How to Use Github Issues (non-QA)

The Skywind QA team is currently using Github Issues to track bug reports. It is available here.

If you receive a 404 error page, it means you don't have access yet. You can DM your department lead or the QA leads (@Spectral, @alynnidalar, and @BlueGradient) to get you added with the Triage role. All you need is a Github account, which can be easily created here. (If you’re a team lead and you can’t add someone, hit one of us up and we’ll check your permissions.)

Bug Reporting

Even if you’re not an official QA tester, we welcome your bug and issue reports! Here's how to report the bugs you find:

1. Search existing bugs first. There’s a search bar at the top of the issues list. Please use it! A ten-second search can save you from creating a duplicate issue. If you find a pre-existing issue but you have additional details or screenshots, add a comment instead of opening a new issue.

2. Once you are absolutely positive an issue doesn't already exist, create a new issue using the issue template. Make sure to add a descriptive title and assign the issue to one of the QA leads. The fundamental rule is that your report should be easily reproducible by another tester or developer, so they are able to identify the problem, fix it, and retest it with confidence: Issue Template Link

3. Add one or more appropriate department labels. (e.g. Landscaping, UI, Audio…)

And that's it!

Bug Reporting Tips

• If you’re not sure if something is a bug or is just unfinished, ask on Discord. In particular, a lot of voice acting, weapons, armor, etc. haven’t been implemented in-game yet, and some areas don't have finalized landscaping.

• Be thorough in your description of the bug, and how to reproduce the bug. Don’t just explain what happened; also explain how you got to that point, and be specific about which NPC, what location, what item, which quest, etc. was affected.

• Screenshots and video clips are always great for showing what happened!

Bug Fixing

Once bugs have been reported, they need to be fixed! Assuming that testers have correctly labeled their bugs, you should be easily able to find issues that are relevant to you and decide if they need to be fixed or not. If you type “label” in the search bar at the top of the issues list, you will be prompted to select a label, which will allow you to filter issues. (Github search is dumb and won’t let you search more than one label at a time, so you’ll have to do searches separately, sorry about that)

Team leads are responsible for their own issues. For the most part, the QA leads will handle Github organization, labels, etc., so you guys won't have to do that side of things; all we ask is the following:

1. Issues labeled Confirmed are ready to be worked on. ("Confirmed" means that a QA lead looked at the issue and it appeared to be valid, although we may not have personally confirmed it in-game. The "New Issues" label is for stuff that's been reported but I haven't looked at yet.)

2. When working on an issue, edit it and assign yourself (or whoever will be working on it) to the issue. If you're going to be working on it for awhile, it's helpful if you also add the In Progress label, to ensure other people are aware of what’s being worked on.

3. Once you've fixed the issue, remove the "In Progress" label and add the Claim Fixed label. This will let us know we can hand it over to testers after the next merge.

4. Do NOT close the issue! All issues need to be retested before we can close them. A QA member will verify the proposed fix prior to closure. This will avoid running into situations where a fix may have been left out by accident, or the proposed fix does not fully address the issue.

5. If you can't reproduce an issue or if it's not really a bug, instead remove the "Confirmed" label and add the Invalid Issue label. (especially for “bugs” where something just hasn’t been implemented yet, like a weapon or NPC)

6. If it's a real bug/issue but we've decided it isn't fixable or we otherwise are just going to live with it, add Known Shippable. (e.g. unfixable engine bugs)

Once a bug has been fixed and it's in the build, QA will retest. We will either confirm that a bug has been fixed (and close it with the Closed Fixed label), or discover that it hasn't been fixed yet. In this case, we'll label it as Fix Fail and it becomes your responsibility again!

Label Guide

In addition to the "workflow" labels above, we have a bunch of department labels to make it easier to find issues. Currently, we have the following:

• 2D - any 2D assets such as banners, letters, books, etc.

• 3D - problems with textures, models, tilesets, object collision, etc.

• Animation - animation of creatures, NPCs, combat/spells, containers, etc.

• Audio - music, sound effects, etc. (use Voice and Dialogue for VA-specific issues)

• Coding - quest progression, NPC behavior and schedules, skills and abilities, character creation, etc. etc.

• Landscaping - exterior terrain, clutter, navmeshing, shaders, lighting, model placement, clipping, etc. For exterior landscaping only.

• Level Design - interior terrain, clutter, navmeshing, shaders, lighting, model placement, clipping, etc. For interior landscaping only.

• UI - inventory, leveling/perks screens, fonts, character creation, loading screens, dialogue, quest journal, etc.

• Voice and Dialogue - voice acting, subtitles, dialogue, etc.

• Writing - narrative text (e.g. newly added books or notes), inconsistencies in quests/dialogue, lore problems, etc. 

There’s also a special Crash label for quickly finding things that crash the game, as these should be high priority fixes.

If you would like a new label (or would like an old one removed), drop the QA leads a note and we can figure it out.