player to player mail as quests.

[wesleybruce]

I've thought of an idea of doing player to player mail that also generates miniquests.
A normal mail system allows players to send stuff to alts, friends. guild colleges etc. They don't have to be on line if you have a mail server. A player in a remote area can receive vital items without running the length of a virtual world to get it from a friend.
Generally in most MMORPG's this includes an address, A main message and a goods box allowing you to send money, resources, gifts, armour etc.
If we add two more text boxes and a location drop down and co-ordinates we can create a quest.

• The first box would be the 'challenge'. The player would see that immediately. Next is a location. Zone x and y.
• When the player gets to within 50 m of the x/y position message two pops up. This is the 'story'.
• Then a second later the goods arrive in your hud loot box followed by the final 'punch line' message. It may have an Out of Character component. 

The delivery is passive. The three messages create a story. An explanation for why you suddenly have a pile of new treasure in your loot box.  The 50 m leeway is to deal with the risk that the location itself may be inaccessible or  populated with the meanest of monsters.
The loot/gift is passive so that its simple software and so you are free to concentrate on the threats in the area.
Some messages will be easy with no loot, I E general guild announcements.
I call this Quest mail. I cooked this up for another game but can't write the code. I'm not a programmer. it should be an easy menu task the only challenge is the need for a mail server as part of the existing servers or as a new server. However being a free game that poses both a challenge and a simplification. The challenge as always is paying for reliable servers and the good news is being a free game we can avoid the cost of securing the server too much from gold merchants etc.
What do you think?    It should be easy but I can't write C++ code to save my life.
The beauty of this is that the GM's can add lots of seasonal mini-quests by simply sending everyone Christmas mail.

 

[LigH]

Such kind of scavenger hunt / paper chase happened already sometimes. Wrapped in some bigger events. Sometimes with players you had to greet to receive the next hint.

It might not exactly be the purpose of PlaneShift to implement that; but it is possible to play it, more or less.

[Yaniel]

Actually, what IS needed are caravans. They could do approximately the same as this mail system, but with more RP. And more realistically.
Many people already talk about them, but there are no caravans regularly transporting stuff (even if it's just for NPCs) yet. Yes, I know, one cannot trust everybody but there will sure be some people who prove trustworthy. And you can also join the caravan yourself if you don't trust others enough. (the risk of getting robbed is currently less or equal to the amount of RP)

I just got an idea from that... How about waiting next time when you got to deliver something to oja and announce it on the Hydlaa Message Board ("The Hydlaa-Ojaveda caravan timetable", just asking if anyone will participate should be enough). And get a group of at least 4 players to share the way.

Once we get wagons for goods and people, that would be really a good opportunity for RP. For now, merchants will have to walk (or ride, if they have mounts). Still even walking is more fun with someone to chat with. Caravans (or merchant groups) would IMHO also be a good way for noobs to learn the way to places.

[Eyantar]

Well once Carts/wagons are implemented I'll be big on getting a Caravan running, and hopefully by then I maybe leader of Akkaio Setha Clan and have the clan and Ojaveda shops running very well that we can start up a player (no NPCs) caravans at least. But then I am waiting for some better merchant mechanics to be implemented in game.

On the other hand having a mail person is a good idea that can just wander around Ojaveda, Hydlaa and Gug.

[ralph169]

i think this is a great idea. i just hope we can get mail across servers (rp to non rp). ( i have no clue how you would even try caravans across servers.)

[LigH]

Definitely not, distinct servers will stay distinct. (As far as I know.)

[Illysia]

They should, at least between RP and Non RP servers. Inter-server mail would seriously knock down the fourth wall on the RP server with a sledgehammer.

[Geoni]

I don't think any mail should be going from one server to another, but I would like it if characters began to have the need to send mail on the RP server. I've tried to make a business out of it on an alt and it didn't work out too well. 

[kaerli2]

I don't think any mail should be going from one server to another, but I would like it if characters began to have the need to send mail on the RP server. I've tried to make a business out of it on an alt and it didn't work out too well. 

Well, it seems that most people prefer to use the Groffel post instead. lol