[MUD-Dev] DESIGN: WoW quests and content

[Damion Schubert]

logic at jrlogic.dyndns.org wrote:

> What type of gameplay are you talking about? Quests alone are
> really nothing more than a track to follow. Some games, for
> example, provide combat quests, crafting quests, healing
> quests... which are all gameplay types in their own right. Quests
> are a tool used to direct the player to (hopefully) interesting
> content along the play-style path they have chosen.

They're much more than that, in my opinion.  Quests, as utilized in
WoW, are pattern breakers - they force you to go and do and try new
things.  Which is to say, the important thing isn't that they lead
you TO new content, but AWAY from old content.

Why is this important?  Because players, left to their own devices
will bore themselves to death.  And most games incentivize it.  For
example, in most games, a craftsman will be incentivized to stay in
the same part of the world, killing the same monsters, in order to
get the leather or other crafting goods they need to craft.

> I suppose players that enjoy a "directed" experience will
> appreciate a quest-oriented game, if that's what you are getting
> at.  Quests are a great way to say "The fun is over THERE! Go get
> it! Bring some friends!" They are also useful to teach players how
> to play the game -- taking a newbie through combat basics,
> grouping, etc.

I'd stress that most people want to be directed most of the time.
They want to know that they're on the right track, and they want to
have nice, bite-sized tasks that they can chew off in the hour that
they have to play before bed.  Most people want to be led.

Quests done well are a good way for designers to keep control of
their player's game flow.  People who design console games
fanatically control every aspect of the emotional flow of their
game's design, and yet many MMO designers willingly abdicate any
level of flow control in a misguided attempt to give players a sense
of total freedom that most players find overwhelming.

Players who don't want to be led should have the option to go 'off
the rails'.  For example, it's certainly possible to grind for exp
and crafting ingredients, spend an afternoon PVP raiding, or just
wander the world exploring the world.  But the quests act as a solid
baseline activity for players to fallback on, when they don't have
the time or energy to 'make their own fun'.

--d
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