The Importance of Standards

For My Sins...

Any of you who have been involved with this sort of thing realize that conforming to a standard which has not yet been explicated is extraordinarily difficult and promises to be extraordinarily expensive. After a lot of time and money, failure is almost guaranteed. That is why anyone who has a successful track record in IT flees from such projects as if harpies were devouring their entrails. Those of you who have no background in such matters and wish an independent opinion might do well to ask Snarky Mark...

I do indeed have a story.

A non-programmer once told me how much fun it must have been to work on Magic: The Gathering video games. I never worked on them, but I could certainly imagine working on them. Almost every single card in that card game is an exception to the rule. There are few standards. That makes nearly every aspect of creating a computer game based on it to be a complete and utter nightmare, from programming it to storing the data. It could still be fun to some degree, but only if management truly understood just how much time and money it would take to implement. I would not hold my breath on that one!

Magic: The Gathering video games

Several video games based on the Magic: The Gathering franchise exist for multiple systems. Some have attempted to translate the card game to electronic play nearly exactly; others have taken more liberties and drawn more from the setting than the actual rules of the card game. Benefits of successful video game versions of the card game include convenience, practice, and challenge. However, artificial intelligence for a game such as Magic is an extremely hard problem, and such software usually must be continuously updated to stay current with recently released card sets.

Here's just a tiny glimpse of the complexity.

Magic: The Gathering rules

When a Magic Card Contradicts the Rulebook, the card wins... Always

Here's just a tiny glimpse of what our new electronic health care system could look like.

Magic Set FAQs

Got a question about a card you've never seen before? Having trouble understanding how a new mechanic works? These pages of Magic Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) will help answer questions regarding new mechanics, rules, and card concepts introduced in each Magic expansion. To look up a particular card, match the expansion symbol on the card to the symbol below, and click that set's FAQ link.

Most of these FAQs have two sections. The first section, "General Notes," explains the new mechanics and concepts in the set. The second section, "Card-Specific Notes," contains answers to the most important questions players ask about individual cards. Items in the "Card-Specific Notes" section include full rules text for your reference.

Pick any one of the many, many links located within. Read the contents. Gasp in horror. Here is a sample chosen at random for comedic effect.

* To recap the last few points with a couple of specific examples:
-- If two Zendikons are enchanting the same land, the one that became attached to that land last determines the land's color, power, and toughness. The land has all creature types and all abilities granted to it by either Zendikon.
-- If a land such as Celestial Colonnade is enchanted by a Zendikon, then that land's animation ability is activated, the activated ability determines the land's color, power, and toughness. The land has all creature types and all abilities granted to it by the Zendikon and by the activated ability.

Without standards, welcome to the world of the Celestial Colonnades!