grimjim wrote:"How about some missions that actually explore parts of the storyline and pull us more into the mysteries of it?"
Those are the events, there are very few missions that could successfully convey the same amount of story progress in any meaningful way.
BS Let me give you an example of a mission that would do exactly as I am speaking of:
Zorai NPC to player with good Kami Fame:
We have recieved word from the void that the Master of the Goo tribe has angered the Kami. Please seek out the Kami representive in Maiden Grove to find out how we can calm the Kami once again. Player goes to the Kami.
Kami: Foolish goo loving homins in lost valley no respect Atys! They continue to let cancer of Atys grow. For this Kami very angry. If you wish to please Kami you must figure out homin secret for tending goo. To help you with this Kami grant you temporary magical power to hide love for Kami and show love for vile Karavan! Now go learn secret.
Player then uses magic to go join the master of the goo tribe. After doing a certain number of tasks, tribe leader tells you a riddle. The solution to the riddle will tell you how the tribe can be near goo and not get hurt. Tribe leader tells you that after you figure it out, to return and make the knowledge official. The riddle contains a combination of location and mat clues. After firguring out the riddle, collecting the items and returning to the camp the tribe leader gives you a new recipie for a consumable that makes you immune to the goo for a certain period of time. Leader also explains that the goo helps mental focus while using the potion.
You then go back to the Kami and report your findings. Kami reviews the recipie and gains understanding of goo. Then gives you a magical bomb and tells you it will void the effects of the consumable, causing severe illness and death to many of the tribe members.
"How about some NPC's that are keep players in the storyline asking players to do things?"
See above
Fame unlocks rites, you get game by doing missions. We've been told some of the extra TP locations will be unlocked by rites or similar.
You don't understand what I mean. Taking the example of the mission above. Player gets the ability to be immune to goo for periods of time. With some exploration they can discover a cave hideen in the goo. Inside that cave player finds an ancient book with a map. It's from well before any homin remembers and tells the story of a a spacecraft crashing deep into the core of Atys. Speaks of one of the survivors being chased into the wilderness and being captured by a native tribe. A tribe with long blue hair. The map is of the roots but 1/2 is missing.
This would lead into a mission set that has the player seeking out the gabbai tribe. Tribe would send them to find other half of map. Player gets all of map and unlocks an area in the roots that contains ruins of space craft. Player goes to investigate and learns secret of homin beginnings and of the green dragon.
"How about some missions based upon puzzles?"
See above.