How to make Missions better

[vinnyq]

There're so many little things that nevrax can do to make the missions in Atys fun. Little simple things will mean a LOT.

It IS all about the wrapping.

For instant, deliver orders to an npc missions. If there's a story behind what the orders are for, if you have a general hint to the where about of the npcs to deliver the orders to, if you have follow up missions after delivering the order (e.g. can't do mission B till you do mission A), etc.

Take a look at the Baldur's Gate series and StarWars Knight of the Old Republic series, BioWare knows exactly what they're doing when it comes to programming side quests and missions. Most of the missions are deliver this to that, find this and that, kill this and that, talk to this or that person, but they're FUN!

Why? I am not exactly sure but I have a few ideas.

1. There're stories behind every quests.
2. The results of missions affect your game world. e.g. npcs say different stuff to you.
3. Multiple way to complete missions.
4. Provide dialogue choices base on your "character" when talking to npc quests givers, and different answers give you different results.

Now #4 is easy to do, and the engine is there already in SoR. All it takes is a little bit more dialogues, a few conversation choices, and more random npcs talking in SoR, and the game will feel so much more alive.

[josephm]

Spot on man. One of the things that helps us in RPG's is the way people act towards us. For instance, I've completed a rite. The rite giver now has the same 'who are you?' conversation until he wants to give you a mission again. There's no mark of progress. After the first rite I could be greated as 'hello fellow homin' or something. Another rite or two and the npc knows my name, greets me as a friend. Tells me stories of their individual past.

Although I have much appreciation for the open ended systems this game offers. It seems that many of us feel that at least the 'content' portion is to open ended. I don't just want encyclopedia entries about gingo and javing. That's not so much content as the 'extra side stuff' like reading all the books when you play Morrowind.

[zumwalt]

An example of what he is talking about that could change things in the game.

NPC named Jena Wannabe, asks you to craft 4 items, a sword, a shield, a chest piece and helm.

You bring them back to Wannabe, they thank you, but all of a sudden there appearance changes, there now wielding a sword, a shiled, and they have armor, they then take off running.

Out of curriousity now, you follow them, and they go to the Guard leader at the enterance to the city, some dialogue insues between them that you can read.

The Leader tells Wannabe to go out and Kill named mob A, but Wannabe stands there in shock.

You now can click on Wannabe (or anyone else for that matter) and you will get another mission.

Guess what, this time its an escort and assist mission, which would require a team of players, and Wannabe tells you to come see him and tell him when you are ready.

You gather a full team of 9 players, tell Wannabe your ready, and all of a sudden, Wannabe runs off, you and your team follow, and protect Wannabe as he runs through the wilderness.

Upon approaching your target he stops and waits for a final order.
You again, talk to him, tell him your ready to begin, then he walks up to the creature and then the battle ensues.

After success, each person in the team gets some sort of medal or something automatically in there inventory, Wannabe cheers and thanks you, then stands there for a timed minute or two before going back to town, which your team has to again, escort him to town.

Once in town, he has more dialogue with the Leader and his armor changes to that of the warriors in town.

Now his name becomes Jena Hasbeen.

8 real hours later, Jena Hasbeen returns to being Jena Wannabe and the mission can be ran again.

This example brought to you by someone who has done a crap load of missions that require escorts (aka EQ, the maze, the gnome and the dragon, a few others)

[brackish]

All it takes is a little bit more dialogues, a few conversation choices, and more random npcs talking in SoR, and the game will feel so much more alive.

I wholeheartedly agree. I was a huge fan of KOTOR and the way they had stories behind every mission/aspect of the game. Also, almost every npc had atleast something to say, so i felt more immersed in my surroundings. The missions can be dry here.
I was trying to convince my wife to play this the other day, and btw i love this game, she was in the refugee camp and started doing the first welcomer mission. Everything went great. After this though, she lost interest. I asked her why, and she said " The missions were challenging but too boring and none of the charcters really talk to you except for the other players." "Does this change when you get to the mainland?"
"Well, kinda... we have Rites."
"Really? Are those adventures of some sort?"
"Yes, but there are only about 3-4 of em atm"
"Oh."

This has not changed my commitment to the game, though my wife still stares at me puzzled when i say i stayed up til 3am the previous night playing.

[josephm]

Heck I'm playing morrowind right now (can't wait for elder scrolls 4!) and that first quest for the apprentice mage where you get mushrooms, is more fun than any of the missions I've done in Ryzom.

They don't have to all be epic, like when the same guy asks you to get a ceramic bowl. You leave and get it next door and come back (5th mission?), there's not requard but it set up the next quest. While you were gone, the guy left his stool and someone else stole his reports. now you have to find them!

I haven't played FFXI yet so I'm considering hitting that up. A friend has other friends who are buff and can get us on the right server or something. Not the PvP I want and I fear the massive grind. However, after grinding so long, I wonder, what's the point? where am I going? am I paying a subscription so that I can play in an event every couple of weeks?

Yeah a big big thing for me is story line. If I left, which is still a while from now, I wouldn't mind coming back with content introduced.. My char has 90 days till deletion. So if I left in say..a month, there'd be 120 days for me to come back.

I have little faith that Ryzom would get in missions in this time. Normally I wouldn't be so disillusioned. But their answer to 'content' with the 10 hour harvesting rite is so terrible that I never want to do another one. What's next? 10 hours to waste my time for a snipit of history and 50 stamina? 20 hours to get focus?

[thexdane]

i agree that the missions could be a bit better but they're a grind for fame and nothing more. it's also a way for us to lvl up without making it see like a grind

tho i don't disagree that tweaking it a bit could do some good. maybe not let it last 4 or 5 hours but having a mission where you gotta run around for a couple hours might be ok as long as you got something good in the end

[josephm]

1. I never leveled them before I started killing factions because I did think they were a grind. Even before they lowered mission rewards for crafting.
2. Killing NPC's is so much faster and more effective that grinding missions is even more dumb.

[vinnyq]

zum, the mission don't even have to be that complicated.

You can have the aggro npcs running to you screaming 'Get of our lands!" or "Die Kami Scum!" and I would be happy

[techlord]

what u talking about is polishing the game.. i think before it gets to that the game has to be bug free and balanced only then you can polish things out like quests / rites .. etc

[lyrah68]

What about this one, for the deliver the letter missions, tell us who needs it and why. I mean it would be a bit more important if I knew that the letter went to the NPC because it contained the reports from spies in *insert opposing faction here* and if it didn't get to this NPC hundreds of homins would die (do I care if it is true or not...nope, not a bit).

And when you do a tour, it would be nice to have to return and see the Kami get excited or something.