How to report a bug

Post » Wed May 16, 2012 10:01 pm

Since there seems to be plenty of consistency in reporting problems entirely the wrong way, I thought I'd post a few pointers for folks who actually want to complain about problems they're having the right way.

1. Be specific with your complaint. Just posting, "OMG I hate this game it is SO broken" doesn't accomplish a thing. "The patch didn't fix anything" is equally non-useful. Saying something like, "Before the patch dragons were laggy but at least they flew right, after the patch some of mine have started flying backwards" is much more specific and will get you a lot farther.

2. Include lots of details. More is better here. What kind of PS3 do you have? How long have you had it? Explain specifics of what you did that led up to the bug happening, other parts of a particular quest you have completed, etc. "Draw distance is lower" gets a complaint ignored, while "I used to be able to see the bushes on the small hill just southeast of Whiterun from the gate, now they just suddenly pop into existence when I walk about a third of the way there" is much better.

3. List steps you have already taken to try and work around the problem. If you're experiencing a problem loading a saved game from before a patch, did you try starting a new game to see if you encounter the same problem? Have you tried re-installing game or patch data? Did you try clearing the PS3 memory cache? Turn your system off for a few hours and try again? The more stuff you've already tried the easier it is to move beyond those basics to more thoroughly investigating the issue.

4. Include pictures and / or videos if at all possible. Even if it's a really crappy cellphone picture, at least it clearly shows exactly where you were when you encountered whatever problem you're reporting.

5. Understand that some problems simply cannot be fixed no matter what. Your save might actually have some kind of bug built right into it and there might not be anything that can realistically be done to resolve that shy of just starting a fresh game. Yeah, that's a major bummer, but it occasionally happens on just about every game in existence.

6. Don't throw insults or accusations at the people you're asking for help. Treating someone like crap is hardly conducive to getting them to help you. It is possible to complain about something while still being positive and patient. Whether what you claim in your insult is true or not, all that really matters is getting the problem fixed, and in general people are more likely to be helpful when you treat them decently.

All of this is really important because the very first thing Bethesda (or any game company) tries to do to resolve a bug that's gone beyond basic "restart your system or reinstall the game" troubleshooting is to attempt and replicate it. The more details you provide about your experience, the easier it is for them to attempt to replicate the bug, and once they can do that predictably they can actually start to work on resolving the problem.
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Lauren Graves
 
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