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<H1>Re: [MUD-Dev] Quests</H1>
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<LI><em>To</em>: <<A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A>></LI>
<LI><em>Subject</em>: Re: [MUD-Dev] Quests</LI>
<LI><em>From</em>: "Madrona Tree" <<A HREF="mailto:madronatree#hotmail,com">madronatree#hotmail,com</A>></LI>
<LI><em>Date</em>: Mon, 17 Apr 2000 18:34:22 -0700</LI>
<LI><em>Reply-To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A></LI>
<LI><em>Sender</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev-admin#kanga,nu">mud-dev-admin#kanga,nu</A></LI>
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<PRE>
----- Original Message -----
From: "Raph Koster" <rkoster#austin,rr.com>
To: <mud-dev#kanga,nu>
Sent: Sunday, April 16, 2000 10:58 PM
Subject: RE: [MUD-Dev] Quests
> The other problems are farsighted questions of logistics that
> presuppose the ability to carry it off even once. :) Let's cross
> that bridge when we get to it!
Oh, but people have already gotten to it... and the bridge hasn't been (or
wasn't, in a few particular cases in my mind, anyhow) crossed very well. A
badly carried off quest is worse than no quest at all. The logistics, i
believe, are as important as the quest itself.
> At a guess, I'd say that if you can solve the initial problem, you
> have a good chance of solving the logistical matters.
I disagree. I think that a lot of designers feel the way you do, and
therefore players (mind you, most of my assumptions here come from my 'mass
market game' perspective) have an "Oh ugh - another quest" attitude.
> Your audience never appreciates your efforts. Not as a whole.
> They also have very short memories.
Maybe not as a whole. On the other hand, I think you are perhaps basing
your statement on the noisy few instead of the general non-usenet-posting
public? Because they don't post, you don't necessarily know whether they
appreciate your efforts or not...?
> This is what we were trying for with UO's ALife system. Our
> implementation of it rather sucked, but quite aside from that,
> it never really felt epic. It was lots of "I want new shoes,
> can you go buy me some?"
As it should be. I mean - in our every day lives, we don't constantly have
Giant Epic Events! happening to us. We buy shoes, most of the time. But
every once in a while, there is a bit of drama.
The Shoes quest is good, I think. The only problem with Shoes is that if it
were a Townsperson who wanted shoes, it wouldn't be very epic. But what if
they were, say, magical ruby slippers? What if Dorothy the NPC had a pair
of Ruby Slippers (that were coded as an object that she both a) owned and b)
coveted) ... but some GM stole them from her and gave them to the Wicked
Witch (who was coded as coveting the slippers)... and of course Something
Bad would have to happen to the world while the Wicked Witch had the
slippers, so that players would want it fixed ASAP.
Then, your gossip model kicks in, which is how players find out about the
shoes, and then they fix Dorothy's problem.
Your shoe quest, which was already in there in the first place (being given
to any NPC at any different time), becomes a little more epic, simply
because of the type of shoes involved, and the NPC who cares about the
shoes. Shoes don't have to be boring, you know. ;)
Madrona Tree.
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<li><strong><A NAME="00525" HREF="msg00525.html">RE: [MUD-Dev] Quests</A></strong>
<ul compact><li><em>From:</em> "Lee Sheldon" <linearno@gte.net></li></ul>
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<LI><STRONG><A NAME="00335" HREF="msg00335.html">RE: [MUD-Dev] Quests</A></STRONG>
<UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> "Raph Koster" <rkoster@austin.rr.com></LI></UL></LI>
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<ul><li>Thread context:
<BLOCKQUOTE><UL>
<LI><STRONG>Re: [MUD-Dev] Quests</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM>
<ul compact>
<ul compact>
<ul compact>
<ul compact>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00284" HREF="msg00284.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Quests</A></strong>,
Eli Stevens <a href="mailto:wickedgrey@wickedgrey.com">wickedgrey@wickedgrey.com</a>, Sun 16 Apr 2000, 15:59 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00299" HREF="msg00299.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Quests</A></strong>,
Matthew Mihaly <a href="mailto:the_logos@achaea.com">the_logos@achaea.com</a>, Sun 16 Apr 2000, 22:39 GMT
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00332" HREF="msg00332.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Quests</A></strong>,
Madrona Tree <a href="mailto:madronatree@hotmail.com">madronatree@hotmail.com</a>, Mon 17 Apr 2000, 05:47 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00335" HREF="msg00335.html">RE: [MUD-Dev] Quests</A></strong>,
Raph Koster <a href="mailto:rkoster@austin.rr.com">rkoster@austin.rr.com</a>, Mon 17 Apr 2000, 06:40 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00419" HREF="msg00419.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Quests</A></strong>,
Madrona Tree <a href="mailto:madronatree@hotmail.com">madronatree@hotmail.com</a>, Tue 18 Apr 2000, 19:48 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00525" HREF="msg00525.html">RE: [MUD-Dev] Quests</A></strong>,
Lee Sheldon <a href="mailto:linearno@gte.net">linearno@gte.net</a>, Sat 22 Apr 2000, 18:11 GMT
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00349" HREF="msg00349.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Quests</A></strong>,
Christopher Allen <a href="mailto:ChristopherA@skotos.net">ChristopherA@skotos.net</a>, Mon 17 Apr 2000, 16:22 GMT
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
</ul>
</ul>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00274" HREF="msg00274.html">RE: [MUD-Dev] Spawning and quests (was Sony ban)</A></strong>,
Matthew Mihaly <a href="mailto:the_logos@achaea.com">the_logos@achaea.com</a>, Sat 15 Apr 2000, 17:21 GMT
</LI>
</ul>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00387" HREF="msg00387.html">RE: [MUD-Dev] Spawning and quests (was Sony ban)</A></strong>,
Paul Schwanz - Enterprise Services <a href="mailto:Paul.Schwanz@east.sun.com">Paul.Schwanz@east.sun.com</a>, Mon 17 Apr 2000, 20:21 GMT
</LI>
</ul>
</LI>
</UL></BLOCKQUOTE>
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