Story missions

[______________Malmar]

Alright already...respond!!!!
You've got 14 pages of answers and no respnse from Funcom (oe even CZ) how bout a little feedback YOUR way now?????
Ya, I know bout a snowballs chance in Diabllo of that happening >

[Bima]

This seems to be one of the greatest complaints from Anarchy Online users, and it is quite reasonable. We just want a little more communication from Funcom here on the boards.
Feedback that suggestions are considered and problems are being paid attention to.

Bugs are understandable, they are a fact of life with software, especially a massive world with many object interactions like this. Please Funcom, just come forward sometimes and say, "Yes, this does appear to be a bug and we will be looking at it." Some threads go on for pages and pages about some problem people are having and there is absolutely no indication that Funcom is paying any attention at all, much less agreeing it is a bug.

It really does not have to be much, just acknowledge that there is a problem there even if you don't know why it happens. Many of us are computer professionals, we understand that there are bugs like that.

Similarly, if you see that someone has taken the time to write a lengthy proposal for how to handle a particular issue (like needing to camp for quests/items -- Dodga and Neleb, for example) then at least say, "Thanks for taking the time to write that, we will be internally reviewing whether to incorporate something like that into the game." Or maybe, "Thanks for taking the time to write that, but we probably will not adopt something like that because it {would be difficult to retrofit to the engine; would imbalance some other aspect of the game; we really like to see people camp for 18 hours; WHATEVER}."

So far I have found three things useful about /petition:
1) Getting you unstuck.
2) Having a human being in a somewhat official position acknowledge that something you encountered was a bug.
3) Agreement from a human being in a somewhat official position that a particular change would be useful.

You know, it is an MMORPG ... it is all about interaction.

[Elsebet]

Hi -

I am relatively new to AO, me hubby and I have a level 31 Martial Artist (me) and 31 Doctor (him). However I'm not new to MMORPG's (EQ, UO, DAoC so far) so hopefully my opinions are worthy.

Q: Do you want story-missions that are profession specific or not?

Yes, this would be a nice feature, different than the current random mission terminal items.

Q: Do you want side-defined missions, or missions for everyone?

How about a mix of both? Have some that are side specific (including neutrals) along with others that are open to all.

Q: Do you want the quests to scale with your level? (So you may take the same mission at lvl 30 and at 100, only with tougher opponents?)

So the quests would be repeatable? I don't like that idea. Seems like it would be easy to farm the same quest over and over again. Make quests a "one time" thing. A quest should be more than a path to an item, it should be an adventure, a challenge - fun!

Q: Do you want many small, or fewer longer quests?

Mix them up. Perhaps make one quest with a number of intermediate steps, each giving their own reward.

Q: Is it ok with you to camp spawns, like we see in other MMORPGs?

Is it ok if we start calling Funcom Verant? >

My answer is an emphatic, "NO!". If you want to limit the people who complete the quest, make the quest challenging, not a question of who has the time/patience to waste x number of hours in their already short play time to sit doing nothing.

Also - consider mimicking DAoC's quest system - if all eight people have a quest for the same item, and they are all in the party who slays the critter in question, they ALL get the item, not just one person. Wow does that help eliminate kill stealing/camping and promote cooperation!

Q: Is it ok with you if we interweave the normal auto-content mission system in this, so that we can generate areas for you even in these story missions? (Or do you want only outdoor action?)

Again I ask for a mix of both. Some variety would be wonderful.

-Shkie, apprentice clan martial artist of Rubi-Ka 1

[Hypgnosis]

Each Char may only successfully complete each story mission once. A simple tag alerts the prime npc the asking char has already completed this task.

Doc Rali
Veteran
Opposing Force

[______________SergoC]

I just read the article for the first time. I said to myself, "Well, ought to mosey over to feedback and let them know how I feel about camping."

And then I started reading...

ROFL! Yes, camping is a bad thing. and certainly takes the adventure out of an adventure game.

[Flapsie]

What could been fun though is to make a few missions where you have to camp, but put the camp-sites in 25% or 0% areas

[_____________Taldrin]

Respawn times should be 5 minutes MAX

No sane person likes to camp!

[Downsizr]

Do you want story-missions that are profession specific or not?Of course and it means a lot more work.

Do you want side-defined missions, or missions for everyone? Both of them are needed.

Do you want the quests to scale with your level? (So you may take the same mission at lvl 30 and at 100, only with tougher opponents?)Yes also. But this is very difficult to answer without knowing what you mean here. If the mission is scaled to the player taking it it makes a lot of sense and will prevent any form of farming. But then the reward should be scaled too.

Do you want many small, or fewer longer quests?Both are needed to suit all playtsyles. Again rewards should be scaled accordingly. Of course many small quest could bring useful rewards that then can be combined after a lareger quest ...

Is it ok with you to camp spawns, like we see in other MMORPGs?No it's not unless camp time is no more than 15 min. Camping is a flaw not game design. A bad solution to limit farming.
Try to see things like DAoC here. That's a thing they done right.

Is it ok with you if we interweave the normal auto-content mission system in this, so that we can generate areas for you even in these story missions? (Or do you want only outdoor action?)I would say that you don't group with the same ppl to do a mission or a quest. Quest need more time and dedication, it's not just about filling 6 slots in a team and duplicating keys. Not mixing would be IMHO better. Outdoor too is a good choice. RK is a beautiful place and we are playing in its cave mainly.

[________________Crin]

Do you want story-missions that are profession specific or not?
Both.

Do you want side-defined missions, or missions for everyone?
Both.

Do you want the quests to scale with your level? (So you may take the same mission at lvl 30 and at 100, only with tougher opponents?)
Both. You can scale the missions but make sure there are unique mission for the higher levels. Players should have something to look forward to. One of the biggest complaints of the game is that nothing ever changes. Don’t repeat that mistake here. There should be mission that only higher level players can do. I would also make those missions more involved and have a greater impact on the world.

Do you want many small, or fewer longer quests?
Both.
There needs to be a variety. There should be longer involved quests that can span multiple levels and require strategic planning to complete. (not just collect more items)

There should be short quick quests that a player can do to get experience for those times that it is hard to get a group. For example, a quest that is to just kill a particular mob in the wild that would give experience comparable to hunting in a group. The number of times a player could get such a quest could be limited to still promote grouping.

Is it ok with you to camp spawns, like we see in other MMORPGs?
Absolutely not. The only acceptable form of camping would be one where the player could go off and do other things while waiting, then be given a tell in the game when the objective is ready. Unless the objective is meant to involve PvP, players should not have to compete (wait in line) with other players for it.

Is it ok with you if we interweave the normal auto-content mission system in this, so that we can generate areas for you even in these story missions? (Or do you want only outdoor action?)
Using dungeons is ok for quests, but between solo and teaming missions I already see enough of them. If there is a dungeon, don’t make it as big as the normal ones. They should be short, specific and to the point. I would also remove the “must kill everything” requirement. A quest is about obtaining a goal not about a dungeon crawl. If a player wanted to do that they would get a normal mission.


Additional:
Players need to be rewarded for extra risks taken. If a quest takes a player into a PvP zone then extra rewards must be given. Currently AO does not seem to reward players for assuming risks, which causes everyone to follow the same safe path.

[_______________Creep]

Is it ok with you to camp spawns, like we see in other MMORPGs?

Smuggler's after 14.0 anyone ? Let the camping continue! Reward those that already have the items! Ignore the community!

Creala.

[___________Greywolf.]

Let me describe a situation familiar to many of your subscribers FC. A man gets off of work and fights his way through traffic to get home. He is tired after a long day and wants nothing more than to relax and maybe enjoy a couple of hours playing one of his favorite games. He logs into AO and spawns right where he left himself the previous night... Camping a rediculous mob that he will never be able to manage alone, but no one else really feels like wasting their play time waiting for the random spawn of this particular beastie. Unfortunately for this guy, killing this creature is the ONLY way he will ever see the <fill in the blank here> in the game for his class.

Now... let's say that the mob actually spawns during the time this guy has to play (Woo Hoo!!! Man was he lucky tonight!!!!). How long will it take this guy to call to his guild or to his friends for the help he will need to successfully defeat this critter? How many other players are also camping this same spawn? After the battle, what are the chances that he will be the one to be allowed to loot the mob? Assuming he gets REALLY lucky and gets to do the looting, how many times does he have to successfully complete this dreadful test of his patience before the mob actually drops the item he seeks? And more importantly, how long do you think he will play the game if this is what he has to look forward to each evening?

Believing that players enjoy camping spawns for items is like believing that everyone who has to commute to work enjoys sitting in rush hour traffic in 100+ degree heat with no air conditioning in their vehicle. It is beyond ignorant. It is down right foolish. Sometimes I am forced to question the intelligence of folks who feel the need to ask such asinine questions.

The sad thing is that, even though you have been given an overwhelming response to this question, you will continue to put it in the game. So much for keeping Fred as a customer... he got bored and went back to playing solitaire.

[___________Catalyste]

Originally posted by Cz
"A story mission is a story built on events in different locations, involving a group of NPCs and where the player himself plays a central role. To solve the story mission the player needs to talk to the NPCs involved, piece together what needs to be done, and then seek out the items and information needed to let everything fall into place."

The rest of the article can be found here.

Let us know what you think.

Cz

How about this one? This could help guilds, and "pick up" teams, and individual folks perhaps.

Possibility number 1: Have most of the NPCs you need to find placed INSIDE particular missions, and have a key or special item to get to them for them, just like team missions. This would prevent camping, because only the team with a key (or special item) could get in for that time. If someone else wanted to do that same mission, they'd fight or talk to the SAME NPC, but in a different iteration of the mission. Kinda like 2 teams going into the same door in town, but different missions, because they have different keys. After the mad rush is passed, make it a static thing like Neleb's where it is open to all people. Perhaps a series of missions, requiring a few hours work for a series of days?

Possibility number 2: Have some missions where a team would have to split up, and complete all portions somewhat simultaneously, like collecting pieces of that goal, all over RK. OR: have a few different teams all doing this at once...They have a certain amount of time in which to do this, and then meet and turn all the items in to another NPC, who gives the reward/experience or the finished item, etc.

You see I'd like to do something other than the killing of monsters for any useful experience after level 4. Sure, cracking chests and opening doors is a lot less work, but how about assembling all these tradeskill items it takes a week to collect? To me that is work, and should be worth something. Travelling all over the planet to find something is too. If story missions expand beynd the realm of kill kill kill...We might be surprised how many people respond... I hear more and more people "Sick of missions" but we all do them, because there is little else to do for experience, unless you want to go camp something for a special item. I have a lot more ideas, but I only wanted to help get the ball rolling. Is this what you were after, Cz?
%)

[_________Basher Tarr]

Do you want story-missions that are profession specific or not?

Yes, some profession specific missions would ****e up the things a bit. Maybe a gate that has to be hacked/fixed, or a NPC that needs "psychological persuasion", maybe a guard that needs to be sneaked by, possibilities are endless.

Do you want side-defined missions, or missions for everyone?

Well, make some side defined missions and some generic missions, probably with preference for side defined tho.

Do you want the quests to scale with your level? (So you may take the same mission at lvl 30 and at 100, only with tougher opponents?)

No need, just make the quests available across the level board. Oh, and make sure you dont rate the quests like you rate the static dungeons, or are we supposed to believe Steps of Madness was aimed at lvl 30 teams?

Do you want many small, or fewer longer quests?

Make a bunch of small missions and a few large ones, or even better, make lots of small missions and link them together to make a few huge ones.

Is it ok with you to camp spawns, like we see in other MMORPGs?

NO! NO! NO! Spawn camping is bad, very very very bad. What you did with Dodga/Alvin is wrong.

I suggest you take the AC approach, make the spawns respawn very quickly (in a matter of minutes) and make the quest lock a player timer (i.e. You try to pick up that "Classified Information" youre supposed to retrieve twice but at the second time you get a message "You have picked up this mission/quest item too recently. This quest is locked for 23 hours, 56 minutes"

Is it ok with you if we interweave the normal auto-content mission system in this, so that we can generate areas for you even in these story missions? (Or do you want only outdoor action?)

Indoor only missions, outdoor only missions, a bit of both, the sky is the limit.

[Chzaal]

How are things coming along with the work on this?

-just snooping

[XtroXtreme]

Do you want story-missions that are profession specific or not?

Oh Yes, please. And make normal missions profession specific while you are at it.

Do you want side-defined missions, or missions for everyone?

Sided as well as missions that everyone can take, and don´t forget those poor neutrals.

Do you want the quests to scale with your level? (So you may take the same mission at lvl 30 and at 100, only with tougher opponents?)

Make missions that are scaled, and I mean actualy scaled, to those involved as well as well as a min lvl to take that mission.

Do you want many small, or fewer longer quests?

Booth

Is it ok with you to camp spawns, like we see in other MMORPGs?

AAAARRRGHHH! NO CAMPING!

Is it ok with you if we interweave the normal auto-content mission system in this, so that we can generate areas for you even in these story missions? (Or do you want only outdoor action?)

Give us booth, and please fix a more logical construction of missions areas.

[_________Crazynotion]

Just to add my voice to the throng:

Everyone has pretty much said the same thing, and I agree. The most important one for me is:

NO CAMPING!

The ideas about having multiple 'personal' versions of static playfields works very well for me. Something I think would be VERY cool is if the same static were used for different 'stages' of the same quest. As a 'made up' example:

Jack and Jill get a party together to go off and do the Wonderous Cushion of Magnificence quest. The first thing they have to do is go into the Static Facility of Galway and get the nano-enhanced featherdown. So they get a mission key and go into the (predesigned) facility, kill a few mobs, unlock a few doors, face off against a boss to get the feathers.

A little while later, after having acquired the feathers and the pillowslip they go to the next mission-giving-person, who recognises they have both items and hands them a key to get access to the Grand NanoSewingMachine of Jobe. So they get a mission key to go BACK to the Static Facility of Galway. Same door, only the mission they enter has different mobs and different loot and a different boss. Same playfield geometery, though.

AO has the ability to generate dynamic 'private' playfields. This is truly a priceless thing because it eliminates the worst MMORPG feature imaginable: camping. Please make use of this feature as much as possible, because it is good.

[____________c3r47opp]

I see it like this... The clubs and Bars and Those GIANT Trade rooms in EVERY single General Store seem a bit Daft as of now.... What ya need is to get some NPCs either wandering about and a few hanging around....

THEN (gosh im beginning to wonder if Rubi-Ka is filled with Diablo-Heads) You give them missions.

NO NO NO people wouldn't camp for them, because these missions WOULD be event specific, and they would Update accordingly. An NPC could have a mission "one day" and the next day he is empty, until something else comes up. And if the same Characters Camp the Same NPC or whatever, they could REply with something along the lines of, "didn't I already Tell you everything I know... You're Drawing TOO MUCH attention my way! Please begone...!" (keep a log of Character Contact)

Also, Some of these NPCs wouldnt Freely give ANY passer by the opportunity for a mission, and Likely no 2 NPCs would ever hand out the same mission; or Reward for that matter. Not EVERY mission would give an ITEM, nor Would they Necessarily have Cash as a reward. One may be All Cash, the other Rewards with Some special Item. Some missions Could Give only Tokens as a Merit type Mission for the Players Specific Side.
Or even This: A player may get Information "previously unavailable" as to where he could go to Ask about ANOTHER more Important mission. (which wouldnt be given out to anyone either... Just the "right" person >>Avoid players informing "guildies" to camp So-and-So<<)

Also YES missions should be Profession Specific, but not always! And just because they are mission specific doesn't mean that the NPC is going to hand out Missions to a Line of Hopeful MPs like popcorn. One mission per NPC, or they could have a limited amount of "hirees" like say 10. Realistically, not every NPC is going to have a Giant Chest filled with Tokens and Sholder Pads, along with an Endless bank account to hand away to everyone who walks up and types QUEST>>>>Which is another thing.

Alvin is set up ok, but theres no way to really make a connection to come up with ,"have you seen strange things?"
NPCs should have KEY words or Phrases to sort of hint towards what a Player should ASK. Also, One NPC may have the INFO that a Player needs to ASK another NPC; so that it adds a sort of RPG realism to the game.

I think what has Happened to this game, is that people have this whole "CAMPING" idea Stuck in their Heads. A system Similar to this would add a little more realism to the game...
Camping is not REALLY role Playing; and if there are going to be ppl gathering, At least have them gather in these EMPTY public Places......

[__________Blackfists]

Do you want story-missions that are profession specific or not?
-> Yes

Do you want side-defined missions, or missions for everyone?
->Sided

Do you want the quests to scale with your level? (So you may take the same mission at lvl 30 and at 100, only with tougher opponents?)
->yes

Do you want many small, or fewer longer quests?
-> Yes, mix them up

Is it ok with you to camp spawns, like we see in other MMORPGs?
F*** No. I came here to get away from camping G*d D*ammit!
And if I leave that's why

Is it ok with you if we interweave the normal auto-content mission system in this, so that we can generate areas for you even in these story missions? (Or do you want only outdoor action?)
-> Doesn't matter to me

[Toxinator]

Is it ok with you if we interweave the normal auto-content mission system in this, so that we can generate areas for you even in these story missions? (Or do you want only outdoor action?)

- Outdoor, I am an MP and pet pathing in this game is by far THE WORST EVER! If you are any one of hte pet professions u no this, until that problem is finally solved please outdoor! (i dunno if this was said in a previous post but i didnt feel like reading 15 pages)