Helping others help you with plugin issues

[Shaz]

When you have a plugin-related issue, there are things you can do to help others help you.

1. Reproduce the problem

• You should do this BEFORE you report the problem. Nothing's worse than reporting a problem, only to realize it was something completely different.
• Create a NEW project and then recreate the issue you're having. This allows you to isolate the problem so you are sure the problem you are having is where you believe it occurs. You might even solve the problem yourself while you're at it.
• Make sure the problem occurs when you test play the game. Some plugins won't work in Battle Test or Event Test, but will work when you test play, because of the way they load data.

2. Make a NEW topic

• Rather than asking your question in another topic, create a new topic describing your problem. If there's a topic for the plugin, you can try asking the question there, but it's typically faster to get support when you go to the support forums.

3. Describe the issue in detail

• If you get an error message, include the full and exact text of the error message. Explain what happens. Explain what you expected to happen. Tell us what you were doing or trying to do when the error occurred.

4. Post links to the plugins

• If you haven't changed the plugins that are causing the problems, post a link to the source where you downloaded it from. Do not copy/paste the plugin code into your post. The best thing to link is a web page or blog post where the plugin is introduced.
• If you have changed the plugins and the issue only happened after you made your changes, clearly indicate what your changes were. A screenshot of the plugin configuration from the plugin manager may also be useful.

5. Provide a demo project

• When you have managed to reproduce the problem in your new project, you will have a demo ready to go.
• If you still haven't solved the problem, you can choose to share this. Do your best to minimize the file size - remember ALL of the default resources now reside in your project, whether you are using them in your game or not.
• For advanced users, it isn't necessary to upload the entire demo project - you may wish to only provide those files that have been changed from the defaults and are necessary to reproduce the issue.

 

[DGM]

Okay, this has been driving me nuts and I can remain silent no longer.

In Portal, one of GLaDOS's lines is "Thank you for helping us help you help us all." Every time I see the thread title I can't help but hear it in her voice. And since this is a sticky thread I see it a lot.

'Fess up, Shaz. You're not a homicidally insane AI hiding behind a blue squirrel persona, are you?

 

[Shaz]

I have not played Portal and I refuse to answer your question.

 

[DGM]

I can only assume the squirrel is a lie, then.