Neverwinter Nights The Witch's Wake Fan-Created Content Profile #5 - Hardcore Rules (HCR)

Fan-Created Content Profile #5 - Hardcore Rules (HCR)

Profile by Rob Bartel, Oct 23 2002

Authors: Archaegeo (William Bryan) and the HCR Team Intended Users: Builders as well as DMs (see below) Download Locations: - HardCore Ruleset homepage

Fan-Created Content & the Witchwork Series:

The Witchwork Series is an official NWN story arc to be released as free, downloadable modules by the BioWare Live Team. Part of our goal with the series is to showcase some of the innovative enhancements and systems being developed by members of our steadily growing fan community. Each of the profiles that we release over the weeks leading up to first module’s release will focus on another fan-created component that you’ll be able to experience in our coming series.

But why wait for us? Many of these components are already being used in other modules so try playing some of them to see how they feel. If you’re working on a module of your own, consider using some of these components to make your creation a richer and deeper experience for your players. Pitch new ideas to their creators and get involved in their development.

The fifth and final fan-created component we’ve chosen to include in Witchwork I: The Fields of Battle is one familiar to many. The Hardcore Rules, or HCR as they’re popularly called, originated out of a desire to create a more traditional 3^rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons experience. What started as a small collection of tweaks and changes by Archaegeo quickly mushroomed into a large-scale team effort with fellow enthusiasts. Anything and everything of value seemed to get sucked into Archaegeo’s carefully-crafted codebase, either as something that could be toggled on an off within an extensive initialization script or as a separate plug-in that that could be installed after the fact.

The sheer success of HCR also became its downfall. The codebase grew so large that builders found themselves facing substantial compile times. Its reach was so broad that it often became hard to add new functionality without encountering some form of interference. The documentation slowly lagged behind the latest version of the code and builders often found themselves adding HCR to their modules without fully understanding what it did or how its myriad of components worked. In time, Archaegeo and his hard-working team faced a backlash on the community message boards with many players saying that the rules were too harsh or were being applied to modules in such a way that they detracted from the fun of the game.

Archaegeo’s solution? He created one last build of the original HCR (v2.0), then went back to the drawing board. He emerged last week with an initial release of what he calls "Hardcore Modular (HCM)," an all-new plugin-based system. The ultra-light core is quick to compile and is really just a shell into which everything else can be inserted. Builders can now plug in small individual components on a case-by-case basis, ignoring those they don’t want or don’t fully understand. The architecture is less brittle and Archaegeo expects there to be less conflicts and interference when trying to merge it with other systems or custom scripts. Also, new HCR-compliant features can be created and added in on a whim rather than requiring a delicate re-integration of the entire system. All in all, it’s a substantial improvement to an already invaluable fan-created system.

So what is Witchwork using? As development of the series began over a month before the release of HCM, we were unfortunately unable to take advantage of the new system. Perhaps we’ll be able to rebuild the Witchwork Template partway through the series and include it then but, for now, we’re proud to be drawing substantially on HCR 2.0. We’ve lifted the hood and made some substantial modifications, however. The HCR death system has been completely replaced with a custom system designed specifically for Witchwork, though the HCR dying rules are still relatively intact. The time between rests is also being tampered with and various different HCR components have been toggled on or off to meet the specific needs of the series. The key to integrating any new system into your module lies in your willingness to dig in and customize it to meet your needs. HCR is no different. We have a vision for the Witchwork campaign should be and the Hardcore Ruleset, together with the other fan-created components we’ve profiled over the past month or two, have helped make that vision a reality.

Author’s Description:

The Hardcore Ruleset (HCR) - Version 2.0

The HardCore Ruleset is a set of scripts that modify the NWN game to provide an experience that is much closer to the Pen and Paper DND 3^rd Edition rules. The HCR provides a means for module creators to provide a balanced challenge to their players to create a more fulfilling roleplay experience.

Intended Users:

Builders interested in creating modules that have a more traditional, pen-and-paper feel. Dungeon Masters looking for an underlying system to accommodate free-form play. Persistent World designers looking to encourage party-based play on their servers.

Project Status:

Version 2.0 is the final version of HCR. All new development is being targeted towards the new Hardcore Modular (HCM) system.

An Interview with the Creator

1. You began with wanting to make adjustment to how death was handled in NWN. How do you move from that to this huge system?

Archaegeo: It just sorta grew on its own. HCR started as a simple project designed to fix resting and dying. Lots of folks were putting out lots of code and I started bringing in bits and pieces to form what HCR is today. HCR 2.0 Source Release 2 is about 2M in size. If you add in all the add-ons that have been created for it, it’s around 13M. HardCore Modular is just taking off in a hope to make each version of HCR more specific to the needs of the end user.

2. Did you expect HCR to become this wide spread and cause so many debates?

Archaegeo: Definitely not. When I first posted HCR, it was simply to share what I thought was some useful code. Soon lots of folks were making suggestions and wanting it and so I spent a lot of time doing forum posts, so some other users stepped up and volunteered to help out with the manual and the www page and forums. As far as the debates, they still baffle me. We all acknowledge that HCR poorly used makes for a miserable play experience, but its all optional, even once you install it, the parts in it can be turned on and off. In HCM, you will only install the features you actually want. So each version of HCM that runs should be specific to the end user.

3. One of the latest developments for HCR is the HardCore Modular script which is designed, among other advantages, to make adding the HCR system easier to implement for users. Is this the future of HCR?

Archaegeo: Yes, for now I’m calling HCM the second generation of HCR. HCR grew too fast and too little play testing. Of course, I don’t have a play testing staff, so most of the time, my play testing consists of anyone around I can grab to help out. The one disadvantage HCM will have over HCR is that the added features are executed via ExecuteScript calls, which aren’t as fast as doing it within the calling code, but HCM is easy to use, install and modify if people want.

4. In your manual you talk about the value that a player will invest in a particular character that has survived to reach higher levels using only HCR as it is much harder to get through the lower levels. What have you observed as happening now that the system has been out there for a while?

Archaegeo: Definitely seen this on the worlds where HCR was implemented with some thought about the features wanted and the outcome of them. Krynn in the Roleplay room is packed at 70/70 players almost all the time, and its HCR with some customization. But the players care about their characters due to the risks inherit with the system, death being semi-permanent, resting not so easy, etc.

5. What do you consider the most important reason why someone would want to try playing a HCR world?

Archaegeo: Too many folks think HCR is meant to be like an extreme version of NWN. It’s not. Folks should play HCR because they want an experience that is not as easy as NWN out of the box, one that feels more familiar to us old time players of 2nd edition, even though HCR is based around the 3E ruleset. If you are looking for a challenge, there are a ton of modules out there that are good, challenging, and not HCR. Join an HCR world if they have features that you want to play under.

6. What is your advice to a module maker who wishes to use HCR in their module? Are there things that should be considered because of the harder terms of the world?

Yes, Take a look at every single feature in the hc_defaults set before you turn it on and think about what it means to your world. Once you have the defaults set as you wish, go play in your world, see if the difficulty is where you intend it to be. Anyone who just throws HCR on top of their own module without changing the module to accommodate HCR is just looking for an empty server.

7. What are the most important parts of HCR in your opinion?

Its optional nature. I tried really hard to make everything as optional as possible as it was being put together. It’s a huge bundle of code now, and no one needs all of it. Vital stuff is in the HCR Base module, and even some of it should be turned off for worlds that have no need for it.

8. Can you tell us a little about yourself? Who are you and what drew you to Neverwinter Nights?

Archaegeo: Sure. I’m in the US Navy, have been for about 17 years now.

I work onboard submarines most of the time, on shore duty now. I have been coding in the MUD environment for about 12 years now, more or less, and playing D&D much longer than that. I have been a GM for Underlight, and a Counselor type position for UO, EQ, AC, and of course played the other MMPOGS. I look at coding the same way many folks look at solving a jigsaw puzzle. I take the tools and try to build a complete picture. Neverwinter Nights was something a lot of us have been waiting for in some form for years. ICQ and other over the net play forms just weren't the same, and we were waiting for NWN to fill the void of letting us play RPGs across the net in a visual environment with out own rules or modules.

9. So do you still get the chance to play or DM in Neverwinter or are your scripting efforts occupying the bulk of your time?

Archaegeo: I occasionally help out DMing in various worlds, but the large majority of my time does go to coding. Most of the playing I do is to bug test features and test them for my perceived balance. Of course it’s up to the end user to make the systems balanced for his world, as the Witchwork series has done. Their approach was exactly how HCR was meant to be used, you take what you need, modify what you need, and design your world around the mechanics you will be playing with. Designing a module first and then throwing any rule system on top of it just doesn't work.

10. So what's next? You've finalized HCR, completed a first release of HCM... Are there other projects you have in mind for the future?

Archaegeo: HCM development is going to take a bit of my time till I at least get the fundamental HCMA's online. (Bleeding is done, death and resting should be next). I am also working on a thing I call HCSpells, where I am taking every spell script and modifying it as necessary to make it match the 3E PHB for those spells, including adding material components for some of the pricier spells.

11. You mentioned Krynn as a good example of a persistent world that makes use of HCR/HCM. What are some other ones? What about downloadable modules making use of HCR/HCM? Can you tell us a little about the Netherlands module?

Archaegeo: Daggerford PW, the official HCR PW, will be coming out shortly, its in Beta right now, and has an incredible team working on it. With Daggerford, we have sorta reached the limits of the NWN engine however. The module is 60M in size uncompressed, and is so complex that heartbeats can take 12-15 seconds to execute (vice their normal 6 second time). In fact, we have discovered that if your module gets too large for a slower CPU, the in-game clock can end up stopping the advancement of time in the module, strange stuff.

Netherlends was a module created by Blackenhand (aka Lianna) who was creating it as HCR was "growing up". She has since left NWN, and Tromador took over the revitalization and enhancement of Netherlends for the later versions of HCR. It's a fun module, tough, and shows off a lot of HCR's features really well. Its still not designed from the ground up with HCR in mind though, but that would have been impossible at the time, since none of us knew where HCR would end up.

12. Do you have any advice for players playing in HCR modules and persistent worlds? What can help them survive, thrive, and get the most out of such an experience?

Archaegeo: The best thing players can do in any PW or HCR module is Roleplay. Folks who design PW's and HCR type environments (even using things like the Table Top Variant, an HCR alternative) are looking for folks who enjoy playing for the story and the challenge. If you are just someone looking to play for advancement of levels and gain of stuff, these types of worlds probably aren't for you. But even I enjoy a good arena challenge every now and then, and that's the beauty of NWN, it supports all kinds of players.

13. We're closing in on half a year since NWN was first released. What's your impression of it now? Where are we at? Where do you see the game and community heading in the future?

Archaegeo: After 6 months I think NWN can be called an outstanding first of its kind. Many folks will argue that some other games were a lot like NWN, but I would have to disagree. The Engine and tools BW provided us were the first that made it so easy to change the world to work like you wanted.

That being said, we are now at a point where we constantly bump our heads as coders and creators against the limits imposed by the Aurora toolset. Its frustrating, because BW whetted our appetites but didn't follow through with the main course, they made us realize that something was possible, to change a game to play the way we wanted, but then we run into situations where we can't change it enough.

In the future, for NWN 2 or for some other release of a similar nature, the engine MUST be more flexible. When I first started reading about NWN, I was already thinking about how to convert it to play Traveller, or Rolemaster or some other RPG system, but we just don't have the tools to do it. Too many Events that are recognized by the game are not catchable by the coder, ie, when a player puts on an item, when they get hit, when they cast a spell, there is not catchall script for this, some we can jury-rig around, some we cant do anything at all with. I think in the next release or perhaps in an Expansion, we will see a lot more flexibility put into the system. Still, Bioware has been great about listening to the users and changing NWNs to meet more of our needs, kudos to them for that.

14. Anything else you'd like to add or any further advice you'd like to share with the community.

Archaegeo: Yes. NWN isn't Diablo, it’s not even the same genre. And that's where a lot of frustration comes from for a lot of players. I would encourage anyone who plays NWN's, or any CRPG, to go find an over the table group of about 7-8 folks, and join them. Playing sitting around a table where your only tools are your imagination, some miniatures and a creative DM will give you the true appreciation for the treasure than BW has given us in Neverwinter Nights.