TL;DR

• If you want me to read it, post your issue on our GitHub page[github.com].
  
• I only care about issues you can reproduce. "It happened once" is useless information and will be ignored.
  
• Before anything, UNLOAD ALL other mods (except dependencies), and make sure you're getting the issue with just this mod and, if that's the case, that ONE other mod that's causing a conflict.
  
• Follow the Express Troubleshooting Method detailed below to do that efficiently.
  
• Simply pasting an error text accomplishes nothing. Always grab the full ctrl+F12 log.
  
• Keep the bugged save file around, I might ask for it.

Your help squashing bugs and improving performance is greatly appreciated. If you are experiencing a glitch, unreasonable lag, or if you stumbled on an error you think was caused by this mod, please try this:

Since Steam doesn't really offer a good way of tracking errors, I use this feature on GitHub[github.com], which makes it much easier to communicate. Please, help me keep my sanity by referring there for any issues you might have. If it's already there, maybe you can add some more information. Or else, if you believe you found something new, then keep reading to see what I need you to do.

This way you can always find that bug again when you want to test it out and check if it's solved. Also, I might ask you to send me this file to investigate the issue. Put that in a separate file, and make a copy of your last autosave as well, if you can (sometimes it is necessary to step back to hunt for a bug).

RimWorld's save files are typically found at C:\Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\LocalLow\Ludeon Studios\RimWorld by Ludeon Studios\Saves. If you're in a permadeth game, you can turn that off by editing the file on a text editor. Look for <permadeathMode> and replace "true" with "false".

This might sound dumb, but many people skip the basics and go straight to complaining. So, please, don't be that guy: double check if you're running the latest version for both RimWorld and this mod (check here), double check if this mod is loaded in the correct order (the mods menu will tell you that) and that you have either ResearchTree or ResearchPal installed.

If you're a regular RimWorld player you're probably using a lot of other mods. While that makes for a great game, it also introduces a ton of possible failure points. Before I can be of any help, I need to know where the problem is coming from, and you are the only one who can figure it out! The way to do that is by testing if the error still happens when other mods are off. Here's what you gotta do:

1. Reset your mod list to only Harmony, the Core, HugsLib and Research Tree/Pal followed by this mod, and restart.
   
2. If your issue occurs in-game, turn on the developer tools on options and click on that quickstart button at the top of your screen to generate a new game quickly (pick the smallest map for speed).
   
3. Try to reproduce what you were doing when the error happened. In game, use the god mode if you have to build stuff and the debug actions menu if you need to. If its an error on load, you can save this game and try reloading it to test it out. If it doesn't happen, then it's something else. In that case:
   
4. Back on the mod list, try adding any other mod you were using. Ideally, add one by one, restarting and repeating the last step until you cause that error again. But if you have too many mods for that, try this:

Express Troubleshooting Method

1. If you didn't already, subscribe to Mod Manager or RimPy. Those will allow you to save mod lists and load many mods at a time. RimPy will require you to download and install an external application, but it's worth it, I promise.
   
2. Save a list with those basic mods from step 1, maybe with other core dependencies the other mods might need to run.
   
3. Load half the other mods. Say you have 100 mods, load #1 through #50. Then test for the issue. If it didn't happen, then reduce back to the basics and load mods 51 - 100. Test again. Now you know which half causes the problem, focus on that.
   
4. Say your problem was in the first half: now load 1-25 and test. Then 25-50. Again, focus on the half that manifests the problem and repeat.
   
5. Do this until you nail the conflicting mod. It shouldn't take long, as each time you restart you're loading less mods. ;-)

If you can't reproduce it, even with your full mod list reloaded, maybe you already fixed it! In that case, just keep your eyes open. If it happens again, take note of what was happening at the time and try again.

For the most part, I pretty much can't do anything without some basic info on what was going on in your system when the error happened. Luckily, HugsLib has this neat feature that allows you to upload an error log without ever leaving the game! When the error pops up, hit CTRL+F12, click on "upload" and copy that link! (If for whatever reason you can't upload, uncheck "use recommended settings", copy the log to the clipboard and paste it to a sharing site.)

Now you're ready to report an issue[github.com]. Please, include info on what the problem is, what you were doing when it happened and, if another mod is involved, a link to it.

Also, don't hesitate to leave a note if you're having any difficulty with this.

Thanks!