04-05-2008, 03:18 AM
See-Saw Quest Continued
Some comments about the see-saw quest system was that a player could keep starting a quest and summoning creatures. To get around this...when they start the quest, THAT world flag is turned off. It cannot be turned back on or restarted until someone finishes it.
To move back one step, this first quest cannot be easily started. Before they can even start the quest in the first place, the server must randomly load it available after it has been down for a determined amount of time. Let me give just some sort of example.
No Global Quests are flagged on yet. The server does a check randomly once a day. Suddenly a book spawn in the deep catacombs. Now the game turns flag 1 on. A good player comes across the book and realizes the deadly and chaotic power of this book. They take it. Flag 1 turns off and flag 2 turns on. They go on a series of quests to destroy it. Well when Flag 2 is turned out, a few NPCs in the evil town begin to talk about rumors about "the good player" with the possession of this book. The good player is now on a quest to destroy it and gain "something" from it. I don't need to fill in all the details. Well instead lets say an evil player finds the book. Flag 3 is turned on and Flag 1 is turned off. This evil player has decided to go on a series of quests to summon the beast. During the long quest, they actually "unknowingly" activate some other quests for good players along the way.
It's difficult for me to completely explain the options you have with this. You are not making the quest per the person only. In most games, you can have 7 players all doing the EXACT same quest at the same time. Instead the 7 players would all work together to complete ONE quest.
Also, this system lets players affect the world and feel important. Not just grinding quests that everyone knows about that are readily available and rarely changing.
If this doesn't clarify it let me know. The best way would be for me to write out an entire quest with all the different paths that can be chosen. And then write down all the see-sawed quests that open up for other players in the mean time.
You could have a long quest where evil players spend a week doing it. But at the end, they finally bribe the goblins to do a mass attack on a good player's city. Suddenly a bunch of weak goblins begin to show up. Players are confused so they go and talk to random NPCs; in which they talk about rumors of people bribing the goblins to pillage the local merchants.
But remember, the evil players cannot continuously start this quest. There could be several good quests that might open it up for the evil players. Maybe the good players killed the goblin king and the goblins seek someone to help them get revenge. I can't fill in all the details, it's up to you.
Some comments about the see-saw quest system was that a player could keep starting a quest and summoning creatures. To get around this...when they start the quest, THAT world flag is turned off. It cannot be turned back on or restarted until someone finishes it.
To move back one step, this first quest cannot be easily started. Before they can even start the quest in the first place, the server must randomly load it available after it has been down for a determined amount of time. Let me give just some sort of example.
No Global Quests are flagged on yet. The server does a check randomly once a day. Suddenly a book spawn in the deep catacombs. Now the game turns flag 1 on. A good player comes across the book and realizes the deadly and chaotic power of this book. They take it. Flag 1 turns off and flag 2 turns on. They go on a series of quests to destroy it. Well when Flag 2 is turned out, a few NPCs in the evil town begin to talk about rumors about "the good player" with the possession of this book. The good player is now on a quest to destroy it and gain "something" from it. I don't need to fill in all the details. Well instead lets say an evil player finds the book. Flag 3 is turned on and Flag 1 is turned off. This evil player has decided to go on a series of quests to summon the beast. During the long quest, they actually "unknowingly" activate some other quests for good players along the way.
It's difficult for me to completely explain the options you have with this. You are not making the quest per the person only. In most games, you can have 7 players all doing the EXACT same quest at the same time. Instead the 7 players would all work together to complete ONE quest.
Also, this system lets players affect the world and feel important. Not just grinding quests that everyone knows about that are readily available and rarely changing.
If this doesn't clarify it let me know. The best way would be for me to write out an entire quest with all the different paths that can be chosen. And then write down all the see-sawed quests that open up for other players in the mean time.
You could have a long quest where evil players spend a week doing it. But at the end, they finally bribe the goblins to do a mass attack on a good player's city. Suddenly a bunch of weak goblins begin to show up. Players are confused so they go and talk to random NPCs; in which they talk about rumors of people bribing the goblins to pillage the local merchants.
But remember, the evil players cannot continuously start this quest. There could be several good quests that might open it up for the evil players. Maybe the good players killed the goblin king and the goblins seek someone to help them get revenge. I can't fill in all the details, it's up to you.