[MUD-Dev] MMO Quest: Why they're still lousy

[Derek Licciardi]

Damion Schubert wrote:

> I could go on, and on, and on, but I'll stop.  Moving forward,
> trying to find the next generation of quest behavior for MMOs, I'd
> probably lay out some keystone ideals.  Such as:

>   1.  Stop thinking about the _story_, and start thinking about
>   the _experience_.  Players don't care about your story as much
>   as they care about the experience that they're having.  Make the
>   experience compelling, and it will create far more compelling
>   stories than your own.  When players talk about Magic the
>   Gathering, they don't talk in story terms ("Lo, I stood over the
>   valley, and summoned one of the feral Kobolds.  While unruly,
>   they seemed suitable to my needs").  They talk in game terms ("I
>   was almost out of health, but then I drew a Mox Sapphire! Then I
>   could play my 'Tim', haste it, and kill off that pesky
>   assassin...')

>   2. Think about World Impact.  Probably the most disappointing
>   part of quest behavior right now is that the results of the
>   quests are still all personal - quests benefit your character,
>   and not your guild, nor your kingdom.  They don't leave much of
>   a mark on the world.  They aren't memorable for anyone but you.

> To me, the exciting future of MMO Quests is not finding ways to
> tell more compelling stories, it's finding ways for more
> compelling stories to emerge from the players.  As such, I'm
> firmly in sync with finding the best game mechanics to do that.

I hope there will come a day where the focus of an MMO is no longer
as firmly seated in the character.  When I think of your second
point, I have to ask myself why an expansion couldn't be built with
this in mind.  Half the skills that come out with the expansion are
not in the game.  They exist but need to be discovered by the
players before anyone can use them in game.  Same thing should apply
to spells and new equipment.  Not only would this extend the shelf
life of your expansion content, it would generate interest in the
game from the explorers who want to be the first.

EQ2 is doing a few things in this regard by listing which character
discovered an item and by hiding the frogloks as a playable race.
Horizons did some of this style quests as well.  Our medium seems to
support experiences and social activities far more than we design
for.  It would be nice to see some of this take shape.  The problem
in my mind sits with the suits.  As soon as they can see the money
coming in from a better design, we will have games that are not
single-player RPGs with thousands of people.

Derek
_______________________________________________
MUD-Dev mailing list
MUD-Dev at kanga.nu
https://kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev