RDC’s tips to dealing with Bane
This is an old post by a former associate. It’s his personal tips for dealing with me (I used to go by the name “Mr. Bane”). Quite cute, I think :)
RDC’s tips to dealing with Bane
If you have Bane helping with your project, congratulations! You have a very potent but also very dangerous force driving your game forward. This force requires much hands-on attention and works best as a temporary measure. Following these simple guidelines will help ensure that he does not explode, dragging your game down in a fiery maelstrom of bullshit and WORA posting.
Do not give him a staff position. A coder needs a wizbit, they do not need any authority on making your game’s policy decisions. Bane will disagree with you on your game’s policy and direction, this is -guaranteed-. Bane thinks in only one way, and no one on earth agrees with him completely. If you agree with him incompletely, he will force the issue. Thus, to prevent this, we simply make it clear from the outcome that Bane’s only contribution to the game will be code, not ideas - he’ll have the same input any other player would have, but that staff (which he is not) will not be doing things the Bane Way.
Write a spec sheet. This should be true for any coder, but it is doubly important for Bane. Not only will this make Bane very happy (for added Bane-squee factor, write your spec sheet on a google document and post it to WORA so he can update it with what he’s done so far) but it will serve as a record for exactly what you want done…a public record that can’t be lied about or misremembered later. List every bit of code you think you’ll need, and detail exactly how you want it implemented unless you’re willing to allow it to be done the One True Way. There are many guides on how to write a professional spec sheet online, they may be of assistance. Stick to this spec sheet, and do not allow yourself or Bane to go off of it.
Keep up with Bane. Bane is a fast, frantic (one might almost say manic and obsessed) worker. If you don’t keep up with him, he will go do something else. You will have to be dedicated to working at Bane’s pace for the duration of your association with him. You have to be connected every single day, probably for more than an hour a day, talking to Bane about the project and doing your own work at a pace similar to his or he will decide that you aren’t as invested in the project as he is. Bane’s two reactions to this are to either leave, or try to take your project from you and make it one of his own many, many projects.
When Bane is done, cut Bane loose. If you have managed to keep Bane with you until the completion of your project? Congratulations! You are the first to have Bane as a coder or staff member to not have him either leave quickly or blow up messily. You (and he, most likely!) are to be commended. However, you should know that Bane is, as stated earlier, a force best used temporarily. Having Bane code for your game is somewhat (because I was watching Stargate Atlantis last night) like having your entire game function in a state of barely controlled overload. If you keep him, eventually he will either quit (best case leaving you with unfinished projects, probably quite a lot of them because he tends to start them all at once in the dozens), or explode (in that aforementioned messy manner). Make it clear from the beginning that Bane is there only temnporarily. Do not lie to him about this, or try to suggest there is a chance ‘if it works out’ that you’ll keep him. Make sure he knows he’s there until the doors open and then will only be called in for code bugs.
Show no weakness. Bane smells weakness, he senses it, and he is compelled to attack. If you are female, do not TS Bane. If you are in any way connected to BDSM culture, do not allow Bane to get wind of this. If there are naked pictures of you on the internet, do not allow him to find them. Do not give him any information that will allow him to track down more info via google - past experience suggests that Bane considers anything he can lay his hands on ‘fair game’ when angered. For the love of god, if you don’t want your naked pictures posted on WORA, do not send him naked pictures. If you say something to Bane, expect it to show up on WORA. If you say something to anyone connected to Bane, expect it to show up on WORA. Bane may genuinely mean it if he ever guarantees you privacy and confidence, but when he is angered, Bane’s moral laws will disintegrate. He is, as previously stated, a force of nature - treat him as you would a tiger. One can handle a tiger if one knows what one is doing, but show weakness, and you’ll end up mauled backstage at a magic show, wearing a sequined jumpsuit.
Remember, Bane can be a great force for good, but only when wielded properly. Bane follows certain natural laws quite predictably, and when treated well and honestly, with safeguards in place, he can be controlled and harnessed. Keep your eyes open, watch for the warning signs, be firm.
