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Quests and clear arranged Questbook

Discussion in 'Release 26 Feedback Forum' started by Paladin Michael, Feb 8, 2016.

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  1. Paladin Michael

    Paladin Michael Bug Hunter

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    Dear Avatars,

    I am a "Collector", I can´t post in "Developer-Forum" and so I couldn´t find a better place for this, because it is about all the quests of SotA. Sorry, if I posted it in a wrong way, pleace shift it in the right one - or delete it after reading :) It´s just an idea ...

    After playing a lot of quests in SotA (and after having also a lot of déjà vu by doing the time wipe again ...) there are some things, I think, making life there better for all of us.

    One of this is the Journal.
    It would be very nice, if the book could be a kind of "Story(quest)book".
    Well, in the actual form it's just a kind of, so what does I mean?

    Instead of
    - Current Tasks
    - Knowledge Journal

    For example like this:
    Knowledge Journal

    Journey/Story of the Avatar
    Epilogue - The beginning (intro)
    --> the rift

    Chapter I - First steps in a new world ...
    Chapter II - Quest of Love
    --> All entries mentioned this quest
    Chapter III - Quest of Courage
    --> All entries mentioned this quest
    Chapter IV - Quest of ...

    Chapter V or instead another Book, like "Diary/Progress of the Avatar"
    Singlequests
    1. Mail delivering
    2. Learning to ...
    2.1 Gathering ...
    3. Funny conversations - don´t forget talking to ...
    3.1 Soltown
    3.1.1 Aren't we all Jack?
    3.2 West Ravenwood
    3.2.1 "... fighting like an elv..."
    4. Grand Tours ...

    And it would be fine to have marked the (not) finished quests, maybe in another colour.
    Current Tasks
    Nonfinished quests could be collected in the "Current Tasks".

    From my first day of playing Ultima, especially Ultima IV, I liked the idea of playing "in a book". And a wonderful thing of Ultima - and now of SotA - was and is the storytelling intro and the style of the Journal entries including the dialogues with all the different characters in the story, we meet like "Alice in wonderland" or, if you prefer "modern" comparison like in the 80's Clip of Aha "Take on me" ...

    But what I miss, and like I read in some posts here: having an (fast) overview of the central theme(s).
    After playing a while with all the quests it is like runnig from a to b to c to ...
    And sometimes I think to myself: why I am doing so - what was the reason?
    Don´t missunderstand me, please: we HAVE to run from a to ... to fulfill our quest ;)

    But we are outlanders - and we are off for a while (a day, a few days, sometimes a week or more ...)
    And when we come back, we have to read a journey book, which is disordered, because of all the parallel storylines and single quests, confusing while reading ...

    So, if we could have chapters (for each mainpath), it would be possible every time to re-read the storyline.
    After 2 weeks without playing, for example, it´s better to come back into the story with a - in german we say - "red line" :) So, there would be no problem to "come back" to the central theme of each story.

    And, important: in this chapters shouldn´t be written about things like "I killed my first wolf or I delivered a mail package or other quests outside the central theme of THIS chapter :)

    Well, SotA would be the first game giving a novel of our roleplaying adventure to us.
    And, how wonderful, with our name inside. We also could review when entering a second time with a new character (or after a full wipe, if the book could be saved in bank - uh, by the way: what about saving my gold I earned so hard!? ;) And by the way: when can I buy the whole Artisan tools in game? okay - this is another story ...)

    That´s the idea. I really think, it would be helpful for all players to go the way of an Avatar more comfortable ... From NOW we would know, what path we are going on ... We don´t have to read a kind of "technical" order - we read in a novel with a fine storyline ...

    At last, please excuse my old rusty school english, but I think you know, what I wanna to tell U :)

    Hearty Greetinx
    Michael Berg
     
    Last edited: Feb 10, 2016
  2. Attenwood

    Attenwood Portalarian Emeritus Dev Emeritus

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    Thank you for the feedback. These are some very interesting ideas. I'll move this thread to the appropriate forum section to be discussed further, lest it languish quietly in the land of bugs. Thanks!
     
  3. Phydra

    Phydra Avatar

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    An interaction designer (sub-specialty of HCI) would be very helpful to get the information architecture where it needs to be.... and it would be in the right order to have that same person move on to a UI pass for consistency, readability, and user-design perspective. It's actually pretty easy to find good ones looking for freelance work - hit me up in a conversation here if you'd like to learn more about that.

    All of the feedback of late on the interface (and likely a considerable amount - if not ALL - of the ancient feedback pointing at the same things) very likely have a number of high-water mark similarities. That starting point the above specialist on hand, you're halfway there.

    If you want to get the rest of the way there, just hear and then, DO, what that interaction designer suggests you do. I promise you, no matter how silly it may sound to you or me (sitting here with the life and work and gaming experience we have), they will have your personas figured out and guide you to exponentially more kudos if you'll let them.

    But here, for @dallas and @DarkStarr - a very solid look at the ROI of usability and user-centric design:

    (Edit to add - oh, and by the way... this is what I and my employer DO, along with using joint application development engagements to teach folks how to do it for themselves.)

     
  4. smack

    smack Avatar

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    I would be against an explicit Quest Journal.

    That doesn't mean I wouldn't want some additional usability enhancements, like the ability to enter my own notes, or search or filter the Journal by NPC or location. But I would not want the game "solved" for me by organizing the bits of knowledge into explicit connections that reveal the quest to me. I'd like to use my own head to figure out how those bits and pieces come together and let the NPC dialog itself provide the connective tissue.
     
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  5. Paladin Michael

    Paladin Michael Bug Hunter

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    Well, it wasn't the idea to solve the quest "automatic". But every book has chapters, which tells us the story. And if I would fill my diary or my questbook, I would write down things together, which trading the same thing, to get the clues. When reading the story, it´s nice to know I was on the grand tour or delivered a mailpack, but I recognize the story easier having coherent things together. I like to solve quests, please don't missunderstand my intention :) But after a while of absence I would be glad to read "the story so far ..." without the things I've done to receive experience, like making my first shoe or such things, wich would be a kind of experience diary. It could be solved in a few ways: Journey book like it is (all entries), Book of Quest in the way I described it abouve (mainline), Book of Experience with all the things we do "around" the mainline. Well, everybody could read his favourite book. And at last we would have the Chronicles of the Avatar :)
     
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