How to report a problem in the Unity3D forums

Many people struggle with properly reporting a problem on the Unity3D forums. This post is to try and help you get it right and speed up your return to success.

Step 1. Choose a good subject line. Don’t choose “Help!” or “Doesn’t work” Instead say “Need help with inventory system” or “Getting an X error when I pick up an item.”

Step 2. Do a little bit of basic research on your own. Double-click the actual error and try to see what code it relates to. Google the error text itself. Read at least two or three results. You will NEVER be the first person to have this error, trust me.

Step 3. Identify at least the ballpark area where the error is in your code. Extract the relevant section of code, as little as you think will show the problem, and post it here. If you don’t post code, we can’t help you. If you post massive amounts of code, we’ll assume you’re not even trying to be helpful. If nothing is happening, use Debug.Log() to find out if your code is even running.

Step 4. When you post code, use CODE tags (in square brackets) to format your code so we can read it. Do not retype your code; use copy / paste-match-style, otherwise you’ll introduce extra typos.

Step 5. Tell us the following things and be very precise:

1. What you think it should be doing

2. What it actually is doing

3. What things you have tried in order to fix it

4. Any other interesting tidbits you think might be relevant

Keep in mind the point of the Unity forum is not for us to write your script for you. It’s for YOU to write your script, and when you get into trouble, come ask questions in the forums, paying attention to the notes above.

Also if you are following a tutorial, none of us here are going to go and try out the tutorial to see where you have the problem. It falls on you to first understand it well enough to present your issue in terms of the above requirements, otherwise we simply are not going to be able to help you.

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One thought on “How to report a problem in the Unity3D forums”

  1. Kurt,
    This is great advice and a great way to share widely applicable help.
    I’m ceaselessly amazed at your stamina in answering questions on the Unity forums, clearly and precisely.
    Keep it up!

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