this post was submitted on 02 Nov 2023

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Gamedev and linux (treebrary.pone.social)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 72 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I think the fact is that most Linux users have a more technical background and work in the tech/IT sector. They know that filling a bug report requires a clear explanation of the problem, and steps to reproduce it, hence the greater quality of their reports.

But still makes me happy that even though Linux has a small market share, game devs actually start caring more for them. And a lot of this is also thanks to Steam, I don't think we would be here without their relentless work to make this happen and the Deck.

[–] [email protected] 69 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

so he says it was worth the amount of QA he got rather than the sales. I think it makes sense. I hope its really cost effective so others can try it.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Unfortunately, AAA devs usually already have such a backlog of bug reports that they won't consider this an advantage

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They also have different processes. Each report would start as a support request that goes through some customer care department or even call center first, that will triage the issue with some knowledge base or decision tree. So before a meaningful report makes it way to a department that can actually deal with it, a dozen other people are involved first.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I played Plague Tale 2 this summer. It's a wonderful game and very much worth experiencing, but it would crash every time I opened the skill tree and the crafting tree. I tried contacting the devs about it, offered every info I had (system info, steps to replicate the bug, things I already tried to solve the issue, etc).

At first, customer support gave some generic advice (check files, uninstall/reinstall, update drivers, etc). Then they directed me to the Discord server of Focus Entertainment. Like, what? Why the heck is everything a Discord server nowadays? Why do I need to join a Discord server to get customer support?

But anyway, I did. They told me that, in the Discord server, I'd be able to talk to some developers. Instead, there were only a bunch of people from the marketing team, and they didn't even bother with answering me. When I tried contacting customer support again, they didn't reply to my email.

I'm 100% positive that I was not the only one who had found said bug, because I found a bunch of people on Reddit and Steam discussions reporting the same problem. As far as I know, it still hasn't been patched.

So, not only do you have to deal with dozens of people before you're actually able to reach the department that can actually deal with your problem. Sometimes, you are not able to reach the department at all. But hey, you can chat with someone from the marketing team on Discord! (If they actually bother with answering you at all, that is)

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

It's a double edged sword. If the actual devs are exposed too much, they get bombarded with shit from so many people who have no clue and/or just want to vent, that they would not be able to do their actual work or would even burn out from all the toxicity.

Unfortunately people with actual helpful input are so rare that it's likely not worth the hassle.

Would be cool though if the people triaging reports would have the knowledge to sort the wheat from the chaff. But same problem there: it's likely so rare to encounter these reports that it's not worth training people for it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

re plague tale 2: I found that it crashed (more like hung, process was still running) whenever I opened one of those screens. It seemed like the crash occurred for me when I scrolled through options on those menus too quickly. ex: switching to a different skill while the small preview video clip from the first one was still loading. I ended up scrolling really slowly through those trees

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

It crashed on me whether I'd scroll slowly or fast. Oftentimes just hovering on one of the perks was enough to make the game stop working.

I'd have to reset the pc and replay the same section over a dozen times just to get one upgrade. It was infuriating.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Yes. Not just AAA. Online commenters seem to believe that bugs don't get fixed because developers aren't aware of them. That's almost never the reason. Finding bugs is easy. Fixing them is the difficult part. And time spent fixing bugs is time not spent developing new features.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

I mean Valve once said that QA is the most vital part of game development.

Their classic anecdote is about Portal's Development. They brought in some players to play the game near its completion and the user response was "Nice Demo, can't wait to play the full game." And they decided they had shown the player how to implement basic gameplay mechanics well, but that they hadn't given the player a satisfying enough situation to use all of the mechanics at once. This is why Portal ends with the most amazing bossfight Valve has ever made imo.

[–] [email protected] 59 points 1 year ago

Pro-Linux game dev who releases a Linux-native version, then proceeds to break down the stats to explain to a non-Linux crowd why he chooses to do so? Fuck it, take my money.

[–] [email protected] 53 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This makes me very happy for some reason. It is like a huge pat in the back for a community that often is under appreciated. The open source community is the last bastion that stands against the rapid capitalism that is spreading through the world. We need more such devs who appreciate this sort of feedback and more new members of the community to take up the torch and continue the good fight.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

"The open source community is the last bastion that stands against the rapid capitalism that is spreading through the world."

I need to share this. This should be on people's t-shirts and stuff.

[–] [email protected] 42 points 1 year ago

[–] [email protected] 41 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Ah, so that obnoxious complaint about how "Linux users report too many bugs" and thats why devs won't port their game to linux, is actually a strength because Linux users:

Accurately describe the bug
Provide useful data
Make Helpful Suggestions
Typically hit bugs that are also on Windows

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago

Also, similarly, for any future bug reports I may make.

IF there is a preferred format for your bug reports, please state that in a location relevant to whichever bug report system you use.

[–] [email protected] 38 points 1 year ago

This is great that Linux gamers take the time to submit quality bug reports.

I also put in reviews of games that work with Linux and give my PC specs and Linux Distribution.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Both the dev and his game are amazing. Highly recommended.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

I might have to give it a try after reading this.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I love this for people looking for high quality games with fewer bugs.

The counter argument is that the industry is dominated by the opposite. Low quality trash with flashy graphics and deep monetization. Publishing execs would read this kind of thing and demand to never publish a Linux game.

Then they'd hiss at the sunlight and scurry back into their dank cave ..

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

As long as people spend money on it the cycle will continue. Publishers seem to have found the quality threshold people are still willing to pay for. It makes me mad but I can't control what other people do with their money...

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago

Just made me think of the quote: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.”

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Used to work in a lab. We had a Dr. that was so computer dumb. We downloaded an "error msg" screensaver. Messages were unclickable. We watched this fool click for like a min, on nonsense errors.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I feel like this exact post is several years old....

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

More than 2

[–] [email protected] -3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

We are not your QA. If you want us to be, pay us.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

All users are basically QA after QA in any type of product