31.1. What kinds of quests will you use?
We've implemented an advanced flag-based quest system that is very flexible. More details will follow, but here's a simple example of how it works:
Quests will involve all sorts of ideas and stories; there may be multiple ways to solve or complete them. Some of the stories might be only of local import, or some might have some epic scope. It really all depends on the context, who you are, and what you're doing. Certainly the quests will not be random, nor limited to taking an item from point A to point B. Our quest design involves a sophisticated flag system where characters can be marked by an number of events (including, but far from being limited by, picking up or being handed an item). NPCs will then react to that character depending on what flags he has on or off.
One example of a quest we just put in the game involved retrieving a stained cloak from a half-giant that attacks you if you are on a certain quest. Once you retrieve the cloak, it allows you entry into a goblin mini-dungeon -- apparently the goblin's smell the scent on the cloak and choose not to attack you. This then allows you audience with the goblin chief -- you have a quick dialog with him, have another flag set, and continue onto the next segment of the greater quest. And, as long as you aren't dumb enough to remove the cloak, the goblins allow you to exit the dungeon and proceed. .
Source: Official FAQ
31.2. Do we have to do the quests?
Quests should be ONE way to advance. They should be optional in most cases. You definitely should never feel like you have to complete a sequence of quests in order to merely advance.
That said, we want them to be more detailed, more immersive, to reveal lore, to have context, and to not all feel like basic fed-ex quests either. And having a robust quest journal to help you track and manage quests is important.
Source: Aradune Mithara
31.3. Will there be branching quests?
Yes. .
Source: Official FAQ
31.4. Will players be able to repeat quests?
Some yes, some no. .
Source: Official FAQ
Your average run of the mill quest will certainly be repeatable. It does not make any sense to have the "Guard Captain" offer a bounty on some common creature type and not allow players to repeat said quest.
Source: Tagad
31.5. Will there be different types of rewards for quests?
Yes, there are quite a few types of rewards including but not limited to items, experience, faction adjustments, etc. .
Source: Official FAQ
31.6. Will there be Access Quests?
Few, and far between unless someone has been planning some content that I'm not aware of -- which is pretty rare.
Source: Tagad
31.7. Will there be other kinds of flagging, then?
We're going to use flags a LOT. But hopefully in ways that make sense. Using databases like we can now, we can have all sorts of flags associated with your character which allows us to do some pretty cool things.
I could see things like if there was a special teleporter in a dungeon that ported you across a river of lava, but you needed to have completed a quest to use it... or the advanced encounter system knowing to spawn a special mob because you and your party are flagged accordingly (having worked your way through the encounter segments), etc. I think that sort of thing works well and also makes sense to the player. (And remember HOW the character is flagged on the server doesn't and probably shouldn't be so obvious to the player... the player should be picking up an item, or receiving a temporary magical sigil on his arm, or something cool like that.) (using Sigil in a sentence ftw!)
As for flagging an entire zone, not only unlikely, but probably not doable really if we wanted to because there aren't really any zones in a seamless world.
Source: Aradune Mithara
31.8. Will there be some sort of journal to keep track of quests?
Yes. .
Source: Official FAQ
Its purpose is ultimately to store information about locations that don't necessarily have to do with a quest. For example, we feel the new player when assuming control of a level 1 character who is, assuming he or she is human, at least 18 years old, probably ought to know something about their surroundings. Where to buy food... where their guild master is... where the merchant is... where the nearest noobie yard is... There's no reason to frustrate a player by forcing him to find these places and from an RP standpoint it doesn't make sense -- you're creating an adult noob, not an infant. So your travel journal, to begin with, will contain basic information that makes sense for you to know -- basic locations. And then you can use your travel journal to bring up the cord and guide you to that location. No, there's not a ton of info there, and we very much believe in learning your surroundings and not being too hand-held, but the key stuff is there.
Next, when you die, an entry related to your corpse appears in your travel journal. You can then use the cord to lead you to said corpse, and after you loot it, that entry will delete itself. As stated elsewhere, while it may be dangerous and difficult to get to your corpse based on where it is, you shouldn't simply lose it because it blends in with desert rocks.
And then, as you play the game, travel journal entries will come and go based on what you're doing. You could be given a quest with directions. You could complete a quest and be rewarded with directions to something important or valuable. You could pay a merchant upon entering a new town to scribble down some of those essentials again (food, merchants, etc.) The possibilities and power of the travel journal are really cool, I think. And those locations, combined with the cord, definitely help you navigate the world.
Source: Aradune Mithara
31.9. Will we see different types of rewards for quests?
Yes. .
Source: Official FAQ
31.10. What relationship if any will factions, alignment, and quests have?
Completing quests may adjust faction, but there is no explicit alignment associated with your character. Decisions you make during gameplay can effect your faction. The faction you accrue may effect what quests/opportunities open up for you within the game. The quests/opportunities that do open up to you may effect the items acquired. This aids in creating a character that is uniquely developed by you, the player. Your Avatar at level 40 may meet another player of the same class/level/race and yet appear different due to the different choices each has made and different paths followed. .
Source: Official FAQ
31.11. How can the player affect the environment? Will this effect be permanent or temporary?
How players affect the environment is an area we're pretty excited about, but need to keep under wraps for a while. .
Source: Official FAQ
31.12. Do your quests use keywords? Do we have to guess the keywords and type them out?
The current plan is such that you can click on the words or type them out. Again, not set in stone and is functionality we want to play with in beta.
Source: Aradune Mithara
31.13. Can a player quest actually change the world? Will there be a story that we can play a substantial part in?
I'm every bit as much a sucker for story as anyone. I think I'm equal parts power-gamer and RP buff. I can 'grind' on a game for hours if I'm given a compelling reason. If my efforts have a 'real' impact on the world or the lore, well, then consider me compelled.
Changing the world is a lofty goal in a MMO though. Especially in a huge world, it's a challenge getting a decent base-coat of content in place and debugged. If you are going to allow a player (or group of players) to actually change the way the game is played or a story is presented then you have the responsibility of ensuring that the changes are just as compelling for those who follow as the original content was.
Going down that road, it's easy to exponentially increase the amount of work that must be done. What happens if you spend 1,000 man hours on a content 'path' that players opt not to pursue? As a designer, you're probably looking for a new place to work.
I've given it quite a bit of thought, and experimented with it a bit on previous projects. I think one elegant solution is to set up a win/win scenario, where trailblazers are able to impact the world in a way that benefits the more casual player. Where their efforts expand the story instead of causing it to completely change direction. Then, in order to maintain the benefit, follow-up players must perform acts that perpetuate the setting, or it will eventually revert to its original state.
Ultimately this doesn't break anything, work isn't wasted, and players of all types can feel like they're playing a significant role in impacting their environment. - 27 October 2005
Source: Akkirus