The QA Lodge

[Silthe]

Welcome to the grand reopening of the QA Lodge! This is the place to ask whether something is a bug or not when you're not entirely certain. It is also a place where you can ask about the status of a known bug and if/when it can be expected to get fixed. Remember, this is not the place to report bugs, you'll still need to continue reporting them through the bug reporting system in game.

We ask that visitors to the Lodge please check the Known Issues list before entering the discussion.

QA Lodge Links:

• Recent QA News - A running collection of any significant responses/information from QA team members.
• Q&A with QA - Common questions and common mistaken bugs sent to the QA department with answers!
• Rules for Lodge Guests - It's important to follow the rules of the Lodge if you'd like to continue to enjoy your stay!
• The Known Issues List - Remember to stop by the Known Issues list before diving into the discussion!
• A Short Guide to the Bug Reporting System - An explanation of how, when, and why to use the bug reporting form.

[Silthe]

We'll be collecting the more interesting and relevant answers in this post and updating it semi-regularly so there will be one place where everyone can see recent responses to questions posted in this thread.

(Last Updated 10-8-08)

• IMPORTANT - If you need in-game support, you need to open a help ticket, not a bug report. We get frequent requests for help, many sounding very frustrated, through the bug reporting tool. We often don't see these until a day after they've been filed and there's often nothing we can do about it. The Bug reporting tool is not for requesting help! It's for bug reporting only. Do not ever expect to get a response. Please request help through the appropriate channel. If not for yourself, do it for us -- we hate seeing a desperate plea for help a day after it was submitted.
• Patch 7.0.2 is now available!
• Bane handwraps will be making a return to a loot table near you in an upcoming release
• NEW - Coming soon you might notice that bearded devils correctly obey their teleport delay timer.

[Silthe]

Here we will cover common questions asked about QA in DDO. We will also cover common reports on "mistaken" bugs - things that are not bugs, but can easily be mistaken for bugs by people not that familiar with the game rules.

(updated 1/20/09)


Gameplay Issues

Q: My Ranger has a Spot of 30+ but I still can't spot most traps. I know Spot is working since I notice secret doors fine. Why are Trap DC's so high that I can't find them?

A: In our adaptation of the Pencil and Paper rules, we have expanded the Rogue's Trapfinding ability to affect Spot as well as Search. That means that you need to have Trapfinding in order to Spot traps with a DC higher than 20.

Q: I've got an item that claims to give me damage reduction against slashing weapons, but my character sheet is telling me I have DR against piercing and bludgeoning instead. Why are Axeblock items broken?

A: They're not, it's working fine. Here's the description of Damage Reduction paraphrased from the D&D Player's Handbook:

"The number in a creature's damage reduction is the amount of hit points of damage the creature ignores. The information after the slash indicates the type of weapon that overcomes the damage reduction. Some damage reduction, such as that of a barbarian, is not overcome by any type of weapon."

This means that a DR rating of 5/piercing, bludgeoning is telling you that you will ignore the first 5 points of damage from any physical attack except those delivered with a piercing or bludgeoning weapon. In other words, you are protected from the first five points of slashing damage.

Q: I just completed a raid and my quest counter didn't increase. I'm almost to my 20th completion, but now the counter stopped working. Am I going to lose my reward for 20 completions?

A: You've capped your experience points, haven't you? And you’re looking at your Experience Report, aren’t you? The part that says, “You repeated this quest # times,” right?

Don’t.

That counter only records the amount of times you’ve repeated a quest for purposes of calculating the XP penalty for that quest. If you’ve done the quest too many times, you start getting penalized. This also means that if you have capped your XP this number will no longer increase, so you don’t get penalized when you’re not actually getting any XP for completing the quest.

Please use the '/quest completions' command in the chat bar. This will give you the actual times you’ve completed a raid so you know when you’re nearing the 20th mark.

Q: I took the second level of Arcane Fluidity but my Arcane Spell Failure chance is still only reduced by 5%! Is the enhancement broken?

A: The Enhancement is working correctly. The first level of Arcane Fluidity reduces the Arcane Spell Failure by 5% while wearing Light armor. You may have noticed that it has no effect on you while wearing Medium or Heavy armor. The second level of Arcane Fluidity reduces the ASF chance by 5% while wearing Light and Medium armor. This does not stack with the first enchancement, it just allows the 5% reduction to apply while wearing medium armor.

Stacking rules are pretty complex in DDO and the variety of enhancements only complicates things. Please be sure to read each enhancement carefully before spending any Action Points on them.

Q: I'm trying to level my character and the trainer won't let me select a Feat. I can't finish training without picking a Feat, but none of them work. What gives?

A: This is mostly from Rangers trying to train 15th level, but is more understandable from 3rd level characters just multi-classing to a first level Ranger. The problem is that the trainer wants you to pick a Favored Enemy Feat, but the Favored Enemy list is collapsed so that you aren't noticing that those Feats are yellow. Click on the button to expand the Favored Enemy list and select one of those Feats to continue training.

Q: Why am I not getting my full Dexterity bonus to Armor Class?

A: Aside from standard game rules reasons (such as wearing Armor that limits your dex modifier) this is commonly a problem with your encumbrance. Dexterity bonus to AC is capped to 3 when carrying a medium load and 1 when carrying a heavy load. If your AC isn't adding up, check your encumbrance level.

Q: My attack bonus is in the negatives, even though it should be +whatever due to my Base Attack Bonus, Feats, weapon, etc... What gives??

A: Please make sure Defensive Fighting, Combat Expertise, or any other "Combat Mode" isn't activated as they provide a penalty to your attack bonus. Remember that these abilities can be turned on, even if you've dragged them off your hotbars. Remember to turn off abilities when you move them off your hotbars to avoid confusion.

Q: I'm not getting favor for a quest I just completed. What gives?

A: There are two possible causes for this. One is that you're too low a level for the quest to show up in your Adventure Compendium (the star on your menu bar in game). You generally can't see a quest that's more than 2 levels higher than you. Rest assured that the favor is being added, and you'll see it once you gain a few levels. The other possibility is that occasionally with certain quests the favor does not appear right after you complete the quest, even though it is being awarded correctly. You will likely have to log out and back in for any visual change to take place.

Q: An Enhancement isn't available, even though I have all the prerequisites.

A: Are you multi-classed with another class that gives the same enhancement? If you already have it from another class, you can't select it twice.


Bug Reporting

Q: How do I report a bug? Should I report it here on the forums?

A: To report a bug, you'll need to use the help panel in game, and select the option "Report a Bug." Alternatively, you can click on the "Submit a Bug" link towards the top of this page to arrive at the same reporting tool. Be sure to fill out as many details as you can to help us understand the issue. Don't rely on the forums to report your bugs. Using the bug-reporting tool ensures that the bugs are brought to the attention of the QA department. For more information on how to report bugs, there is a very informative article available here.

Q: How many bug reports should I send? Should I send a bug report each time the bug happens or just the first time?

A: Once per issue is usually sufficient. The only times a second report would be useful is if you have discovered new information that could help us identify the precise problem, or after a release in which we claim to have fixed the problem. Clearly if we think we fixed it but it's still happening, we need to hear about it again.

Q: How do I know if my bug has been received - do I get a response?

A: When you submit a bug report, you'll receive a confirmation screen that your report went through. On rare occasions, you may be asked for more information, but only if you've provided a contact email address or some other means to reach you. This is only done if the bug you've submitted is extremely difficult for our QA department to reproduce, and we need more details to determine how it is occurring. If you're curious about the status of a bug you submitted, you can check the Known Issues list, the Release Notes, and even the QA Lodge for news and updates. Please keep in mind that not all bugs will be listed in these places, but that does not mean we have not received your bug report.

[Silthe]

We ask that visitors to the QA Lodge please adhere to the following Lodge rules:

- DO post about actual bugs in the game, not design decisions.
- DO post asking whether an issue is intended or is, in fact, a bug.
- DO post about old issues that seem like they’ve been around forever. There’s no retirement age for issues that interrupt your play experience.

- Do NOT say anything negative about another poster.
- Do NOT use the QA Lodge as a substitute for reporting bugs in game! The reporting tool is still the best and most reliable way to get your issue looked at.
- Do NOT try to argue about how something is implemented. If we say that it’s by design, you can discuss it in the rest of the developer discussion forum, in a constructive manner.
- Do NOT demand responses to your posts. Don’t be surprised if a few days go by between official posts as QA has lots of other things that need to get done before spending time on the forums.

Thank you for your cooperation, and enjoy your stay!

[totmacher]

bug: AC is broken

[Angelus_dead]

bug: AC is broken

This is not a place to complain about design decisions.

[Silthe]

bug: AC is broken

Yes, it was last week but we got the AC repairman in and now it's quite a comfortable temperature in the office.

Thanks for your concern.



~Silthe

[Angelus_dead]

- DO post asking whether an issue is intended or is, in fact, a bug.

Ok, my monk, rogue, and fighter with the GTWF feat are able to force enemies to roll two saving throws from one usage of things like Pain Touch, Assassinate, or Stunning Blow, since the special attack is delivered by both weapons at once. Also my monk gets two blasts of +8 damage from Enduring Strike II, one for each kama. Is this how it's supposed to be, or should I expected it to be nerfed away someday?

[GlassCannon]

Ok, my monk, rogue, and fighter with the GTWF feat are able to force enemies to roll two saving throws from one usage of things like Pain Touch, Assassinate, or Stunning Blow, since the special attack is delivered by both weapons at once. Also my monk gets two blasts of +8 damage from Enduring Strike II, one for each kama. Is this how it's supposed to be, or should I expected it to be nerfed away someday?

This seems similar to something applied during MOD 3 then removed quickly: Two Handed Fighting Secondary Effects on Glancing Blows

[Muirtach]

Ok, my monk, rogue, and fighter with the GTWF feat are able to force enemies to roll two saving throws from one usage of things like Pain Touch, Assassinate, or Stunning Blow, since the special attack is delivered by both weapons at once. Also my monk gets two blasts of +8 damage from Enduring Strike II, one for each kama. Is this how it's supposed to be, or should I expected it to be nerfed away someday?

Same for Smite Evils

[The_Phenx]

Ok, my monk, rogue, and fighter with the GTWF feat are able to force enemies to roll two saving throws from one usage of things like Pain Touch, Assassinate, or Stunning Blow, since the special attack is delivered by both weapons at once. Also my monk gets two blasts of +8 damage from Enduring Strike II, one for each kama. Is this how it's supposed to be, or should I expected it to be nerfed away someday?

It has been this way since beta. If your moving towards an object and hit trip/sutnning blow/sunder really any activatable attack with a twf, both weapons get a roll to execute the move and the monster has to save vs. both attempts. Makes sence to me, since a moving strike attacks with both weapons simultaneously for a -4 to hit.

The bug I believe is that Cleave and Great Cleave only attack with the main weapon, as opposed to with both like they should on twf.

But I could be wrong. Curious to see the dev responce.

[Silthe]

Ok, my monk, rogue, and fighter with the GTWF feat are able to force enemies to roll two saving throws from one usage of things like Pain Touch, Assassinate, or Stunning Blow, since the special attack is delivered by both weapons at once. Also my monk gets two blasts of +8 damage from Enduring Strike II, one for each kama. Is this how it's supposed to be, or should I expected it to be nerfed away someday?

This was unintentional, but we were aware of it before it was released. It is currently being evaluated for balance, but no decision has been reached so far.


~Silthe

[Garth_of_Sarlona]

- DO post about old issues that seem like they’ve been around forever. There’s no retirement age for issues that interrupt your play experience.

Quest entrances still sometimes present the incorrect difficulty when entering an already active instance. This has been in the game since the beginning of time, and still makes me chuckle.

Any news on when/if this will be fixed (maybe along with world peace, pony mounts?)

Garth

[Silthe]

Quest entrances still sometimes present the incorrect difficulty when entering an already active instance. This has been in the game since the beginning of time, and still makes me chuckle.

Any news on when/if this will be fixed (maybe along with world peace, pony mounts?)

Garth

Well, the devs DID look at this recently and determined it wasn't as easy a fix as they'd hoped. Before they got to make any serious headway on it, development on Mod 8 started and a host of higher priority tasks took up their time. But it's still on the list, and the devs I spoke to hope to find some time to take a serious look at it. Once again though, it's losing the priority battle.


~Silthe

[tharveysinjin]

[*]IMPORTANT - we hate seeing a desperate plea for help a day after it was submitted.[/QUOTE]


Unfortunately, it takes about that long to get a response when reporting a problem through the normal means.

[Barron]

Bards now have an arcane check for every spell they cast except dancing ball whether wearing armor or not.

[QuantumFX]

Attacking from stealth mode is not breaking stealth if you connect and kill a creature with DPS. Normally I would think this is a bug but I'm not sure since it could be a change to make the assassinate ability worthwhile.

[Impaqt]

Attacking from stealth mode is not breaking stealth if you connect and kill a creature with DPS. Normally I would think this is a bug but I'm not sure since it could be a change to make the assassinate ability worthwhile.

Sneak attacks no longer automatically draw you out of stealth mode. Note that your target will know where you are and will likely take great offense to being stabbed if you didn’t kill them outright.

ACcording to the release notes, this is an intended change.

[Akhad_Durn]

Been seeing this for a while, have reported it a few time, but haven't seen any comment on it. I think this bug has been around since I started playing (March 2006). Please fix this, since it has persisted for so long, it has become my number one annoyance with the UI.

Issue:

The 'lock toolbars' under the UI options menu doesn't work as I'd expect it should.

Details:

When enabled, toolbars should be totally locked, meaning that all the items in the toolbar are locked into their spots, and the toolbar is locked to a fixed screen location.

There are a couple different ways that this seems to be a bug.
1) Toolbars can be moved when the option is enabled. One edge of the toolbar remains selectable to drag the tool bar around. On horizontal bars this is the bottom edge. On vertical bars this in the right edge (I believe).
2) Items in the toolbars can be moved once. If the item has been moved (mouse dragged) it becomes locked after it has been released. This is at the items origin and destination locations. These now locked locations seem to persist across multiple log-outs and log-ins and changing characters. Reloading the client resets these locked locations to unlocked.

Wishful thinking:

Lock the entirety of the UI, so that nothing can be moved around.

[SqtYork]

I have an eighth level cleric on Gh server. When I earn action points it always the tool time either shows one, even if I have 2+ saved up. It doesn't matter if I logout and log in again.
If I open the Character Windows and select the enhancement tab it displays the correct number of enhancements.