Automated Quests

[Niobe]

Wouldn't it be fun to have a questmaster you can ask to assign a quest to you additional to the gauntlets and quests we already have?

Those assigned quests could be various things to do. E.g. kill a certain mob or retrieve a quest token or something else and return it to the questmaster or a random mob in the game. The quests assigned should be according to the level of the questor, of course.

For every successfully finished quest you would gain quest points and/or some experience and gold.
Then there'd be a quest shop with special (quest only) eq which could be acquired for a number of quest points. This is just one possibility, of course.

The advantages of these automated quests are obvious:

the quests are always available
they would encourage people even more to go exploring and become familiar with JediMud.

And finally, there could be a board with the most successful questors, if you like to add some additional challenge.

Just my 2 euro cents
Eos

[Griffon]

Personally, I think this idea sounds really cool... i.e. Someone has to solve the puzzle in x zone (Arcadia, anyone?) and will get points for doing it.

However, the buying of quest eq will be kinda iffy... maybe each day it should randomly load... 5 or 10 pieces of quest eq, that way it's more about luck than just accumulation of the points. You can't always get the one you want, but you can save up for it... etc.

Nic

[pixie]

How about attatching a load on death proc to random mobs eatch uptime. So that they have a chance to load-on-death a bigger mob, say gelatenous cube, when cube dies, each time has a small drop-on-death eq proc to drop a small, but cool piece of quest, or good eq, if drop fails, a bigger version, say last incarnation +10% to everything loads, at say 60%, increases until either drop proc goes off, or load-mob-on-death proc fails? each incarnations could have relatyively the same odds of dropping, as the % of mob loading would evvectively cut load rate for eq.


Also, ever consider, probably the wrong place for this, making more than 1 version of eq? say 5 sets of stats on long swords, each better than the last, same load proc as tbolt blocks lbolt, if reg loads, better cant, if better loads best cant, etc... apply to almost all eq so there is a chance of a phillo that is 15%mana regen +20 mana, or a chance of a 5% mana regen, +30 mana or something.

I think semi randomized stats on all eq, so even if they look the same, they arent the same, would be cool, considering cloning eq is apperantly a bad idea...


-Pix

[ProtoClown]

pixie said:

Also, ever consider, probably the wrong place for this, making more than 1 version of eq? say 5 sets of stats on long swords, each better than the last, same load proc as tbolt blocks lbolt, if reg loads, better cant, if better loads best cant, etc... apply to almost all eq so there is a chance of a phillo that is 15%mana regen +20 mana, or a chance of a 5% mana regen, +30 mana or something.

I think semi randomized stats on all eq, so even if they look the same, they arent the same, would be cool, considering cloning eq is apperantly a bad idea...


-Pix

The reason this multiplicity of items is not typically done is that area writing then becomes twice, thrice, or quadrupple the work. It *can* be done, and has been done (and very well) on selected items, but to do so for every item in a zone, or for every item in the game would be vastly time consuming as the writer would have to create multiple iterations of each object, then set their load rates very, very carefully. (Which, in turn, requires very specific, careful testing to make sure it all works.)

I think it's very appropriate for an area writer to use this option, though...when it makes sense. Consider the following senario:

The great goblin artificer Imagunaforgethat has set his mind on creating the Fantastical Cleric Squashing Mallet to protect his goblin slaves from those vile, earthquake invoking loosers. But sadly, goblins are not the smartest of engineers, so it takes them a good couple tries before they learn that the mystical FOO must be incorporated into the etherial BAR in order to squash clerics. They'll never succeed in creating the FCSM until they've failed a good dozen times, making the Sucktastical Mallet of Lameness in the process.

Such a senario would be a good reason to go through the trouble of multiple objects. Additionally, the writer could decide that Imagunaforgethat won't even show up to work unless there's a good supply of goblin slaves toiling at the forge (say...eight, and two load each reset). So to get the FCSM to load, a group will have to make sure they don't kill off any goblin slaves so that the artificer will come to work. Then they have to smash the artificer to ruin quite a few times until the goblins learn how to make the FCSM. Then they have to smash him a few more times to get the mallet to load. Very doable.

True randomization of items is not yet possible under the current Jedi codebase, but it's a worthy idea that should be looked into.

[Silverking]

I would love to see automated quests that award quest points that can be redeemed for items in a quest shop.

On the ROM I played during the Christmas break, they had a system where you used gold to buy a quest card that had a list of items on it. You could buy an "easy, mild, difficult, and extremely difficult" card, each with a different qp award.

You then had to gather the items, and type "complete card". The items and card would dissolve, and you would be awarded an amount of qp based on the difficulty of the quest.

I could see more options than just gathering equipment too. For instance, you could be required to kill a certain quest mob, that loads when the card is issued. Or you would have to mix a potion that must be delivered to a dying mob within four mud hours to save it's life.

There are tons of possibilities.

[Niobe]

Silverking said:

There are tons of possibilities.

I absolutely agree. But please, please .... think of proper names of Quest Only EQ! I really have a problem with pieces with names like "stale waybread". Frankly it could have the most awesome stats, I'd still sell it in an instant. But maybe I just fail to see the humour behind such names. Then it's just me, still I'd prefer names that don't make you look so silly. Thanks

[Silverking]

I don't think items like that are generally ment to be funny, except for maybe Althea's Love Doll. I thought the idea for a "stale waybread" was kind of clever because you never see one go stale in the game...

[Tam]

Eos said:

I absolutely agree. But please, please .... think of proper names of Quest Only EQ! I really have a problem with pieces with names like "stale waybread". Frankly it could have the most awesome stats, I'd still sell it in an instant. But maybe I just fail to see the humour behind such names. Then it's just me, still I'd prefer names that don't make you look so silly. Thanks

Well, I think silliness was the idea the creator had in mind. When I used to work at McDonald's in high school, it was quite the running joke to let a piece of bun (that fell) sit there for so long that you could efficiently use it as a hockey puck later on before you closed. (Brooms made fine hockey sticks.)

So anyhow, the vast majority of the quest gear is "serious" and shouldn't affect anyone's "serious roleplaying binges". For those who like a little humor once in a while - we have stale waybread:) (The irony is that I don't believe waybread can go stale for several years.)

Anyhow, quite honestly, I like the fun gear. It provides a nice diversion from the somewhat rigid "medieval theme" we've migrated to over the years.

-Tam

[Arizhel]

A few silly names here and there won't kill you, and it helps keep us all from taking ourselves a little too seriously.

[Arizhel]

Nah, I would too.

My post was more aimed at the request to 'stop making silly quest items'. I will not stop making and/or giving out silly quest items!