Mini Events

[chybisek]

In the discussion I recently had I came across an older idea of Mini Events - so here you are, feel free to polish the idea.

Description:
=========
Mini Events are GM led quests, similar to large-scale events everyone knows. The difference is they are very small, and more frequent.

Mini event is meant to be for few players, for example 4 to 10, duration about an hour. Its goal is some not complicated task (in terms of preparation, examples later). One GM can run several these Mini Events a day, with lesser or greater variability. They should target mundane tasks in the world, so it does not matter they repeat.

Goal:
====
Offer some activity to players. Basically it substitutes guild events, in times a guild does not need anything, or people able to organize and to attend an event are scattered across different guilds. Also can make impression of living world.

Examples:
========
- escort merchant with packer from one capital to another
- organized kittin hunting
- guide a visitor around a region
- help lone warrior to achieve a victory (kill a boss for example)
- help with harvesting in dangerous area

And others, in similar way. There should be only one GM controlled character and short task.

Rewards:
=======
Nothing special, not necessarily things one can't buy or make. Reward should not not motivation for mini event.

Requirements:
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- voulnteers, people motivated to do such work, knowing Ryzom well
- library of ideas to build on
- Ryzom Ring with few scenario templates (to be finished just before the event)

Implementation:
============
Mini event can be run with current game as is, no changes needed. Here I list changes than could help to make the immersion better:

- ability to control NPC - special NPC type, just to differentiate from players and GMs
- "lesser GMs" - slightly increased privileges: modify theirs avatar stats, spawn MOBs, create items for reward (or take them from some storage)
- possibly region- and unverse-wide Event channels
- Teleport-like access to RR scenarios

[sidusar]

Rewards is always a problem - There's nothing players really *want* that wouldn't disbalance some part of the game. So I agree it shouldn't be attempted to make the rewards a motivation for participating in these events. Players that aren't really interested in taking part in the event, but only in acquiring the phat loot, would be better served with a new supernode at the bottom of a kitin nest or somesuch.

Only do this for the players that would participate even for no rewards, and give them a little reward as icing on the cake, so that they can feel they had a fun time and earned something with it too. Cats, mats or dappers will do. (Though here's a fun thought: supreme jungle/desert/lake mats. Unique without being overpowered.)

Anyways, I think the crucial thing here is the GM-powers. Whoever does these events needs to be able to control NPCs, spawn mobs etc. etc. Otherwise it just ends up feeling a bit empty, like "okay, but we could've done that at any time without it being an event, and it would've been exactly the same". It's hard to believe something out of the ordinary is happening in the world when there is in fact nothing at all out of the ordinary. It makes the event so much more alive to have just a -little- something different from usual in the world, like a kitin patrol or a bandit ambush where there normally isn't one. A good example was with a player-organised event to kill the Slavers tribe, where a CSR took control of the slaves so they could actually be rescued back to Fairhaven - a very simple thing, but it elevates the event above something the players can just do every day.

[chybisek]

Well, it *should* be ordinary. As ordinary as "I need some PR mats, hiring escort, everyone gets share of materials gathered", for example. Then it is so simple almost everyone can organize it.

Most of these events should take advantage of existing content. There are lot of (possibly dangerous) places to be "exploited". This idea could be a hint for existing guilds/players to conjure up something. I saw quite enough of player driven events in Anarchy Online. Save higher GM powers for larger events. These should be non-ordinary.

Some people like rewards, so I guess there should be reward of some kind. Mats are IMHO best, already made items are good too (considering items degrade, which is awesome). Dappers are useful to lower lvl players, higher lvls have plenty of them. Until the economy will be fixed (add more "money sinks")... And I don't like catalysts at all, I would prefer them to disappear at all (but it is out of scope of this thread).

[sidusar]

Ah, well if that's the idea, you don't need anything from the devs or GMs, you can just get a group of players together and organize these.

We've had a lot of very cool player-organized events that simply took advantage of existing content. But if it's going to be *official* events held by a GM, I expect something *more* than what players can organize. Simply because if there isn't any more, there's no need for it to be held by a GM.

Personally I think catalysts make fine event rewards - cats first turned up as event rewards for the templebuilding event, and it worked pretty well. The problem is just that now we have all those outposts churning out a megaton of cats each day without the players having to do anything for it but letting their outpost sit there - that is what creates the current "crystal age" where everybody needs cats for everything and rushes through the levels twice as fast. If cats had been kept as only for event rewards, their effect would've stayed limited to just an extra level here or there.

[chybisek]

Everything is about motivation. Ryzom owners should motivate players (from whom are volunteers hired, like CSR were, if I am not mistaken) to organize these events regulary. So if you log into Ryzom for few hours, you will encounter one. That means like 3 events a day. I do not know what agreement was between GF and CSRs, but there should be some motivation for players involved. It is not that simple task and it is time consuming. It is why the motivation is needed. Also, cooperation with game owners can help a lot, being it ideas, prizes or whatever.

So you have player ruled event, simple enough anyone can organize it. One can expect more, but it is "better than digging", to quote someone in the chat. Considering there are players waiting for anything to happen, be it even new player hunting Yubos, so they can at least watch over him (this also being "better than digging"), these "not much, but better than digging" mini evets can bring some life to a homin's common day.

About catalysts - I don't like idea of them being in the game (and yes, I have access to them and use them). But yes, maybe if their supply would be limited as you are saying, I could agree with their existence

Ah, well if that's the idea, you don't need anything from the devs or GMs, you can just get a group of players together and organize these.

We've had a lot of very cool player-organized events that simply took advantage of existing content. But if it's going to be *official* events held by a GM, I expect something *more* than what players can organize. Simply because if there isn't any more, there's no need for it to be held by a GM.

Personally I think catalysts make fine event rewards - cats first turned up as event rewards for the templebuilding event, and it worked pretty well. The problem is just that now we have all those outposts churning out a megaton of cats each day without the players having to do anything for it but letting their outpost sit there - that is what creates the current "crystal age" where everybody needs cats for everything and rushes through the levels twice as fast. If cats had been kept as only for event rewards, their effect would've stayed limited to just an extra level here or there.

[sidusar]

Everything is about motivation. Ryzom owners should motivate players (from whom are volunteers hired, like CSR were, if I am not mistaken) to organize these events regulary.

Couldn't agree more.

[kalindra]

What about special picks and crafting tools ? Kitin Larvae ? Aren't those awesome rewards ? Yet they already exist in the game and wouldn't break the balance.

Also, consumables like the old eggs, fireworks or fashionable items like the candy canes, plushie yubo, spoon dagger (use it with your tryker butterknife !) that might have lousy (or no) stats but still look awesomely cool. Would provide an alternate way of getting access to the wheel items without spending tens of millions of dappers when you're not a filthy rich crafter.

... I'd really want a plushie Najab.

[sidusar]

Plushie Kipucka! That makes the characteristic sound when you squeeze it!

Seriously though, yes, all viable rewards. Fashionable items are particularly easy; just take that yubo plushie, make it in 10 different colors, and voila, people will be trying to collect them all.

[kalindra]

"Gotta catch them all" Errr... Honor points would also be a nice reward for those who couldn't afford the former events. But it means that it would require both Kami and Kara Events or that being "Honorable" needs to be independant from faction and you can spend those points with the faction you have most fame with.

[iceaxe68]

Plushie Kipucka! That makes the characteristic sound when you squeeze it!

*hits invuln and starts running away while screaming*