[README] How to get your help threads answered faster

[ryuchao009]

How to get your help threads answered faster​

It seems like there's always tons of help threads, but so many of them don't get answered or become flame wars. Hopefully, this guide can help to cut down on that problem.

First, I'm going to go over what not to do. Doing these things tends to annoy people and makes it likely they will either flame you or not help at all.

Things to avoid​

Not searching the help section first​

Someone may have already had the same problem as you. Before you post your question, search for your problem and see if anything comes up. There's nothing more annoying than seeing the same question being asked 100+ times over. Posting questions that have already been answered numerous times tends to lead to getting flamed. You don't want that.

Spamming obnoxious fonts​

Font controls are a nice feature, but if you spam them like crazy, it gets really annoying. There's nothing wrong with using them a little, just don't go overboard on the font size or the color.

Bumping your thread every few hours​

I know you want help just like everyone else, but bumping your thread every few hours isn't likely to get you any good responses. Especially if you post angry comments like "omg why no one help?". This is a development forum, not a 24/7 support forum. People do have lives. Please be patient. Wait a day or two, and if nobody's tried to help, go ahead and bump it.

Not posting anything people can understand​

English isn't everybody's first language, but please don't use google translate and not post any error logs and/or screenshots. Get a friend to help you if possible. If your thread doesn't make sense, it's hard to help. If your English is poor, make sure you provide a screenshot of your error or your error logs so we have something to connect with what you're trying to say.

End of things you should never do​

I'm going to lay down some basic guidelines that should get your help thread answered faster and avoid you getting flamed.

Things you should do​

Be respectful and polite​

No one is required to help you, they're doing it out of the kindness of their heart. Being rude and disrespectful to people only encourages them to flame you or not help them at all.

Try to solve the problem yourself first​

I know that sounds silly, but do everything you can to get it working yourself first. You might have missed something small like a missing ; in a .php file or something. Give it one last try before you ask for help.

Post what you've tried to solve the problem​

One of the biggest things that annoys people is seing posts like "world server won't start why?" or "I can't login help pls". Such posts give the readers absolutely no idea what could be wrong and also show you didn't even try to fix it. We're here to help, not spoonfeed. Yes, there is a difference

Post your error logs​

Error logs are your most valuable resource when you're having problems. Many times the contents of an error log can tell almost exactly where things went wrong

When you post an error log, use code tags. The button to do this is the file icon with a # on it.

example error log file

errors
more errors
more errors
more errors
even more errors

Provide screenshots where appropriate​

You know that old saying "a picture is worth a thousand words"? Somethimes that really is true. If you're having problems with the client but it's not actually crashing, screenshots can help pinpoint the problem. Just don't go overboard and spam images on a thread.

This guide will be edited/improved as needed. Happy deving and flyffing and remember to have fun! :laugh:

Credits​

DiamondKing - for the idea
Me - for taking the time to write this

@mods
I wasn't sure if you'd want this here or in the help section itself, so move it as you see fit. You can make it all nice and sexy too if you want since I fail at formatting :tongue: