Expectations for (January) 2020: So that the story of Episode 1 can be experienced better ...

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Paladin Michael, Dec 13, 2019.

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  1. Paladin Michael

    Paladin Michael Bug Hunter

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    Dear @Chris, @DarkStarr, @Sannio,

    I just reported a Quest Journal bug.

    Over a year the information about Questjournal overhaul can be read in Release notes.
    Alot was done this year, unfortunately nothing for the Quest Journal so far.

    Release 73 notes are telling:


    I hope that from now on it will be a high priority, even if it is named second again.
    I don't say, Lua or Inky (what I am really looking forward!) or PvP isn't important, but the Journal and Maps are more important, because they affect every -especially NEW- player.
    This is what NEW players face from beginning.
    And it's an important prerequisite for Episode 2 story, isn't it?

    From my point of view it isn't alot of changes we need. Why not starting with phase 1.1 ? :)

    I. QUEST JOURNAL

    First: Chapters for the paths!

    I Path of LOVE
    II Path of TRUTH
    III Path of COURAGE
    IV Path of the ORACLE

    Inside could be a headline, showing the Location, where the quest was received and maybe the location the quest is related to.
    Quests in work could be highlighted, finished
    dark grey and
    [... hidden ...]


    EXAMPLE:

    I Path of LOVE

    SOLACE BRIDGE
    EDVARD
    Edvard informed me that once I arrive at Solace Bridge Outskirts, I should speak to Private Garridon. He should be down by the river docks, near a small boat.
    Edvard wants me to talk to Abigail later in
    Soltown


    SOLACE BRIDGE OUTSKIRTS
    LORD AND LADY LANGSTON
    I met Lord and Lady Langston ...

    CORPORAL HELOISE
    Corporal Heloise asked ...

    SCOUT RHOSWEN
    I met a scout named Rhoswen near the bridge ...

    CAPTAIN KINSEY
    Captain Kinsey wants me to bring a report to Guard Captain Stanley in Soltown


    SOLTOWN
    GUARD CAPTAIN STANLEY
    Guard Captain Stanley asked me to talk to Guard Captain Cugel in Ardoris

    GEOF --> After a task is done, it could fade to dark grey and the text could be hidden. Klicking the name could open it. Like so:

    [Geof, one of the refugees in Soltown, requested I bring him an iron blade, which apparently is a specific type of sword ... He said the easiest place to find iron blades was off of slain undead in the East Perennial Trail.]

    ASHTON

    [Ashton, a villager in Soltown offered me a reward for recovering his grandmother's keepsake from the awakened dead that are plaguing Solace Bridge.]


    ARDORIS
    GUARD CAPTAIN CUGEL
    [Cugel took my report from Stanley in Soltown, but did not promise any aid to the beleagured village.]
    Captain Cugel suggested that I meet with Siranto, the ruler of Ardoris, who can be found in the Palace of the Mountain.
    Captain Cugel also suggested that I meet with Khasi, Siranto's consort who rules Ardoris alongside him, who can be found in the Palace of the wind.

    LORD SIRANTO
    ...

    LADY KHASI
    ...

    The Journal would always be clear about:
    WHERE
    (from/to) WHO
    WHAT

    to do ...

    And last but not least. please: time stamps optional and also with ingame time stamp :)


    II.
    MAPS
    Since the maps changed, alot of them are still missing.
    AT LEAST the quest related maps should be in.
    Please try to get them in. For example: East Perennial Trail / Solania Catacombs ...


    III. NICE TO HAVE
    While entering a town we (still will) have load times. To make it more interesting, please consider to show:
    1. a picture of the Town/Location we enter, instead of random pictures.
    2. show the location information we get with mouse over
    3. show quest tasks we received in this town or have to do in this town
    While entering we can use time to read about what we find inside.


    IV. Path of the Oracle
    There are a few places, you unfortunately can't do with an Avatar who did all quests and all three paths!
    1. Grannus Colossus --> let the gates open to run through, please, or put a vein in so a solo player can climb up ;)
    2. Oracle Colossus --> Ghosts at the statues are too much and deadly disturbingly ;)

    Please, make these parts playable without having to find a group (which also can be challenging with Looking for Group! Besides: a new player mustn't know about this function).
     
    Last edited: Dec 20, 2019
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  2. Sulaene Moon

    Sulaene Moon Avatar

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    Episode 2 was supposed to be introduced in 2019 and obviously that didn't happen. My bet is Lua, Player GM Tools, and Inky will dominate the next few months. I would throw all expectations, wishlists, priorities, revamps, Player made Dungeons, etc out the window.

    The only thing we should "expect" is they will keep doing what they do.
     
  3. Paladin Michael

    Paladin Michael Bug Hunter

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    Well, I don't think so.
    Unfortunately those (of course good and overall interesting) tools aren't supposed to help new players and people who wants to go on with the Story they came for:
    Lord British's and Tracy Hickman's continuation of Episode 1, which ended by some interesting informations given by Arabella and leading to Episode 2 AND the new lands :)

    Today we will get more infos about - at least the new lands ...
     
  4. Paladin Michael

    Paladin Michael Bug Hunter

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    Of course, that's true. Besides, I am expecting, what I am hoping for will be part of what they keep doing :)

    EDIT:
    Or should I say: I am hoping, what I am expecting, will be part of what they keep doing? :) However - I hope, everybody knows, what I am talking about ...
     
    Last edited: Dec 13, 2019
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  5. majoria70

    majoria70 Avatar

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    I'd like to see a much better journal for game than basic or just improved a little. I hope we go for it and put in a detailed, full featured quest journal. Like so many things in this game we rarely get a surprise of full features. Why not ask for the moon? So even taking some aspects from the examples below to build a better journal would be great. So hopefully the devs have some things like this in mind. @Sannio can you give us an idea? We wait and wait with little information on how good the new quest journal will be. Please throw us a bone. ;) I would especially like to see achievements/tasks, games system tabs to describe our game systems such as music system, housing system, travel, dailies, main quest lines etc. Here are some examples nicer journals and important features such as a search feature would be nice imo:

    [​IMG] [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]
     
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  6. Paladin Michael

    Paladin Michael Bug Hunter

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    I just want to remind:
    Make it EASY to use and don't change things, which look good.

    The basic design of our Journal isn't wrong (Font, Color).
    For sure, there are alot of good possibilities, how to improve it.
    And yes, it would be great to see matching graphics to the quests included and that existing maps could be integrated.

    For having the best experience, the most important thing is, that we KNOW at any time, WHAT and WHERE to do :)

    And we do not have to do 100% overnight, but it should work properly ...

    For example look at the Crown Shop! Those kind of Icons could be used also in game in many ways to make the UI better and easier to use.
    Focus always should be on usability and of course it should look nice, suitable for the story.
     
    Last edited: Dec 15, 2019
  7. majoria70

    majoria70 Avatar

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    Well do we know what is hard for them to make. If the devs would comment on our suggestions that would be great. The quest journal I would prefer would have tabs and tell of quests and game feature information. These are basic things we never got. Instead players had to try to figure out how to tell what the game would not tell which was a very poor idea. What happened with players being in charge was many disgruntled new players who felt hounded by other players. Now I don't say this happened to all or criticize the hospitaler system which has helped tremendously but truly we should not have had to come up with this idea. The game should have had a system to describe itself and it's systems.
     
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  8. Paladin Michael

    Paladin Michael Bug Hunter

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    Yes, that's true, Majoria, nobody knows exactly how hard it is to make those things - maybe that's the problem ;)
    There was alot of time to think about. There are so many suggestions made by so many people [including me and you, Majoria ;)]

    But if we haven't got anything after more than a year (as Darkstarr told it for the first time, that they will do it), I am not very happy about a "complete" new thing, which will start "somedays" in 2020, besides the other stuff ...
    What's the priority?


    We are waiting for new lands and story. Instead we got two(!) Dungeons and a scene overhaul before.
    Also new things like Lua and GM tools and a new sun skill.
    Not saying, this wasn't good! I really appreciate all efforts and I am very excited about Inky!

    But parallel a Journal bug is still in. And we are waiting for any information when the promised polish/overhaul work will start.

    So please understand, that my focus isn't on graphic effects, and what other games provide, but on a journal, which should do, what it is supposed to do ...
    No question: if they can do a fantastic looking featured Quest Journal - if they can surprise not only us, 5 years later, but also new coming players, fine, I am for it!

    But if it ends into a half finished "half-new" thing, which confuses more than what we have now, it isn't worth the effort.

    And from my point of view, it is not spectacular difficult to insert graphics later.
    [But as you said: who knows, how hard it is? Look at my suggestion above to show location related pictures instead of random, when we enter locations, what I am asking for years...
    A new player enters Ardoris and watches Shuttered Eye picture, enters Shuttered Eye and watches Ardoris ... Am I the only one who is confused about?]

    A well thought out functional handling should be the basis. You can paint it later and insert nice graphics later.
    But if the usability sucks, what would we win?

    Just for example:
    New players found it hard to find the "Buy" button. --> So a big [buy/sell] button was implemented! Great idea!
    BUT: Why not TWO buttons, to tell directly, if I want to BUY or SELL?
    Instead I have to click the button and than the SELL tab again :(
    Two clicks, instead of one for every player, every day, every time I want to sell something ...

    That's what I am talking about: Unnecessarily game moments, annoying, distracting ...

    TODAY after so many years of bug reporting I could do the TEST with the Oracle for the first time in a POT WITHOUT clicking 3 times! Nobody could tell why it occurs for years!
    There is still a bug behind,
    but we could find out what it was related to and now it can be removed. Those are the daily "stings", players are confused about. It's so important to get rid of those recurring annoyances. The same thing with quest journal ...

    I just want to say: Please try to keep it easy! This must not mean, it shouldn't be nice :)

    YES, if time and teampower is available, do a overwhelming easy-to-handle-great-looking-Quest-Journal. This game and the storyline deserves it :)

    For sure I am not against what is suggested and how other games handle it.
    I just don't want to see a "blind copy" of something to have anything!

    A well thought out functional handling should be the basis for a successful gameplay.

    It's so important to not underestimate the little things in life that take away the joy of something - piece by piece ...
    [Just as a reminder: watch this, what was supposed to be - and why so many people are desillusioned ... Especially look at 11:40 !]

    Well, enough words and suggestions and christmas wishes :)

    That's the reason why I still can't defeat Krampus ;)
     
    Last edited: Dec 15, 2019
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  9. Sentinel2

    Sentinel2 Avatar

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    The ESO Journal is really nice. And once a quest is done, it's removed from the active quests list.

    I have several in SOTA, current quests simply won't go away. No matter how many times I repeat them.
     
    Last edited: Dec 13, 2019
  10. DavidDC

    DavidDC Programmer Moderator SOTA Developer

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    Give me a list of quest available to player and i make a custom quest journal with lua in under a week.

    But hey no one want dev to waste time on lua... So we gonna wait!
     
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  11. Paladin Michael

    Paladin Michael Bug Hunter

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    If it would be that easy, I would assume, we would have a good quest journal since ... it was announced?

    And I also don't think, people don't want that lua is implemented.
    It's not a question about "lua" or not lua.

    WHO is or should be responsible for standard game technology to be delivered? The developer team or user with given tools?
    I think lua integration takes alot more time to provide what U would need to deliver the code ...

    But do be honest:
    would you say, you could manage a -bugfree- quest journal like the mentioned above within a week?
    If so, I would say, Chris should ask you to make the code and alot of people would be very happy - even if it would take 2 weeks! :)

    I would be very happy if it would work this way! Lua in (100%) in 2 weeks, great Quest Journal out 1 week later :)
    YES!
     
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  12. Cirsee

    Cirsee Avatar

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    This right here is why I think LUA and Inky are the priority. I think people are hoping the players can do what the players want.
     
  13. DavidDC

    DavidDC Programmer Moderator SOTA Developer

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    I can do way more than that under a week. ;)
    Just give me the list of quest availabe to player like i said, make the quest journal disapear from the game, and just because i want to proove myself to you, ill do it in 3 day. ;P
     
    Last edited: Dec 13, 2019
  14. Cirsee

    Cirsee Avatar

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    OMG Chris should so take you up on that challenge. It is quite common for players to improve UI; that is the beauty of LUA. Three cheers for Devilcult!!!!
     
  15. Sean Silverfoot

    Sean Silverfoot Avatar

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    Which is why I'm so happy that the tools to do so are arriving. Should be amazing down the line to walk into different town/pots and get into different conversations. So looking forward to being on both ends of that.
     
  16. Paladin Michael

    Paladin Michael Bug Hunter

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    This sounds amazing. Unfortunately I can't hand you the information ;)
    @ Chris, here is someone who could do a favor to many people :)

    Hopefully what can be done will be easy to integrate for all users ...

    If Devicult could provide a fast Quest Journal overhaul, I would be very happy. For all of us and for all new coming players!
    This sounds like a christmas wish could come true :)
     
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  17. DavidDC

    DavidDC Programmer Moderator SOTA Developer

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    Only problem is the time that will take to implement the stuff needed for all this. We wont see it tomorrow ;p
     
  18. Paladin Michael

    Paladin Michael Bug Hunter

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    ... comes time - comes lua - and of course: a great Quest Journal ...
     
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  19. Sulaene Moon

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    Considering Ep2 sounds it’s still a long way off especially for quests there’s plenty of time for devilcult to make a new journal.
     
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  20. Paladin Michael

    Paladin Michael Bug Hunter

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    May be he can do a simple "quest construction set", too :)
     
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