# BetaHub Guide for Game Testers

Welcome to our guide concerning the BetaHub service. BetaHub is a place where you can report bugs in the projects you've joined as a member. Proper bug reporting is essential for game developers, though the process can be somewhat complicated. Our goal at BetaHub is to facilitate this task for testers and developers alike, thanks to strong integration with GPT technology.

### Participating in a Project

While you can report bugs exclusively through the Discord bot, doing so can limit your capabilities. Participating directly in a project grants you a broader range of options:

- You have the facility to report bugs directly via the website.
- You can edit your bug reports as necessary.
- You can enhance your reports by adding screenshots, video recordings, and log files, significantly augmenting their usefulness.
- You get access to a tester profile along with a portfolio, which can be an impressive showcase to share with your friends.

Projects on the platform are either **public** or **private**. Joining any **public** project is a straightforward process - just visit the project's page and click on the **Join Project** button.


For **private** projects, you need an invitation. You can either seek out or request the invitation link. Once you have it, just click on the link and accept the invitation!

## Game Download

If you don't have the game yet, you can download it by clicking the **Download** button located in the top-right corner of the game project page.


## Bug Reporting

### Via Discord

Bug reporting is possible even without formally joining a project. If you're on the game's Discord channel and you notice a bot named **BetaHub Bot** in the participants' list, you can report a bug by typing `/report` where you usually write messages.

The bot will take your report and kindly thank you, sending you a link to your new report. If something's off with the report description, the bot will indicate what you should correct.


### Reporting Bugs via the Website

To report a bug through the website, click the **Report Bug** button located on the right side of the project's main page:


You will be redirected to the bug report form. But before you start describing the problem, pay attention to the indicator located on the right side - **Submission Strength**.


This indicator continually assesses the quality of your submission and suggests how you can improve it. The algorithm that powers it does not use artificial intelligence, so treat these suggestions with a grain of salt and don't add irrelevant information to the report just because the system suggests it to improve "Submission Strength".

#### Main Form


- **Explanation** - as best you can, in your own words, describe the problem. This description will determine how your report is titled and what priority it will receive.
- **Steps to Reproduce** - if the error is reproducible, provide the steps that lead to it here. More steps will appear as you start filling in the form.
- **Related Version** - specify the game version in which the error occurred.
- **Tested on** - choose the device on which you found the error. If your account is newly created, create a new device by clicking on the link in the description. After adding a new device, refresh the list without leaving the report page.

#### Adding Screenshots

If the error is visual, there's an option to add a screenshot on the right side of the screen:


Clicking "Attach Screenshot" will direct you to a simple file selection form:


Attach the screenshot you prepared earlier, and upon pressing the **Submit** button, you will be taken to the screenshot editor:


On this page, you should use the drawing tool to highlight relevant parts of the image (if they might be overlooked by the game creator), add a comment, and approve the file. It will then be attached to your report!

#### Adding Video Files

Similar to screenshots, you can attach video files:


The file upload form will ask you to select a file from your disk.


Remember to ensure the video file isn't too large. There isn't technically a file size limit, but the server hosting BetaHub may disconnect the connection if the file upload takes too long. If this happens, you'll need to attempt uploading the file again, preferably after reducing its size. This issue will be addressed in future versions of BetaHub.

If the uploaded video file requires transcoding to a different format to be playable in the web browser, you'll see a message like this:


You can leave the page without waiting for the video to process, or wait to see how the processing information automatically changes to a video player:


#### Log Files

The last type of file you can attach to the report are log files.


The form looks similar to other file forms, but in addition to attaching the file, you'll be asked to confirm that the file was retrieved immediately after noticing the error. This is crucial as some engines clear their log files between game launches.


## The Further Lifecycle of a Bug Report

A reported bug receives a **New** or **Duplicate** status, depending on whether a report of a similar bug already existed.

In BetaHub, reporting duplicates is a positive! Each duplicate elevates the original bug report in the list of all reports, increasing its chances of being resolved before other bugs.

The developer can take several actions regarding your report:

1. They can request additional information from you. In such a case, you will receive webpage notification and an e-mail or a Discord message (if enabled) that the game creator needs more information from you. You can then use the included link to quickly return to your report and supplement what you've been asked for.
2. They can change the status, assigned person, or due date of the report. All of this may provide information for you about the progress on your report.
3. They can comment on the report to start a discussion with you about the reported issue.

We hope that you'll stay active after reporting an issue and contribute to the development of the projects in which you're participating!

## FAQ

#### I don't want to report a bug, but I want to suggest a change or improvement. Where can I do that?

Currently, BetaHub only accepts bug reports. We don't mix other categories here due to potential organizational difficulties. However, in the near future, there are plans to introduce the ability to suggest changes and improvements in a form slightly different from bug reporting.

#### I found a bug in BetaHub. What now?

Great! You can report it directly through BetaHub here: https://app.betahub.io/feedback or join our Discord server if you'd like to stay updated with news: https://discord.gg/g2wpRtG.

## Need Help?

[Join our Discord channel](https://discord.gg/g2wpRtG) and send a message, we're happy to help!