Inspections
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Contents |
[edit] Age Inspection Tips & Guidelines
(Extracted from the training manuals in the Camp Bravo training age.)
[edit] Book 1
The purpose of this first volume in the Maintainers Training Manuals is to help orientate the trainee in all aspects of being a Maintainer, both In Character (IC) and Out Of Character (OOC).
What is the difference between In Character (IC) and Out Of Character (OOC) Maintainers? In many ways, it is hard to be either completely IC or OOC. As an Explorer who belongs to no guild, you could very easily explore Ages and see yourself completely IC. As a Maintainer, there will be times when you are inspecting an Age that will call for you to be both IC and OOC.
When inspecting Fan made Ages, a Maintainer will be expected to do two things: 1. Look for and report any technical problems the Age may have. This part must be done OOC. 2. While inspecting the Fan made Age, you will be asked to give your opinion and critique on this. Sometimes you will do this OOC, but many times you will talk about the Age in an IC sense, as though you were really there.
[edit] Book 2
The purpose of this second volume in the Maintainers Training Manuals is to help teach the trainee the purpose of, actions required, and methods of reporting problems, known as Bugs, that are possibly located in Fan made Ages.
[edit] Problems Loading Ages
When you link to a Fan made Age that you have just downloaded either manually or via the ULM, it is important to note whether or not you can link into it successfully. If you suffer any problems trying to link into the Age, and it was an Age that you had to manually install, ALWAYS check your setup of the Age first before you report a problem to the author. If, after checking everything that you were supposed to do is right, you are still having problems linking into the Fan made Age, do the following:
- Get paper and pen.
- Write down the Age name and all of the symptoms you are experiencing. If you attempt to link in and Uru crashes to the Desktop (CtD), then write that down. Do not say only that Uru crashes... you need to say HOW it crashes. Symptoms are often used to help diagnose the problem. If you are experiencing one of the following symptoms, it may be possible for you to fix it yourself.
Symptom: An error box appears saying that the game files may be missing or corrupt and have to be reinstalled.
Action: This, of course, is nonsense. Your game files are fine. The problem is most likely a bad SUM file that came with the Age. This is a fatal error that the author should fix. However, you can fix your local copy of the SUM file with UruFun. Find and download the UruFun utility from GoMa Wiki Resources. Use UruFun to update the sum for the Age you are trying to access.
Symptom: Uru crashes to the desktop (CtD) with no error box.
Action: In this case, it may be possible that the Age you installed has the same Sequence number as another Age. If this is a newer version of a previously installed age with a different name, it is necessary to delete all the files associated with the older name for the Age in the Dat folder to remove this conflict. If there was no name change in this version, then there may be an accidental conflict with some other Age. Try removing each of the other Fan made Ages from your Dat folder to identify which one presents a conflict. If you still crash to the desktop (CtD) after that, then there is a serious problem with the Age to be reported to the author. Include a summary of all actions taken to work around the problem... especially if all other Fan made Ages were removed and the problem still persists.
[edit] Bug Hunting
Why do we look for Bugs? Is that not the job of the Writer? Don't the Writers test their Ages? Why am I doing this?
Because the job of Maintainer (according to what we know about D'ni history) was to inspect Ages written by the Writers' Guild. They had many things to look for. Stability of the Age, level of danger the Age might pose to anyone linking in, whether or not there were natives there, and so on. Yes, the Writers do test the Ages they make. Often while they are making them. But many time, a Writer can look over their own Age over and over and miss things. More eyes are better than two. When a Writer links into his or her Age, they may be there just to test recent changes and to see how things generally look. They might not notice that the tree in the corner is floating six inches above the ground. That is your job, so go in with open eyes.
Bug hunting can be a long task. It is best to set aside some time to inspect an Age. Try doing it when you know you will not have interruptions or distractions. Always have paper and pen/pencil handy to list your findings and other comments. Take lots of pictures with your KI for reference. KI photos in the offline version of Uru is only limited by disk space and are stored in a folder under the location of the Uru program. You can use these pictures to show the Writer and others what you saw or what you are talking about. Be thorough. Your job isn't to be good buddies with the Writer. Your job is to tell him where they messed up. Of course, nobody likes to hear that they messed something up or that something they made isn't working right, so always make your inspection reports professional, but positive too. Be factual about what you see rather than saying "I don't like it".
[edit] Is it a bug or not?
There will be times when you see something an not know if it is a bug or something that is suppose to be there on purpose. That is why you write it down and take pictures. Then, when reporting to the Writer, you can pose the question to them. Is this a problem or not? They can then tell you if it is or not. Some things might seem obvious... "Oh my, there is a huge boulder floating up in the air! That must be a bug!". Okay, I would think so too, but remember, some of these Ages might follow different physical laws, or might have some type of rocks that float! Myst IV taught us that! So if you are unsure whether or not something you have found is a bug, make sure you write it down, take a picture, and ask about it.
[edit] What Kind of Bug Hunter Are You?
Are you a Jumper? Are you a Runner? Are you a Puzzle Solver? Or are you a Scene Gazer?
There are many different kinds of explorers. Some even mix those up. So do Maintainers. We have many that like to just run around and look. That is fine, but keep in mind, you might miss a bug that is small that you just flashed by. We have Maintainers that love to Jump and Climb. Our very own Guild Master Dot shocked the author of Camp Bravo when she included in her report that she loved running around on top of the cliffs. The author was sure he had made it impossible to get up there. Its the Jumpers and Climbers that will figure our ways that most Writers don't think about. So, have fun, jump up and around. Just keep in mind that you need to write down exactly how you did it when you make your inspection report.
Puzzle Solvers are the ones that seem to have superhuman intelligence and solve puzzles in minutes flat. If you come across a puzzle in a Fan made Age, give it a try. Don't be afraid to try it since the author is going to need feedback on the puzzle. How hard is it? Does the author need to put in more clues? Are the puzzle controls easy to use? Write down all your comments.
[edit] Copyright Violations
This is the biggy. This is where Writers can find themselves in trouble. That is okay. We are here to make sure that doesn't happen. Finding Copyright violations is not as easy as some people think. They may not always be as obvious as a large MacDonalds sign complete with golden arches. Most Writers know that they are not supposed to use something that belongs to some company without expressed written permission. If you DO see something that is blatantly obvious like a Mountain Dew soda can, ask the author. Don't point a finger first. For all you know they MAY have gotten permission. Your job is to inspect... not insult.
So how do we go about finding these copyright violations that are not so obvious? Good question. There are two types of copyright violation that will be the most used. One is Textures and the other is Sounds. Both are very tempting to use from Uru because they are right there, ready to be used. Textures can be harder to spot, as they may be stretched out or distorted in some way. Sounds can be easier, but again, watch out. In Camp Bravo Night Time, the cricket sounds very close to what Cyan used in the Cleft, but is is actually an original and distinct sound file. The best thing you can do is to write it down and ASK the author about it. Unless it is something obvious like Zandi sitting in a chair talking to you, a picture of Bugs Bunny behind him, and 50 Cent rapping on the radio next to him. In that case, you might want to bring it up.
[edit] Book 3
The purpose of this third volume in the Maintainers Training Manuals is to help give the trainee some idea of how to critique a Fan made Age.
[edit] How To Critique An Age
One of the worst things any Maintainer can do to a Writer is either simply report bugs that were found... and say nothing else, or to simply go on and on about what they thought was wrong with an Age, listing not but problems and bad things about it.
Many aspiring Writers will be handing you their very first Age that they have ever created. Your job is not just to find bugs, or problems, but to give an opinion too. It MUST be stressed that when you DO give your opinion, it needs to always be in a constructive manner. Simply telling a Writer that you thought their Age stinks, is in no way helpful. It is unprofessional. It is a good way to destroy someone's confidence in trying their hand at creating these wonderful worlds, and NO Maintainer has the right to do that.
[edit] So How Do I Do This?
If you've ever been married, then you probably already know how to do this. Your spouse and your inlaws are a prime example of how you should talk to a Writer. You don't want to upset your spouse or your inlaws, but sometimes you have to tell them things they may not want to hear. So you do so in a positive and constructive manner.
Let us take Camp Bravo as an example... After linking in, one of the first things you might notice is that the ground texture looks kind of tiled and there are some places that don't look so good. Do you report "the ground looks horrible"? No, you don't. What you say is "the ground texture seems to tile so that it appears repetitive. Could you add more texture to it to make it look more real? I loved how the dips and rises gave the ground a natural contour.". This is not Brown Nosing as some people might think. What you did was make the Writer aware that the ground could use some work, but at the same time gave him a "warm fuzzy" by telling him something you liked about it. This is called Positive Reenforcement With Constructive Criticism.
The Writer can respond in may ways. He can thank you and say he'll look into it. He could say a new version is in the works, but thanks for letting me know. Or he could say that's how it is, like it or not. No matter how the Writer responds, the important point is that you gave the right type of critique. But, as most retail people are told, the Customer is always right, but they don't have the right to harass you, the same applies here. If a Writer replies in an offensive manner, do NOT reply back. Instead, report it to any Guild Master and let them decide the proper actions to take.
One thing that is suggested is to inspect twice. Once for bugs, second time to simply take in the Age and get your opinion about it. Again, make sure you have paper and pen/pencil handy. Write down your thoughts... what you liked, what you didn't like. It all matters. Then sit down and write up your critique on that Age. Remember, you can tell a Writer what you didn't like, but try to be constructive about it, or make it clear that it is your own personal tastes.
If you ever have doubts, you can contact the Guild Masters by PM and ask them. They always have good suggestions.
[edit] Screen Shot Instructions
These are instructions for posting screen shots of the Age you are inspecting. Inspectors are encouraged to include at least one screen shot, in a spoiler format, of the Age they are inspecting.
[edit] KI Method
- Take a picture of what you want, in the Age you are in by hitting the F5 key. When you are done taking pictures and are done looking at the Age, exit Uru CC.
- Click on the Start button, and then My Computer.
- Double click on the hard drive icon that contains your Uru CC install.
- Normally Uru CC will keep your KI images in the following folder tree:
- Program Files > Ubi Soft > Cyan Worlds > Uru - Ages Beyond Myst > KIimages
- Normally the images will be listed in files named KIimage001.jpg, KIimage002.jpg, etc, etc.
- Double click on the file to see the shot, until you know which one is the one you want (normally it will be the last file or set of files).
- Open up your web browser and go to your online photo storage and upload that KI image.
If you don't have an account, I can recommend: Photo Bucket it's free. There are a lot of others out there and can Google for them if you want.
[edit] Screen Capture Method
There are a couple of ways to do this:
Primary method:
- You can line your Avie up the way so your screen shows what you want.
- Hold down your Shift key and press the Print Screen / System Requirement key once (location will vary by keyboard, but often in the upper right quadrant).
- Exit Uru CC.
- Open up your favorite Paint program (like Photo Shop, Paint Shot, IrfanView, Serif Photo, etc).
- Click on Edit and Paste As New Image. You should see your screen shot.
- Note: this will only work for one shot at a time. When you press the Print Screen button, it captures your screen information and places it on the Clipboard. If you do it again, the Clipboard will be cleared and your new image put on it.
- Adjust your image to your tastes and save the file. Then repeat the steps above for saving it online.
Alternate:
- Use a program like Fraps to capture the screen shot. I like Fraps in that it is free, the watermark only appears in the Video Capture, not the Screen Capture, it's FAST, and you can take multiple screen shots at a time.
Placing your screen shot in the post:
This is not that hard.
But just in case someone doesn't want to see the shot just yet, we need you to place it in Spoiler format.
When you get to the point in your post where you want the screen shot type in this:
[spoiler][img]the URL of your picture[/img][/spoiler]
The URL of your picture depends on the online photo storage you use. Photobucket makes it easy with simply one click.
[edit] Inspection Reports
There are two methods for making an inspection report...
[edit] Inspection Forums
Comments and other feedback may be added to sub-threads of the Inspection Forum dedicated to the Age you have just inspected. These threads are all found here.
[edit] BugZilla
For information on the BugZilla problem reporting system, click here.
[edit] Mantis
For information on the Mantis bugtracking system, click here.
[edit] Book of Commentary Project
For information on the Book of Commentary project, click here. Although interesting, these documents have essentially been abandoned.
