Suggestion: The PC Beta forum area needs better organisation

Shaneus · Aug 15, 2013

I'm just noticing we're seeing some double-ups of similar issues getting new threads, as well as the occasional one of exactly the same issue on the same table. Might I suggest either per-table or per-category issues? Categories being: Crash, Art, Display, Performance, Physics, or General (as mentioned in the template post). Or perhaps each table has sub-sections for each one? And probably best to be sorted into *another* category depending on which version is displaying the issue.

I just wouldn't want to be FS right now, seeing three pages of posts, some dupes, some relatively minor (considering)... that sort of thing.

Jeff Strong · Aug 15, 2013

We'll work on it and discuss it. There's a ton of a testers and a ton of bugs, so there's going to be a lot of threads, and the mod team has been pretty busy with real life stuff too.

I'm not sure having per-table categories is the best way since that seems to make it easier for specific table bugs to get swept under the carpet since Farsight doesn't always check all the table sub-forums we currently have, but having sub-sections for the different categories might be a good idea. We'll take a deeper look and see what we think. Hopefully the number of PC bugs will rapidly or at least steadily decrease so that this won't be an issue for much longer, and then future betas will be handled more like the iOS/Android beta threads.

Shaneus · Aug 15, 2013

Cool cool, I was just throwing around the idea (didn't want to make it more work for anyone, especially you guys!). I just saw it becoming a bit of a mess and I know it's been a thing in the past where it's difficult to track bug reports from posters... better to sort it now before it gets unmanageable!

Or make me a mod

Jeff Strong · Aug 15, 2013

Thanks for wanting to lend a hand. You or anyone can help out by using the report function for duplicate threads. We've merged several threads and will continue to do so. Like I said, things will settle down after the initial bugs are fixed and future betas will be more like the iOS/Android betas.

Ripley · Aug 28, 2013

Hi to all,

I read everything here with big interest and can't hardly await the release. One suggestion from me, you should make a catergory "fixed bugs", so there is a better overview, whats fixed and what must be done.

Thank you.

aguy · Aug 30, 2013

Better idea: Use a bug-tracker?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugtracker

By using abstraction, you have a better chance of more quality info.
Better organization, seeing what has been done, open/closed bugs.
You don't waste developer's time by having to sort through forums.
It doesn't get lost.

I have never seen a forum bug-tracking that is not confusing as heck to try to parse. Although they do seem to be popular with proprietary software for some reason. I guess a web-bugtracker is may be too transparent for private code. Or they think it would take too much investment to setup if only used for several months (beta software). But I would argue it would be useful to show bugs have been accounted for in a developed product and lets an end-user know the company is aware of it. For difficult to replicate bugs, it may be useful to note under what circumstances it can occur. And with simulation software like Pinball Arcade, what graphics settings were used for the error to occur. For example, an output of the profile settings for the game with drivers used as can be obtained with http://www.guru3d.com/files_details/nvidia_inspector_download.html

Maybe the game will look better, but oddities occur in the physics engine with certain settings with certain drivers?

For these and other reasons may I suggest Bugzilla?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugzilla

aguy · Aug 30, 2013

Jeff Strong said:
We'll work on it and discuss it. There's a ton of a testers and a ton of bugs, so there's going to be a lot of threads, and the mod team has been pretty busy with real life stuff too.

All the more reason for a bug-tracker rather than forum?

Jeff Strong said:
I'm not sure having per-table categories is the best way since that seems to make it easier for specific table bugs to get swept under the carpet since Farsight doesn't always check all the table sub-forums we currently have, but having sub-sections for the different categories might be a good idea. We'll take a deeper look and see what we think. Hopefully the number of PC bugs will rapidly or at least steadily decrease so that this won't be an issue for much longer, and then future betas will be handled more like the iOS/Android beta threads.

More reasons forums are not the answer?

Roo · Aug 30, 2013

Not a bad idea at all, but I'm guessing they do use some sort of bug tracker internally. We just really have no idea of their process or no good way of seeing the status on most things aside from the updates Mike gives out. For example, Mike mentioned there are a bunch of art fixes that the art team has been doing that he will get into the builds one of these days. But none of the threads about those issues have been updated (to my knowledge) saying they were fixed or in progress.

Maybe they didn't think it worth the time to set something up and they are just going through all of our threads and quietly working them. Or maybe someone is validating the issues and then adding them to their internal system (and probably assigning an importance to each).

Would it be nice to have more organization and more visibility of what's being worked? Sure -- everyone has their pet issues that are important to them and we like to know they're being worked on. But in the end it's their call. It's not like it's open source software. Maybe if they are going to keep doing betas in the future, setting something up would be worthwhile.

Gord Lacey · Aug 30, 2013

FarSight has a bug tracker which they use to track what's outstanding, and what has been fixed.

vpalmer · Aug 30, 2013

"Sure -- everyone has their pet issues that are important to them and we like to know they're being worked on"
i have whole freaking Genie table of them!!!

Suggestion: The PC Beta forum area needs better organisation

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