Re: CF: Re: Preventing players from repeating quests

[quinet@gamers.org (Raphael Quinet)]

On Fri, 03 Sep 1999, David Andrew Michael Noelle <dave@Straylight.org> wrote:
> Raphael Quinet wrote:
> 
> [... Re: alternative ways to keep players from abusing the ability to repeat
> quests they've already solved...]
> > - By linking quests to each other.  Solving one quest would allow you
> >   to enter another one, and at the same time would prevent you from
> >   repeating the one that you just solved.  [...]
> 
>     I don't like the idea of actually *preventing* a quest from being
> attempted again after it's been solved.  For one thing, what if your
> high-level character dies once, loses 10-20 levels, and is no longer capable
> of completing any of the quests he hasn't already finished?  If you can't go
> back and work your way back up to where you died, non-permanent death
> becomes automatic retirement.

This is not what I was suggesting.  My proposal was to allow the
player to enter the next quest after having finished the current one.
If you die in a quest before you can reach the treasure room, then you
can go back to it as often as necessary.  It is only if you solve the
quest (i.e. reach the treasure room) that you will be prevented from
re-entering it.

>     Linking quests in terms of requiring them to be attempted in order is
> fine, but once a quest has been completed, it's boring to have to complete
> that quest and EVERY quest leading up to it, EACH time you want to attempt
> the next one.  Example: the temple in Brest with the nine keys to nine
> "Hells" ranging from kobolds to Jessy.

The mark that I propose for the quest is something permanent and
invisible that stays in the player's inventory forever.  So if you
solve some quests in one area then go in a totally different place and
come back much later, you will still be able to enter the quest that
you haven't completed yet, without having to re-do the easy ones.

>     I suggest that linked quests should be implemented by MARKs or some
> other re-usable "key", and current linked quests should be modified to be
> consistent with that implementation.  That way, a player who needs to try
> Jessy's Castle (for example) repeatedly in order to complete it, must
> complete Dol-Guldur and Khazad/Moria at least once, but wouldn't be required
> to start over from the beginning of the whole series in order to re-try the
> last part.

This is exactly what I was suggesting.  :-)

[...]
>     Rather than making quests playable only once, I'd prefer to make the
> rewards valuable only once, since quests are generally the best places to go
> for experience.  [...]

I agree.  However, I think that there is a point at which the player
should stop getting experience and should be encouraged to start again
with a new character.  This topic is controversial and I know that
many players do not like this idea, but IMHO it should not be possible
to continue improving a character after level 30 (I think that the
current limit of 110 is way too high).

One solution is to hardcode this limit in the code that deals with the
experience gain.  Another solution is to cut off more and more parts
of the world as your character solves the quests, so that after a
while you realize that the best way to continue enjoying the game is
to start again with another race or class.  Maybe this solution is not
good, but please post your suggestions if you have better ideas for
limiting the high-level characters.

-Raphael

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