19.5 BUGS, IDEAS, AND TYPOS

Inevitably, there will be times when you'll want to speak to the Creators (the administration), in order to report a bug (an error in the game), a typo, to ask a specific question, or to give them an idea for the game. Each of these has an associated in-game command.

You can see all of your active bugs with LISTBUGS and their details with SHOWBUG <bug number>. To see a full list of commands relating to your active bugs, including ways to add more detail and delete bugs, simply type BUG with nothing after it.

Filing Bugs
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If you have spotted an error in the game - for example an ability that is not functioning as intended, or a part of a quest that is broken - then you may report it using the BUG command. Depending on the type of BUG you have found, there are various different commands available.

BUG - submit a bug that does not fall into any category. Use this one if unsure.
HELPBUG - submit a bug related to content of help files. Also see HELP HELPEDIT to fix things yourself.
ABBUG - submit bugs related to ABHELP (skill) files.

BUGAPPEND - use to add more information to a bug which you already created. The more info the better.

For all these commands, please give us as much detail as possible. Simply saying "Ladantine's quest is broken!" will not enable the admin to track down the source of your bug. Include when it happened, and how; what you were doing, or trying to do; what happened before the bug occurred; if anything has changed recently. The more detail you give, the better chance of your bug being found and fixed - and the less work it takes to do so.

If you have caused an 'untrapped error in the code', file a BUG as soon as possible because the traceback of the error will then get recorded for the coders to review alongside the bug. This helps narrow down where in the code the error happened.

Filing Typos
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If you have found a typo - a spelling or grammar error in anything within the game - you may use the TYPO command. If the error is in a particular location, e.g. a room description or a denizen tethered to a particular room, you may use the TYPOHERE command which will additionally send your location to the Creators.

Don't be shy about reporting typos, no matter how inconsequential they may seem! Please be clear about where you saw the typo, and if relevant what you were doing to cause it - for example rather than simply saying "There is a typo when casting blast", explain whether the typo is in the first, second or third person messages and include the offending line. All of this will enable the Creators to track down your typo and fix it as fast as possible.

Submitting Ideas
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Spotted something that you think would be a good addition to the game? Use the IDEA command. Submit your idea in as detailed a manner as you wish, and then wait. Who knows...you may see your idea affect the game!

What Happens Next?
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Once you file a bug it goes into a category called 'New', the exception to that are bugs filed using specific commands for help file bugs, ab help bugs, and typos - those get automatically assigned to the right category. New bugs will show their status as 'Submitted' and when someone assigns them to a category the status will change to 'Classified'. Once the bug has been fixed, the status changes to 'Resolved'. Bugs automatically assigned a category will say 'Classified' from the start.

New bugs are regularly reviewed and then assigned to one of the available bug categories. Once the bug has a category, you will be able to see where it has been assigned when using SHOWBUG. There are too many categories to list but some notable ones include:

Low/Medium/High/Emergency - catch-all code-related categories focusing on the seriousness and impact of the problem.
Skills - bugs related to player skills.
Programming - bugs related to item and denizen programming, usually quest bugs.
Organisation's Name - bugs related to programming and other non-code issues within a specific organisation.
Todo/Feature/Vault - idea-related categories, with todos being simple requests and features being bigger requests. The vault category is used to store ideas that we think are worth keeping but we cannot tackle anytime soon.

Do not be alarmed if your bug is assigned to the Low category as it does not mean it needs to wait for all higher priority bugs to be solved first.  It just signals that while it is an issue, we believe it does not need to be handled immediately. 

Asking Questions (Filing Issues)
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If you cannot find another player who can answer your question, and it is not an appropriate question for your guild, city or order patron, you can ISSUE ME. For example, if you wished to inquire as to exactly how an artifact works before purchasing it, you could ISSUE ME for the answer.

More details on issues are included in HELP ISSUES.

Still Confused?
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That's okay! Have a look at HELP HOWTOREPORT, which goes over how to report bugs in more detail.