Bug reporting is important

What if software behaved exactly as intended, every time, regardless of the circumstances? Predictable, fast, enjoyable.

All goes as planned. Each new version of the software brings new and exciting features.

Software is created by humans. I have never met a perfect human being. We’re already in 2023 and we have Artificial Intelligence. ChatGPT generates new content from what it learns about humans. Okay, this is not the end-all solution.

What now? It turns out that there is only one thing to do: deal with it. Even if we do our best to minimize the number of mistakes and their frequency, they will never be zero.

It is also true that software, such as our favorite game, may contain bugs.

We only have control over how we respond to them.

# Reporting a Bug

We have bugs. It would be wonderful if all the bugs could be fixed in a single day. One hour? What is a minute?

Yes, but you must first inform the team of the bug. The players are already playing, but thousands of players or even millions make a much better network than just a handful of team members.

Players can help the game team by providing information about the events that occurred and providing as much detail as possible.

You should be able to find “Contact Us” or “Support”, usually located near the settings. This is the fastest way to reach the game team.

You can find this information, for example, in Grepolis’s settings by clicking the cogwheel on the top-right corner.

InnoGames always provides a shortcut for our support system within our games. You can also contact us via by clicking here.

# How to report a Bug

The faster the team can gather enough information to fix a bug, they will be able to do so. You can become the hero of the game by taking a few actions to save all other players from the nasty bug that you found.

It’s a side quest that is essentially cooperative!

What should the report include? How can you help the most?

1. Steps for reproducing the bug

2. What happened?

3. What did you expect it to be?

You should include the following three pieces of important information. Seems like a lot? Let’s not be so frightened.

### What is the bug?

We need to travel back in time and see how we got there.

It is important to provide this information first. Use a list of numbers to describe your actions before the bug occurred.

The best way to fix a bug quickly is to help the development team reproduce it reliably.

Here’s a good example:

1. Open the main menu

2. Click the button to perform X

3. Slide the slider to the Right

4. Close the menu without confirmation

The dev team will do these steps to reproduce the bug.

You can see that a simple list with numbered steps is already great.

### What has happened?

This is where you describe what happened exactly after you completed the above steps.

Try to describe what exactly happened and what appears on your screen. Describe all the details you can and anything that doesn’t look right.

As an example, “Resources have been spent but the building upgrade is not yet underway”.

Try to include a screenshot or video. A video is worth more than a thousand images and words.

Sometimes, a little more information can be very helpful. Some graphics issues in browser games such as Grepolis and Forge of Empires may be related to specific browsers, like Chrome or Safari.

What were your expectations?

This is important. I know that it sounds obvious.

Understanding the bug better by understanding what to expect is a great way to understand it.

This is like checking that everyone is on the exact same page. It is usually just a simple sentence like “I was expecting the building upgrade to begin” or “I was expecting the resources not to be spent”.

That’s it! It only takes 5 minutes to fix the problem for thousands of players and improve the game.

Please accept my sincere thanks

## Beta Testing

Testing new updates in an environment that is controlled, also known as “beta”, is one of the best methods to ensure bugs don’t reach the game.

Does this mean that these environments have more bugs? Why would I play there?

We’ve said it before: reporting bugs promptly helps all players have more fun. And for those who hunt bugs, it can be a lot fun!

There is a big advantage to players who participate in the beta test: they get the chance to learn and experience the new features first!

It’s a good opportunity to start early and to be prepared for the release of new features.

Also, it’s worth noting that the players who play in the versions of the game which are still under development have even more influence on the design and features. They can provide early feedback prior to the release. This could be the subject of another article.