Dynamic Quests

[Davis]

I think quests should be more dynamic than, let\'s say, Diablo II quests (kill the smith I imbue your item).
They should be like real life, your position is what matters.
This would mean that they would have to involve multiple people; and they should.
One NPC might want someone to do one thing, another might want someone else to do something else, all in relation to some sort of more global event. And though the NPCs might ask multiple people, its not like the quest is for everyone. Also, not everything has to be assigned by NPCs.

So, its all based around a situation, not just an assignment.

Like Threed, in Earthbound. One player might think of putting the zombie paper in the tent. (if not the npcs die). Another might go through the graveyard. Another may be commisioned by an npc to fly the flying rescue thing.

There are problems in this, and it isn\'t a complete idea yet. SOrry, I\'m tired. I\'ll fix it in the morning. Post comments.

*sighs*
I have the best ideas when I\'m tired, but I\'m the worst at expressing them.

OK I guess its sort of like this:
It gets rid of the concept of assigned quests altogether
instead creating a dynamic situation
which the players then deal with in various ways

[zedd_owd]

i think Dynamic Quests are a great idea as it opens the door to more possiblities. but coding Dynamic Quests would be very hard so many game claim to have it but few delivers.
i assume Dynamic Quests refers to something like this u log on to the game the game examines your strats then generates tailor made mission/quests for u ( similar to world of warcraft )

[Davis]

\"You assume\"... you\'d know if you read the post. Isn\'t that an idea? Hmm?

[Skizzik]

Originally posted by Davis
\"You assume\"... you\'d know if you read the post. Isn\'t that an idea? Hmm?

He\'d know if you were a bit more clear.
Does placing the letter, going through the graveyard or flying the thing achieve the same goal or do they work together as a team (or maybe against eachother)?

[lynx_lupo]

I like the idea and it will be implemented. If you remember one type of pvp will be in quests where players will be made to have crossing interests.

[Draklar]

Originally posted by Davis
\"You assume\"... you\'d know if you read the post. Isn\'t that an idea? Hmm?

that\'s the idea?
so no solving quests in teams, eh?

[Davis]

Originally posted by Skizzik

Originally posted by Davis
\"You assume\"... you\'d know if you read the post. Isn\'t that an idea? Hmm?

He\'d know if you were a bit more clear.
Does placing the letter, going through the graveyard or flying the thing achieve the same goal or do they work together as a team (or maybe against eachother)?

They don\'t have to, but it would help. This idea gives a lot of options, and working as a team would definately solve a lot of problems.

[Draklar]

so let\'s say there\'s a team of a warrior, mage, assassin and merchant
will it be like:
NPC will give a quest to one of them, while others will have to find other NPCs?
one NPC will give each adventurer somewhat different quest?
or maybe NPC will somehow know every member of group and will be able to give quest depending on overall skills?

[dragoon169]

how about:

if there\'s other people in your group(im assuming that theres an option where you can invite people to your party), and you ask for a mission...it is assigned to everyone in the group. But, if there\'s different parts to the quest (like, A: get object X B: destroy X) the NPC\'s assign the parts to dfferent people in the group. so if there\'s 4 people, NPC will assign 2 to get object X, and 2 to destroy X

[chrischoo]

I\'ve always wondered whether it would be possible to actually have quests that involve getting items or cooperating with specific members of another guild or race. So let\'s say you could be asked to present an item that a regular player owns (sayyy... Mogura ) and then you get the item to the NPC or another player even.

I think it\'d be fun if quests involved a human element, which could always be provided by regular players or some of the devs who want to have some fun as well. The whole idea of having NPCs is to replace the human touch, but does it always have to be that way?

[Axsyrus]

this would be cool, and not very hard to code, it\'s like this:

you have certain properties, and the NPC will only tell you about the quest when you\'ve reached one of them.

for example, there\'s a quest that needs to be solved by stealing something, this quest will only be given to characters with, let\'s say skill level 20 climbing and level 30 picklocking, the code would be something like this:(this is php and probably wrong but it\'s just an example :P):

if($skill_climbing == \"20\"){
   if($skill_lockpicking == \"30\"){
      start_quest_01();
   } else {
       print \"You\'re not skilled enough in lockpicking, please come back later.\";
   }
}else {
   print \"You\'re not skilled enough in climbing, please come back later.\";

[Davis]

Originally posted by Draklar
so let\'s say there\'s a team of a warrior, mage, assassin and merchant
will it be like:
NPC will give a quest to one of them, while others will have to find other NPCs?
one NPC will give each adventurer somewhat different quest?
or maybe NPC will somehow know every member of group and will be able to give quest depending on overall skills?

You seem limited in your idea that quests have to be given by NPC\'s. My idea of \"Dynamic Quests\" is that there is an overall situation that one or more players may or may not decide to deal with. This may or may not involve NPC\'s, it may or may not involve NPC\'s giving assignments. It\'s designed to put humans in control of the situation, instead of them just performing a task that an NPC states.

Originally posted by dragoon169
how about:

if there\'s other people in your group(im assuming that theres an option where you can invite people to your party), and you ask for a mission...it is assigned to everyone in the group. But, if there\'s different parts to the quest (like, A: get object X B: destroy X) the NPC\'s assign the parts to dfferent people in the group. so if there\'s 4 people, NPC will assign 2 to get object X, and 2 to destroy X

Yes, if that quest is set up that way.

Remember, dynamic quests are dynamic. There are many ways to do it.

[Fish]

Hay vengeance just jump right and correct me if you want to(not that you wouldn?t)

Quests aren?t coated. They are a text file with an engine, which is coated, works on to make a quest.  It?s kind of similar to how the graphics engine works.  The graphics engine does not have any data in it.  The data is an XML file and graphics files for texture.  Their combined using the graphics engine is used to render a scene.  A quest engine uses quest data to produce a quest.  Writing an actual quest in code would be ridiculously complex.

Adding a few if statements and case statements to the code doesn?t seem very difficult.  However building a quest where the writer has to produce answers for every conceivable combination and outcome in a quest seems like a very difficult job.  It would seem to me if you had a practical limit to the number of outcomes like say four it might be doable.

If you?re thinking that the computer comes up with text in any way other than somebody writing the story I would like to hear it, better yet I would like to know how you can do that without an outrageous amount of computing power.

[Tylyu]

I think I got what\'s your idea.
Or at least something that\'s going your way, Davis ...

You mean about randomly generated quests that could be assignated only once : If I come and talk to Rinna (for instance), she might be asking me : \"Would you be nice enough to do this (Y/N)\"

If you answer yes, you get the job, and if anybody else come then, she won\'t be asking them anything (but maybe another randomly generated quest, that has nothing to do in particular with the previous task).

If you answer no, then she\'ll ask the next player she\'ll talk to.

But my get the job\'s totaly due to hasard, as X could have taken it just before me ... In fact, the NPC would get some status : \"Aaa ! I got a job for the next player I meet\". (with quest icon over it\'s head maybe)

Then, nothing prevents you when you got the job to ask that LVL14 magician who\'s a friend of yours to give a hand. If you get rewarded, he might be interested in ...

Of course, results of the quests (completing it or not) might interfeere with future quests and/or environement. Well, if you can\'t prevent that building from beeing destroyed, no NPC\'ll be asking anyone to go there for any reason ... (but rebuild it or so maybe)

[Davis]

Tylu: Nice long post, but that\'s not exactly what I was talking about; some of the same principles. Argh, is it my explanation that\'s flawed, or are people just not reading it?

Still, yeah, it does involve changes in the enviroment, because it involves the enviroment defining the quests. I guess yo could say that the quests were generated. Still though, when you people hear \"quest\" you think \"something an NPC told you to do\". No, I\'m trying to make it player-based, you have to think of quests in a different way.
Why should NPC\'s run the world? Why can\'t I?