While I see your point, and I admit live and immersive events are superior to scripted and instanced events, I don't agree with the opinion of not wanting them and I still fail to see how it will be possible to deliver a streamlined, global and coherent live events with current and incoming (most notably Ring) tools:grimjim wrote: Please no.
Live events and specials are so much better than scripted missions.
What you say is all well and good until you realise that that person has been told their brother has died around 100 times per day for a year. That sort of takes the sting out of it. If she knows, why is the mission still there? Why is it being repeated ad infinitum? It renders the whole thing completely meaningless.
This is something I think Ryzom has done right, getting away from that but there need to be more tools (R2 and RP tools) for getting by without.
* As far as I know, the main use of the ryzom ring is to create scenarios, and I still see scenarios, as shown in ring teasers, as instanced quests, for I am guessing that avoiding the feeling of "repeated quests" will mean a significant effort to scenario creators. If a player creates an scenario and opens it to other players, what is it other than an instanced quest? in order to avoid the feeling you mention, are the scenarios supposedly "run-once"?
* Live events do not scale, specially with a growing player population. There are not enough resources to provide live events (and specially events designed to small groups) unless it becomes a theater show (e.g. "all gather at Pyr stage where emperor Dexton will give a speech"). For some players, the feeling of actively participating in something is more clear in a rite than listening to the later Wyler give a speech about tryker freedom.
* It is harder for casual or time-constrained players to follow them (eek, it started like an hour ago... oh it's over)
That said, scripted events do seem to have some advantages tho:
* Some players enjoy them. Really.
* They are supposedly available anytime. Not only weekends at 20 PM GMT.
* They are mostly "self contained", with a well defined introduction, history arc and target, instant reward.
* They can be done in a small team, or solo, without the feeling of "I am one more within a crowd of 40".
Yet, I agree, once you have done the existing events, you get the feeling that there's nothing left to be done, thus it requires an streamlined regular update, as much as for live events. True, the little princess has been rescued 100 times, but maybe it is not as bad as "there was a little princess but she has already been rescued".