Skill Training Quests

[tman]

I saw this discussion somewhere and I think it deserves it's own thread.

Let's face it.  Grinding is boring.  So why not make it a little more fun by adding the ability to train things like blade making and cooking with some skill-oriented quests?

For example, Harnquist tells you that he just got an order from the city guard for 4 new longswords.  They need them fast, and he's busy with another project.  If you agree to make them for him, he'll agree to give you a few pointers about swordmaking (and pay you for the swords, of course).  Now when you finish the quest, instead of getting experience and money you could get blade making practice, blacksmith practice, and money.  This way, people learn in a realistic way by creating a product rather than by repeatedly hammering sword handles for hours at a time.

This could apply to a variety of skills.  Mining practice could be given for the Harnquist Iron Ore quest, cooking practice for making stuff, leatherworking and armor making for making pieces of leather armor, etc.

I know there are some details to work out but I think this would help make training a little less boring.

[Rigwyn]

There was a discussion that touched on this a year and a half ago. Xillix wanted to set up a crapload of quests that would align ones factions with one of six or so groups. There is where "Seeds of Wildwood" and "Cabal of Whispers" factions came from...

Part of the discussion touched very briefly on gaining trust with a faction, hence skill or skill enhancing items. The discussion died, however I do see now there there are these wand quests which I suspect may have been inspired by this old threead.. but I really wouldn't know.

I am personally in favor of this idea - questing for skills as an alternative to grinding.... big thumbs up here fwiw!

+1

Link:  Factions as Organizations

[Tzarhunt]

Maybe even procedurally generated quests, so one could do one's full ranking on quests and almost no grinding (kinda like in a regular RPG), though I imagine what the volume of work to implement that would be.

[Pakarro]

What people call "grinding" is in a way a meditative part of the game. It makes progress slower and makes you communicate. Not so bad, actually, after you get used to doing it.

Quests are very good, the more the better, but not as a replacement of practising skills, please.

[Tzarhunt]

What people call "grinding" (...) makes progress slower and makes you communicate. Not so bad, actually, after you get used to doing it.

So far not 'slower', just 'slow' (and painful). And how does grinding makes you communicate? Crafters often can't notice you're talking to them because of multiple windows and spamming result messages in the chat window, and bashing thugs' heads in a remote cave with no-one around sure doesn't help socialisation.
I think many have a rather precise idea of what they want their character to be able to do, which creates a pressure to grind up to this level of skill (because acting as if is really not the same). Therefore they have to stay away from RP for long, long times.

Quests are very good, the more the better, but not as a replacement of practising skills, please.

Not a replacement, let's say an alternate solution.

[tman]

Have the devs given this any thought?

[Chessire]

Perhaps that's a question to ask on the Dev Q&A event, the coming Sunday 

[tman]

Perhaps that's a question to ask on the Dev Q&A event, the coming Sunday 

I'd love to.  Unfortunately my RL schedule causes my time in game to be unpredictable, so I haven't been able to make it to any of these in the past.  I try to rely on these forums and the Q&A logs to stay updated.  I'll try to make it, but if I can't then maybe someone else can ask?

[Earowo]

This Idea has, to an extent, already been put into play, I noticed it mabey a year or more ago.
But when one is doing the cooking quests for Reffitia, one of them actually raises your cooking level by 1, without needing to buy or train the level, Im not sure if it is repeatable, but I know Ive gotten at least 3-4 cooking levels, from that quest, as it was repeatable in 4.03, and the quest wipe in 5.0 gave me another go at it.

[Karzela~]

If skill questing would unchain players from the smithy, kitchens etc. for a while, I'm all for it.
Sounds like more entertainment for players by offering a variety of ways to level up skills.

[Malunga]

My two cents.
Two thumbs up for an idea of alternative way of gaining experience.
Back to factions... In order to prevent an idea of "skill quests" being copied from other MMORPGs I'd like to suggest using our special PlaneShift feature for gaining access to these quests. As far as I can judge faction index is a measure of trust from a certain group. In my opinion it will be very roleplaying if an NPC gives special tasks to a trustworthy person. This way the higher this faction index the wider a choice of these skill quests and maybe higher the reward. I think it's a fair way to obtain an alternative way because you have to work hard before you gain this "trust".

[Tanosn]

I am all for an alternative, it hasn't been until recently that Tanosn has actually had some leveling. It was always much more fun to have Tanosn having a sword fight with a villain, rather than knocking a trepor over the head for hours on end. However, some players prefer that your character has the skills, to back up the skills that you are role playing. Thus being chained to the anvil, or dark rogues.

Now, grinding has been made easier, and I am glad! Though I would still like to see some alternatives