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Kahn -> Bug Reports - Ver. 1.2 (5/20/2002 10:12:23 AM)
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Hi Andrew,
You or one of the moderators should probably make this thread sticky, as it would be a good place to file all the bug reports under.
Well, I finally got my copy (Despite UPS stating 5 days delivery time and it actually taking 8, and for nearly 1/4 the cost of the game. Any wonder why I say brown looks like the skid marks in my shorts! But I digress.), as I have played it for three days now, these are the software bugs I have discovered so far. After each bug description, in brackets, is the severity of the problem (how much it interfears with the playability of the game), and the repeatability of the problem. All of the following bugs apply to version 1.2 of the program.:
[list]
"Update-SUDG.exe" attempts to connect twice each time it is run. Fails to connect on both attempts and spits out error dialog after second failure. [Minor, Always]
Downloaded update will install itself into the wrong directory("{drive}:\Matrix Games\Starships Unlimited Divided Galaxies" vs. "{drive}:\MatrixGames\Starships Unlimited Divided Galaxies"). Corrupted installs can be corrected by ether forcing the install directory into the update install's dialog, or by copying the incorrectly installed update files into the proper directory (just make certain that you don't overwrite the "data" folder). [Minor, Always]
Music/FX/Master/etc. volumes will adjust when set, but all return back to full volume once a new music track is loaded, though the settings remain unchanged. Volume readjusts back to setting when mouse is left clicked over bar under "Options" menu. [Minor, Always]
Starships in the process of being outfitted in drydock have the annoying habit of resetting the component screen when you try to Right Click (activating the ingame help dialog) on a component to study what it does. [Minor, Always]
The change deal option in negotiations works only in very few instances. In most types of negotiations it fails to work. [Moderate, Always]
Crash to desktop. Thank God for the autosave! Game continues normally after resuming from autosaved game. [Moderate, Random/Very Rare]
[/list]
All in all, not bad for a one man show! You've done some good work Andrew. No Major bugs!
Though I doubt from the symptoms exibited by the aforementioned bugs that they are in any way OS or hardware related, I am running a PII, 300 MHz with 256 Megs of RAM under Win 2k Pro OS. Video is NVIDIA RIVA TNT2 Ultra (a Guillemont MaxiGamer Xentor 32), and the sound is a Sound Blaster AWE64.
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The only other advise I have does not concern the program at all, but rather decisions made by the publisher, Matrix Games.
[list=1]
Ditch UPS! From my 22 years of experience in industry they are the worst in the shipping business. Unless you like receiving complaints from your customers, go with FedEx or Airborne (Never had ether of them dispute that I had dropped of a package with them, unlike UPS, even with a signed and stamped receipt!) Heck, even a ma & pa trucking company can beat UPS for completed deliveries, least loss due to damage in transit, and delivery time!
If your going keep using the oversized CD container, please put a small slab of styrofoam in the container with the CD. When I received my CD it was loose in the container and had suffered some minor scratches from banging around during transit (thank God it still worked, or I'd really would have been miffed).
I realize profit margins are everything, but you folks get poor marks for the lack of a written manual. Most consumers are not going to burn up a $40 ink jet cartridge and have the printer chug away for the better part of 3 hours just to print a 140 page manual! For under $2 a game (assuming a run of 50k) you could place the manual in a larger box with the CD, and reduce the probability of CD breakage to boot. I'm sure the added costs (manual printing and packaging) would be more than mitagated by the reduction in breakage/loss replacement shipments and the reduction of time spent on customer complaints.
[/list=1]
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Well, that's my list so far. I will post any additional bugs I find under this headding and invite others to do the same. I just ask those who choose to add to this post to please read the bugs already posted so as to reduce the developer's load in debugging the game. Thanks!
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