 |
 |
 |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
||
 |
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Interview with Neverwinter Nights Guru Craig Welburn Profile by Jay Watamaniuk
What is your main responsibility with regards to Neverwinter Nights, and how long have you been working in that capacity?Craig: With regards to Neverwinter Nights, my main responsibilities have changed over time. I originally wrote the patching system for Neverwinter. Then, I helped out with the expansion packs when they were in development. Now, I make any necessary changes to the game code for a variety of reasons, such as fixing bugs or adding new functionality to the game. Lately, I've been working more on new functionality for the upcoming 1.67 update. There's going to be quite a bit of new functionality for builders in the next update. I think some people will be very happy. What other projects have you worked on at BioWare?Craig: While at BioWare, I've worked Neverwinter Nights, both its expansion packs, the PC version of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and a very brief stint on Jade Empire (just long enough to ruin the plot for me. I'm still bitter). Are you filled with a never-slackening rage at bug-fix requests for a bug that is already fixed? Do you actually get those?Craig: More of a Terrifying Rage of Epic Barbarian proportions toward bug-reports on already fixed bugs and bug reports about bugs that just don't exist.
To ensure accuracy of bug reports on Neverwinter Nights (or any BioWare games), it is important for the person reporting to verify the bug is still in the latest patch. Far too often, bugs are reported to us after a patch specifically because the bug was not mentioned in the Patch Notes. The Patch Notes may not reflect the exact bug being reported for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, a minor bug fix in one place fixes issues in another. Sometimes, the "name" of the bug that we use to refer to it does not match the name that others in the Community use. Check those bugs!" There are many different issues involved when dealing with bug reports sent in by the community, such as reports on older, unpatched versions of the game; bug reports that are so vague you're not even sure if it's even supposed to be a bug in Neverwinter or some other game; reports that aren't actually bugs, but rather misunderstandings of the D&D rules (or Neverwinter's implementation of the D&D rules); bugs sent in that are caused by any one piece of the huge amount of community-made content out there or edited scripts in someone else's module; bugs caused by files in someone's override folder (that shouldn't be there). What still amazes me the most is how few people actually take the time to write up and e-mail in a bug report to one of our bug e-mail addresses (nwbugs@bioware.com, nwexploits@bioware.com, nwtoolsetbugs@bioware.com). Even though Neverwinter Nights has been out for a while now, I still see brand new bug reports of issues that have never been reported, along with an expression of frustration at our lack of action. We can't fix bugs we don't know about! Don't assume that "everyone" knows about the bug you are experiencing. One of the things that has been the hardest to track down and fix are game exploits. Exploit reports don't usually come with a great deal of information, as it is usually the victim reporting the issue. Try and give me as much information as possible, because we treat game exploits as the highest priority issue when it comes to a patch. Please understand that we will never discuss the details of fixed exploits in our Patch Notes. If I see what I think is a bug how do I tell BioWare?Craig: If you wish to report what you feel is a bug, the best way to format a bug report is as follows:
Please don't post issues on the BioWare Community Forums in the hopes that someone at BioWare will see and fix the issue. We have more than 5 million posts on our Forums. We cannot read even a fraction of them, and your post will most likely get missed. If you wish to discuss what you think may be a bug with other forum members, please do. Confirming that you aren't the only one having an particular issue is a good way to help identify there actually is an issue (rather than just a problem with your install, or a misunderstanding of the D&D rules). What is the strangest bug you have ever encountered in Neverwinter Nights? Did you defeat it?Craig: There was a bug a long time ago where sometimes your character would turn into another object in the game, such as a door or chest. That was pretty funny, although incredibly hard to track down. I think we finally fixed that one, although we never could reproduce the problem at BioWare, so it's hard to be 100% sure. People seem to have stopped sending in bug reports about it, so that's a good sign. :) Derek, can you give us some idea of what we can expect in terms of future projects?Derek: Currently, the Live Team is working on continued support for Neverwinter Nights and upcoming BioWare Premium Modules. As we begin to get ready for Dragon Age, we will be working on various initiatives that will allow BioWare as a company to better support its Community and customers. We don't have anything public to announce right now, but stay tuned for future announcements. Surreal skill testing question: Derek French is to Willy Wonka as you are to... a) an Uumpa Loompa Something that fights Godzilla with tentacles; b) a Transformer that turns into a giant Loofah sponge; c) the thing that bursts out of the stomach of that guy on Alien; d) Elvis?Craig: Oooh definitely "c) the thing that bursts out of the stomached of that guy on Alien." Heh heh, Derek won't even see it coming. Wait a minute, does that mean that I'm a parasite? ~
Related Links
Want to comment on this article or read what others have to say about it? Join the official discussion!
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Senior Live Team Programmer Craig Welburn is the undisputed Neverwinter Nights Master of the Universe. Don't believe me? Well, Craig is the main fellow who gives the imperial thumbs up or thumbs down to new code features, bug fixes, and any tweak that smoothes the way to happy Neverwinter gaming. The dynamic duo of Craig and Live Team Assistant Technical Producer Derek French chatted with us about that great complex programming beast, Neverwinter Nights:
Actually, receiving a bug report on a bug that was fixed more than a year ago tends to make me fail my save against a Tasha's Hideous Laughter spell. We do receive many bug reports on issues that have been fixed (typically right after a patch is released, especially if a bug was fixed but it wasn't listed in the public patch notes).
