Shattered Kingdoms

Last four-five weeks or so I’ve been going through all the bug/typo/idea logs and entering in the fixes.

A few things have come up that I’d like to address to the public at large. : ) All of these examples are made-up but pretty typical of entries I get:

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[15837] Jack: This “golden axe” does not have the keywords “golden” or “axe” in it.

That’s useless to me because I can’t locate it. The [15837] number tells me what room you’re logging the error from, but since objects are highly mobile, that doesn’t even necessarily tell me what area to look in. And if it is neither “golden” nor “axe,” how am I to know even how to find this weapon with the wrong keywords? A better way to phrase it:

[15837] Jack: This “golden axe,” also called “a wicked-looking weapon,” does not have the keywords “golden” or “axe” in it.
[This way, I know to look for an object with a keyword “wicked-looking.” Otherwise, I have no clue what to look for.]
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[ 7715] Jill: The falling fruit script is visible when you're sleeping.

I don’t bother to change these unless you can make a good case that it is detrimental to rp. There are simply too many scripts with rechoes (which is what you’re seeing if your character is asleep) for me to bother fixing this little quibble.

Please don’t bother to log “I can see this while sleeping” sorts of bugs unless you feel strongly it should be remedied and make a case for it. In general, I don’t consider this a big enough deal to spend my time changing.

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[ 8775] James: I was just in a room that had ***Recycle*** as its name.

Unless you’re in that exact room when you’re doing the logging, this log is useless to me. : (

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[ 56908] Juno: This human says “I am the best hellion ever.” It should be “the best.”

“This human”? What human? Unless the NPC is flagged “sentinel”—i.e., to never move—the NPC doesn’t necessarily reset in that room. Tell me a more specific name if at all possible—a fat male human, a rickety female human, etc. Be as specific as possible, please.

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[ 1293] Jasper: There is an error in this room description.

Sure, I can most likely figure this out after a while, but telling me what the error is helps me immensely. Don’t assume I can locate the error.

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[ 10203] Jagger: This room’s desc is lame.
[ 10203] Jagger: This “staff of Zoom” should have a lore.
[ 10203] Jagger: Gorstok the Brave’s desc is lame.

Now, it is perfectly fine to log this sort of thing. However, if it most helpful for me if you come up with a suggestion or two—even if it is just a line—to give me an idea of a better desc/lore.







Other issues:

If you have reported an error and it is not fixed within two weeks, bug/typo log it again. If you are really wanting to know why it hasn’t been fixed, mention that you have reported this before (politely, please ) and include your e-mail or PM name. I’ll respond to you, even if it is just to say something like “this is a coding issue [as is usually the case with stuff I can’t fix] and I can’t remedy it” or “This was a questionable issue, so I left it to the KD of the area to decide whether or not to ‘fix’ this.”



Or, if you have addressed something to a specific imm, for example:

[84384] Jeremiah: YED: Is this leprechaun really supposed to be wearing a T-shirt that says “I love Christian boys”?

And the error is not remedied, you may try contacting that admin directly or posting it here in the bug forums. I’ll often skip over entries directly addressed to another imm.


[Edit: Also, I can't fix help files or socials.]


Thanks folks.

Could you please post what things would be considered a bug versus a typo? I know that the requirements of each have changed recently and I usually end up double logging it to make sure it is put on the right list. Many people think of a typo as something that is not written right, not what pops up when you bug log something (If this bug has anything to do with a specific NPC or object, their behaviors or any text description in the game, please retype using 'typo' instead.) Also, it might be helpful to add the qualificaions of each to the help bug/typo/idea file.

TYPO should be used to log misspellings, grammatical errors, missing keywords, etc.

BUG should be used for broken scripts and things that don't seem to be working as they should i.e. a golden axe made of wood or a hat you wear on your feet.

Any of you other admins feel free to correct me, but my stance is, if it sounds like a bug to you, log it under bug, and if it sounds like a typo, put it under typo.

Coding issues should definitely go under bug, since (I'm presuming here) Dulrik doesn't read the typo logs as closely as the bug logs. So if they are not errors specifically relating to the ways areas have been constructed but rather issues pertaining to skills, spells, combat, or communication, log it under bugs.


I believe the distinction that the bug logging message (“specific NPC or object, their behaviors or any text description in the game, please retype using 'typo' instead” ) is trying to make is between builder issues and coding issues . Thus, typos more for builders, bugs for coders. Which just makes it more confusing for players who probably won't get it right anyway…but I digress.

Like I said, I’d rather you just log a mistake somewhere rather than worry which category to put it in. So, if in doubt, just post it in either.

And what about echoes that people think should not be seen while sleeping? I would presume a bug, but from what it says when you bug log it, it could fall under typo due to possible of specific NPC or behavior mentioned in it.

Like I said, I'd rather you not log these at all.

If you insist on logging it , it could likely fit under either, but probably more of a typo.

Thank you. There is only one recho that I've run into that irks me when I'm sleeping, I logged it not that long ago.

Like the Imms even check those things and fix them, I've seen and reported some errors in the past and never saw them fixed. It's all propaganda! They're all really just lazy people that gets their kicks from making players lives hell.

Like Sadr's deep-elf priestess scribt in Chyrzzm. I bugged loged that 3 times, and had a bug thread on it. Only the other day I found out again that they are still bugged.

I put those messages in as an attempt to get people to route problems to the correct outlet. If the bug is anything that a builder could fix, I'd like to see you use TYPO to log it. Builders can fix basically any specific problem that is related to the zone - descriptions, keywords, AND scripts. BUG should be used only for those issues that are related to code. This includes skills and spells, problems with game commands and combat.

If you are in doubt, use TYPO instead of BUG. TYPO problems can and often do get fixed quickly. BUG reports get dumped into a file and, depending on how busy my real life is, may not get looked at for awhile.