Public quests, yay or nay?

Dowie

 

As i have just begun to skim over the forums here at mmorpg.com once again i took a look at the WAR forums, and it made me think back to the release of Warhammer online and i remember being pretty impressed by the early stages of the game. It was not the so called "huge RvR" or the iconic world that impressed me, it was actually the public quests in the game that impressed me, the flow it added to the game. it was really easy to join a group and you could enter the quest at any stage, and it also felt quite social, at least in the early release of the game, when people still where trying to figure out the certain tactics for the encounter. Just to bad Warhammer online failed to deliver on the other aspects of the game.    I haven't played GW2 yet, but I've seen a couple of videos and read a bit about the game and it seems like GW2 is taking the public quests to a new level. Although the lack to "the holy trinity" will probably keep me away from the game.    So, what are your view on public questing? Do you think it adds to the social aspect of the game? Do you prefer the "wowish" way of questing or maybe just the gather-a-group-in-a-dungeon-and-kill-stuff-for-XP way?

 

Magnetia

You really need to play GW2. If public quests were the invention of fire, then dynamic events would be the invention of the plasma cannon.

zethcarn

Public questing is fun.  But it's also one of those things that's hard to balance in terms of making it challenging & rewarding.  If 50 people zerg an area that's designed for only 10 people,  where is the fun in that?  The system must be able to respond to the number of people in the immediate area to constantly raise or lower the difficulty.

Gorilla

Fun, too many peopl and it can be a bit chaotic and less so, too few and they can be frustrating and less so. Approached with a group of friends, awsomo.

Edit: actually don't need friends just a few people turning up at the same time does the job.

Foomerang

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Originally posted by Magnetia
You really need to play GW2. If public quests were the invention of fire, then dynamic events would be the invention of the plasma cannon.

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So you're saying its a one trick pony instead of infinite possibilities?

Xiaoki

Public quests have good points and bad points.

The good is that they bring people together out in the world.

The bad is that no one talks. During the event/public quest no one talks and after everyone just goes their separate ways.

Ive seen this with Warhammer Online, Rift and Guild Wars 2.

Maybe its poetic that what is bringing people together is also making them feel more alone than ever before.

Leucent

Hopefully GW2 can keep pumping out new stuff for their DEs. If not they ll become like almost all PQs, in every game I ve played, ignored. GW2 is literally all PQs that branch etc. but that too can become boring after awhile. We ll have to see, but I can already see some posts shortly after launch.

Volkon

Originally posted by Foomerang

 

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Originally posted by Magnetia
You really need to play GW2. If public quests were the invention of fire, then dynamic events would be the invention of the plasma cannon.

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So you're saying its a one trick pony instead of infinite possibilities?

 

No, the Dynamic Events are only one of the tricks that the pony has in its stable.

 

Seriously though, after experiencing GW2s DEs I can't bring myself to play any MMOs that still use the archaic quest hub "talk to the guy with the ! over his head" style. It's so boring and stagnant. Look around WoW, for example, at the world itself... it's static, lifeless. The same NPC is in the same spot day after day worrying about the same bad guys standing in the same field day after day. In WoW, you do the quests. In GW2, dynamic events do you.

Scalpless

Originally posted by Leucent
Hopefully GW2 can keep pumping out new stuff for their DEs. If not they ll become like almost all PQs, in every game I ve played, ignored. GW2 is literally all PQs that branch etc. but that too can become boring after awhile. We ll have to see, but I can already see some posts shortly after launch.

You can't ignore dynamic events in GW2 as a PvE player, because they're your primary source of XP and gold/karma. GW2 does have more normal quests, too, but they simply don't give enough XP and are too few for you to level up solely on them.

evilastro

I prefer it to traditional questing. I guess you could criticise it for being relatively anti-social, but it is less so than solo questing. You can still help other players, even though you dont need to talk to them. Some players will talk, others will silently assist. It all depends on the player. Much like many groups you participate in, some players will say the bare minimum and others will chat the entire time.

In GW2 on BWE3 I ended up chatting to a few people doing the same events as myself and we ended up running around doing puzzles together.

Just like in real life, you cant force people to be social, you just have to make the effort yourself and hope that some people reciprocate.

Leucent

Originally posted by dekou

Originally posted by Leucent
Hopefully GW2 can keep pumping out new stuff for their DEs. If not they ll become like almost all PQs, in every game I ve played, ignored. GW2 is literally all PQs that branch etc. but that too can become boring after awhile. We ll have to see, but I can already see some posts shortly after launch.

You can't ignore dynamic events in GW2 as a PvE player, because they're your primary source of XP and gold/karma. GW2 does have more normal quests, too, but they simply don't give enough XP and are too few for you to level up solely on them.

Exactly, thats why I said , I sure hope they add to it, because it will make people leave in droves after they ve seen it a million times. It s a great concept, but not too sure if I could play this game all day like alot will. Casual players dream, IMO.

Sicae

In small doses.

aspekx

needs more alitteration:

 

public quests, you say?

yay or nay?

Kuppa

I believe they can achieve a lot if they mix their DEs with their streaming system. Update and changing DEs on the fly, not having to wait for a big patch.

Saydien

I honestly neither like public quests nor dynamic events overly much. I admit they are better than killing 10 boars/rabbits over and over but my experience so far has been that they are VERY anti-social indeed. You might be together in the same quest with quite some people but hardly ever will you actually get to talk to them and of course you occasionally will get a random guy rage on you because he hates competing for the objectives with you.

Of course it is a matter of taste but I personally would rather play a game with no quests at all that actively encourages the social interaction. Social play for me has nothing to do with solving quests together with others. I would like to talk and chat and have fun with the others. In GW2 it most of the time was no different than playing with a horde or group of KI characters. Very disappointing experiences there so far.

Dibdabs

They're OK, but they don't serve much purpose in the long run.

Magnetia

Originally posted by chelan

needs more alitteration:

 

public quests, you say?

yay or nay?

That's rhyming. Alliteration means something else.

Peter packed a pack of pickled peppers. 

Alders

I can't go back to regular questing or mob grinding.

Lucioon

Originally posted by dekou

Originally posted by Leucent
Hopefully GW2 can keep pumping out new stuff for their DEs. If not they ll become like almost all PQs, in every game I ve played, ignored. GW2 is literally all PQs that branch etc. but that too can become boring after awhile. We ll have to see, but I can already see some posts shortly after launch.

You can't ignore dynamic events in GW2 as a PvE player, because they're your primary source of XP and gold/karma. GW2 does have more normal quests, too, but they simply don't give enough XP and are too few for you to level up solely on them.

If you take GW2 leveling like other MMO leveling then yes, you will find that there aren't that many quests.

But if you had experienced BWE atleast twice, then you will find that your notion of leveling through quests are incorrect.

When I was in GW2 BWE, just by exploring the starting zones, and just doing a full circle, I already out leveled the zone, yes with deleveling I was still earning Exp and karma. But just by exploring, you will level, as long as when DE happens near you and you do them.

Just by trying to unlock my weapon skills, I was able to level constantly.

I remember the very first BWE, you got tons of players staying at one Heart area trying to do the same DE over and over, thinking that it would be fastest way to level, how wrong were they, all you really have to do is just choose a path, and go, and by the time you come back around , you will have just leveled enough to continue to the next zone.

Theocritus

      It really depends on the MMO...In WAR public quests were alot of fun until no one wanted to do them after level 15 or so....In Rift they were either way too easy (half the time I could barely land a spell before the boss was dead) or they were too hard and no one would do them.....I havent got to try GW2 yet, but have heard the PQs are pretty good there but it is still early for the game.

waynejr2

Originally posted by zethcarn
Public questing is fun.  But it's also one of those things that's hard to balance in terms of making it challenging & rewarding.  If 50 people zerg an area that's designed for only 10 people,  where is the fun in that?  The system must be able to respond to the number of people in the immediate area to constantly raise or lower the difficulty.

City of heroes solved that problem with their Rikti invasions years ago.

DJJazzy

Originally posted by Dibdabs
They're OK, but they don't serve much purpose in the long run.

Huh?

Ambros123

Originally posted by Xiaoki

Public quests have good points and bad points.

The good is that they bring people together out in the world.

The bad is that no one talks. During the event/public quest no one talks and after everyone just goes their separate ways.

Ive seen this with Warhammer Online, Rift and Guild Wars 2.

Maybe its poetic that what is bringing people together is also making them feel more alone than ever before.

As opposed to the regular quests where everyone is on an OFP, see any other player as an enemy stealing their fills/farming, asshats who will tag mobs just to aggrivate players trying to do quests, and people don't talk there either.  Public quests are massive improvement over the traditional quest system.

People talk all the time in general chat or in guilded chat if they are inclined to.  If I'm out in the wilderness then I'm not going to be all talkative as I have a task at hand.

Ambros123

Originally posted by waynejr2

Originally posted by zethcarn
Public questing is fun.  But it's also one of those things that's hard to balance in terms of making it challenging & rewarding.  If 50 people zerg an area that's designed for only 10 people,  where is the fun in that?  The system must be able to respond to the number of people in the immediate area to constantly raise or lower the difficulty.

City of heroes solved that problem with their Rikti invasions years ago.

It's called scaling, ANet has that problem solved.  The only problem is when it becomes a zerg fest but when you have 6-10 people it's a hella fun in those big boss fights.

waynejr2

Originally posted by Ambros123

Originally posted by waynejr2

Originally posted by zethcarn
Public questing is fun.  But it's also one of those things that's hard to balance in terms of making it challenging & rewarding.  If 50 people zerg an area that's designed for only 10 people,  where is the fun in that?  The system must be able to respond to the number of people in the immediate area to constantly raise or lower the difficulty.

City of heroes solved that problem with their Rikti invasions years ago.

It's called scaling, ANet has that problem solved.  The only problem is when it becomes a zerg fest but when you have 6-10 people it's a hella fun in those big boss fights.

we know what it's called.  Wow, some people just can't take it simple and have to be blunt about it.

otinanai123

Public quests failed in WAR because they weren't a good source of exp (battlegrounds or scenarios were much better for exp plus they gave renown as well). I remember when WAR first came out and i cruised the lands only to find 2-3 players per zone while the cities had 50-100 players sitting near the npc to queue for the next scenario. Hopefully Anet won't repeat that mistake with WvW being a better source of xp.