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Treasure hunts for newbies? [Quest thread]  XML
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Pris Stratton



Joined: 2016.05.07 00:00:00
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Is there a way to ask for a treasure hunt without having to find the robot first? I'm at level 2 and I think that structure will help while I learn the new world. Thank you!

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2020.03.15 08:12:33

Jordan West



Joined: 2000.12.31 00:00:00
Messages: 205
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Resetting treasure hunts or treasure hunts per character -- is it possible to reset the treasure hunts or make them per character?

I found the treasure hunt robot, but he reported to me that they had all been completed already. I would really like to experience this within the world and was disappointed to know that one person could complete all of them and lock the other players out. Alternatively, could these be randomly generated based on a person's level?
Mark Phillips


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Joined: 1969.12.31 00:00:00
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Location: Watsonville, CA
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Hey that's a bug. Treasure hunts are per character. Found and fixed; fix will be online with next reboot.

Bug it for the spiff.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018.07.23 20:16:00


Bartle quotiet: E80, A67, S47, K7. TriadCity characters: Mark, Poobah, Occam, Abelard.
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Jordan West



Joined: 2000.12.31 00:00:00
Messages: 205
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This is great! Thank you!

I'm excited to go try these out.
Mark Phillips


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Joined: 1969.12.31 00:00:00
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We had a lengthy thread some time past about adding structured experiences of various forms. Quests are the MUD paradigm but there could be many others. I can't find the thread now, though, so, hijacking this one.

The amount of structure individuals appreciate is very personal to them. Many players feel lost in TriadCity 'cos not sure what to do. Others revel in its openness. There've been a lot of requests to provide more structure for those who want it. What would be the TriadCity "way" or ways of doing that?

We do have challenges and puzzles which act like quests. Finding and retrieving the more esoteric herbs is one example. Should we formalize by having the Central Computer or the Deities provide structured quests when asked?

Bartle quotiet: E80, A67, S47, K7. TriadCity characters: Mark, Poobah, Occam, Abelard.
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Mark Phillips


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Joined: 1969.12.31 00:00:00
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Posting this very interesting meditation by Luke Hewitt, who plays Lerandor on TriadCity. On audiogames.net he's "Dark", where he posted this in response to some brainstorming re questing. Adding here for its detailed perspective. Posted with Luke's permission.

Hi, and thanks for all the answers, that will definitely help me both to decide what I'm doing in the game, and to put together a proper database entry, something which really should have been done long since.

As regards quests, for me it isn't so much to do with structure in a game, as feeling a sense of actually accomplishing something and doing some good in the world.

If peasant jo tells me that the crows are eating all his crops and to go and kill 20 of them, well even though I know from a mechanical perspective this is just an excuse to get my character to fight lots of low level monsters, I am still under the impression that I'm actually doing a good deed for someone. Heck, even though I know lots of other characters will be doing the same actions and fighting the same crows since once the quest is complete my! character will not be able to do it again, from my perspective, I can imagine that I've actually solved the problem and my character has done some good in the world over all.

Of course, the bigger, more dire and more difficult the task, the more accomplishment I feel, , especially if said task involves some sort of ongoing story or evolving set of circumstances, for example if it turns out the crows are far from normal crows, but some sort of weirdly created magical hybrids which are the result of dangerous magical experiments which I then need to look into etc.

For me, it's all generally about feeling as if I'm having a successful effect on the npcs around me, and yes being a hero, or at least helping people out, indeed I will often do as many quests as I can just for the sake of completing them, even when the rewards don't stack up or my character is too high a level.

of course, I know Triad city has player interactions as you describe, and I'm certainly not against helping other players when I can, but I've found in the past player interactions feel less like a story or helping people out, and more like trading or carrying out commissions, plus I do admit I am a bit of a solo player anyway and prefer things I can succeed at on my own merits.

It's actually odd, tell me in a game to go and slay 1000 goblins and I'll be thinking "oh no, that sounds like a lot of grinding", but tell me that I need to go into the goblin's lair to recover something that was lost or stop a goblin invasion or the like, and I'll be quite happy.

This doesn't even just affect combat quests either, I'm far more likely to practice my fishing skill 50 times if mistress Nora has asked me to find her 10 chubs and a marlin, than just because I need to try fishing 50 times to improve the skill, indeed I'm more likely to! try and improve the skill if I know someone will want my fish, than just for it's own sake big_smile.

anyway, since I'm also a big fan of exploring and simply wandering around to experience what a game has to offer, I think I will find a fair few interesting things in Triad city to try out either way.

Bartle quotiet: E80, A67, S47, K7. TriadCity characters: Mark, Poobah, Occam, Abelard.
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Meghan Culber



Joined: 2019.12.01 00:00:00
Messages: 107
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From my POV Luke's points sound like a "grown up" version of what TC does now with "treasure hunts". The treasure hunts send you searching for objects. Could they also send you on tasks, like his example of "kill 20 crows"?
 
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