Obligatory platform prefix in Bug reports

[Quirinea]

I was reporting a bug (or rather a dialogue glitch) that was platform-independent. The platform-prefix is obligatory and there was no possibility for "All", "Several" or the like. I put in Windows for the probably largest audience, though I'm a linux user. Could the possibility for "Multiple" or like be added? I can see why the platform is needed for a bug report as most actual bugs depend on platform and that forces people to see that it should be mentioned.

 

[Magically Clueless]

We'll think about it! I think the main issue is that we want to make sure people list a platform, and something like "all/several" can be vague or have people not describe the device they're on. For the bug you're experiencing, you can use the prefix of the platform you found the bug on, but mention that you think this affects other platforms too

 

[Quirinea]

In this case the problem is that if I put in "Linux" for a bug or glitch that obviously concerns more platforms, most people probably skip it, as I know I'm i a minority. Actually Linux/Windows and even Mac usually have the same problems!
Hmmm. Adding something like "PC" (opposed to mobile) would also help.
I think Mac/Windows/Linux is one version and the mobile version another?

 

[Odin]

I think Mac/Windows/Linux is one version and the mobile version another?

Well, simply running the same game on a different platform can result in issues. As someone that plays Stardew on macOS, there are plenty of times I've spotted bugs that do not occur on Windows or Linux. The problem with offering the option of a general "mobile" prefix is that if someone selects that and then doesn't mention they are playing on Android, and they are reporting a bug that only happens on Android, that missing information can slow down the process of identifying and resolving the issue.

I think that unfortunately as long as posts can only have one prefix, the options we have for the Help & Bug Reports section will always be slightly imperfect.

 

[FilthyGorilla]

Yeah I'll add on as someone who does a lot of bug finding and reporting, they're inherently flaws to do with the game or interactions with the device and instance it's running.

Often it's much better to report that specific platform because a dev can go in, see where the issue lies, and then work outwards (such as to other platforms if it's something internally). This is opposed to them having to work inwards, trying to find what platform this bug was on when a user invetiably just uses a general tag and doesn't specify.
While it may seem beneficial to report a bug for a whole slew of platforms, the practical benefit is minor when the dev is troubleshooting the issue in the end and doesn't outweigh the cost (similarly small but still worth considering) of potentially having to try and get a secondary response out of the reporter, look through a bunch of platforms, etc.