SotaTales Ep1: Tharsis Vrul the Daemon is back! (player made interactive quest)

Discussion in 'Player Created Resources' started by Tristano Sforza, Oct 10, 2020.

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  1. Nick

    Nick Avatar

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    Is it possible to grab keywords when you talk to conversationalist to move on to the next part of the quest? Like "Bye". The dialog box will continue. "You bade the barmaid goodbye. From your idle chat, it seems like Marcus lives somewhere in the west"
     
  2. Feeyo

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    @Tristano Sforza Much respect for your created adventure. And the time you took to create this. :)
     
  3. Tristano Sforza

    Tristano Sforza Avatar

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    thank you @Feeyo , I think there is so much potential but unfortunately I am not a fantasy story writer...so I hope you appreciate the mechanics behind my quest
     
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  4. Cordelayne

    Cordelayne Bug Hunter

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    @Nick I will download and try this the next time I am online.

    Thanks for letting me know.
     
  5. Nick

    Nick Avatar

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    Do give a thumbs up if you like the mechanics. Feedback is important to Tristiano. Do call a few fellow buddies to try them out too. :)
     
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  6. Nick

    Nick Avatar

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    [​IMG]

    YEY! It was tough.

    Needed lots of help from others. Thanks Sheldon and Bro!

    Everyone should come try this! @Sannio , can you spend a bit of time exploring this (as in install and try it for 15 mins or so) ? Maybe convince chris to spend some time on lua capabilities to allow player quests to be made even better.

    It was fun doing the quest. Thanks @Tristano Sforza
     
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  7. Tristano Sforza

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    congratulations @Nick !!!
    Thanks for playing my quest and most of all thanks for all your precious feedback!
     
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  8. Nick

    Nick Avatar

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    [​IMG]

    There's even a reward! Wow!
     
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  9. Magnus Zarwaddim

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    I gotta try this. Even without doing so, maybe you can consider a write up of how you did it to inspire others to do the same? And maybe talk up some of the pitfalls/limitations, etc. :) Thanks!
     
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  10. Tristano Sforza

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    Hello @Magnus Zarwaddim,
    With Lua we can check avatar's location and position (x,z,y) and we can read console log.
    So the quest is divided in sequence and every action increases this sequence. Mannequins (and other entities...) speak to you if you are in the planned location at the right sequence and reply to you if you write in local chat with the suggested word at the right sequence.
    From log we are also able to capture conversationalists speeches, mob killed, items looted, items harvested, fishes caught and so on.
    So for example if you kill a specific mob at the planned location at the right sequence you continue the quest.
    I also added a new inventory with quest items that doesn't exist in game. You can obviously uses only in the quest.
    I added for example keys that open imaginary chests or artifacts.

    This system imho has two considerable limitations:
    1 it's client based. all the quest is in lua file, so you can spoil yourself by reading that file (but it's not fun). I think next episode I will crypt/decrypt text
    2 I can't track people who makes the quest and/or finish it and there is not a reward system

    Please try it and let me know,

    Tristano
     
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  11. Magnus Zarwaddim

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    Color me IMPRESSED with what you have done.

    I don't know who to ping here, but @Elgarion would probably be the best choice to route it to the proper person(s) as @Chris may not have time to consider this (I hope he does anyway), only to say "LOOK at what a player did with your the game!" I also hope they can consider overcoming the two (2) limitations you mentioned and can figure out a way to incorporate this into the game to overcome these limitations and make it something more players can do with the game. Using something like this in a player-made dungeon without those limitations would be awesome!

    Again, kudos! Cannot wait to try it out.
     
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  12. Elgarion

    Elgarion Dev Emeritus Dev Emeritus

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    Sure, I'd love to try it out. I'll try to make some time soon to play around with it. :)
     
  13. Lily Byrd

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    [​IMG]
    This is no where near the north, or the right side. it is in the south central section. I spent over 4 hours looking, and in the end got help or I would have been there at least 4 more. This clue is too vague, and the graveyard has over 4000 graves to go through. That needs a bit more direction in the quest. Okay?

    Now back to your quest....
     
    Last edited: Nov 18, 2020
  14. Tristano Sforza

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    ok @Lily Byrd , thanks for your suggestion.
    Anyway my indications are from South Entrance.
    I have found my tomb in less than 5 minutes, that's why I didn't put any clue...maybe I was just lucky
     
    Last edited: Nov 18, 2020
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  15. Lily Byrd

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    [Anyway my indications are from South Entrance.
    I have found my tomb in less than 5 minutes, that's why I didn't put any clue...maybe I was just lucky[/QUOTE]


    The direction you entered the scene was not apparent in your post. The post said go north and right and that there is a pine tree in the section.

    Assuming players will read through all the comments in your thread and come across that one post instead of leaving a hint in the lua clue is too vague. And the hint is so vague as to be worthless, in the end.

    Go right is relative to a start position in the scene that isn't made clear either in the lua clue or in the post hint and isn't all that accurate either. East, West, North, South, not left and right. Near a unique feature would be a better hint. Like say 'near the knoll in the south east'. That would have still taken a lot of time and gives a useful hint. There are pine trees in nearly all sections of the graveyard. Your clue says tomb not headstone, so I looked in all the tombs first. Both on the left and right, from the North entrance. When I realized you expected me to check each gravestone in order to find one in over 4000 with no other hints in the lua nearly put me off this quest.

    I had no idea where to start. I didn't enter the graveyard at the south, either. Frankly, it's a really interesting quest but this clue was insurmountable. If I wasnt obsessive about finishing what I start, and begged a friend with info about where each grave is, I would have given up because it takes too much time for this one step and the clue is too vague even for high level players. I don't think that is your intent, so perhaps give the next person a bit more to go on?

    Coming into the scene with nothing more than find a tomb in a graveyard of that size with zero hint of where to look is a quest ender unless a player has days and days to spend mousing over headstones and a compelling reason to do so. It's not a complicated task and monotonous to go through endless graves for hours at a time.

    I assume your quest is meant to be finished by the players but that extra frustration is something that will stop many from going past that point.

    Many of the clues assume a great deal of Novian knowledge, and also some of them demand knowledge of the history of earth words, too. All that part is interesting to figure out. Finding obscure and hidden areas in Novia is interesting too; but mindless tasks don't add to its charm.

    I'm still working through this quest, and as I said I am enjoying the challenge most of the time. I like going to areas I've not been to in years and I like the story arc.

    I hope you make another one, too and I'm not even finished this one.
     
  16. Tristano Sforza

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    I am a real person not a lua script, so if you are stucked feel free to contact me privately as a couple of guys did. I am glad to give you more hints or clues.
    Your next step in the quest is perhaps more difficult if you don't know that place well...please don't give up and contact me if you need help ;)


    It's not actually in my plans to make episode 2 because I didn't perceive so much interest in ep 1 from players. I just wanted to demonstrate what can be done, that's enough.
    If you have a story and want to share with these mechanics I can help you!

    Thanks
    Tristano
     
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  17. Lily Byrd

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    [QUOTE="
    If you have a story and want to share with these mechanics I can help you!

    Thanks
    Tristano[/QUOTE]

    I don't want to learn to do that, but I admire it.

    I have found a bug. I have been kicked back a few steps of progress again. for the second time. This time I was at the step to hand in the sceptre, but got kicked back to before finding it. The last time was nearer to the beginning of the quest. I am going to repeat the steps, and see the end of the quest but maybe take a look and see why?
     
  18. Tristano Sforza

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    you just have to write the story, I will code it for you!


    Progression is saved usually when you come back to Mediolanum, not at every step.
    Check “progression saved” blue string in lua chat, maybe it’s not so visible...sorry for that
     
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  19. Lily Byrd

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    ah, so when I just logged out instead of going back again to report it then I lost 3 steps?

    ugh. I was too tired to play longer. I learned my lesson though. I won't do that again. At least now I know what causes that
     
  20. Lily Byrd

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