05-18-2013, 07:52 AM
Below in bold is the current Dolphin Google Code issue template. This template is used on the Dolphin Google Code issue tracker when creating an issue report about a problem that you may have with the Dolphin Emulator. Here I will be going over what might be seemingly obvious information, but some people who report issues seem to not want to take the time to do this or just do not understand how to fill this out properly, so I will explain it here:
**READ THIS: https://forums.dolphin-emu.org/showthrea...pid=276132 <<<
Your answers are here!**
This points to this thread in the issue template. If you're here reading this, I guess it did its job.
Game Name?
This is pretty obvious. Post the name of the game that you're having an issue with. As an example, lets say I'm having an issue with my Zelda Game. I would list the name of the game as it was intended by the game creators. In this case it would be "The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker". If you were to list the game name as "WW", it is possible that people would know which game you're talking about, but it's best to not ask the developers to guess. To avoid confusion, list the name of the game properly.
Game ID?
Game ID is an important piece of information to post. If you list the name of your game as "The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker", and then do not post the game ID, anyone looking at your issue wouldn't know the region of the game you're testing (PAL, NTSC, etc) or if it was a Wii or GC game (if applicable). To avoid any confusion, make it clear which game you're having an issue with. You can find the game ID of your game by right-clicking on the game in the Dolphin game list and then selecting "properties", and then the "info" tab. The game ID will be listed there.
What went wrong?
Here is where we really start to get into the issue. Explain what the issue or problem is. An example would be: "I went to this part in the game and then Dolphin crashed". Here you really don't need to get into too much detail, as you will have a chance to do that a few lines down.
What did you expect to happen?
Here we ask you to tell us what you expect to happen. In this case, it would be for the game to not crash when you get to that particular point and then you would be able to continue on playing normally.
What steps will reproduce the problem?
[Don't assume we have played the game and know its level names. Be as
detailed as possible.]
1.
2.
3.
Lets say I'm playing my Zelda game and everything is going along fine, then I get to a point in the game and Dolphin crashes. If I were to explain that in my issue report, I wouldn't write "my game crash please help" and then hope that someone would have any idea what I'm talking about. Instead, I would list (in detail) where I am in the game and explain what a person would have to do to be able to reproduce the problem. In other words, you have to walk someone through how to do exactly what you did so that someone looking at your issue can see if the problem is the same for them. Keep in mind too that we haven't all played every game, and may not have any idea where things are, or how to do anything. If reproducing an issue requires going into a level, you should explain where it is, how to get to it, and list any items that may be needed. You should also post a link to where you've uploaded your memory card file (if applicable) so that someone can use that to get to the problem-area without having to actually play though the game to get to your issue. A problem that should be reported would be an issue with the emulator that happens several times and is consistent. You probably wouldn't want to report a random one time crash since someone else probably wouldn't be able to reproduce that.
Dolphin 3.5 and Dolphin 3.5-367 are old versions of Dolphin that have
known issues and bugs. Have you tested with the latest version from
http://dolphin-emu.org/download ?
This is very important. When you run across an issue, it is only valid if you can reproduce the issue with the latest development version. Do not use a build from 3 years ago or even the latest official release. In this case for the issue report, it has to be the very latest build available. If you read the template above, it tells you where to find the latest version.
Which versions of Dolphin did you test on?
List which version of Dolphin you were using when you came across the issue.
What *version* of Dolphin used to work?
If you find an issue with the latest development version, it's good practice to take some time and go back and test some older builds and try to identify the build/commit where the issue first started. Finding the exact revision that caused the problem will go a long way in helping your issue get fixed sooner.
What are your PC specifications (example: Operating System, CPU and GPU)?
Here you should list which Operating System you're using. Examples would be, Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, or some other. You should list in detail exactly what you're using. Operating System build names or revision numbers are important, so be as detailed as you can. You should also be just as detailed when listing your CPU and GPU information. Knowing exactly what kind of hardware you're using is very important in determining the cause of some issues.
64 or 32 bit Dolphin?
In rare cases, an issue may only appear on a 32-bit version or only on a 64-bit version of Dolphin, so please list which you're using so that we're all using the same type of build.
64 or 32 bit Operating system?
If applicable, list if you're using a 64 or 32-bit Operating System.
Any other relevant information or links to logs:
Here you can post anything else that you think is needed that may not have fit into some other category. If you think there is additional information that will help someone in finding the cause of your issue, post it.
***Do *not* attach files to this issue. Upload them to another site and
link here. Use imgur.com for images.***
This is important to note. We do not want anyone to upload anything directly to Google Code. If you need to post a screenshot of an issue, upload your game screenshot to an image hosting site. If you have a memory card save or some other type of file that you need to post in the issue report, upload that to a file hosting site and then post the link to that file in your issue report.
Basically, when creating an issue, use common sense. Think to yourself, if you didn't know anything about this issue, would you be able to get an idea of what the person is talking about based solely on the information that was provided in the issue report? All of the questions included in the issue template are there for a reason, so please fill them out the best you possibly can. If you don't put any effort into your issue report, no one is going to put any effort into looking at it.
**READ THIS: https://forums.dolphin-emu.org/showthrea...pid=276132 <<<
Your answers are here!**
This points to this thread in the issue template. If you're here reading this, I guess it did its job.
Game Name?
This is pretty obvious. Post the name of the game that you're having an issue with. As an example, lets say I'm having an issue with my Zelda Game. I would list the name of the game as it was intended by the game creators. In this case it would be "The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker". If you were to list the game name as "WW", it is possible that people would know which game you're talking about, but it's best to not ask the developers to guess. To avoid confusion, list the name of the game properly.
Game ID?
Game ID is an important piece of information to post. If you list the name of your game as "The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker", and then do not post the game ID, anyone looking at your issue wouldn't know the region of the game you're testing (PAL, NTSC, etc) or if it was a Wii or GC game (if applicable). To avoid any confusion, make it clear which game you're having an issue with. You can find the game ID of your game by right-clicking on the game in the Dolphin game list and then selecting "properties", and then the "info" tab. The game ID will be listed there.
What went wrong?
Here is where we really start to get into the issue. Explain what the issue or problem is. An example would be: "I went to this part in the game and then Dolphin crashed". Here you really don't need to get into too much detail, as you will have a chance to do that a few lines down.
What did you expect to happen?
Here we ask you to tell us what you expect to happen. In this case, it would be for the game to not crash when you get to that particular point and then you would be able to continue on playing normally.
What steps will reproduce the problem?
[Don't assume we have played the game and know its level names. Be as
detailed as possible.]
1.
2.
3.
Lets say I'm playing my Zelda game and everything is going along fine, then I get to a point in the game and Dolphin crashes. If I were to explain that in my issue report, I wouldn't write "my game crash please help" and then hope that someone would have any idea what I'm talking about. Instead, I would list (in detail) where I am in the game and explain what a person would have to do to be able to reproduce the problem. In other words, you have to walk someone through how to do exactly what you did so that someone looking at your issue can see if the problem is the same for them. Keep in mind too that we haven't all played every game, and may not have any idea where things are, or how to do anything. If reproducing an issue requires going into a level, you should explain where it is, how to get to it, and list any items that may be needed. You should also post a link to where you've uploaded your memory card file (if applicable) so that someone can use that to get to the problem-area without having to actually play though the game to get to your issue. A problem that should be reported would be an issue with the emulator that happens several times and is consistent. You probably wouldn't want to report a random one time crash since someone else probably wouldn't be able to reproduce that.
Dolphin 3.5 and Dolphin 3.5-367 are old versions of Dolphin that have
known issues and bugs. Have you tested with the latest version from
http://dolphin-emu.org/download ?
This is very important. When you run across an issue, it is only valid if you can reproduce the issue with the latest development version. Do not use a build from 3 years ago or even the latest official release. In this case for the issue report, it has to be the very latest build available. If you read the template above, it tells you where to find the latest version.
Which versions of Dolphin did you test on?
List which version of Dolphin you were using when you came across the issue.
What *version* of Dolphin used to work?
If you find an issue with the latest development version, it's good practice to take some time and go back and test some older builds and try to identify the build/commit where the issue first started. Finding the exact revision that caused the problem will go a long way in helping your issue get fixed sooner.
What are your PC specifications (example: Operating System, CPU and GPU)?
Here you should list which Operating System you're using. Examples would be, Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, or some other. You should list in detail exactly what you're using. Operating System build names or revision numbers are important, so be as detailed as you can. You should also be just as detailed when listing your CPU and GPU information. Knowing exactly what kind of hardware you're using is very important in determining the cause of some issues.
64 or 32 bit Dolphin?
In rare cases, an issue may only appear on a 32-bit version or only on a 64-bit version of Dolphin, so please list which you're using so that we're all using the same type of build.
64 or 32 bit Operating system?
If applicable, list if you're using a 64 or 32-bit Operating System.
Any other relevant information or links to logs:
Here you can post anything else that you think is needed that may not have fit into some other category. If you think there is additional information that will help someone in finding the cause of your issue, post it.
***Do *not* attach files to this issue. Upload them to another site and
link here. Use imgur.com for images.***
This is important to note. We do not want anyone to upload anything directly to Google Code. If you need to post a screenshot of an issue, upload your game screenshot to an image hosting site. If you have a memory card save or some other type of file that you need to post in the issue report, upload that to a file hosting site and then post the link to that file in your issue report.
Basically, when creating an issue, use common sense. Think to yourself, if you didn't know anything about this issue, would you be able to get an idea of what the person is talking about based solely on the information that was provided in the issue report? All of the questions included in the issue template are there for a reason, so please fill them out the best you possibly can. If you don't put any effort into your issue report, no one is going to put any effort into looking at it.