In part 1, we talked about quests in general. Now it’s time to get to the heart of the matter.
Step #1: CLASSES of quests
As one player put it, quests have to be broken up into components. Think of these as the building blocks of a quest (or “bricks” as one user put it).
How are quests initiated? Here are the ones that come to mind:
1. Some tiles would contain an object that when a player enters that tile, triggers a quest event. These tiles would appear on both the cloth map and full map. We’ll call these MAJOR quests.
2. Random events. Player hits turn, and there is a chance that a quest opportunity may come to the player without having to do anything. We’ll call these MINOR quests.
3. Some tiles would have objects in them that when the player interacts with them would trigger the quest event. These would only be available on the full map (players will be able to move within a tile without using up a move on the full map because you can zoom in). We’ll call these INCIDENTAL quests because they won’t have a game-changing effect.
Step #2: MECHANICS of quests
Here we define the building blocks of these quests specifically.
Step #3: EXECUTION of quests
This is where we decide how these should be implemented. There are 3 obvious ways to do tihs.
One way is to simply code these in C++ but that eliminates modding.
Another way is to implement in XML which makes modding very easy but makes it hard for us to add additional quest types we haven’t thought of.
And finally, they could be implemented in a scripting language (Python) which makes it possible to create new quests but harder to mod.
I’m leaning towards combining the latter two. Python used to script the mechanics with XML used to provide the actual quests.
Step #4: ACTUAL quests
Quest 1: Kill the rats Type: Incidental Trigger: On main map, player can zoom in on a city and see a “!” above one of the buildings. Player can then select one of his heroes and take them there which triggers the event. Content: “Oh please help me, rats are infesting my Inn. If you can kill them, I’ll gladly give you 20 copper. Will you accept?” Execution: Player is taken to a tactical battle with rats in the Inn. Only the Hero is allowed in.
Quest 2: Rescue Princess Genica Type: Minor Trigger/Conent: Upon the beginning of a new turn, a local noble has asked you to save his daughter Genica from a group of marauding bandits who are operating out of the ruins of one of Curgen’s old fortresses to the East. Requires: Adventuring Level 2. Execution: On accepting, a fortress is added to the map to the east. Only an army with a hero can attack it. If successful, you have the opportunity to wed Princess Genica.
Quest 3: Recover the Dragon’s egg Type: Major Trigger: Dragon icon on the map, when a hero-equipped army intersects tile, triggers event Content: The Red dragon of Sythia is outraged that a manling has stolen her precious egg. Dragons only have offspring once a century or so. The dragon agrees to join your kingdom if you recover her egg. The egg was stolen by Calorax the Warlock who lives somewhere in the far north in the Pilgen mountains. Sythia does not know where Calorax is exactly but knows that the Witch of the Swamp knows someone who might know. Execution: On accepting, a hut is added to the map in a swamp nearby.
Quest 3A: Dragon’s egg part 2 Content: Upon reaching the witch, she tells you that she has a map that will take you to Calorax’s lair that she agrees to give you if you bring her the scroll of Poisoned Claws which she knows is near the bottom of the old dungeon of Harpok to the south. She points out that in getting the scroll, you will be able to make use of that spell as well. Execution: On accepting, the dungeon of Harpok appears on the map.
Quest 3B: Dragon’s egg part 3 Content: Upon entering the dungeon, you discover that a demon that fled to these deep places of the world after the cataclysm has taken refuge there. You can choose to battle the demon or exit and return later. If you battle the demon, the tactical battle screen comes up and you fight it out. If you win, you gain the scroll which you can then return to the witch. Returning to the witch gets you a map which triggers the fortress of Calorax to appear on the map.
Quest 3C: Dragon’s egg part 4 Content: Your army reaches the fortress of Calorax that you must conquer to rescue the egg. If you’re successful, you get the dragon’s egg which, if you return it to the dragon nets you the dragon (or you could sell the dragon’s egg for money elsewhere) who becomes a unit in your army.
So these are the kinds of things we’re thinking about. Please feel free to add to this and discuss.
I had a thought and I'm sorry if it's all ready been asked/said. It's a little... Well, of date i don't think i've played a game that had it. Might be a bit too rpg-ish, i dunno. Anyway, what if for those smaller quests that commonly occur (and maybe even the other kind, too (not story though)) have random occurrences.
Examples:
The dragon quest; You've just gone and collected the egg and the turn has ended and a new begun. On your way to the dragon you move over a field and suddenly an event window pops up (as i haven't played the game i have no idea how or what such things look like and are triggered but bear with me).
"Your hero[name of hero here or what ever] is going through the field guarding the egg with his life when he suddenly feels like skipping and tossing the egg in the air while joyously singing praises for himself and his bravery (might i add he's never been all that bright).
"Do you toss the egg while singing, and skipping?"
"Or do you keep the glee that you feel for yourself nestled next to your heart and continue on in a somber manner (looking all the more heroic in front of your soldiers)
I realize that it's a basic either or question but meh, how many could i ask?
First question naturally gets you fried egg for dinner. Howbeit this can even go further! For instance, does the hero continue on in his journey to the dragon? Does he run the opposite way of the dragon? Does he stand there looking terrified while his soldiers lose much faith in him?
And if the first... What is his response to the dragon? "It was a battle of such epic proportions that you've never seen the like! The enemy hot on my trail, closing in on all sides! Merlin, my most famed wizard, dispatched half of them and gave me way. I was near to safety when, alas! A dozen of the enemies most elite unites had me dead to right! I fought heroically naturally but it was not enough. It was pure luck alone that i was able to make it out alive and your egg... I am sorry fair dragon, it had not the luck i had."
This can of course affect what the dragon does to that castle/enemy. She would i imagine attack it (and possibly find out that the idiot hero 'dropped' the egg). Not only that, but this could change the stats to the hero (if they have stats, which i think they do?) say the diplomacy stat! I mean, he broke the dragon egg by skipping and tossing it in the air and then gets the egg's parent/s to go attack the castle he just battled his way out of!
When you go by this than even the rat quest could/can become a hoot. Say you get done with it and and a rat bites you. Do you: A. charge the inn owner more money for being physically and mentally scarred for life (hey that rat had some big teeth!) B. Get Merlin to look at the wound and find out it the rat had a rare disease and if you don't get a rare flower deep in enemy country with in the year you'll have parts fall off that you don't want falling off or C. Pretend it doesn't hurt like a man should even as the bitten toe swells to huge proportions.
I suppose i propose that a small chance for random events/quests happen with in a quest just to make it different and more appealing as time goes on. Also, is there a humour button for this game? I.E. you press a button and the dialogue becomes remarkably funnier (I happen to swing more to funny things than serious... I mean, i thought of this because i read the quest examples and i had a sudden image of a hero in shining armor prancing through a field while tossing an enormous egg through the air. The image was so funny that i burst out laughing! especially when i thought of the rather dubious tale he would then tell the dragon!)
Also different things can/could happen with different heroes (i don't know if that's implemented in the game but it'd be good to look at), I.e depending on the hero's stats things could unfold different (the choices that can be made during a quest could be affected by say his intelligence or charisma. Again, i haven't played the game so i don't even know if there's a stat for that).
P.S.I would like to point out that i played your Gal Civ and enjoyed it because i found many parts... well.. funny (naturally i enjoyed it because of what and how it's played but anyway). As such i think it'd be a good thing to add or keep such humour (or at least have a funny/serious switch).
P.P.S. i realize it's odd especially since the game is out now but i do think the random (and with a percentage of happening) quest within a quest would be fun. So just consider it at the least, I guess.
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