Bug reporting tool broken.

[Blisst_uNF]

From the following thread http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=257#anchor4

 

Please note that this category should only be used to report bugs and not to report a serious problem that is stopping you from progressing in the game.

In order for us to be able to identify the issue causing the bug we would ask for you to provide as much of the following information as possible in the text box:

Client language (ie French/German/English)

Server (ie Cosmic Turbine / Darth Malak)

Planet/Area Name (Taris/ Nar Shaddaa)

Coordinates (e.g. X: 23 Y: -175 Z: 200, you can get these by mousing over the arrow representing your character on the minimap)

Character Name and Account Handle (Camaron, Camaronepixxx)

Character Level / Class / Advanced class (Level 14, Sith Warrior, Juggernaut)

Quest Name ( Gree: Hydro Supply)

Quest stage (the quest text for the step you are currently on)

Active Companion (Vette)

Description of the bug.

Once you’ve provided all the information that you consider applicable, please click on Create Ticket. You’ll be provided with some related information on known bugs from the Help Center, if you don’t see the issue you are reporting there, please click on Submit Ticket again to confirm your report.

 

Seriously, the /bug command should report the Client language, server, Planet, Area, Coordinates, Character, class, level, a complete list of active quests any active companions along with a screenshot of the game without the bug report UI.

 

There should be a checkbox that you can select for quest related issues wich gives your quest list that you can select one from.

 

Also, you shouldn't need to search the knowledgebase before submitting the actual ticket, that should come up AFTER the ticket is submitted so that you're aware of the issues people are having. Since MOST players probably don't realize their ticket is never getting submitted and hit ESC at that point to get back to the game thinking they got their ticket in.

[Rankyn]

So basically your complaint is that they need to spend time working on a tool to make it easier to provide information that's really pretty easy for you to provide for tracking down bugs instead of spending time actually tracking down those bugs?

[Roccobb]

I agree with all but the last bit. All the information they ask for about the game is more easily available to them. It can't be too hard to pull most of it from their server. Gee, this guy filed the report from character XXX on server XXX, which this table information says he has YYY. Really not difficult.

 

However, looking to see if there is already a correction available is the right move. I am sorry, but should they be inundated with 50 reports about a problem they have already fixed? And knowing there is a published work around before I submit it allows me to rethink submitting it. They clearly know about the bug. They have taken the time to publish a work around until they get a fix in place. So no, I normally won't submit it because /bug is supposed to be to report new bugs.

[Blisst_uNF]

So basically your complaint is that they need to spend time working on a tool to make it easier to provide information that's really pretty easy for you to provide for tracking down bugs instead of spending time actually tracking down those bugs?

 

I'm paying to play not to test. I want bugs fixed, but i'm not going to waste that much time reporting all that same info everytime when it can be pulled from the client on submission.

 

I agree with all but the last bit. All the information they ask for about the game is more easily available to them. It can't be too hard to pull most of it from their server. Gee, this guy filed the report from character XXX on server XXX, which this table information says he has YYY. Really not difficult.

 

However, looking to see if there is already a correction available is the right move. I am sorry, but should they be inundated with 50 reports about a problem they have already fixed? And knowing there is a published work around before I submit it allows me to rethink submitting it. They clearly know about the bug. They have taken the time to publish a work around until they get a fix in place. So no, I normally won't submit it because /bug is supposed to be to report new bugs.

 

I disagree because while there may be an apparent fix, there's still an issue. And this would give them stats on the number of users affected. Whereas if the ticket never gets submitted it's much harder to track the frequency of the issue. At least that's how it seems to me.

[livnthedream]

actually, you are paying for access to the server. there is nothing saying you have to provide bug reports in the slightest, and in fact, most dont. if you WANT to provide the info for the report, feel free.

 

the entitlement is strong with this one.

[Blisst_uNF]

You're right.. I don't have to report bugs. But I choose to because I want to see them fixed. However, I don't see why every player submitting bugs should have to waste the additional time typing out that info that could easily be collected by the client and submitted with the bug report for each bug report they submit.

 

Also, there's no guideline for what info to submit in game. There's a forum post that highlights the relevant criteria that I just happened to stumble across today. There's likely many others in the same boat, submitting tickets without all of the relevant info assuming that the system sent up the basic info. So if it actually did it would be quite helpful.. no?

 

Also, I'm sure that if the reporting tool already took that data we players might see an INCREASE in fixes, as the dev team might get enough info to address the problems.

 

*shrug..

 

It's not entitlement... I'm offering a pretty useful suggestion to help the devs, and the playerbase and it seems like some of you just want to come in to the thread and troll away without contributing.

Edited March 26, 2012 by Blisst_uNF

[Falsteph]

I am in full agreement with this. I have been using the "/bug" to report issues on the PTS, and in this thread, it is the very first time I have seen anything about a specifically formatted bug report.

 

The specific character information/server information should be automatically pulled from the account you are submitting the bug from, this only seems like common sense.

 

Depending on where and when you submit the report, additonal information such as which mission/stage of mission or location in the game world you encountered a bug should be up to the player to submit as part of a complete bug report.

 

But, requiring the player to submit information that should be easily pulled from the account seems a time waster to the player in my opion. Proper data gathering tools should be standard in any bug reporting mechanism offered to the public.

 

Most players are not developers/programmers/testers and when they encounter a bug, it should be as easy to report that bug within the game as possible.

[Sendai_S]

To be honest, I thought it was a no brainer that the client would automatically include certain basics.

 

Apparently it doesn't though.

 

At the very minimum it should record current world and server locations and the character being played from the account that is currently reporting the bug.

[OuterDark]

Everything in the client state is more readily available and accurate then anything I could possibly write in the bug report. It should be part of the tool. I suspect one of the things that the /stuck command does is log the location where someone gets stuck so that the world physical model can get fixed in later patches.

 

While I can understand not wanting to capture and have all that data all the time, I'm certain there are ways to make options available.

 

For example I often find resource nodes that are inaccessible, if the /bug interface had the option to click and include location, then I would be running around happily /bug every single inaccessible resource node. Now it's pain because I have to flip between the map, remember the location, then write that in. A process prone to lots of my error.

 

There are many bugs that are much more easily shown than explained. An option to capture the screen shot behind the /bug window would make that much easier.

 

An option to select the current quest you are having a problem with would be more accurate, and would allow the client to pass along any information it has on the quest as part of the /bug report.

 

All of these will shorten the troubleshooting and debugging cycle which will free up development for other game improvements.

[Blisst_uNF]

Everything in the client state is more readily available and accurate then anything I could possibly write in the bug report. It should be part of the tool.

Thanks I couldn't have stated that better myself.

 

I suspect one of the things that the /stuck command does is log the location where someone gets stuck so that the world physical model can get fixed in later patches.

I hope this gets implemented as well if it isn't already. But I seem to recall that at least at one point in beta they indicated a number of topography fixes, presumably from data retrieved using /stuck.

 

There are many bugs that are much more easily shown than explained. An option to capture the screen shot behind the /bug window would make that much easier.

Wasn't there a checkbox in beta to include a screenshot?

[Elladan]

Did you file a bug report for this?

[Jedzeke]

+1

 

Seems strange to me that a bug reporting tool wouldn't capture all of the basic information regarding, server/planet/client language etc.

 

This is something that should absolutely be improved.

[Blisst_uNF]

Did you file a bug report for this?

 

No. Once I discovered the post that indicated all of the previous bug reports I'd submitted were essentially worthless, I created this post as a way to bring attention to the obvious shortcomings of the bug reporting tool, and (hopefully) get some support from the player community who ultimately wants to help improve the game.

 

+1

 

Seems strange to me that a bug reporting tool wouldn't capture all of the basic information regarding, server/planet/client language etc.

 

This is something that should absolutely be improved.

 

Thanks for your support. Personally I was shocked to find that post with bug submission guidelines, asking for info that gets automatically captured in just about every other game on the market.

[Evgen]

Yes! Exactly the thread I was looking for!

I also agree with information collection for the ticket, it should be more accurate and thorough and help make it easy to submit a ticket.

 

I don't agree about the known issues part though.

I don't think multiple tickets are required. They should get enough duplicates anyway.

[Blisst_uNF]

...I don't agree about the known issues part though.

I don't think multiple tickets are required. They should get enough duplicates anyway.

 

I'm not quite sure I follow you here, but let me attempt to respond. I apologize in advance if I overlooked something in this thread you were referring to with the above statement.

 

The purpose of searching the KB after the ticket has been submitted would be to notify the Player that the issue is one the designers are aware of. And the reason to do this after the ticket has been submitted, is purely so the designers can have statistical tracking of # times issue is being reported for determining priority.