A new direction

Thanks to the wonder that is the MMO, I have been fortunate enough to meet some great people from all around the world. The games I play may change but I always stay in contact with these people I'm proud to call my friends.

We share laughs, raid wipes, discussions about RL drama and the simple enjoyment of playing the occasional prank on a hapless newb.

There was this time back in SWG when a friend and me used Jedi Force invisibility and a couple of astromech droids and fun with a really gullible newbie...maybe another time

...besides, everyone has an evil streak they like to let loose from time to time.

Right?

Right!

We also share opinions on what makes these games so awesome. We don't always agree, but more often than not our thoughts cross paths and reach a consensus.

I'd like to share with you some thoughts on what I think makes a great MMO over my next few entries. I don't expect you to agree with everything, but maybe there are some points you'll sit and consider. So, today, I bring my spotlight to bear on the humble quest.



Quests are an integral part of our addiction but how many times can you kill ten rats?

I mean really...why rats? or quenkers? or gnolls? or warnats? or demons?

And why 10?

If the RSPCA got their paws on these games and saw how often we systematically work our way towards eradicating several animal species I think they'd suffer an emotional breakdown. Now obviously, these critters don't stay dead for long and will happily respawn moments later to be whacked by some other passing adventurer. But that's not the point.

My issue isn't the killing of poor defenceless animals, bugs or half-sentient creatures, god knows I've slaughtered my fair share. My point here is why developers always seem to fall back on this mainstay concept.

As I've recently started spending more time in Tabula Rasa, I'm going to spend a second waxing lyrical on something that is seen far too little in MMO's today but has started to emerge right here.

Consequences...


Daughter Furbolg: "mommy, when is daddy coming home?"

Mommy Furbolg: "daddy will be home from work soon honey. You know he is busy with his new job as a henchman with the new evil faction of furbolgs, bent on world domination"

Daughter Furbolg: "I miss him mommy"

Mommy Furbolg: "I know you do sweetheart. I'm sure he will be home soon"

*ring ring*

Mommy Furbolg: "hello?...he's what?...*sniff*...how did it happen?...mind-controlled off a cliff by a shadow priest?...well, thank you for letting me know"

*click*

*cry*

Daughter Furbolg: "what is it mommy?"

Mommy Furbolg: "I'm afraid daddy wont be coming home tonight honey"



MWAH HAH HAAAA!!

Sorry, couldn't resist!

No, not those type of consequences. I mean quest chains which give you decisions to make. Do you help the guy who is passing out stolen medical supplies to the troops who need it or do you turn him in to the authorities? You can only save one person from certain doom, do you pick the wise honourable old shaman who is getting on in years or do you pick the fresh young warrior who has never seen battle but has his/her whole life ahead of them?

Quests shouldn't always be about which is the best loot for your current character...

ok sometimes it should!

But from time to time they should make you think about your actions. The decisions you make during the course of a quest should affect your choices later on in the life of your character. The NPCs you helped in your formative levels could re-emerge later on to assist you with difficult campaigns if you made a particular choice during the course of a quest chain.
Likewise, choosing the alternate path and reporting the 'dealer' to the authorities could give you access to covert missions by Commanders later on due to your reliability, but you wouldn't have the trust of the squad you are leading into the danger zone.

This leads on logically to the possibility of choosing between good and evil. KotOR had this concept and a lot of the options hinged on your light side/dark side choices. Why other developers have failed to consider this avenue is beyond me.

In the interim, I live in hope that, one day soon, game designers will hire scriptwriters with a bit more imagination. That they will let these writers work closely with the designers to give us an environment which makes you stop and think. Where senselessly killing 20 boars just to get a few livers for a pie is a thing of the past.


...and don't event get me started on that genocidal Hemet Nesingwary chap from WoW - that guy is a fucking psycho!