Sputtering, coughing, sloooowly progressing, the MTV Multiplayer Mini-Game Interview Series somehow manages to reach the far reaches of Edmonton today, with a quick interview about card-playing.

Space-age card-playing in the BioWare-developed “Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic,” that is. Pazaak.

Who comes up with these things? And why? And how do they make sure the game doesn’t get dull? Sure this interview topic is a tad dated, but, hey, this is the one you readers asked for.

BioWare’s Preston Watamaniuk, assistant lead designer on “KOTOR” and lead designer of “Mass Effect” recently explained things to me over e-mail.

Multiplayer: How did the card game in “KOTOR” come about?

Preston Watamaniuk, assistant lead designer on “KOTOR”: In the original Star Wars movies high stakes gambling (Sabacc) was an integral aspect of the Han Solo character and his acquisition of the Millenium Falcon, so we decided to homage this with our own skill-and-luck-based gambling game in “KOTOR.” Additionally, many of the designers at BioWare were big fans of various collectible card games, so we also decided to add the idea of finding or buying special cards to build a deck that could improve your chances. This led to the creation of Pazaak, the spiritual precursor to Sabacc.

Multiplayer: What were the marching orders, as it were, for this mini-game? Who gave them and what did they want out of it?

Watamaniuk: There were a lot of technical restrictions on the game. Because “KOTOR” was a single-player product, we needed a one-on-one game. The interface had to be simple to use, and the game had to be complex enough that strategy could affect the outcome, but simple enough that random luck could prevent players from winning all the time and getting infinite credits.

Using these guidelines, Drew Karpyshyn – the lead writer on the project and a big fan of gambling, odds and probabilities – began working on a blackjack variant that incorporated the extra complexity we were looking for. He designed the rules and play-tested the game, then once these were locked down they were given to the art and programming teams to develop the interface and AI necessary to get Pazaak into the game.

Multiplayer: How long did it take to settle on the mini-game that actually appears in “KOTOR” and what can you tell me about how the concept evolved into the final version?

Watamaniuk: The basic rules were locked down within a few days, but the implementation took a lot longer. Explaining how the game worked to players, and providing them with all the necessary feedback, took much longer. Fortunately, the artists and programmers were able to come up with an easy to understand interface that allowed us to implement the game almost exactly as it had been originally specced out.

Multiplayer: A mini-game in a full-size game like “KOTOR” is going to be played a lot. Yet it won’t vary that much. How did you manage the need to make the mini-game consistent without it becoming something players would dread having to do again and again?

Watamaniuk: The key element is the proper combination of luck and skill mixed with the collectible element. A pure luck game will wear thin because the player has no real agency and no involvement in the game. A pure skill game will wear thin once the player becomes better than the AI and wins every time. However, combining luck and skill means that even as players become better they will still lose their fair share of games. This is where the collectible element comes in – to beat the better players with stronger decks, you need to find new cards to modify or improve your deck. Each time you find new cards it influences the strategy and the way the game plays out, so it helps keep the mechanic fresh.

“KOTOR” players, what do you think? Did you have fun with Pazaak? How much did you play it? Do you want to see it back in the next game?