XXX - possible bug
XXX XXX XXX - discussion
etc

So that way people aren't confused. If it's decided a discussion or possible bug warrants a bug report then the moderator canclose the discussion thread and a bug report can be made. Mandatory titles will also make it easier for Devs to search the forum for bug reports and not have to wade through all of us arguing about what a bug is and isn't. Another reason a bug forum will need a very active moderator.

[jaysdailydose]

Well, I'm on disability so I have the time, and I believe everyone knows I have a track record of helping people already, so if this is put into the works, consider this my application for moderator.

[endgame]

Originally Posted by jaysdailydose

Well, I'm on disability so I have the time, and I believe everyone knows I have a track record of helping people already, so if this is put into the works, consider this my application for moderator.

I'll add before a proper review, but overall the idea seems right and feasible, especially with the caveat above and jay's got a good feel for dividing the essential from the maybe. He'd be a good candidate.

Historically, a few of us in beta tried to monitor the area to ensure the more critical were entered into our Project Tools reporting mechanism. The thread overseer should not, additionally, be a beta member IMHO, as there's just too many other facets at work. A thread/forum division like that would need full focus, especially just after a release.

Should this endeavor evolve- and it sounds like Matt's at least willing to entertain it -I think it would behoove the 'moderator', if so placed, to make it a part of his priorities to PM links to specific posts to any of a couple of beta primaries for direct entry into that system. Once entered, he could then lock the thread or respond with an In Progress, or frankly a number of alternatives. Most importantly though, the burden shifts to the monitoring rather than the developers and then finally to the beta partners to persuade any action beyond just the entry, if required.

Okay, it was a nickel instead of FWIW

[jaysdailydose]

I've never been on beta, so I fit that too.

I don't know why I try to make more responsibility for myself, but I love this damn place and game. Lol. Thanks for the upvote, though...

The biggest thing to me would be someone who can separate the wheat from the chaff...and someone with great communication skills as they are going to have to deal with the devs, the beta team, and the end user...

Regardless, I probably got the goat ahead of the cart a little bit and this idea for the forum would have to become reality first.

I do know that we have a number of quality people here in this community that would definitely give up their time to help better OOTP and that is the most important thing.

[Lou Gehrig]

Originally Posted by jaysdailydose

Well, I'm on disability so I have the time, and I believe everyone knows I have a track record of helping people already, so if this is put into the works, consider this my application for moderator.

You have my vote for moderator. I think you would make an excellent one as you have the patience and expertise to deal with a variety of issues.

[jaysdailydose]

Lol well thanks.

The important thing is that the devs get the system they feel they can work with the easiest.

[Lou Gehrig]

Plus The Wolf or I would quickly lose our minds if we tried to moderate a "bugs" forum.
We would probably lock every thread!

[jaysdailydose]

As long as a solid posting format for that forum is established, it wouldn't be that difficult.

That kind of forum would need to be "streamlined" so the devs get the info they need quickly and the pertinent details. If a post breaks the format, it goes poof.

The main problem now is the length of time it takes to find useful info in the thread...having the multiple threads, as long as they are kept pruned, provides for meaningful discussion if the thread needs it, and with the editing features, the devs themselves could edit the initial post of a thread to keep posters abreast of that bugs status. The current system is a mishmash of updates and conversation on possibly hundreds of issues...

Especially now where a lot of perceived bugs are actually fine-tuning and not actual true bugs, being able to go into an individual thread and clearly see the discussion on it will be beneficial to both sides, I'm sure, if for no other reason than information management.