Dear Foundry Community,
First of all thanks for all the support you show to the community of volunteer developers which work to make our favorite VTT even better with a host of systems, modules, content packs, and more.
The League of Extraordinary Foundry VTT Developers has a gentle reminder for you:
Developers are People Too
We are tinkers, artificers, wizards, and we do this code-craft as a hobby. Our hobbies consume our free time, and we offer the fruits of our free time up to the world for free (some of us have ways in which you can support our efforts monetarily, but the vast majority of us do not).
Our free time is as limited as your own, and as 0.8 enters Beta I want to remind you that many Systems and Modules will require some work to be compatible with this major core update. There will be issues, some small, some large, with the systems you rely on and the modules you love.
Do not update your game and expect things to work.
Do not rush to the repository of the Open Source System or Module to create a hasty and unhelpful “This is broken in 0.8.2” report.
Do not be demanding of the free time we voluntarily pump into this hobby.
Be patient. Be helpful.
I can assure you that there isn’t a package dev out there who isn’t worried about what 0.8 will break in their beloved works of art. Some may have already tested and fixed things, but many haven’t. I can confidently say most of us are excited about the new APIs and possibilities that 0.8 brings, but it will take time and effort to update our packages.
How can you help?
If you are adventurous, make a backup of your world and update in such a way that you can revert for your normal game. Then test your systems or modules in a methodical way, one at a time, and make note of any broken features. Below are the hallmarks of a useful bug report, if you can open an issue for any un-reported problems with the system or modules you test, this will truly be a help.
- Ensure the issue isn’t already reported on the repository. If it is, simply reacting to it with a đź‘Ť is enough to tell the dev that you’ve encountered the issue as well.
- Provide specific steps you can consistently reproduce the issue with.
- Show any screenshots that help explain the problem, or videos if you have that ability.
- Provide any relevant settings for the module, system, or core that seem related to the issue you’re encountering.
- Check the Developer Console (try F12) for any big red errors, if there are some, include a screenshot of them in your report.
- These reports help the developer know what is broken and offering to help test fixes goes a long way.
Sincerely,
Calego “ElfFriend” on behalf of all Module and System developers.
P.S. If you’re a system or module developer and you aren’t already part of the League, by all means join us on discord. We’re all in this together, and by our powers combined we can help the work go smoother.
Author
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I make modules for Foundry VTT and help out in the League of Extraordinary Foundry VTT Developers.
https://www.patreon.com/ElfFriend_DnD
Some of them are fruits.
Wonderful article, and a very good message.
I have had far more positive experiences with users of my modules than negative experiences – lot’s of wonderful people needing a little extra help and more often than not I jump in to help them as soon as I possibly can.
However, I have encountered a few instances where users make demands and treat me like I’m their own paid support engineer who doesn’t even warrant a “hello” before he must fix this bug just before their next session (side note, don’t treat your support like this even if you do pay them)
These interactions were one of the big contrbutors of a major burnout for me, and I had to take a few months off from module development.
General words/gestures of encouragement are greatly appreciated by many of us, whether that be via donation, endorsements and comments on Foundry Hub, or recommending our modules to others on the Discord.
Small ko-fi donations are worth so much more than the monetary value to me – making $5 through ko-fi feels like hundreds – it’s the fact that a user has enjoyed the work I’ve done enough to throw some money at it.
Again, this community at large is amazing, filled with lots of understanding GMs and amazing developers, all regularly helping each other out and making amazing things. Keep the good vibes flowing, stay patient, and tell someone “Hey, that’s awesome!” today!
I must say that I am *amazed* by the speed of development and compassion shown by all the developers – it was actually one of the reasons I decided to buy Foundry: While still being in my decision phase, within a few days the number of available game systems and addons was increasing *so* rapidly, it was awsome! It was clear that this is an enthusiastic, committed community that has created a unique ecosystem. And most of it even for free! Especially if I look at the latter fact, along with that these are all hobbyists (mainly at least), I am just humbled and grateful. It would never occur to me to be angry with any module developer. I have a few modules I came to like which no longer are supported – thats life. I cannot raise any demands – it’s free, it’s willingly given, but if it no longer is – thats it! People’s lives change, time may need to be devoted to other things – if you think a orphaned module is worth being maintained – do it yourself or keep your mouth shut 🙂
No really, a BIG THANK YOU to all the developers, I am nothing but grateful, keep up the great work!