For our brave and daring beta testers who are playing through the prototype betas (Beta 1 and the forthcoming Beta 2) it’s probably hard to imagine Elemental having role playing aspects. But the quest system is a big deal in the game.
You ever play D&D? Or maybe (as I did) Fantasy Hero? You are exploring a world, going into dungeons, and generally wreaking havoc in some poor guy’s kingdom.
Well, in Elemental, you’re that poor guy – the king of that kingdom. There will be parties of adventurers running around the world. Maybe next time you and your buddies get together and accidentally set free a Balor and run away from it that you’ll feel a pang of sorrow for the poor king who has to clean up after the mess you make.
This is what Beta testers see
This is what the same thing looks like in the actual game.
In this thread, we want to discuss specifics. What types of quests would you like to see in the game? Programmatically, we’re leaning towards using Python to create quest templates with XML to create derivative quests.
For example, the old “fetch me the gauntlet of Mordon and I will give you the ring of radiance” quest would have its details done in XML but the actual mechancis of the quest would be done in Python. That way, modders and such can create additional quests later on and share with people. Non-coders can then use a built in editor to create quests using the existing templates.
So now…
What specifically would you like to see?
I.e. list some quests you would like to see in the game. Be as specific as possible and we’ll try to get them in.
1) An evil mage kidnaps a member/members of your family. You must find their lair (which can be anywhere) and then defeat him (This could require the use of certian amulets or other equipment). The longer you take to rescue them the higher the chance of negative outcomes for the quest. Not arriving soon enough can result in the death of your family, their corruption, or a myriad of other outcomes. There is, however, a chance that your family can escape and return to you. Saving your family will reward you with a look into the the mage's spellbook.
2) A witch has taken up residence in a forest/swamp near your kingdom. You must explore the forest extensively, avoiding her traps and minions. Finding and defeating her will allow you to get a glance into her (small) spellbook.
3) A wandering tribe of gypsies arrives at your doorstep, asking for your aid. The crystal ball which the gypsy queen uses to divine the future and choose the most profitable locations to visit has been stolen by a dragon. You can confront the dragon(which could lead to lots of deaths), scour the countryside for clues as to its whereabouts(visit local seers, ranger guilds, etc.) or simply ignore the gypsies. Finding and returning the crystal ball will result in the gypsies setting up a permentant waypoint in their travels. For a tile in your city they will trade goods with you from far off nations along with the occasional fortune telling (which can give you clues on your current quest).
I agree with earlier posters that there should be quests tied to the magic system or dynasty system.
Quest: "The Ugly Child"
Triggering Event: Random event when a child becomes eligible for Marriage.
Effect: The child is so ugly that nobody wants to marry them. Really, they're a hideous monster and you've just got to do something about it or you'll be stuck dealing with the whiny child for the rest of their life.
Luckily a local enchanter thinks he could do something about it if he had the right alchemical materials. You'll need to go out and kill (Insert kill list) and get (insert ingredient list) for him to make an enchantable mask that will change your child's apperance permanently into becoming the most beautiful person in all the world.
Success: If you succeed then nobody of your own race will be able to turn down your request for this child's marriage (simply it isn't an option and the marriage is automatic).
They are quests all players would be doing.
You, as the human player. AI players. And NPCs.
Cool, thanks for the clarification.
I'm curious what the prevalance of heroes will be as that impact some choices. If heroes are plentiful, then it'd be neat to form groups (sort of like Majesty 2 had) and have them go off and do things. If they're rare and powerful, then that's not really feasible, which may not be a bad thing as you likely can't expect Elemental to have that level of detail on heroes and still be playable as a 4x game.
I'm hoping there is a difference between heroes and adventurers.
The game could also use some good old Final Fantasy style "Save the World" mega quests. Not a lot, but a few would be nice in the "end game" when empires are really powerful.
Quest: "Save the World"
Triggering event: A civilizations crosses the threshold of magical and military power required for this random event.
Effect: Your Astrologers and Wisest Learned Men have come to agree... The Ancient Titans could actually move great rocks beyond the sky and one of them was sent on a course to our world. The Titans had intended to stop it when it got here, but they're no longer here to do it so we must reclaim some of their great power or else civilization as we know it will end and we will enter another great cataclysm.
To stop it we will have to harness the powers of the Shards and several Titan relics which are still lay unclaimed throughout the world. (Several dungeons become available and can be completed by any sovereign. Very powerful artifacts/spells are given as a reward. All must be activated to prevent premature game over (You Lose)). In addition a great spell must be researched to focus the energies of the artifacts into smashing the "Meteor" into numerous fragments which will then harmlessly illuminate the night sky.
Quest Failure: After "X" turns the game prematurely ends in a new Cataclysm - You Lose!
Quest Sucess: In addition to the rewards from all the Dungeons, the one who casts the great spell will receive a huge bonus in Prestige as a result of the Meteor Eclipse and Pyrotechnics seen throughout the world.
I like the idea of rituals to gain channeler abilities.
Example: a recovered pre-cataclysm text shows how to unlock the mystery of Faerie travel. The channeling character must between midsummer’s evening and the next new moon travel from mountain A to sea shore B. While making this journey, the channeler must focus all of their magic power on the incantations of the ancient text preventing them from performing other magical activates. Upon reaching seashore B the channeler learns how to travel through the world with unmatched speed yet their magical nature becomes inextricably linked to Mountain A and anyone on Mountain A get significant bonuses to dispel the channeler's magic or magically attack the chaneller.
Another example: Research gives uncovers the secret of spell timing: The channeler can if they choose develop a spell that does practically nothing in game (it gives them unerring understanding of the passage of time). If the channeler then proceeds to the special location of C and casts the spell 4 turns in a row they learn a deeper relationship between magic and time and can in now cast spells that can wait for up to several turns before they take effect.
The specifics are not important, but I think that the channeler undegoing a thematically appropriate ritual to unlock a new manner of doing magic (not a new spell but something that effects how they relate to magic) is an idea I'm exceptionally fond of and I'd like to see in the game.
hehe
Sealed J sword for the win!
http://www.ragol.co.uk/weapons/EpZFZVkylAnDUaISXs.shtml
I was thinking that quests would be initiated something like this. You'd find a hut or whatever it would trigger the quest and if accepted, a new object on the map would be generated where the player would go to for the next part of the quest.
You'd find a hut or whatever it would trigger the quest and if accepted, a new object on the map would be generated where the player would go to for the next part of the quest.
I’ve made some more detailed descriptions of the four quests I’d like to see in Elemental. Although I admit the rewards are largely uninspired but I don’t have enough information on how elemental works to come up with unique and fitting rewards / consequences for each option. They would really need Brad or someone else to expand upon them. Only having cost, reputation, and item rewards would get dull quickly.
(One on One)Your viceroy informs you of a disturbing report that a woman matching the description of the deadly and infamous assassin Valia of the pale void may have entered your capital city. These reports from the criminal underworld in your kingdom suggest she has been paid a huge price in gold to kill you.
Pre-battle options
A: Battle Valia on your own (Reputation increases / you may die)
B: Select one of your heroes to battle Valia (Lose X gold / hero may die)
C: Hire a legendary bounty hunter to defeat Valia (Lose 2X gold / bounty hunter may die)
//Epic Battle\\
Post-Battle options
Sub-A: Show Valia mercy (She joins you as a heroine / she may refuse)
Sub-B: Execute Valia for grand treason and conspiracy (Reputation increases)
Sub-C: Interrogate Valia and imprison her (information about who hired her gained / she may die)
(Find pieces of a legendary lost axe) A seasoned adventurer offers to sell you a rare artifact he has found deep within a forgotten city. He claims the artifact was oncepart of a powerful Axe used by a legendary warrior Glorinus Val’sum. The legend says Glorinus was driven mad by his brother and slaughtered his entire family before being killed.
Options
A: Send out a platoon of your soldiers to seek out the remaining parts of the axe. (Cost X/ soldiers may fail)
B: Hire some adventures to find the remaining parts of the axe and bring them back to you. (Costs 2X gold / adventures may fail)
C: Tell the adventurer to leave (Lose quest opportunity)
Possibilities
Branch A: You receive a powerful magic axe the Life Schism
Branch B: Upon gathering all the parts the axe puts itself to gather summoning Glorinus and his undead hord which must be defeated.
(Save town X from doom) A half dead and critically injured villager stumbles into your castle begging for help. His village had unknowingly build their town upon a nest of bloat spiders. He begs you to help before the entire town is destroyed by the bloat spiders.
A: Send a full battalion to exterminate the spiders leading them personally (Reputation increases / you could die)
B: Send a small group of heroes to deal with the spiders (Cost X gold/ may fail)
C: Tell the villager tough luck (reputation decreases)
(Mysterious Death / Disappearance) Your viceroy informs you that several prominent scholars have turned up dead in the recent weeks and your kingdom’s top magical scholar has just disappeared. The deaths seemed natural but something is amiss about the situation. The scholars in question had been working on a new spell that could have a profound effect on your nation’s military strength.
A: Investigate the missing scholar yourself and get to the bottom of the mystery (Reputation increase / you could die)
B: Have your guards investigate the deaths and disappearance (Cost X gold /may fail)
C: Place guards on the remaining scholars and keep a watchful eye (Costs 2X gold/ may fail)
The messenger from the Sovereign of Pring appoaches you.
"His majesty, the King of Pring, has taken note of your daughter's attempts to woo his son, the handsome and courageous Prince Buzz. He regrets his previous overreaction of insulting your daughter's feminity, parentage, and relationship with her horse and having her driven from his kingdom. He is now disposed to look kindly upon your daughter's suit.
Unfortunately, there is a minor hitch in the plans to get hitched, in that the Buzz has been kidnapped by Fuzzythighs, the dread Bearotaur queen. If your daughter rescues Buzz from the evil Fuzzythighs, the King of Pring would consent to this marriage and alliance between our kingdoms."
OPTIONS
1. My valiant daughter was always too good for your feckless son. I'll not waste her warrior skills on his cowardly hide, but I'll send my warriors to rescue him for an entirely reasonable fee, since you seem unable to do so yourself. CAN RESCUE THE PRINCE USING ANY ARMY (GOLD (or other material) REWARD)
2. I'll notify Princess Talona immediately. You can start tailors to work on Buzz's wedding clothes. MUST RESCUE THE PRINCE USING PRINCESS TALONA (NEW BENEFICIAL MARRIAGE ALLIANCE)
3. I'll send Queen Fuzzythighs a not congratulating her on her new boy toy. (DECREASES CHANCE OF ATTACK BY WANDERING BEAROTAURS, HURTS RELATIONS WITH PRING)
I'm being a bit flippant here, but since marriage and dynasty are part of the game, I'd like to see quests involving it. I mean, how much more classic can you get than the rescue the fair Prince (or Princess) from the bearotaur (or dragon) and win his (or her) hand in marriage?
I don;t have any quest requests per se. But i do have some ideas about how I would like to see the main questline done.
I would like to see a lot of low level easy quest starters scattered all over, much like goodie huts. Some of these could just be dead end quests - you do it, you get your reward and some experience, and you are done. But some of these could guide you into higher and more difficult quests, and point you towards the quest givers for the quests that will eventually lead to the quest victory condidion.
Then I would like fewer medium difficulty quest givers. If you stumbled upon their "goodie huts" without being directed there they would ignore you/ "You are not THE ONE", etc. And where the low quest guys might give their quests out repeatedly to multiple players, maybe these guys will only give their quest once - i.e. they give some important item or something that is needed but can only do it once. In cases where someoen is the second person to reach them they may give directions to a different medium quest giver which of course would be more of a hassle but makes it so you can still progress.
Basically advance thru a few levels of advancing difficulty quests until you reach the quest that ONLY one can complete because it wins the game.
I'd like to see self-driven quests as well... maybe call them "missions" or some such. Things that involve you finding some hideously evil fungus in the depths of the swamp and putting it in a cage upriver from another kingdom's capital city so it kills their livestock and sickens the army... with the option to summon a creature to guard it from being removed.
Another example would involve kidnapping the lead researcher at another king's academy of magic, then locking him in the highest tower on the highest peak of Mount Veryfaraway and opening a gate to the demon planes to fill the tower with evil. You get a small magic research bonus and possibly steal some spells while the other kingdom looses out entirely until they rescue him.
You know, the types of things that somebody had to have done for all of the "save the kingdom" quests to become possible. It's really a kindness, if you think about it... you're creating quest opportunities for the other kingdom's adventurers and saving those poor barmaids from bored heroes!
Cultist encampments are spreading across the world along the trade routes, causing workers and farmers to forget their duites to the crown. Annihilate all the encampments you can find and gather enough clues to locate the location of the high priest's enclave in the mountains and kill him (and his pet demon or somesuch)
Something in the mountains at the head of the river is contaminating it causing all the nearby lands to become corrupted, find the cause of the magical toxin and remove it.
The royal family Tamiri seems to have abandoned their wealthy estates and no one knows what happened to them. Now traders have started to vanish into mysterious sinkholes. Travel to their estate and find out what happened to them (deep magic devolved them into giant amphibian creatures now preying on travelers from their underground caverns)
The mage Gavenvir made a very potent magical glove, the process of which consumed him. Unfortutnately the knight that was supposed to bring it to your majesty has turned evil and is now raising an army of zombies and rampaging across the land. Kill him. The catch is that the glove is a super magical weapon that you can equip to a hero, however the more it's used the greater the chance is that the spirit of Gavenvir will posess the hero and the chaos starts all over.
find three hidden artifacts ... join them together into one artifact. the creation of the one artifact spawns a powerful Monster on the map. Destroy the monster and it becomes a weapon (sword). Bring the sword back to the artifact, and the two will fuse to become a super-weapon. If there were other planes of existence in the game ... wielding the weapon would allow transport to a strange land (or it could also be the key to a dungeon. Hopefully certain epic Dungeons have their own mini-map. Anyways, this would be a certain form of God-quest, as the weapon itself is something holy, wether used by the Titans or those the Titans fought against. Could have been locked away by any number of old and powerful characters.
Id like to see quests done like "King of Dragon's Pass" where we have choices, and then those choices come back later at an unexpected time to haunt you or reward you (based on your decisions) It fits with Frogboy's earlier comment about rat killing (because its a choice) but it wouldn't just be an immediate benefit and then your done, your decisions might cause more things to happen. Let me give some examples from the game itself.
They chose to quarter him but...
they used force to drive the man off, but the Urox vowed to return... A year goes by and...
The neat thing about this system is:
1. It gives you a lot of choices (which could lead to a different outcomes of course) usually 5 or 6
2. The events don't happen right after each other. seasons (in Elementals case- turns) can go by and you might not see anything happen until suddenly its there. It provides a sense of awe.
Also, the game has heroquests in which you can select a powerful person to try and complete the myths/legends of their tribe and follow in the footsteps of the gods. I've never played the game myself, but i got these images from this awesome AAR of the game here if anyone's interested personally, i love AARs and this game looks awesome. I think this sort of system would go along the lines of what the devs want too, at least based on what Frogboy said earlier.
Here is a possible quest nexus that could be available to all kingdoms. Basically, numerous quests would be persistently available at "Talon Mount." Some would grant reputation gains with Abraxxis the dragon with which you could purchase goodies from his horde and also sometimes one time rewards. When you arrive at Talon Mount, a brief story box might appear...
Abraxxis Bloodtalon presides atop the Talon Mount overlooking the Snarling Rambles, contemptious of the meagre and paltry kingdoms of mortals beneath his gaze. He might view them more enthusiastically as food items, were they not so scrawny or their bones didn't stick so sorely in his teeth. The sovereigns that have risen after the Rending of the World have impressed Abraxxis little, and those that would be so bold to confront so should do so with the utmost caution...
To start, if you send any delegates to the Dragon's lair, he will promptly kill them. The lair of Abraxxis begins with no formal quests or dialogue from the dragon himself, but instead has a table of broad "missions" that allow the player to raise their reputation and respect with the beast and his entourage. They might include:
1. Defeat a number of dungeons who's combined value = X. Gain +5 reputation with Blood Talon Mount.
2. Fight a war with a player and inflict at least Y losses on them. Gain +5 reputation with Blood Talon Mount.
3. Give tribute to Abraxxis equalling at least Z gold. Gain +5 reputation with Blood Talon Mount.
4. Give tribute to Abraxxis equalling at least W food. Gain +5 reputation with Blood Talon Mount.
Once you gain at least 20 reputation, new options appear (with the old options to gain rep still existing, but being scaled up significantly.) When you send delegates to Abraxxis, there is only a small chance that he'll decide to eat/kill your men. New missions might include:
5. Give Abraxxis X citizens to become his followers, servants, and Dragon Desciples. Gain +5 reputation. Once Abraxxis gains servants and followers, they create pastures of dragon delicacies to feed their master as well as start a mini-empire in the shadow of Talon Mount. Every nation that wishes to curry Abraxxis's favor can give him followers, whom add to his pool. Player's can also attack followers and loot resources exploited by them, but run the risk of calling down the Dragon's wrath. Sovereign: "Great Dragon Lord, take these men and women under your mighty scaled wing, so that they may serve you and come to know but a fraction of your prowess."
Once you gain 30 reputation, Abraxxis will accept audiences with your emissaries, engage in dialogue, and give you formal quests. You can also buy low level goodies from his horde from mana, to gear, to shed scales. Such items would be available to all other elligible factions, but are limited commodities. If you decide to put off purchasing the Spellsong Glaive, it may end up in the hands of rivals. Quests might include:
6.. Hunt the White Stags of Lordemar Wood and give 10 tons of meat to Abraxxis. You may keep the pelts. Gain +5 reputation. Abraxxis: "Feeble human, you taunt my palate with your presence. If you do not wish to know the impatience of my appetite, I suggest you find some other means to satisfy it. The White Stags of Lordemar Wood grow fat during their spring graze..."
7. Bring Abraxxis an elligible female dragon. Gain +20 repuation and the first born wyrmling of Abraxxis. This quest is very difficult, but succeeding at it, of course, grants other players with access to wyrmlings. It can be achieved numerous times, increasing the rate at which wyrmlings are born. The player that succeeded in the quest may purchase them at a discount. Abraxxis: "It has been many years since I have consumated my lusts. Find me a female, and I will see that you are rewarded."
Once you've gained 50 reputation with Abraxxis, you gain access to an even higher grade of loot from is horde, like magic items and shed talons/teeth. You can also recruit Dragon Disciple units from his pool of followers. You may also make minor treaties with Talon Mount as though it were another kingdom. New quests open up as he comes to trust you.
8. Declare war on a kingdom that has foolishly cought Abraxxis's displeasure and inflict damage. Gain reputation based on that damage as well as gold. If a Kingdom has offended Abraxxis by killing his followers or stealing from his treasure, he can call on you to make them regret their offenses. If you are the trouble maker, he may be calling such an attack on you by a different player.
9. Recover an important trinket or item from an old layer. If the layer has already been visited and item retrieved by another faction, barter for the item or capture it by force. Gain +5 reputation and a reward. Abraxxis: "I have left something valuable to me, in the far east. As far as I know, it may very well be lost but you have proven competent in the past. Retrieve it for me, and you will have my favor."
Once you gain 70 reputation with Abraxxis, you have full access to his horde, for purchasing. You can recruit the best of his dragon desciple units. You may also pay him to engage in 1 time raids against your enemy's cities (he will refuse if the city is too mighty.) If his enemies decide to wage war upon you, he may also join you for the duration of the war, returning to his horde on Talon Mount after the war is over. He trusts you with his most meaningful tasks:
10. Travel to a distant land and visit the brother of Abraxxis. Convince him to cease his kinship feud. Gain +20 reputation. Abraxxis: "Yes, it is true, there are yet kin of mine that have survived the Rending of the World. But had there been no such Rending, it is likely there would still be few of my brood amongst the living for, you see, a young dragon will often see in their kin a bitter rival before a close friend. The two of us quarrelled terribly in our first 100 years of life, and we would weather the Rending harboring great hatred in our hearts. But you have taught me many things human, one such being the virtues of cooperation. What I will ask of you is of great importance. I would do it myself, but I fear such an encounter would demand either my, or his, death. Speak with my brother, Mezon, and convince him to abandon this feud."
11. Travel with Abraxxis to kill his arch rival. Gain +20 reputation. In this scenario, Abraxxis is likely weaker than his rival, and requires the aid of your military.
Once you gain 100 reputation with Abraxxis, you can request that he join you.
I really, really, really want to see something involving your vassals such as:
Lord Aersma: "My King! My King! A band of Murlocs(or semi-sapient creature x) have overrun Issus(city/town/village x)! They showed no mercy, not even for the children...I managed to lead 800 men and women back to your keep(75% of populationx), but we have no homes with which to rest the weary and wounded. I beg the, help us!"
Then, if you choose option A. you get a new dialogue from Aersma
Lord Aersma: "I thank the! Oh blinding light of thy King! You are surely the greatest of kings that ever were and will be! I presume that Issus will be under my lordship again? I hope the don't recieve arrogant perceptions of the, but alas Issus doth need a Lord."
And so on, and so fourth. you could make this a huge quest if Aersma(or lord x) leaves to a rival or allied kingdom. He could end up starting a new kingdom and start off with a bad relationship with you.
For some reason I cannot see any posts after post #33, and even #33 is only showing the title but no post.
there are some good quests already mentioned, and I'm not the best person to look for if you want good quests, but I have one suggestion about quests in general:
I would really like it if the quests would pose a moral dillema.
For example the first poster really has a good starting point for this:
... (but when you get there, you find) that the magically protected cave is already inhabited by giblets, two arch enemies of eachother.The sluglings, the less powerful of the two and the ones who offered you this quest, offer you a handsome amount of gold if you would 'take care' of the giblets... The giblets however are no fools, because they are more powerfull, they offer you protection in your next battle (or something like that)... if you would just look the other way so they 'can get there way' with the sluglings without you interfering
You now have the choice of: - accepting this quest from the sluglings, killing the giblets who already lived there. (evil -> but reward) - accepting this quest from the giblets, by standing by and watch them kill of the sluglings you have taken with you to this cave. (also evil -> but reward) (- taking the giblets back to their swamp and help them defend their territory from invaders, the zorks. This means that you will have to provide them with some of your resources. (good -> but negative reward in terms of resources))
That last one can also be an option, but this way your options as a 'good' player are of course obvious...
This is just one example of a moral dilemma and of course you can have those dillema's between 2 different 'good' outcomes...
generally I like what you're saying, but the good/evil paths shouldn't reward evil actions and punish good ones.
I'll add some quests I want to be able to do later. For now I want to describe how I want the quest system to work.
Looking at the picture in reply #6 gives me a sense of dread. This dread isn't because of the rats in the basement (which could be horrifying if they are big enough). Its because I don't ever want to be forced to deal with a quest the moment I'm informed that its available. I would like to get the message, and write it down in my journal notebook. I would like to be able to sit down and drink a cup of tea and enjoy the moment for 10 minutes. Maybe I get to go do a couple of things with with my empire before I act. Perhaps I go think about it for a couple of turns before deciding what to do the quest.
If there are going to be quests with time limits to get them done, or to accept. I should get nothing less than 1 full turn before I have to act (this turn ends when once I hit the next turn button).
I don't think I can be any more clear than to say "I don't like doing anything at gunpoint". Its a dreadful feeling that I get when looking at screens like in reply #6, or in most random events in GalCiv 2.
KellenDunk,
you are absolutely right. The example I gave would indeed be beneficial for 'evil players', but you could also think of examples where good players are rewarded as well.
If you remove the last option, you do have a moral dilemma: you must choose between the lesser of two evils, and thats the point I wanted to make: quests with moral dillema's would be really nice to have!
Summon a primal power or a beast of legend by breaking the seals holding its prison (but with a chance of it rebelling later) OR Summon a primal power or a beast of legend by breaking the seals holding its prison and reseal it so it definetly doesn't escape and wreak havoc.
This would go like this:
1.Acquire information about that beast (including its prison wherabouts). This could take some time, with all the sages you visit during this step.
2.Start searching for the prison, because even the most accurate information isn't enough for this.
3.Examine the prison and start searching for the artifacts that will open it.
4.Open the prison and parlay with the beast (results may range from it just killing all your adventurers and escaping, it battling your adventurers to test your might and then joining you (if you win) and it simply joining you for releasing it).
5.Use it until it rebels, which will happen eventually.
OR
4.Parlay with other nations for articats/resources/other valuable things, which you will get for NOT releasing the beast and maybe even re-sealing it.
5.Depending on your negotiations' result, release the beast, fight it and re-seal it, or simply go home and abandon the quest.
6.Receive the promised benefits from other nations and probably some amount of prestige (more if you didn't extort others beforehand).
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