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Hello folks, Reynard Frost here with a helpful tutorial for those of you who wish to test games for your fellow RPG Maker community members.
To begin, when looking for bugs make sure that you keep in mind what steps you took to make the bug occur. Also, try to repeat the bug 3-5 times so you have a good understanding of how it works and how to repeat it. Sometimes the bug can only be performed once, or you're not sure how to repeat it, that's okay! At least you put forth the effort.
When writing a bug report, make sure to always keep it clear, concise, and use neutral terms. Instead of saying "I turned left" or "You open the door." say something like, "The user turns right." or "The player opens the chest."
The following parts make up a bug report:
1) The Title.
2) The Description.
3) Steps to Reproduce.
4) Attachments.
5) Notes.
The Title:
The Title should cover the following parameters: What type of bug it is, where the bug was found, and a brief description of the bug itself.
Example: Functionality - Intro Dungeon - The treasure chest by the entrance doesn't give its item properly.
This would work for a bug where the player opens a treasure chest, and even though they get a message the item doesn't show up in the inventory!
Other Types of bugs include:
Functionality - If a gameplay feature is not behaving properly.
Graphics - If incorrect graphics are used, or they look terrible.
Text - If there is a spelling error.
Audio - SFX : If there is a problem with a sound effect, like if a sound effect doesn't play properly.
Audio - Music : Similar to the previous type, but only in regards to Music.
Collision - If the player can walk through walls, trees, tables, etc.
Animation - If an animation doesn't trigger properly, or the wrong animation is triggered.
But wait, how can the designer know that the message shows up properly but the item doesn't? That brings us to the next section...
The Description:
The Description is a brief paragraph about how the bug works. It includes a couple sentences describing how the bug occurs, and how often the bug can be repeated.
Example: The item is not received properly from the treasure chest by the entrance of the Intro Dungeon. When the player opens the treasure chest a message appears that says the item has been found, but when checking the inventory the item doesn't appear. Occurred 5 out of 5 times.
This tells the designer how the bug occurred, and how often it occurred. However! What if the designer isn't sure how to replicate the bug based on your description alone? That's why it's always best to include some...
Steps to Reproduce:
Steps to Reproduce is a numbered list of steps you took to make the bug happen. When writing steps, keep in mind your audience, the designer! You don't need to write EVERY single action you took up to this point, but try to keep in mind key actions that you performed in order to make the bug happen. I'll stick with our current example and write some Steps for the item bug we're working on.
Example:
Steps to Reproduce:
1) Start the Game.
2) Proceed to the Intro Dungeon.
3) From the Entrance, turn to the left and approach the treasure chest next to the fountain.
4) While standing next to the chest, press the [Action] Key. (This would be Enter, or whatever key the Designer has assigned for opening chests).
5) Note the item displayed in the message that appears when the chest opens.
6) Close the message.
7) Open the Inventory from the Main Menu.
Results:
The item received from the chest is missing from the Inventory.
Now the designer has a clear list of what they need to do in order to re-create the bug you found, and what happens if they re-create it! Using this information they can figure out how to fix it! That's all you really need for a bug report, but sometimes you will need to include some optional info to help really drive the point home. This includes...
Attachments:
Attachments include a screenshot or video. A picture is worth a thousand words as they say, and when it comes to games breaking that is no different. Including a screenshot or video can help the designer truly understand what is going on. It's always a kindness to include one with your bug report and they are always appreciated.
Screenshots: When including a screenshot, make sure to have a clear view of the bug in action and open the screenshot in Paint or some other program and circle the bug where it happens.
Videos: When including a video, start from a well known area, such as the entrance of a map or the first menu the player accesses in order to reach the bug. Move at a slow pace and make sure each step is visible (unless of course the bug involves moving fast, then do what is needed to re-create the bug!). Videos are also great for capturing audio issues.
If there is anything else you'd like to add, then that will include...
Notes:
Notes are intended for additional info that doesn't belong anywhere else in the bug report.
Example:
The treasure chest gives items properly if the player leaves the room once without opening it and re-enter the room.
This note tells the designer that the bug only occurs when first entering the room. Stuff like this can really help a designer figure out the core problem with the bug and fix it in a timely fashion.
To summarize, here (in spoilers) is the bug report example in its entirety:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Well that about covers my tutorial. I hope you guys and gals enjoyed it and if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to share them in the comments below or shoot me a message. Happy bug hunting!
To begin, when looking for bugs make sure that you keep in mind what steps you took to make the bug occur. Also, try to repeat the bug 3-5 times so you have a good understanding of how it works and how to repeat it. Sometimes the bug can only be performed once, or you're not sure how to repeat it, that's okay! At least you put forth the effort.
When writing a bug report, make sure to always keep it clear, concise, and use neutral terms. Instead of saying "I turned left" or "You open the door." say something like, "The user turns right." or "The player opens the chest."
The following parts make up a bug report:
1) The Title.
2) The Description.
3) Steps to Reproduce.
4) Attachments.
5) Notes.
The Title:
The Title should cover the following parameters: What type of bug it is, where the bug was found, and a brief description of the bug itself.
Example: Functionality - Intro Dungeon - The treasure chest by the entrance doesn't give its item properly.
This would work for a bug where the player opens a treasure chest, and even though they get a message the item doesn't show up in the inventory!
Other Types of bugs include:
Functionality - If a gameplay feature is not behaving properly.
Graphics - If incorrect graphics are used, or they look terrible.
Text - If there is a spelling error.
Audio - SFX : If there is a problem with a sound effect, like if a sound effect doesn't play properly.
Audio - Music : Similar to the previous type, but only in regards to Music.
Collision - If the player can walk through walls, trees, tables, etc.
Animation - If an animation doesn't trigger properly, or the wrong animation is triggered.
But wait, how can the designer know that the message shows up properly but the item doesn't? That brings us to the next section...
The Description:
The Description is a brief paragraph about how the bug works. It includes a couple sentences describing how the bug occurs, and how often the bug can be repeated.
Example: The item is not received properly from the treasure chest by the entrance of the Intro Dungeon. When the player opens the treasure chest a message appears that says the item has been found, but when checking the inventory the item doesn't appear. Occurred 5 out of 5 times.
This tells the designer how the bug occurred, and how often it occurred. However! What if the designer isn't sure how to replicate the bug based on your description alone? That's why it's always best to include some...
Steps to Reproduce:
Steps to Reproduce is a numbered list of steps you took to make the bug happen. When writing steps, keep in mind your audience, the designer! You don't need to write EVERY single action you took up to this point, but try to keep in mind key actions that you performed in order to make the bug happen. I'll stick with our current example and write some Steps for the item bug we're working on.
Example:
Steps to Reproduce:
1) Start the Game.
2) Proceed to the Intro Dungeon.
3) From the Entrance, turn to the left and approach the treasure chest next to the fountain.
4) While standing next to the chest, press the [Action] Key. (This would be Enter, or whatever key the Designer has assigned for opening chests).
5) Note the item displayed in the message that appears when the chest opens.
6) Close the message.
7) Open the Inventory from the Main Menu.
Results:
The item received from the chest is missing from the Inventory.
Now the designer has a clear list of what they need to do in order to re-create the bug you found, and what happens if they re-create it! Using this information they can figure out how to fix it! That's all you really need for a bug report, but sometimes you will need to include some optional info to help really drive the point home. This includes...
Attachments:
Attachments include a screenshot or video. A picture is worth a thousand words as they say, and when it comes to games breaking that is no different. Including a screenshot or video can help the designer truly understand what is going on. It's always a kindness to include one with your bug report and they are always appreciated.
Screenshots: When including a screenshot, make sure to have a clear view of the bug in action and open the screenshot in Paint or some other program and circle the bug where it happens.
Videos: When including a video, start from a well known area, such as the entrance of a map or the first menu the player accesses in order to reach the bug. Move at a slow pace and make sure each step is visible (unless of course the bug involves moving fast, then do what is needed to re-create the bug!). Videos are also great for capturing audio issues.
If there is anything else you'd like to add, then that will include...
Notes:
Notes are intended for additional info that doesn't belong anywhere else in the bug report.
Example:
The treasure chest gives items properly if the player leaves the room once without opening it and re-enter the room.
This note tells the designer that the bug only occurs when first entering the room. Stuff like this can really help a designer figure out the core problem with the bug and fix it in a timely fashion.
To summarize, here (in spoilers) is the bug report example in its entirety:
Functionality - Intro Dungeon - The treasure chest by the entrance doesn't give its item properly.
The item is not received properly from the treasure chest by the entrance of the Intro Dungeon. When the player opens the treasure chest a message appears that says the item has been found, but when checking the inventory the item doesn't appear. Occurred 5 out of 5 times.
Steps to Reproduce:
1) Start the Game.
2) Proceed to the Intro Dungeon.
3) From the Entrance, turn to the left and approach the treasure chest next to the fountain.
4) While standing next to the chest, press the [Action] Key. (This would be Enter, or whatever key the Designer has assigned for opening chests).
5) Note the item displayed in the message that appears when the chest opens.
6) Close the message.
7) Open the Inventory from the Main Menu.
8) Observe that the item received from the chest is missing.
Notes:
The treasure chest gives items properly if the player leaves the room once without opening it and re-enter the room.
The item is not received properly from the treasure chest by the entrance of the Intro Dungeon. When the player opens the treasure chest a message appears that says the item has been found, but when checking the inventory the item doesn't appear. Occurred 5 out of 5 times.
Steps to Reproduce:
1) Start the Game.
2) Proceed to the Intro Dungeon.
3) From the Entrance, turn to the left and approach the treasure chest next to the fountain.
4) While standing next to the chest, press the [Action] Key. (This would be Enter, or whatever key the Designer has assigned for opening chests).
5) Note the item displayed in the message that appears when the chest opens.
6) Close the message.
7) Open the Inventory from the Main Menu.
8) Observe that the item received from the chest is missing.
Notes:
The treasure chest gives items properly if the player leaves the room once without opening it and re-enter the room.
Well that about covers my tutorial. I hope you guys and gals enjoyed it and if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to share them in the comments below or shoot me a message. Happy bug hunting!
Last edited by a moderator:
Nice tutorial. It keeps the report clean and simple. 
