(NOTE: Please don't quote this post so I can edit it later if needed be)
This is a small set of recommendations drawn from what I accumulated in experience while beta testing Mystic Ark. It was an all new and gigantic endeavor to me and as such, I saw myself in the contingency of creating a sort of organizational model for my work files, so I wouldn't get utterly lost.
1) Emulators
The emulator of choice for usage should be concurred before beta testing begins if possible. Doing so will save time as migration can be tedious and confusing even.
The emulator used for mainstream testing should focus on accuracy if possible to avoid rendundancy when testing issues, although isolated testing can and should be performed in more than one emulator when trying to determine the origin of a problem.
2) Save Files
Most emulators function with two kinds of data backup:
SRAM: This is the file used by the real SNES to retrieve data, its fetched from a circuit in the cartridge. The file is very small (8 KB) and any emulator can recognize it.
Save-State: This is a much larger file (size varies depending on emulator) and represents the exact spot at which it was made (hence its also called freeze file or snapshot).
This is important when testing and bug fixing because it traps not only the game location but also the state of memory at that point, so it can be viewed in a debugger to detect a problem. The reason why a common emulator should be chosen for mainstream testing is exactly this - most emulators do not have save-state interchangeability.
3) Organization
Once an emulator is chosen and test ensues, one should be mindful as they organize their progress. I'd like to suggest folders and sub folders are to be made for that purpose and that they are named sensibly to represent what they contain.
Copies of save-states regarding to that part should be copied to the folders for safe keeping. Note that renaming the save states themselves is counter-productive, as the emulator associates the ROM name to the save-state name to perform the loading, that's why folders are preferrable.
Example: Consider I'm beta-testing Slayers and I just fell into the Goblin Pit. I then save a state. What I do now to make sure this point will be avaliable for later testing is create a separate folder called Goblin Pit and copy/paste the state to there. With that point secured, I can continue to play as normal.
Again, make sure to leave the state file name as is, use the folders to discriminate what each represents. If your file name is called Slayers-E.smc, all save states will have that name, that is fine, just make sure each save state is in a folder that explains what it is.
4) Reporting
When reporting use a file format that can be easily read and is as universal as possible, RTF for example since it allows a degree of formatting. Also, number your issues and give a brief explanation on what is observed and how and when it occurred, also making sure to provide screenshots for each issue (number them accordingly) and make them as small as possible to facilitate transmission (in other words, avoid bitmap at all costs).
Last but not least, make sure your reports themselves are numbered and dated (two digits for each part is fine, let's set the format as DD-MM-YY unless someone objects).
That should cover the basics, if any of the beta testers or admins have a problem or doubt with these guidelines, let me know so I can change them.
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