Help:Style guide/Bugs

Bugs in Team Fortress 2 are classified as behaviour of in-game things (weapons, cosmetic items, in-game mechanics, map features, etc.) that were not intended by the developers. This can range from harmless bugs such as the Payload cart flipping suddenly, to bugs that can impact your game quite a bit such as certain doorways being visually solid, but not having any collision, in Pyroland on Mercenary Park.

The definition of bugs can also be stretched to include oversights, such as the lack of a func_nobuild in an early version of Wutville. This is not a behaviour malfunction, but rather the developer forgetting something. It's expected that spawnrooms are exempt from being built in, unless mentioned otherwise (such as an outline on the floor and a sign saying "Teleporters here").

Notability

The following are guidelines on when bugs are and aren't notable. Bugs should only be on the page if they are notable. The general purpose of the bugs section should be for players to see if what they experienced is intended or not and serve as a place that players can learn certain things to avoid doing in order to not affect their game.

Bugs should be unintended behaviour, not a (hidden) mechanic.

Good example: While equipped, this set reduces the time taken to consume a lunchbox item, such as the Sandvich. This is due to the set taunt replacing the standard eating animation. However, this does not speed up the Sandvich's healing rate. Therefore, only 225 health will be healed after eaten instead of the full health received without the set equipped. (From FrankenHeavy)
Explanation: This bug is a result of the default taunt of the Sandvich also healing the player, it being replaced with a faster taunt means less health is gained.

Bad example: When a Medic uses ÜberCharge when on fire, critical hit resistance will be reduced from 100% to 80%. This results in items such as the Backburner and Phlogistinator being able to "pierce" through the Vaccinator's ÜberCharge. (Removed from Vaccinator)
Explanation: This is an intended mechanic; a flamethrower's flames reduce the effect of resistance shields and healing.

Minor bugs or bugs that happen with a lot of items should not be noted to keep the list from becoming too long and cluttered.

Good example: If the player has their model quality set to medium or lower, the Scout will not break open the Shortstop during reloading or inspecting. (From Shortstop)
Explanation: This is a visual bug that is notable, because it makes it more difficult to see when the gun is close to finishing its reload due to the fact that you cannot see the gun close.

Bad example: When the rocket jumper reloads the hand clips through the orange part at the tip. [...] (Removed from Rocket Jumper)
Explanation: This is a visual bug that's known as "clipping". Clipping happens often with weapons and cosmetics alike and is not noteworthy.

Bugs that affect gameplay in any meaningful way should be noted.

Good example: When throwing the Mad Milk on the ground on a ramped surface or while Scout is running, there is a possibility that the Mad Milk will roll first before shattering, thus delaying the effects that come with it. (From Mad Milk)
Explanation: This bug has gameplay consequences, as an enemy player standing on a ramped surface may not be affected by the Mad Milk if thrown on the ground due to this bug. The player can then try and aim for a nearby wall or try to hit the enemy themselves to get around this bug.

Bad example: When the Boost Meter has been completely filled, the bar on the HUD does not fully reach the end of the meter. (Removed from Baby Face's Blaster)
Explanation: While this bug may have gameplay consequences (the player thinking you may not have filled the boost in its entirety), the actual difference between the end of the bar and the maximum boost you can get is a few pixels wide. It can be understood after only one or two times of checking the bar with full boost that this is an incredibly minor visual bug.

Bugs should be able to happen while playing a regular, non-modified game/server.

Good example: The Festive variant does not appear when inspected from the Backpack menu. (From Axtinguisher)
Explanation: This bug happens on the default HUD, therefore it can be replicated in a regular, non-modified game/server.

Bad example: When you switch to the Gloves of Running Urgently in the loadout menu, then press the button to change your model from Team RED to Team BLU, the flame pattern will disappear, essentially making it seem that you instead have the Killing Gloves of Boxing equipped. (Removed from Gloves of Running Urgently)
Explanation: This bug is only possible with a custom heads-up display installed. The default HUD does not come with a button to change the model from RED to BLU in the Loadout menu, however, a lot of custom HUDs do.

Listed Bugs should be current.

The Bugs section should only contain bugs that are possible in the current version of the game. If the patch notes lists a bug as fixed, it will be considered fixed and subsequently removed from the Wiki until proven otherwise.

Bugs should not be caused by changing values lower or higher than the intended minimum or maximum respectively (regardless of the command's max accepted value).

A good example of these kinds of bugs are any kind of viewmodel bugs that involve having the fov set higher than 70. In the game's settings menu, the max accepted value is 70, setting this to a higher value is not intended and produces artifacts such as hands, arms, or bullets that are normally off-screen to appear.

Bad example: At higher field-of-views, the bullets from the Shortstop can be seen in the lower middle of the screen. (Removed from Shortstop)

If you are unsure, you can always bring it up on the talk page. Editors will be more than happy to assist in the process.

How and where to submit bugs

Where?

Submit a bug where the cause of the issue lies under the Bugs section. Bugs should only be mentioned once in the broadest topic affected by the bug.

Example: In the rooms with the ramp to the catwalks, it is possible for Engineers to trap people by putting a teleporter under the ramp [...] (Removed from Granary (Arena))

This bug is not a bug with the map, but rather a bug with the Teleporter's hidden feature of detonating when a player would get stuck in the geometry and should be noted on the Teleporter page instead. Rather than listing every map that has a spot for this, the bug is listed once on the Teleporter page.

How?

Submit a bug under the Bugs section, or make a section if it doesn't exist yet. Describe the bug as accurately as possible, while also keeping it short enough to not bore the reader. If you know, include steps on how to reproduce the bug. Speculation as to why a bug happens is not necessary, only add it if it is confirmed this is the cause. However: if a bug gives any advantage over other players (such as changing the pose of the model to that of the ConTracker inspection pose, while not having the hitbox change), these reproduction steps are not necessary as it would promote exploiting.

And finally, the most important step: link to a video (if possible and needed, a timestamp to where the bug is showcased) or an image (only if a video is unnecessary, such as an item not being visible in the Backpack inspection feature) in the edit summary that shows off the recently-added bug. It is required to archive this image on a website such as archive.org so it will always be available. Avoid using a video link that downloads the file, and avoid using an image link that expires quickly (such as a Discord link). Once a bug has been verified, it is considered verified until proven otherwise. This means that even if a video is taken down, if it was verified at the time it was added, it will not be removed. The only exception to this rule is when a patch note mentions a certain bug as fixed, it is assumed as fixed until proven otherwise. If proof is not provided, the edit will be undone.

Some bugs may not have exact steps to reproduce it or may be a rare bug. If you believe that a listed bug has been fixed, it is preferred to bring it up on the talk page on how to proceed. Generally, adding the diff of the edit that added the bug in the summary and removing the bug should be enough is the correct way to remove rare/unreproducable bugs.

Citing bugs

When adding or changing a bug, provide proof that the bug or changes to the bug are actually true: This goes for any bug, no matter how small (as long as it is notable). For bug changes, any kind of change or addition to how a bug is triggered or to the outcome of a bug requires reverification. If a bug is simply being reworded to be simpler or more clear, reverification is not needed.

Example: If the player opens the taunt menu, then opens the Jungle Inferno ConTracker, then closes the ConTracker while at the same time pressing the key to use a taunt, [...] to If the player quickly opens and closes the Jungle Inferno ConTracker, then taunts during the contractor animation (From Jungle Inferno ConTracker)

This has changed how the bug is performed and therefore requires reverification.

Reporting bugs to Valve

Although entirely optional, you can report bugs to Valve on GitHub here by clicking "New issue" on the right, or by sending an e-mail to the TF Team here. When reporting a bug on GitHub, make sure to read the guide on how to before doing so.

See also

• Style guide