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Bug Reporting 101

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DeletedUser

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Welcome to the Beta Bug Reporting Section!


Here you will find information on how to report bugs, and some examples to make the process easier and more understandable. Reporting bugs is one of the most important things we do here on Beta. To our more experienced Beta players this information will cover things you already know, but for our newer Beta players, we hope you find this information helpful.



"I think I found a bug, now what do I do?"

The most important thing to do is get it reported as soon as you can.
Of course the more information we get in a bug report the better it is for us to investigate, but don't let a lack of information, or being unsure if something actually is a bug, stop you from reporting it.

We would much rather have reports that might be lacking information, or reports on something that may not be a bug, than to have no reports at all. Always feel free to report anything and everything you feel may be an issue. We can sort the details out from there.

If you would prefer not to post on the forum, or still have some questions, you can always contact us via the support system.
What is important is that if you feel you have found a bug, that you contact us in some way, whether in a bug report on our forum, or contacting us directly through our support system.


"So what information is important in a bug report?"

First and foremost, the best description you can give of the issue.
  • What actions led up to it occurring?
  • What part of the game is not working as expected?
  • Has this issue happened to you more than once?
Next, can you tell us if you are playing on our app or on browser when the problem occurred? Can you give us the name of your browser, or the version of the app?
  • This could be as simple as saying you use Firefox or iOS version 1.129, or you may provide additional information such as your operating system and the version of your browser
Are there any other details you noticed that you feel might be helpful?
  • For example you might have noticed your issue only happens after you first login, or maybe it only happens after you have been logged in for some time, or perhaps only occurs after doing another game action (like going to the map or visiting a players city)

Below is a sample template that may be helpful when posting your information about a bug:


- What you were expecting to happen
- What actually happened
- Screenshot(s) of the issue if available


Do you know how to reproduce the bug consistently?
If it always happens when/after you perform certain game actions (such as visiting another player or collecting from your city) please let us know

Reproducibility: ?/5 (1/5 = happened once; 2/5 = happens randomly; 3/5 = happens sometimes; 4/5 = happens often, but not always; 5/5 = happens always)

Game version: (for example 1.136)
HTML5/Flash: (If Flash please give version number if known)
Platform: PC/Mac/IOS/Android + version: (for PC/Mac please also let us know which browser + version as well as your Operating System)

The most important thing to remember is to not feel overwhelmed by reporting a potential bug.
If you don't have much information, that is fine, report it anyway. We may ask for some follow up information, but at least you reported it.


Below are some examples of bug reports, some good, some not so good, and some suggestions to improve them:




"When I click the event history in my town hall, nothing happens"

While this may not be the most descriptive report, we will attempt to test it. In this case if the event history opens for us, we will ask for more detail from you, and anyone else that experienced the same thing, to clarify exactly what is occurring.​

"My Friend's Tavern doesn't work right"

This is an example of not enough information. We need to know what in the Friends Tavern doesn't work. Does the window not open, or maybe it is a display issue? Maybe it is an issue with purchasing items in the tavern shop? Also note there is no information about Operating System or if it was on browser or our app. Just a bit more information on a report like this can be very helpful.​

"The game keeps freezing and I have to restart to continue playing. Every time I go to the research tree the game gets stuck and the research window won't open. This has been happening since yesterday morning. I did notice it works the very first time after I login, but then doesn't work after that.
I play on Chrome Version 67.0.3396.87, Windows 10"

This is a good example of a fairly descriptive bug report. The player has included details of the problem, and even added their Operating System and browser versions. Even if we did need more information on this one, it is a great start.​



"Ok, I posted my bug report. Do I need to do anything else?"

It would be helpful when you have time to check back on your bug report. It may be we have asked for more details on an issue, and checking back will keep you updated to the current status of your bug report.​


We very much appreciate everyone that takes the time to post bug reports and participate in our Beta testing process. Without these reports we can not gather the information we need to get things fixed before release to the live servers. If you still feel confused about how to report a bug or have further questions, you can always contact ingame support and we will be happy to assist you. You can contact support here.

Sincerely,
Forge of Empires Team - Team Beta
 
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Dudettas

Emperor
InnoGames
Please use this template when reporting a bug:
  • Browser and Version: Tell us which web browser you are using, including version number if possible.
  • Overview of the bug: Tell us what happens when this bug occurs, what prompts the bug to occur - include as much information about the bug as you can, so that we can address it. The more descriptive you can be, the more chance we have of understanding you.
  • Screenshots: Show us any screenshots that you have of the bug, or any other visual aids. These are often invaluable.
  • How often this occurs: Tell us the frequency in which this occurs or if this is the first time and if it only occurs during specific times. (providing your timezone if possible, or alternatively the time in GMT+1/UTC+1)
  • Urgency: Tell us if this is an urgent bug (game-changing/game-breaking), or if it is just a minor bug (non-game changing).
  • Preventative Actions: What have you tried to prevent this bug from occurring?
  • Summary: Give us a brief summary of the bug.
  • I have performed a quick search of the forums using a select few keywords relating to my bug to see if it has already been reported: Yes/No.
  • Have you tried fixing it by using
Please follow these steps to try and resolve the issue on your own before reporting a Bug:

- Refresh your browser (F5: soft refresh and CTRL+F5: hard refresh).
- Temporarily disable all (greasemonkey) scripts and browser add-ons.
- Log out / Log in
- Restart your computer.
- Try a different browser - Forge of Empires is optimised for the latest versions of Firefox and Chrome, so try one of these if possible.
- Try a different computer.
- Try a different internet connection.
Yes/no.

Please also confirm that you have only one browser tab open and that you have no extensions or add ons that could be interfering with the game.
  • Browser and Version:
  • Overview of the bug:
  • Screenshots:
  • How often this occurs:
  • Urgency:
  • Preventative Actions:
  • Summary:
 
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Dudettas

Emperor
InnoGames
Bug Prefixes and Sub-forums Explained

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This prefix is automatically added to any new bug report in this section. It gives our support staff a quick visual way to see new reports as they come in, so we can begin our process of attempting to confirm the issue is indeed a bug or not.
It is also the first step in being able to track the progress being made on the report you made. In most cases the next prefix you will see your report changed to will be 'Investigating', as we begin our testing of the issue.

1574165460713.png
The Support Team is investigating this issue actively. Normally this issue may not be passed to our development team yet, as we have to confirm that this issue is indeed a bug, and not a user related issue. During this phase the support team will ask for information regarding your system and provide troubleshooting advice.

1574165483165.png
This bug report prefix is a very important one. This indicates that our support team has attempted to reproduce the issue multiple times but have not been able to reproduce it with the information provided.
When we put this prefix on a bug report we need the assistance of our players to give us more details about the problem.
If we are unable to gather more information in a timely manner after adding this prefix to a bug report, then the report will likely end up archived as we were unable to reproduce it.

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Similar to the above prefix, we use this when we need players to give us the steps they have used to reproduce the problem themselves.

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We use this when we think that players have posted bugs which might possibly not be one, but for which we would have to check their account.

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This prefix means your report has been tested by the support team, and we were able to successfully reproduce it with the information provided. It also means the issue is now ready to be Reported to Developers, and it will be very soon.

Often you will not see this prefix at all, as reports will move straight from Investigating or Need more Information to Reported to Developers, or this process will happen so quickly there is no need to use the Confirmed prefix.

1574165545954.png
This is another important prefix. This lets you know that the information provided in the bug report was enough for the support team to reproduce the problem consistently, and we have reported the issue to our developers.
The Developers then begin the process of identifying what is causing the problem in the code, and determining the best way to fix it.
Once they have fixed it, and that fix has been released to the Beta server, the report will then be given the prefix 'Fixed on Beta'.

1574165567866.png
This prefix is used for reports that have been determined to be intentional but are nevertheless forwarded to the developers. This is different from Not a Bug/Will Not Fix in the fact that we do send the reports ahead. However, this prefix is used very rarely.

1574165592075.png
This prefix lets you know that the report has been forwarded to our developers. they have worked on the fix for it, and that fix has been released to the Beta server.

This is where we all like to see bug reports end up in as timely a manner as possible. Every fixed bug improves the game, and we depend on our Community to help us find these issues so they can be fixed.

In the unlikely event you still experience an issue after the report is marked as Fixed, please let us know as soon as possible by posting in the original thread, or opening a new thread, so that we can ask our developers to look again at the issue.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1574165606415.png
In this case it was determined that the reported behavior is not a bug, but a feature or a part of the game. (Don't worry, it happens sometimes)

1574165625060.png
This is used if a report has been determined as intended behaviour or might be probable bugs but will not be fixed.

1574165647077.png
This is used for reports which have been archived as they cannot be reproduced by all possible means.

1574165663209.png
This prefix indicates that the bug you are reporting has already been reported by another player in another bug report, and the support team has already started taking action on that report.
If the information you provide in a report like this is actually new information related to the original bug report, your report will be merged with the original report.

If however your report contains information we already have, then it will be set to Duplicate

To avoid this in the future use the 'Search Forum' feature at the top right of the forum index. Use buzz-words that are related to your issue before you post.

However, please be aware that we would rather your submit a bug report that may be a duplicate, than not to report it at all. So never be afraid to report something you feel is a bug, even if it does end up being a Duplicate report. We very much appreciate the information and your efforts either way.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

And what are all these sub-forums about?
The prefixes work in conjunction with the sub-forums.

So how does the system work?
All new bugs come into the main bugs forum. When they can be confirmed, they will be given a prefix of 'Confirmed'.

Once confirmed bugs have been Reported to our developers the prefix will be changed accordingly. These threads will be moved to the Reported to Developers sub-forum.

Once a bug has been fixed, the thread will be moved to the 'Fixed' sub-forum, with a prefix of 'Fixed'.

The same will happen for all bug reports --- they will receive a prefix based on their status, and will be moved to the corresponding subforum in the Bugs section. A bug report that is prefixed 'Investigating' will, after investigation, either be given a prefix of 'Reported to Developers' or 'Not a Bug' as appropriate, or given a prefix of 'Need More Information' should more information be needed in order for us to reproduce the issue.

Thanks to @Amy Steele for the original post and @ncshsg for the screenshots.
 
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