Simple questfinding Options

[xardy]

The one thing i like about WoW is the questionmarks over peoples heads indicating they have a quest. Allthough i don't think it fits in wish i would like to see a simular system. Also good for the role players, how do you know that guy has a quest?

I would say when you enter a town and search for quests you can read the towns newspaper, talk to the innkeeper and see if he knows about people with quests, or ask the mayor.

Just an id to make it a bit more realistic and still easy to find quests in a town. You could also just go speak with every person in town but that takes alot of time.

[emeraven]

Having one person to go to that knows the quessts around would be a good idea, certain people will always knows what is going on. Personally I think Inn Keepers often know who is doing what to whom, so that might be an idea.

Thinking of the Inns we are working on, that might be a nice touch...

Thanks :)

[silmaril]

Personally I hate the idea of quests being marked like that. Quests should be found and taken based on other things that a shiny glowing question mark. It should be based on the players interest (such as going to new paths outside the common towns or buying booze from an innkeeper), the characters needs (such talking to a blacksmith to get weapons, looking in a library book while searching for spells, talking to the town clerk when coming into a new town) and general interest in seeking out quests.

Quests can be hinted at in newspapers, and innkeepers can be a good NPC to check out to find pointers, but there shouldn't be any "Quest Shop" where you can go and pick up your quests. Quests shouldn't be exclusive to any item or NPC and players shouldn't be guaranteed to find any quests at any given place.

If quests are shown like that, we can just as well give players a list to choose from when they enter a town.

Just my personal opinion.

[emeraven]

Yes Sil we we both seem to agree that a big shiny pointer wasnt the best idea. As for the one person who knows the quests, and I will say here I gave it about 5min thought before filing it away for further use. I havent done a problem analysis or any of the other things I usually do with any idea that is posted here or thought up in the team, when we have to make it a recorded concept. At the moment its just an idea and a good one, so thank you again Xardy.

That said yes Sil that would pointless to have only one person who would have all the quests. In fact how I had imagined it is what I said, that a person like an Inn Keeper (and there are other examples) might be able to point you in the right direction. It is one idea out of what I am sure will be many on subject.

[Hankellin]

Bards would work for this as well, bringing stories from different lands and people.

A traveling tinker. The Inn Keeper is asked to keep an eye out for adventerous types. The city clerk, town bulletin board are all goos sources for quests.

In all these finding the individual that actually gives the quest can be a mini-quest of its own.

[emeraven]

Nice ideas Hankellin, a lot of those make sense, and you know how much like that ;)

How you mentioned bards reminds me of a TV series called the "StoryTeller" it had Jim Henson creations in it, but the intro had a line that said "There is always a special place kept by the fire for teh Storyteller".

But yes, Im blathering now..

[Fuinelen]

how about having minor quests handled by the inn-keeper or the bard, while the more important ones are kept mostly secret?
After all, someone lookng for adventurer to free a kidnapped princess (excuse the clichee;) are going to try to publicly search for those fearless adventurers in the most obvious places, while soem quests are of a more dubious or intimate matter and can only be found by talking to the right people. (or would you go to the next inn and advertise that you're looking for a cutthroat to teach your beloved but unfaithfull wife's lover a lesson?), or for someone who can find a cure for the lycantropism your brother has been secretly infected with?

just a thought ...
Fuinelen

[xardy]

yeah you shouldn't be able to get a hint on all quests there, but perhaps with an question asking system like in balders gates.

Or the innkeeper tells you : i heard some1 is looking for a cutthroat or something.

You could even find quests in rumors if you want :).
If you want to get some1 killed are you going to aks the first person that comes and talks to you to do it? if you know the person it would be fine, but some1 you never seen before?

[Jerky]

I agree with Sil and Em that quests should not be marked like WoW with shiny, glowing question marks. However, this could be another thing that can be customized with the PCL. For those who don't know, the PCL is a Personal Contacts/Customizations List (PCL for short) that a player will have that will allow him to know other players. This idea came about as a compromize to allow people to have unique and non-unique names, and now has become much more.

For the PCL to apply here, players who want to mark important people for their quests could select that particular NPC and then "mark" him so that he would be able to find this NPC again. If we have moving (non-static) NPC's then this would help the player if he chooses to do so. This can be viable as well, because most likely, to be realistic, the player would recognize this NPC by sight, so this could be our implimentation of recognition.

Another possible way around this for players is to mark their map with the location, or to set up an auto-mark setting to mark NPC locations when a quest has been gained.

Either way, we do not want to force players into this if they feel it will ruin immersion. Other players, however, will not think that this ruins immersion at all.

Its just an idea. :)

[Melanthe]

Who says we're gonna have quests? ;P

Just to make sure no expectations are aroused that may not be met, nothing in this thread should be taken as an implication that there will be typical wow-style personal quests at all. ;)

Possum/Melanthe

Story Team Lead

[silmaril]

Who says we're gonna have quests? ;P

Just to make sure no expectations are aroused that may not be met, nothing in this thread should be taken as an implication that there will be typical wow-style personal quests at all. ;)

Probably the best point of the whole thread.

A lot of statements should still be prefixed with "if we decide to have <feature X>, then" these days just to keep this clear to all. :)

[emeraven]

Exactly Sil, hense I use the words Might, and Idea.

Good ideas all, thanks

[exocrine]

Perhaps someone should sticky a disclaimer thread in the "Ideas" forum. Something to let people know that no post in the Ideas section should be seen as a guarantee, et cetera. Just a thought.

[xardy]

just so you all know i'm also against those yellow marks above people's head :p thats why i came up with an other idea to find quest without mutch trouble.
and imo i think you should have quests, live events only won't do it becaus not every1 has time to be at a live event and if they can make they sometimes can't stay the whole event. Quest are there to give people something to do. And wow type quests are imo just standard quests, go there kill that, collect that , verry boring afther some time becaus no matter what level you are you will always find the same type of quests. Hope you guys will have mutch more different kind of quests.

[emeraven]

Yeah Exo, that is something that should be implied in this section. I've never seen the need to state it though, maybe we could alter the discription a little.

Yes Xardy I understood you were against those, thanks for the clarification. I think variety is a good thing, in many aspects of this, makes things not only more interesting but provides some unexpected twists.

Anyway, all ideas are good, and valid, they dont have to be perfect or always make sense, this is why we are developers, we do the hard work to develop ideas, but they can (and have) come from anywhere.

[exocrine]

I felt it was implied anyway, but everyone sees things differently. I figure if Melanthe felt the need to state it in a thread, it might be prudent to state it for the whole sub-forum.