So I've played quite a bit, enough to get a feel for the game. And while the game does have some great things going for it, there are some areas that could do with improvement. The thing I want to talk about here is activity content. You're pretty much left to your own devices, to choose what you want to do. And while that's great, it leaves the game feeling lacking. Quest systems are usually the main thing that give players stuff to do, and currently, with the adventurers guild being the only "stable source" of quests/activities, it leaves the game lacking, and it gets boring fast. What I propose is a greater variety of quests, which are obtained from various locations. As opposed to the "luck of the draw" that we currently have with the adventurer's guild quest system. I'll give some examples of how to do this...
1) Player made quests.
This one is pretty simple. Removing the adventurer's guild quest system (I'll explain why in later point's) and instead having a noticeboard where players can post their own quests. For example, you need skins of a certain type? Post a quest for it. You need an escort? Post a quest for it. You require some shoes, a weapon, some arrows crafted by a master artisan? Post a quest for it. The experience rewards could scale in some way. I imagine it wouldnt be so hard to do. And as for the money reward, the player making the quests puts up the cash. Also, when a player makes a quest, they can choose wether to have an experience only reward, cash only reward, or both. Again, some mechanic that automatically scales these would be necesarry so it isn't abused. I'm sure there may be other issues involved, but I'm sure the devs and the community could find a way to solve them.
2) Rebirth of the old (current) quest system.
For this, I was thinking of having the same basic mechanics as the adventurer's guild quest system, but with a few changes that I will list below...
a) Instead of a single quest giver, you have multiple quest givers, each one specialising in a certain type of quest. Some examples are: Going directly to the Furrier to get skinning quests, same mechanic for herb quests, gemstone quests... But, also adding trading quests, which require you to safely deliver a package to a certain NPC and location. This could work the same way as the child rescue quests. You have to go to the specified area, and while traversing through it, a specific number of bandits spawn to rob you. Once you've fended off enough, the person you were told to give the package to comes out of hiding, the same way the lost child would. Then you give them the package, and they give you one to return to the original quest giver.
b) No more "heres your quest, like it or lump it."
I'll explain what I mean by this... The whole "don't like the quest so remove it and wait for another" idea is garbage... What I propose is whenever you go to a quest giver, they have 3 quests of their designated type for you to choose from. You can ask about each of them, and then decide if you want to take one of them. If you don't like any of them, they refresh as quickly as the current bounty timer. (15 mins for subscriber 1 hour F2P?)
On top of this, you can only have one quest at any given time, and once you take one, you are put on the aforementioned cooldown timer before you can take another. This applies to player made quests too.
This in no way changes the speed of which players can progress. Due to the timers, and one quest at a time restriction, players progress at their current pace. However, it gives players more choices on what they can do, and when they can do it. Instead of being handed some random assignment. As it stands, I've grown bored of the quest mechanics. It doesnt help when you get rubbish quests multiple times in a row and just end up sitting around waiting for one that you want to do.
While growing somewhat bored, instead of just walking away and looking for something new, I thought I'd make an effort to explore why I'm not finding the game as satisfying and you help you make a better game. Gemstone is great, it's got something about it that you don't find with other games. A gritty sense of realism is one thing. I'd rather stick around and keep playing if I can, but if you grow bored, yo grow bored. Hopefully you guys will be the first game developers that take my ideas and run with them. I've contributed ideas to so many games without seeing any of them used... These day's I find myself debating wether I should bother making the effort or not. But anyways, there's the feedback/suggestion/idea. Have at it.
AELOTH
KRAKII
Re: Feedback/suggestions/improvements. (Devs please read)
02/08/2018 10:05 AM CST
I like the feedback (as a general state of being).
I disagree with some of the basic premises, inasmuch as doing it that way would allow the players to cherry-pick their Guild tasks and optimize character builds for Just These Ones, with no down time as the current system has built in.
Doing it the way it is now, more accurately reflects the "world" setting they're going for.
The Guildmaster Has Said That We Need Work X, Y, and Z Done Today.
I'm here to do job Q!
We got no Q. Right now, I can have you do job X.
No, really; I'm here to do job Q!
Come back in 15 minutes. (At which time I will be offering X, or Y, or Z. Because that's what we need today; Guildmaster said so.)
If you want to do tasks, train to do tasks. Being trained to do a larger field of them, may very well mean that you are NOT optimal at any of them... but you CAN do more of them. Therefor, you are more likely to be able to complete a task, and therefor more likely to benefit from the Adventurer Guild system as a whole.
I disagree with some of the basic premises, inasmuch as doing it that way would allow the players to cherry-pick their Guild tasks and optimize character builds for Just These Ones, with no down time as the current system has built in.
Doing it the way it is now, more accurately reflects the "world" setting they're going for.
The Guildmaster Has Said That We Need Work X, Y, and Z Done Today.
I'm here to do job Q!
We got no Q. Right now, I can have you do job X.
No, really; I'm here to do job Q!
Come back in 15 minutes. (At which time I will be offering X, or Y, or Z. Because that's what we need today; Guildmaster said so.)
If you want to do tasks, train to do tasks. Being trained to do a larger field of them, may very well mean that you are NOT optimal at any of them... but you CAN do more of them. Therefor, you are more likely to be able to complete a task, and therefor more likely to benefit from the Adventurer Guild system as a whole.
CLUNK24963
Re: Feedback/suggestions/improvements. (Devs please read)
02/08/2018 06:17 PM CST
>> and it gets boring fast.
Any time I get really bored, I take Clunk out of the forge and go visiting the towns to find out what the latest news is whatever town he chooses to visit. (He doesn't do quests a lot)
When he gets involved in storylines, peripherally or through speculative rumor, it takes a lot of the boredom out.
Also ...
A mechanism exists already for proposing that other characters be rewarded when you get them involved in your own quests. That is the command 'Roleplay nominate'. I've used it myself more than once, but in truth, never for any preplanned quest. I think it was meant for those times when the characters you encounter come across as close to real.
Clunk
(Buy your swords at CBD weapons in Zul Logoth.)
KANDOR
Re: Feedback/suggestions/improvements. (Devs please read)
02/08/2018 07:10 PM CST
I'd be in favor of having a player quest board and allowing people to cherry-pick them, with some restrictions on it. Quests posted for a level range are only available for others at the same level +/- 10, or similar. Quests offer a small amount of experience (no more than 300), but silver rewards can be named by the player, and players can add a note if they are offering anything else. And, as with bounties, there's a cooldown after you turn one in -- enough of a cooldown to encourage doing both of them.
Frankly, the Adventurer's Guild bounties offer far too much experience for the value of the work being performed. I'm sure many players will disagree, for obvious reasons, but 1000 exp for gathering gems or walking a kid home is ridiculous, and 1000 on top of what you learn hunting like-level bandits is just silly. The exp value for skins and herbs is too high. Bounties should offer less exp, more bounty points, maybe a bonus item here and there, and have orders of magnitude more stuff you can trade bounty points in for. Decent, useful stuff, not fluff and fixstats.
Unpopular ideas aside, there have been many great ideas for new kinds of guild bounties, too, posted in the profession folders. For better or worse, the guild is now the heart of advancement in the game, and some work on it could fix a few things that are perceived as broken (locksmithing as one).
Frankly, the Adventurer's Guild bounties offer far too much experience for the value of the work being performed. I'm sure many players will disagree, for obvious reasons, but 1000 exp for gathering gems or walking a kid home is ridiculous, and 1000 on top of what you learn hunting like-level bandits is just silly. The exp value for skins and herbs is too high. Bounties should offer less exp, more bounty points, maybe a bonus item here and there, and have orders of magnitude more stuff you can trade bounty points in for. Decent, useful stuff, not fluff and fixstats.
Unpopular ideas aside, there have been many great ideas for new kinds of guild bounties, too, posted in the profession folders. For better or worse, the guild is now the heart of advancement in the game, and some work on it could fix a few things that are perceived as broken (locksmithing as one).
