Bug Reporting Guide: Found a Bug? Read this to ensure an effective report!

[mde2001 236]

Bug Reporting Guide:

So this is a little bit like the directories found in the other forums however, I'm not going to be unpinning any of the other topics. This is just a guide so that you can receive help quickly or report a bug in a helpful manner.

If you've encountered a bug in the game and want to get it fixed check out one of the first two sections below. The first is for a general bug found in the game. The second is for an issue specific to your file and computer including freezes and corruption.

If you've encountered a bug in the game:

So if you've encountered a problem with the game, the first thing you need to do is read this topic which is the E15 Known bug List. Ame had made this guide very easy to navigate with key words for some of the bugs to allow you to locate things more easily. However it is worth reading through the list if you can't find it via keywords, as it is possible your bug is on there, and is just phrased in a way that you didn't search for.

If you've encountered a small bug there isn't a need to make an entire thread for it, typos, tile errors and minor errors go in this topic and linebreaks go in this one. In both of these threads screenshots are highly appreciated.

If you can't find the bug on the known bug list, make a topic in the main bug reporting section of the forum (i.e. this bit). When you are making this topic, please give us as much detail as possible. This includes error messages, exactly where you were in the story, what you were doing at the time (e.g. if you were soft resetting a lot of times let us know, even though it probably won't be related to the bug). The more detail you give in your post, the easier it is to identify what is causing the issue, and for us to replicate it.

We might ask you to provide more detail in a report, don't feel bad about this, we're just trying to get the best solution out of your report as we can. If you ever don't understand what we're asking for, let us know and we can give more detail on what we're looking for.

It is possible we might also ask for your save file. If this is the case, check out this topic for information on how to get it to us.

I won't be handing out any warnings for reporting known bugs (although I will probably lock them, and I will move them to the known bug bin) as it is an easy mistake to make, and not a big problem at all. It is just best if you try to work out if it is known, to make sure that your bug report actually serves a purpose.

So you've encountered an error in your save file:

Errors in your save file include freezes, file corruption and anything else that is specific to your game. All of these belong in the troubleshooting subforum.

If you've received a No Method Error then your save file is corrupted. Thanks to the magic of Kuro's coding you no longer have to restart your game. Instead you can use handy backup saves. I've got a thread on how to use them here.

We also advice you use backup saves for the Books! Books! error as we've encountered repeated problems with people's files after we've fixed that specific bug.

If you have a freeze in the opal ward, just wait a bit, the weather is loading and you'll be able to move very soon.

If you are still able to open the menu and it seems to be stuck at the top and you are unable to move other than that, then just quicksave (with d) and restart your computer. 9/10 this will work for that.

If you encounter any other freezes where you can't do anything, attach your save file (instructions here) in this thread. The thread I linked second, is our unstuck me thread. This is the quickest and best way to get your file fixed as it reduces clutter in the main troubleshooting section. When attaching your file, please mention where you were just to make life as easier as possible for the person fixing your file.

For things that aren't just freezes but are still only in your save file, for example the game not starting properly, please make your own thread in the troubleshooting subforum.

Also note, that if we see use of the cheat engine in frozen files, chances are we will not fix it. You'll have to use your back up saves. For this reason, if you have a pokemon that you shouldn't have at this point because it was added in for you as the starter for a special run of some sort, please say in the original post so you can still have your file fixed (although we'll try to verify your statement, so don't go saying you have a dragonite in your file for your mono dragon and then have us find that you are doing a normal run and have lied to us).

Appropriate Responses:

Once someone has fixed your freeze or bug successfully you can do several things all of which are equally acceptable. Saying thanks for someone fixing your own bug, giving an upvote or doing nothing are all perfectly fine ways of dealing with it. Don't think that we'll find it rude if you don't respond, its perfectly fine, but if you do want to thank the person you can make a post doing that, it won't be considered unnecessary posting. However, thanking someone for fixing someone else's freeze (e.g. saying "glad that you got this fixed" or things along those lines will be considered unnecessary posting, and warnings will be applied, it is nice that you're happy that someone else can continue the game, but making a post to congratulate them on having a fixed bug seems a bit like post farming.

Anecdotes about encountering similar issues in the past is acceptable in some cases. For example, if someone has reported a bug (that isn't known) and you have encountered a similar issue in the past, it isn't a problem to post that you've experienced the problem too. It actually is quite helpful to do that. However, if someone reports a bug that isn't a bug, it isn't helpful to say "oh I used to think that too" or anything along those lines. It also isn't necessary to say when you have encountered the same freeze as a person in the past. Of course this doesn't apply if you need it fixed in your file as well.

If someone has tried to fix your bug but it hasn't worked either because it hasn't fixed the issue or they've accidentally attached someone else's save, let your fixer know, but please be polite about it. We have a lot of save files hanging around and are only humans. We'll make mistakes sometimes and it is important that we can remedy our mistakes, but don't need to get abused. I understand that it would be upsetting to think a problem was fixed when it wasn't but I'm going to hand out warning points for disrespect if you cross a line. The person fixing your save is doing you a service and should be treated properly.

Conclusion:

It's important to post your bug in the appropriate subforum so it can be dealt with properly. I'll be moving bugs between the two if they are placed in the wrong one, but if you do post in the wrong one, you'll be receiving a Posting in the Wrong Section warning from me. This comes with 0 warning points, but is just a reminder to encourage you to remember next time.

If you have any questions feel free to ask via PM as I'm going to leave this thread locked.