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January 06, 2005

Developing character abilities involves a plethora of interesting challenges. PnP Dungeons & Dragons has the advantage of the greatest rendering engine, the greatest AI algorithms, and the greatest dynamic content generator ever invented – the unbounded human imagination. Needless to say, the bar’s set pretty high.

Implementing the various class features from PnP D&D can get pretty overwhelming at times. Some abilities are easy to carry over, while others create various game design and/or technical challenges. Not that I’m complaining – these challenges give me the opportunity to use my own creativity and imagination to solve problems that I care passionately about.

How do I do this? When I’m asked to implement a feat, skill, or special ability, I start with the exact text from the Player’s Handbook, and then consider the following questions: what does it look like when a character is performing this ability? What does it sound like? How do other characters (and creatures) know you are performing this ability? How do they react to it? How close is our implementation to the PnP rules? Does this make me feel like I am the character class I’m playing? Does it distinguish me from other rolls in the party? Does it interfere with other character abilities? Does it lend itself to roleplaying? Are there exploits in the rules? The ultimate last question is simply: Is it fun?

Most of the team has played D&D since we were kids, and everyone has their own personal interpretations of the D&D ruleset and how character abilities can be implemented. At least a few times a day, I get positive comments and constructive criticism, and once I start heading down the right track with a feature, I get the support of the team. Often the best features are those that everybody was divided on how to implement in the beginning – the more colorful and diverse the ideas are, the better middle ground is discovered. This dynamic tests our assumptions and beliefs (and sometimes our patience), and makes us grow as a game development team. Although the room can get a little tense from time to time, we all are friends at the end of the day because of the mutual respect the team has for its individual members. With so many great ideas flying around, sometimes it is hard to identify the best way to go.

The last challenge I’d like to mention is the most beautiful thing about D&D… the complexity of the rules. D&D has a rich set of rules that try to balance, complement, and empower players to make decisions that are unique and interesting. To accomplish this, an incredible framework of rules (and exceptions to those rules) exists. Several times a day, I reach for the Player’s Handbook to look up rules, and I often find interesting exceptions to the rules that I hadn’t anticipated or remembered. This naturally leads me to feel a little insecure about any sweeping generalized rules that we write in code from day to day. The question always comes up… what if there is some off spell, creature ability, or general condition that trumps this rule? I then find myself going on a great learning adventure trying to find the rule that balances this rule. So anytime I implement a rule, I need to anticipate and find the counterexample.

With each diary entry I write, I’d like to relate something from my PnP experiences with D&D. For this first entry, I’d like to explain the origins of my profile name, “Codog Cuisinart.”

Codog Cuisinart is the name of the PnP character my father played in our ongoing campaigns. As I remember it, Codog was a barbarian that somehow ended up with a girdle of giant strength. He and his band of adventurers were charged with guarding a merchant wagon on a great highway on its way to the Keep on the Borderlands (B1). They were mercilessly ambushed by a raiding group of orcs. The orcs fled into the woods, and the party ran into the woods after them. The diversion worked… the orc leader then hopped on the wagon and began making his way down the path.

Hearing the cart bounce over the rough road, the band of adventurers realized their plight and foolishness. They had no chance of catching up with the wagon and nightfall was soon approaching. With a dazzling idea, Codog grabbed a nearby boulder and hurled it (special ability of the girdle)... with the range and cover factored in, the DM decided that a 19 or better was needed to hit the driver of the wagon. With a stroke of blind luck, my dad rolled a 20 and killed the orc leader with a critical hit. The party saved the precious cargo and reaped the rewards from the merchant. This concluded our gaming session because I was not planning on them being able to stop the wagon. The lesson I learned as a DM was always plan for the lucky roll, no matter how unlikely.

In future Dev Diaries, I'll tell you more about my job, as well as the adventures of Codog Cuisinart and friends. Keep those dice rolling!

Codog Cuisinart