Add Ability To Report Bugs In-Game

[Pwnagraphic]

I'm sure it's been mentioned before, but it'd be much more convenient in beta if we had the ability to report a bug in game. Quite a few Alpha/beta's I've been in had this option and I found myself reporting the bugs as they happened, where they happened, and how frequent they happened rather than when I remembered. It could also keep the Beta forums cleaner for more suggestions than bug reports, and it would flush all the same reports into one database for them making it easier for SE, and us, instead of wading through page after page of complaining, whining, and arguing to see if your issue has already been reported before.

Suggestions and requests I would still say should be limited to the forums.

[Reika]

Secondedededed. Not just beta, extend the ability to live. Tho, in-game suggestions isn't bad either. Not every suggestion requires discussion (or.... none of them do) :P

[Elexia]

Just fyi, most of those bug report features are the same thing as going to a website form to fill out, the in-game feature is usually there because of the lack of a forum or proper website setup. SimCity 2013 does this and it simply directed you to a specific section for reporting/feedback. Forum vs In-Game are both very easy as there's already a lodestone team that monitors the website/forums that can relay info and already collect data internally as players are playi...err "testing."

[Pwnagraphic]

Just fyi, most of those bug report features are the same thing as going to a website form to fill out, the in-game feature is usually there because of the lack of a forum or proper website setup. SimCity 2013 does this and it simply directed you to a specific section for reporting/feedback. Forum vs In-Game are both very easy as there's already a lodestone team that monitors the website/forums that can relay info and already collect data internally as players are playi...err "testing."

I get that and I thought of that as I typed it in. Yes, you cane easily go to the website and report your bug on the forum but that's what I was trying to get at. Why go flood the forums and look through 100+ pages to see if your bug has already been reported? I don't know if you were in Alpha, but 98% of the bug report thread was people complaining. That's not simple for me, someone who is actually testing the game, to go and leave a report on an issue. If SE likes doing that, then cool. I don't and I know I'm not alone.

[Elexia]

I get that and I thought of that as I typed it in. Yes, you cane easily go to the website and report your bug on the forum but that's what I was trying to get at. Why go flood the forums and look through 100+ pages to see if your bug has already been reported? I don't know if you were in Alpha, but 98% of the bug report thread was people complaining. That's not simple for me, someone who is actually testing the game, to go and leave a report on an issue. If SE likes doing that, then cool. I don't and I know I'm not alone.

Yeah so they'll likely do what SC2013 does with it if they do add a feature like this. I was and I agree, but it's mostly the issue you have on these forums: Most are duplicate, sometimes 8x the same thing over and over and no one really takes the time to properly format anything, but that's why they also had quite a lot of people monitoring and responding. So if anything, i think the data they collect from monitoring in-game is probably why they go with the setup they go with.

[mbncd]

I like the idea of reporting functions in game, including automatic "tick here to send a current screenshot" type reporting options, options to send logs of your current activities, etc. I also like the idea of being able to report players in game for botting/RMT/etc.

More in game reporting methods would encourage more people to report things immediately, instead of forgetting to do so in the forums often many hours later, when they've probably also forgotten many potentially crucial details that could help identify the cause of such issues.

Forum reporting is clumsy, less accurate, less detailed, rarely a "pure" report (tends to be full of whinging and suggestions and other comments), etc.

A simple in game form can grab most of the relevant data (how well your PC is running the game, which character/world you're on, your exact locational co-ordinants, what you're wearing/using at the time, exactly which NPC you're talking to, screenshots, logs, etc) with a simple tick of a box for each piece of info you wish to send. Add to that a few drop down lists to specify categories, a single line for inputting a brief outline of the bug and a 250 character limited box (at the very most, I think 150 would probably be better) for very brief additional notes and you have a pretty perfect reporting system right there. Limiting how much people can type should make them think more carefully about what they include, cutting out a lot of the stuff that doesn't belong in there.

I'm not saying we shouldn't be able to report bugs in the forum instead. For instance, connection issues or unable to get the client to launch; things like that can't be recorded in game. I strongly suspect that most things would be better recorded in than out.

[Quesse]

Just fyi, most of those bug report features are the same thing as going to a website form to fill out, the in-game feature is usually there because of the lack of a forum or proper website setup. SimCity 2013 does this and it simply directed you to a specific section for reporting/feedback. Forum vs In-Game are both very easy as there's already a lodestone team that monitors the website/forums that can relay info and already collect data internally as players are playi...err "testing."

You just broke their NDA :/

[Zehira]

You just broke their NDA :/

Elexia is a NDA breaker.

[Naraku_Diabolos]

Just fyi, most of those bug report features are the same thing as going to a website form to fill out, the in-game feature is usually there because of the lack of a forum or proper website setup. SimCity 2013 does this and it simply directed you to a specific section for reporting/feedback. Forum vs In-Game are both very easy as there's already a lodestone team that monitors the website/forums that can relay info and already collect data internally as players are playi...err "testing."

You pretty much summed it all up, Elexia. I do remember hearing from someone that when the Alpha forums did close, some people found game-breaking bugs in the game and had no way to report them. Like, someone posted screenshots on different forums of the game-breaking bugs (I saw the screenshots, too). It would have been wise if SE left those forums open until the Alpha servers were taken offline. Then again, it's pretty much up to SE to decide what is right.

[HamHam]

Save this post and add it under the feedback section during Beta.