Quests / Missions (Destiny)

by Cody Miller , Music of the Spheres - Never Forgot, Thursday, March 27, 2014, 17:58 (3902 days ago) @ Malagate
edited by Cody Miller, Thursday, March 27, 2014, 18:12

1. Specifically timed events. The example that leaps to mind is Skorm's Bow in Fable. You had to complete some task, I think toss money in a well, or execute an innocent or something, at the stroke of midnight in a specific place. The reward was the best bow in the game. Basically circumstances in the world have to be right for some secrets to reveal themselves.

2. Rare, "roaming" encounters. A la Doom Gaze from Final Fantasy III (VI). Also, I think there was a ghost ship of some kind in LoZ:Windwaker. Kind of another case where the circumstances have to be right. I think cases like these provide some of the most pervasive and persistent lore-related encounters in a virtual world. If it's rare enough (and the payoff valuable enough), word will spread within the community like wildfire.

I think this is stupid. Players should never have to WAIT for something to happen. Waiting is stupid and not fun. Things should happen entirely on account of player actions. In other words, you shouldn't wait for an opportunity, but rather MAKE ONE.

This means:

1. No waiting for the right moment for a boss to become vulnerable. Make the vulnerability come about because the player does something to break their guard.
2. No timed events. Events should be activated through player action, not time. Because waiting is stupid.
3. No trigger gates. Door opens after you kill a few waves of oncoming enemies? Stupid. Whenever 'defend' or 'protect' comes up I vomit.

You get the idea. That ghost ship should appear not randomly, but because the player did something sweet.