Quest
From Neverend
Quests are kept track of in the quest database. When the NPC offers a quest, criteria in the database is looked up and the appropriate quest is selected. This includes static quests for specific characters, general quests and dynamic quests. For example, a weak player would be given a lesser task, while a stronger player would be given a more challenging task, and a player of a specific class or profession would be given a quest based on their skill. The type of NPC also determines the type of quest selected based on a good or evil NPC, an NPC of a specific class or job, town, skill level, challenge rating, nearby threats, needs, and guilds.
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[edit] Normal quests
[edit] NPC errands
[edit] Character quests
NPC characters will have specific quests based on scripts and surrounding area.
[edit] Job quests
Players with specific skills, classes, or jobs will be given quests by NPCs with similar skills, classes, and jobs.
[edit] Player quests
Have an Adventurer's Guild, with a quest NPC in it. Any player can go to that quest NPC, and set up a single quest. It costs a small amount of coin (to prevent spamming), and the player puts in the desired item, and the reward, which is then taken from his/her inventory.
The quest then sits on the quest NPC for X amount of time; maybe let the player choose between a day, 3 days, a week, or two weeks. If the quest is completed in that time, the player receives a mail with the item - or a message saying to come pick the item up - or whatever. If the quest is not, then the payment is returned to the player, with a message saying that no one was able to complete the quest.
Thus, a player who logs in looking for something to do might wander to the AG and check in with the quest NPC. He quickly sees that several people have placed up missions asking for snow warg nails, presumably crafters to make Frost Arrows of Doom. He grabs his gear and sets off for the mountains, where he knows the wargs live.
[edit] Quest items
Quest items include inventory items and key items. Normal items can be used as quest items. Quest items can be for one specific quest or for multiple quests that use that item. Quests may require more than one quest item.
- Found item: This item is found, and automatically creates a quest entry. Found items can be activated upon looting from a corpse, picking up the item, or activated upon use such as opening a letter or reading a diary. The player has the option to erase the quest from the quest log, which destroys the found item. The quest may have multiple solutions based on what someone would do with the quest information for different purposes such as honor or profit. An item that gives the location of treasure belonging to an NPC can be given back to the NPC, given to bandits for money, or raided personally. An item that gives plans for a raid on bandits can be given to bandits to raise empathy, or be given to gaurds and be invited to the raid. When one path is complete the quest is complete and marked out in the quest log. Raiding and keeping items past the expiration time for the quest will end the quest and mark the quest as having been solved by keeping the loot personally.
- Sign triggered quest: A sign, poster, banner, plaque, or painting is targetted and looked at, creating a quest in the quest log. Quests that are read often have specific parameters such as requiring guild membership, citizenship, occupation, raiding a camp, hunting a high level monster, collecting a bounty, meeting a criminal NPC, gaining access to thief hideouts, cooperating with criminals or gaurds, sneaking in to areas, discovering caves and map locations that may be too difficult, or having to fight a difficult NPC. Quests that are read are still placed in the quest log so that players can be motivated to explore being a certain craft, job or guild; even if they cannot complete the quest they will be able to join and work on low level quests to retry the quest later. Read quests last until the originating sign is destroyed, expired, or cancelled by the owner. Signs that are taken or stolen do not deactivate the quest, but may still have an expiration time or end if the item is destroyed.
- Dialogue triggered quest: In NPC dialogue, a dialogue trigger creates a quest. This only applies to dialogue with this trigger, as most dialogue is general. By talking to an NPC and discovering new keywords, the player can learn keywords that lead to dialogue with a quest trigger. Quests may also be accessed by dialogue based on conversation stats and reputation- a bad reputation or poor social skills means the NPC may refuse to use dialogue that can trigger a quest, unless the NPC is a bandit or peasant who seeks a bad reputation with a city. Threats, attacks, failed persuasion, and low charisma will block off dialogue for quests unless specified by certain characters, such as a warrior that laughs at being threatened or bribed and responds with quest dialogue.
- Dialogue triggered quest by item: An item in inventory can either trigger quest dialogue when dialogue starts, trigger quest dialogue when entering a certain dialogue path instead of the default, or trigger quest dialogue when queried about a certain item. Dialogue can also trigger whether the NPC is to have the item kept, given to the player, destroyed, thrown, eaten, worn, used, given to another NPC, put in storage, placed as furniture, replaced with a new item, exchanged for an item, upgraded, repaired, recharged, poisoned, unpoisoned, cursed, uncursed, enchanted or unenchanted. Items that trigger quest dialogue may be used to start a quest, end a quest, be part of a quest, or give clues and information about another quest.
- Dialogue triggered by keyword. A keyword or conversation choice triggers quest dialogue. Keywords are learned through conversation, gossip, eavesdropping, idle talk, and other quest dialogue.
- Dialogue triggered by reputation. Based on player reputation, NPCs may approach the player to trigger dialogue, or have dialogue triggered when talked to.
- Dialogue triggered by actions. Based on specific player actions, NPCs may approach the player to trigger dialogue, or have dialogue triggered when talked to. Assasinating a powerful NPC may have an assasin talk to the player and offer a mission, or have a bounty hunter talk to the player. Killing a dragon may have a noble talk to the player and ask for another favor, or trigger quest dialogue in conversation with a noble by choosing a line that mentions that action, or having the NPC mention the action instead of using default dialogue. Actions that are recorded may include great feats or minor feats. Protecting a town from a small monster or bandit attack is still recorded and can trigger quests as a dialogue choice. Actions that benefit gaurds can earn favorable dialogue choices from gaurds, leading to further errands and quests. Actions that benefit certain jobs, guilds, and cities can earn dialogue choices that add quests, errands, reputation, empathy, rank, or invitation to that group. Instead of a quest, the dialogue may be a one time reward for the action when mentioned in conversation, especially small tasks such as repairing buildings and objects, getting rid of monsters, cleaning, patrolling, healing, donating, reporting crimes, and other actions that can earn favor with NPCs, have them give small rewards, and offer tasks or offers to join the group or job.
[edit] Clues
Clues are pieces of information that may help with general activities, errands, or local surroundings. Clues have an expiration time where they are marked off eventually, or when specific criteria are destroyed or killed. Clues tend to refer to general things about the area, so a clue on monster activity, NPC activity, or animal activity would not require specific NPCs but could be a topic in conversation. More specific clues can give hints on activities by local guilds and criminal activities, creating a conversation topic with gaurds and criminals, allowing a reward for information given to gaurds or allowing access to criminal activites.
- Found clue: A found clue is like a found quest item, only it provides a general piece of information rather than activating a quest.
- Sign clue: A sign clue is like a quest sign, only it provides a general piece of information rather than activating a quest. For example, a marking in a dungeon or cave may give a clue to what type of monsters, traps, or layout is ahead. A painting may give a clue to history or lore that allows questioning NPCs and learning about new treasure locations, monster locations, and quests.
[edit] Perpetual quests
Some quests may have a cycle of beginning and ending while remaining rare or unique. The quest conditions may only be fulfilled by a few players, but the repeating nature of the quest allows players to eventually experience the quest firsthand.
- Item collection, a set of unique quest items must be collected. After completion, the items are spread throughout the world to be collected (gems, runes, crystals).
- A monster is unsealed by players or an opposing quest and the monster must be resealed.
- A monster has been summoned by a spell or opposing quest and must be destroyed or sent to another realm.
- An item or object releases a monster and the monster must be placed back in the item or object.
- A unique monster has appeared and must be defeated.
- An immortal monster awakens and must be put back to sleep.
- Items are gathered to create a monster and the monster must be defeated.
- A powerful item must be retrieved and hidden or kept safe, but may fall in to the hands of an evil player.
- A powerful item must be retrieved and split in to pieces, while others try to gather it together (sword piece, map piece, artifact piece, machine piece, gem piece).
- A set of random spots must be located to find a unique item or object (coin, gem, treasure, rune, statue)
- A unique ship, wagon, flying ship, or other travel object can be built by using a rare set of ingredients, but only one can exist. The quest only restarts when the object is destroyed.
- A unique object or artifact must be built, but only one can exist. The quest restarts when the object is destroyed.
- The player gains a powerful item, object, servant, or NPC but loses it when destroyed or killed, restarting the quest for a new player.
- A unique curse is activated by certain conditions, and must be removed. The curse is available again when completed.
- A unique monster hunts down the player, and must be restrained or stopped. When released, the monster hunts a new player.
- A unique NPC must have a certain job, class, item, or artifact to start a certain condition, but may lose it due to other players or quests. (a peasant needs to be a noble to run a town, a zombie needs to be a noble to become a lich-king, a ghost needs to possess a king to rule a ghost town, a vampire needs to be a king to rule a vampire city, *A character becomes a unique party member when becoming a certain class, job, or obtaining a certain item or object. They lose any gained bonuses when losing their job, class, item or object. (a cleric becomes a warrior, a warrior becomes a cleric, a guard becomes a warrior, a farmer becomes a mage, a shopkeeper becomes an archer, a thief becomes a cleric).
- A unique party member is created by certain conditions, but is destroyed when killed and becomes available to another player. (automaton, summon, elemental, construct, magical being, spiritual being, psionic being, artifact being, possessed item, item creature)
- A unique item or object is created by certain conditions, but when destroyed restarts the quest for another player.
- A special bonus, effect, ability, appearance effect, skill, or other advantage is given when a player is alive, or has a certain item or object, but is lost when killed, the item is stolen or dropped, or the object is destroyed. (speed increase, defense increase, strength increase, intelligence increase, dodge increase, jump increase, stamina increase, HP increase, MP increase, skill bonus, magic bonus, attack bonus).
- An item is activated under a certain condition but is deactivated when the condition no longer exists.
- An item is available under a certain condition, but when destroyed the quest restarts.
- An NPC exists under a certain condition, but when killed the quest restarts. (special trainer, healer, noble, legendary NPC, guard, fighter, villain, warlock, bandit, undead, vampire)
[edit] Discovery quests
Research in books, talking to wizards and scholars, using archaeology, reading tomes, archaic writings, and scrolls can uncover the whereabouts of gods, mythical beings, rare treasure and equipment, treasure troves, artifacts, and ancient dungeons. When following these clues, the final step spawns the monster or dungeon, using scripts to show visual effects and musical cues to build dramatic tension.
[edit] Quests
| ID | Description | Items involved |
|---|---|---|
| 0001 |
| Fish |
| 0002 | A gaurd wants you to take his sword to a blacksmith.
| Sword from guard inventory |
| 0003 |
