It is standard in mmorpgs for heroes to perform tasks, oftentimes mindless, stupid tasks, for which they are rewarded with xp, faction, coin, or items.
And maybe that's ok when an adventurer is just starting out. It's the mmo equivalent to starting in the mailroom.
But as you advance, what if you became the quest giver? Instead of fetching Grandma Moses some apples for her to make a pie, send some NPC or player to do it, pay them a little coin or something they value, and have them come back with the applies. Then, if you have cooking skills, bake your own pie, and maybe get a special pie recipe for your reward.
Or maybe set a player bounty on other players or NPCs.
I'm sure other people could come up with better and more clever things. But as it usually is now (some exceptions), even after I wear the Armor of Awesomeness and wield the Sword of Truth, I am still everyone's gofer. At some point a hero ought to be able to delegate.
EQ2 has a system a little like this in guild halls, where there are NPCs you can get for guild halls you can send out to forge supplies.
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Aloha Mr Hand !
Aloha Mr Hand !
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I think it's that. Just a large Sandbox world.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
Say perhaps you are a crafter, you do pve but just the basic to gather materials. The game requires a hardcore raider/gear component in order to get a rare material. You'd create a request that a player could accept within a specific timeline and an upfront cost of failure and the reward, but doing so they have to put forth an honest effort by fronting an amount of in game money incase they can not accomplish it. That way only the most confident would sign up assuming the reward is worth it to them.
A system like this would create "player" legends. Players you would and the server would know for greatness, accomplishments. Old SWG had a legend like status with crafters and jedis, but then again that game was ahead of its time.
Make the world real, make the accomplishments real and you got a player based quest system.
I would like to see part of your character's growth as being more and more able to delegate mundane tasks.
Maybe when a quest is offered the choices could be:
Accept
Decline
Delegate
Possibly after you become a Knight you could have a Squire to whom you can delegate. And you would want to improve/level up your Squire so delegation has a better chance of being successful.
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I think SWTOR had a system almost exactly like what you are talking about with companions and crew skills. Here is a link to the description:
https://swtor.gamepedia.com/Crew_Skill
"The Crew Skills system allows players to take advantage of the valuable resources, high-tech schematics, and intriguing opportunities the galaxy has to offer without having to break away from their storyline. Players can assign their crew of companions to gather resources, craft useful and valuable items, and even to undertake their own missions, providing the player and the rest of the crew a variety of benefits and rewards."
I even recall some guilds would set up "healing stations" near dungeons or other busy open areas. Anyone could come by and get some healing.
This kind of thing worked "back then" because the games were geared for it. In today's fast paced MMOs where almost everything is more quickly achieved when done by yourself, this kind of activity is not very conducive anymore. Now, it's all about the "race to the endgame!" Nobody has "time" for this anymore, I guess.
I can see your idea of "accept, decline, or delegate" being a good one, if the game supported that kind of choice
- Al
Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse.- FARGIN_WAR
But I guess that's the nature of mmorpg's as "games."
My preference would be to not have quests but to have tasks, jobs, requests and to have players pick what they can do and not do various things for whatever reasons.
A jewelery maker needs stones and will pay top dollar. Players with the correct skill to find and extract rare stones would take that job. Those players who don't have those skills but who are skilled fighters (whatever that looks like) might take on more "witcher type" jobs.
A local merchant's caravan was attacked and he/she wants the items back, one in particular. Unfortunately it's in an extremely dangerous area that is governed by a warlord. Either a small group of player can get in or perhaps a guild goes in and fights their way through.
A knight wouldn't take the gather 10 logs quest but perhaps a character that prides himself/herself on gathering materials for others would.
As Beans said, Star Wars the Old Republic has as somewhat similar system where one has people to do these things. I'm sort of ok with that if the game is less about doing such tasks and more about "the adventure." Star Wars the Old Republic is more like that so it makes sense.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
Or was you comment more about the higher level players and their time? Full agreement on the "streamlined" comment
- Al
Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse.- FARGIN_WAR
Or in games where there isn't an auction house, you spam chat for the same thing.
There isn't a formal quest but it function the same way.
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