Tips for providing useful bug reports:
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First, thanks for caring enough to be reading this document! You are already doing better than most and your problem has a better chance of being addressed :P Hopefully most of the stuff below is obvious to you, but just in case Ill run through everything that comes to mind:



THE "DOs"

DO read all the manuals; the .txt files included, and on the web: the FAQ, the Known Issues, etc., thoroughly. Use the Search function on the forum. It is UNLIKELY that your problem is new, due to the sheer number of other users (!)

DO use GoodN64 to verify all your ROMs, it is NOT good enough to say it works in emulator X.

DO please carry out YOUR OWN DIAGNOSIS of the problem as far as possible.
- try different plugins
- try different versions of the plugin(s)
- try the same plugin(s) in a different version of PJ64
- try the same plugin(s) in a different N64 emulator
- try different games, and different ROMs of the same game.

DO give detailed system specifications and Project64 settings whenever relevant - if in doubt, give them. In particular, you should usually give all of this:

- Operating System (e.g. Win2k SP2)
- CPU (e.g. Intel P3 @ 800Mhz)
- Graphics card chipset and driver version (e.g. GeForce2 GTS w/ reference detonators v12.41)
- DX version (e.g. 8.0a)
- PJ version (e.g. 1.2SP1 <- don't forget service pack)
- Which plugins you are using (video, audio and input) and the plugin version numbers.
- Plugin settings (anything not default)
- Project64 settings (anything not default)
- ROM (INI) settings (anything not default)
- Your ROM name after using GoodN64 on it, if the problem is game specific/related

DO please try to work out WHO is responsible for the part of the emulator that has/is causing the problem.

DO check the Known Issues page. It is updated regularly.

DO check the problem is not due to a lack of understanding of how the game is supposed to be played - visit www.gamefaqs.com

DO remember that our time is limited and problems must always be prioritised.

To fix anything, we generally must be able to repeat it ourselves. You must provide instructions that:
- reliably reproduce the exact error
- take no more than 10 seconds to carry out, if play time is required
- are clear and concise

And please have any relevant extra material to hand, such as:
- a state save
- screenshot(s) of the game
- screenshot(s) of the error message(s)
- any error log file(s) generated by PJ64 or it's plugins






THE "DON'Ts"

Do NOT email the authors directly - use the forum please.

Do NOT report anything that's already known - check the Known Issues webpage.

Do NOT assume that we know anything about any particular game, for example "in the shadow temple" is not useful if you have no idea what the shadow temple is, where it is, or how to get to it etc.

Do NOT report anything trivial please. As a rule of thumb, anything that does not effect gameplay should not be reported.

Do NOT expect your problem to be fixed in any particular time period, or at all. This does not mean that you were ignored.

Do NOT send files of any kind by any means, unless we request them.

If we ask for a state save, it should made by PJ64 with the "automatically ZIP" setting enabled and named like this "Game - problem - YourName" e.g. "ZeldaMM - Water Transparency - RadeonUser"

If we ask for a screenshot, it should be captured in 640x480 resolution, not resized, and converted to JPEG format at medium quality (not GIF, PNG or any other format.. definitely not BMP).

Do NOT ask for new features please. Discussion of ideas is good, but know the difference.

Do NOT ask for vague things like "more speed" or "less bugs".

Do NOT ask for specific games to be working.

Do NOT ask for hacks to improve support on specific hardware.

Do NOT report problems in any games not currently listed as "compatible" in the official compatibility list.





example of a good bug report "in PJ v1.2, after changing graphics plugin, Jabo's input plugin doesn't show up in the list"
another example of a good bug report "in Conker's Bad Fur Day, at one point the recompiler fails with the following error "Unhandled R4300i OpCode at: 150FB604/and s8, s8, t1". This is prevented by disabling register caching. I have a state save ready if you need it."

example of a bad bug report "pj used to run great but now its gone really slow, help!" (because it's too vague, you have to figure out for yourself what's changed)
another example of a bad bug report "in zelda, the subscreen drops down" (because this, and the solution, has been listed in Known Issues since v1.0!)


The better your bug report, the more likely that it will get looked into.
Thanks,

Smiff
1st September 2001
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