4 Items for the Developer to Address During Lotcheck

Even after submitting the master ROM to Lotcheck, there are still items on NDP that require developer operation.

During the Lotcheck process, Nintendo contacts the developer to ask questions, report problems with the information entered in NDP, and report issues as needed. This information is required in order to progress with Lotcheck and make judgments, so please respond as soon as possible. Aim to respond or send handling methods within two business days after a report is posted.

Lotcheck is paused until the issues are handled by the developer. For example, if you respond the day a report is made, work will resume the next business day. However, if a response is made two business days after the report is made, work will resume three days after the report. We ask for your cooperation so that release schedules are not affected.

Contents

Lotcheck Process

  • For more information about issues that require developer handling during Lotcheck, see Handling Issues Reported by the Lotcheck Department.
Flow Lotcheck Department Tasks Judgment Contact From Nintendo Handling by Developer
To Proceed To Lotcheck or Release When the Developer Finds a Bug
1. Submission

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Submit to Lotcheck on NDP

(For more information, see Nintendo Switch Master ROM Submission Procedures > Submitting a Master ROM > Submitting to Lotcheck.)

Before submitting to Lotcheck

Upload a version of the ROM with issues fixed, and submit it to Lotcheck. If you have any concerns with your schedule, contact Licensing in advance.
2. Receiving Receive Master ROM

NG, Cancelled, or Suspended may occur during any process.


Selecting Will Fix In ROM for bug reports causes the ROM to fail Lotcheck.

Reports from the Lotcheck Department are made in NDP in Issues > Lotcheck Issues.
There is a report each time a bug occurs.
Create a separate thread for each issue.

Respond to Nintendo bug reports as they are submitted, using the Issues > Lotcheck Issues tab on NDP. If the thread subject contains "question" or "information," you do not need to enter a resolution method.

For more information, see the next section on this page, Handling Issues Reported by the Lotcheck Department.

After submitting to Lotcheck

In NDP > Releases, cancel Lotcheck.

If you have any concerns with your schedule, make sure that you consult with the Licensing Department before canceling.

Verify the master ROM information entered on NDP
3. Preparation Prepare the test environment
4. Testing

Verify compliance with Nintendo Guidelines

Test on retail hardware
5. Judgment

Lotcheck judgment

OK

NG

Cancelled

Suspended

Email notification from NDP (Note: For more information, see 7 Notification Email From NDP.) Only if Lotcheck was passed

If there is a downloadable version, proceed with the release process in NCMS.

After passing Lotcheck

Contact the Licensing Department with a description of the issues. Nintendo provides handling instructions based on the bug description.

Handling Issues Reported by the Lotcheck Department

If any issues are found during Lotcheck, Nintendo reports them to the developer as they occur in the Issues > Lotcheck Issues tab on NDP.

This report requires a response from the developer to progress with Lotcheck and issue judgment.

The following table summarizes the handling methods based on the type of report.

Note

If there are any misunderstandings in the report from the Lotcheck Department, add a comment in the corresponding thread to point out the misunderstandings.

When you do, also provide corrections and describe the reasons, if applicable. In this case, do not select a Resolution.

Note

If the developer does not respond to a report from Lotcheck within a certain period, Nintendo contacts the developer to prompt a response.

If the developer does not respond, Nintendo pauses the Lotcheck process and rejects the submission.


Report Classification Report Overview
Handling by Developer
Reference Pages
1 General Bug/Guidelines Report of bugs or guideline violations found during testing.
  1. Perform reproducibility verification. (Follow the steps as listed in Lotcheck's report to reproduce the issue.)
  2. Post questions to the thread as needed.
  3. Select the resolution that corresponds to the situation.
    1. If you are resubmitting the ROM, select Will Fix in ROM.
      Note: The actual ROM fix does not have to be completed. Select this option when you decide to fix the ROM, and then proceed with the ROM fix later.
    2. When submitting a waiver request, select Temporary Approval or Permanent Approval.
2 Features, Test Scenarios, and Ratings

A report that requires revising Features, Test Scenarios, or Age Rating.

This report occurs when behavior that differs from information entered in NDP is confirmed during testing.

  1. Check the specifications and verify that the correct content is entered.
  2. Post questions to the thread as needed.
  3. If the contents of the report are correct, select Will Fix in Features for Resolution.
    (This operation unlocks all of Features, Test Scenarios, and Age Rating, and enables them to be edited.)
  4. Change the content that requires revision for Features, Test Scenarios, and Age Rating. When necessary, also change attached files such as save data.
  5. After revising, click Submit Edited Information.
    (This operation confirms the revised content and applies it to the Lotcheck Department page.)

  6. Note: Making a change to the selections on [Features] may affect the number of guidelines with which your application needs to comply. An increase in this number will result in Lotcheck performing additional tests.
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3 Question

A report to resolve questions encountered during testing.

It occurs when checking behavior and specifications.

  • Answer the questions from the Lotcheck Department.
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4 Information

A report containing reference information for creating future patches, user support, and other uses.

No special handling is required for the developer. In addition, testing is not suspended and the progress of Lotcheck is not otherwise affected.

  • None.
    If you have any questions, or if there are any suspected issues with the content of the report, or content that needs to be revised, contact Nintendo via the thread.
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Canceling Lotcheck

If the developer discovers a bug after uploading the master ROM to NDP, the handling procedure is dependent on the timing.

This may affect the release schedule, so refer to each of the following cases and cancel Lotcheck according to the instructions from NDP Licensing.

(Reference: 8 Contacts for Inquiries Before, During, and After Lotcheck Testing)

Case 1: A bug was found before submitting to Lotcheck.

  1. Fix the bug and upload the master ROM again.

  2. If fixing the bug takes time and the ROM cannot be submitted in accordance to the schedule that was reported in advance, consult with NDP Licensing.
    This may affect the release date or production schedule.

Case 2: A bug was discovered after submitting to Lotcheck but before Lotcheck judgment.

To avoid any impact on the release schedule, contact Nintendo about the bug and explain how you intend to proceed.
When reaching out to Nintendo, developers who are advised by NCL personnel need to contact NDP Licensing; developers who are advised by NOA or NOE personnel need to contact the respective Lotcheck department.

If your schedule permits, you can wait until the Lotcheck review has completed before canceling. Waiting enables you to correct other defects that are found during the review process before the next submission to Lotcheck. On the other hand, you can cancel Lotcheck immediately to quickly fix the discovered bug. In that case, use the following procedure.


  1. Click the Cancel Submission button on NDP.



  2. If you are concerned about a possible negative effect on the schedule due to cancellation, contact NDP Licensing with a description of the bug and the schedule for resubmission of the fixed ROM.
    Depending on the resubmission schedule, the release date may need to be pushed back.

  3. After the cancellation processing completes, upload the fixed master ROM again.

    Supplement: If the status becomes Pending Cancellation, cancellation has not completed because Nintendo is verifying the situation.
    After cancellation processing completes, the release status changes to In Development, and the submitted version increments.
    (For more information, see 5 Checking Lotcheck Progress > Status Changes Before and After Submitting to Lotcheck.)

Case 3: A bug was found after passing Lotcheck but before release.

Consult with the NDP Licensing contact.

Judging Lotcheck Result

The following results are possible. You can check in NDP or via notification emails.

For more information, see 5 Checking Lotcheck Progress and 7 Notification Email From NDP.

Judgment (Japanese) Judgment (English) Description
合格 OK The release passed Lotcheck.

不合格

NG The release failed Lotcheck.
キャンセル Cancelled The Lotcheck was canceled based on the partner's report.
中止 Suspended

A problem that would cause the release to fail Lotcheck was discovered, so Lotcheck was suspended.
If there is a request from the partner, the issue will be discussed and Lotcheck resumed.

Note: Prechecks produce this result for judgment if there are no issues to report. There is no pass or fail judgment for precheck.




 


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