06-28-2004, 10:53 AM
Hi,
This was written up and sent for Blizzard but I thought I might as well post it here as well for imput.
I have now been able to play WoW for a bit, both as alliance and as horde. Mainly as warrior (I am really a warrior type at heart), but have tried out other classes a bit. I have not reached level 30 or above though so comments and ideas are based on things one see before that level/areas.
First, quest related issues. I love the quest system and how quests work and interact with the game. Of course, the more the better but still, there should be some variety and there can for sure be enhancements. Currently many quests are based on killing certain types of monsters. Either for kills or to collect a specific item dropped. It is more or less the same although slight variation. Nothing wrong with that although if all quests are like that it gets boring.
Then we have other quests that means one have to go to some specific place to explore, pick up items (on ground like herbs, mushrooms, whatever) or to kill a specific monster. That is often different and more fun, to me. One drawback, although at times relief, is that if there is many players clearing an area, one can at time do the quest without having to actually fight to get there.
Finally we have the fun and great quests, the different ones. Sometimes small and without much to do, sometimes more involved, still great. They are the ones that have you do different things. An example is the one in Dun Morogh were you âsneakâ by to swap beer. Or the one in The Barrens were you turn of a machine (although it is similar to go to an area and collect stuff). Another is the quest initiated by Murlocks in Westfall and have you travel around following instructions which lead to a chest on an island. All of those quests feel great when you do them and finish them. The one in Westfall really make you feel you are on your own doing a quest in the middle of everything else and others doing their own normal quests. At least when I did it. It is such quests that make you feel great and that you have fun.
So, what is it that one should add more of quest wise? The quests you donât get in the âcitiesâ, that are initiated in surprising places and not always to be found, rare ones, that makes you feel alone on the quest. Often have I passed by some burnt down place (mostly in Barrens) and though, great, what if I suddenly in all the derbies could find an intractable remnant that gave a quest, one that was not always present and when it was, it randomly spawned all over Barrens so you never knew exactly were to get it. That was more of a âquest giftâ than something you go to a place to get and do. Have monsters occasionally and randomly drop some item that can initiate some quest, the glowing trees in Night Elf land is an example of such a fun quest (although it is not a random one but a âyou know were to get it and do itâ type. But it involve the fun element and story of going to someone to find out about it (they are short ones though).
Another example could be quest chests or boxes spawning in far away places in the land, that you normally donât go to. I often explore and travel in more or less empty areas of a map (looking for mines and herbs or just to see if I find something) and it would be fun to occasionally find some quest related thing in for example a dead body or box or whatever. Have it have many multiple spawn points that basically is all over the map so that you never really know were to get it and it would not be worth camping it out. Have a very long respawn time as well. Similarly and empty hut or whatever (I seem to find many) could have something interesting inside, in a shelf or on a table or something. It makes it fun to explore again.
Sure, one can claim such quests will not be for everyone and not as worthwhile as the main quests set up in town for everyone. But with more quests added so that areas have more quests than needed to keep the character going and levelling, those âoddâ and interesting quests will definitely add enjoyment and fun for those that doesnât go out and power level but rather explore and go to strange far off places were one wonât get much kills and/or experience. One such quest seem to be the Chenâs Keg (spelling?) in the Barrens. I once found a barrel but have not managed to find it this push. Initiated by a Keg found on the ground.
From what I heard from higher level characters, it seems that the following might actually be in although at higher level quests, but quests that involve items necessary to have items that trade skills create so that you have to interact with others would be fun. There are some were you need items either mined or fished already that I have seen as examples.
As an explorer and many times solo player, one type of quest. Although perhaps not as fun for many, are the delivery or travelling quests. The ones that means âget a message or item to someoneâ. Often in far away areas. I would like to see more, especially dangerous ones that take you into much higher level areas. There are already some, usually to get you going into new areas. In that aspect, the game and quests are set up well, ones you level it points you into new areas and such, but I would like more and dangerous ones. I like having to sneak through an area, along a road were monsters are many levels higher than me, to get to far away areas. It donât give me kill points but sure is fun.
Quests that give recopies are fun. Although at times, it seems to exist, I have many times through about how many monsters that drop various scales and such, which canât be used for anything. I have then wondered, why canât I collect them and have some way to get them to someone to teach me how to turn them into armour or weapons. Why canât I very occasionally get a complete rare fang or tooth to drop from a monster which I can get to an NPC that will teach me a recipe to turn it into a dagger for example. People might complain that such quests are âimpossibleâ, takes forever and so on if given out ahead, so why not start them when the item drop instead. That way we avoid the, get me X tooth and people go out and kill monsters and complain that they killed 20 and it has still not dropped. The item created and the recipe doesnât have to be much better than other things, but different, perhaps with a different bonus. One can still have the item drop later occasionally to allow for more such items to be crafted. Make it so that many different types of monsters in different areas drop it. Perhaps one can make something similar as with the fishes in alliance land that weight different amount (which seems to have no special function right now though) but with tooth (or whatever, just using tooth as example here). Like 10 cm tooth dropped (for a dagger with a special damage (with recipe learnt), but later you get a 12 cm one from another monster and make a dagger with slightly more damage and so on.
Similarly, all those murlock fins, scales from monsters and so on, make them craftable into armour and such. It gives more diversity and a feeling of more uniqueness and make trade skills more fun as well. As it is, one seem to find to few recopies except from NPCs to buy.
Next for quests I would like to see are ones with decision making. That is, ones were you can take more than one route through it. For example, delivering the item to more than one NPC, one can make it evil/good based or race based and so on. Of course, the rewards will be different as will the follow up quests (there will be follow up ones of course). Sure, you will miss out on some quests but that is a price you have to pay for it! In similar manner, I would not mind some quests being more RPGish, in that it involve more reading of texts, books in houses, libraries (in town and such for more questing there and to avoid killing monsters for all quests). Sure, for people not interested, they can always just read some web site for the solution and what to do, but for those who want, it adds an enjoyable element and give depth to the play. With multiple NPCs that complete a quest (might need change to quest engine?) one again get decision making into it based on what one find in books, tomes and such. Perhaps such tomes and books should spawn randomly so that the quest gets more random in that you find different info on the library at different times and for different people. I donâ
Add exploration quests. I have in a few places found houses with cartographers and explorers or whatever. They have been âemptyâ in the inventory for selling and training (the NPCs), and seemed like skipped skills and such. Why not add quests that make you travel around to many far away and remote places to explore. It can involve visiting all the 5 main light houses on blah, blah, blah. Or to seek out the 3 big mountain tops (of course on different continents and land) and so on. Make you sneak around in high level monster areas (make sure to not pack them THAT tight so that one actually can sneak between them at low level when they move around. Perhaps it can involve library digging. You set out to find the lost ship of XXX that disappeared, in the Library you find books telling the story and about wrecks and you can figure out in which land was lost and were to travel to find it in the sea. The Libraries should be stuffed with books and text for this and other quests and just for plain information. One can add in history information from previous games in the serie and so on as well to not having to write ALL new texts for the libraries. Again, yes, some will just read a website or ask a friend to tell them it is the 7th book on the right side of the 3rd shelf in Stormwind but others, enjoying such quests will read gossip from library NPC and towns people and get info pointing to the correct books (perhaps even needed to activate the correct book to let the quest proceed. Make some general explorations quests that need you to travel to the main towns and smaller towns on the continent. The possibilities are endless. In push one, I had my warrior activate as many gryphon rides as possible (for its level) often meaning going to high level areas, dieing many times and even resurrecting with penalty at ones to get there. It was fun. Have it based on low level so that experience is only given if done at low level so that one have to sneak by and not simply fight through at high levels for the quests.
As can be seen, many of the suggestions are for less combat oriented quests. Of course, one can even have some of them give skill points as rewards to compensate if one like (or even talent points).
As for rewards, I would also like more different quests in that aspect. In the Barrens you kill various named monsters for a quest chain. After a while, it seems you continue it by killing named monsters that THEN start the quest (as opposed to first being told which one to kill). Currently it seems to mostly give extra exp but feeling all that âxâs spirit flows within you, why not having a stat point given as exp reward? Or after killing all 5 named monsters in an area (not involved in other quest but roaming the lands, perhaps even in different maps) and given them to an NPC, you get a special ability (talent?) or something as a bonus and reward. Can the game handle such thing as quests done in random order for a final quest or reward? Imagine killing a few big named monsters in various different maps and it gives a reward of something similar to the old talent that added extra damage to beasts (for example). If one couple this with decision making in some earlier quest to trigger it, like either go kill a monster or help out some other monster (that it prey on) and thus set you up for different chains and make not everyone have the same reward. I love such things.
Obviously with more quests added, especially one that take you through many different maps and lands, one really need to increase the number of ongoing quests. As it is, one constantly find oneself having to ditch quests to get new ones so the log is not full. That is a shame and boring as I need to go back and refind them (and imagine if it is the rare random quests mentioned above). I want to be able to make a few quests in new lands as I pass through on a mission to deliver to someplace without having to ditch all quests in the map I came from, only to reget them when I get back later ditching unfinished ones on the new land and so on. With more involved quests, like exploration ones as mentioned above or killing many different monsters, it takes time and (and SHOULD be done as opportunity presents itself and not by âI go there and now what to kill), one really NEED to be able to have more ongoing quests at once, 20 is simply not enough! I can understand someone claiming it makes decision making on what quest to do, but that actually forces you to do quests one after each other and not having many at a time. It also forces unnecessary travelling just to reclaim quests you already had but had to ditch as you find a quest passing through a an area and the quest log was full. That is not fun.
Also, rewards for quests (experience mostly) should NOT get penalized as much as it currently is for being done when you reach higher levels. I think one should be able to quests in different orders and not forced at specific levels. Sure, they get easier as you level, but even with same exp reward, it is âlowerâ since you need more exp for next level. Also, it helps solo players to some extent that need to make quests at higher levels. Sure, you are âsupposedâ to group, but sometimes one feel like playing alone or canât find suitable players to group.
Finally, not directly related to quests themselves but how they are given and an UI issue, have NPCs giving low level quests have a grey exclamation mark. Now you have to see if an NPC normally not talking with you having a bubble, indicating it has a quest. With guards giving directions and such and most NPC actually selling and such, everyone now has a bubble and you have to actually run around checking them. In towns that makes it hard to find missed quests. For example, the two that have you run around with wine and cloth in Stormwind seems to be level 1 so that when a normal character at level 5 or 6 reach town, he wonât see them at all!!! If a NPC selling stuff has a quest, you wonât know either since it always give bubble (or book or whatever). Since the quests are still available ,why not indicate it slightly more visible.
Lets move on to some other things. None will be as big as the above on quests though. Monsters, typically monsters are spread out and you take them on one by one (if you want). I would prefer monsters that instead are not alone but 2 or 3 put close together so that you must fight them at the same time. Sure, there exist some hunters with their animal with them and so on and some quest bosses has monsters around them that activate at the same time, but take the typical outside area, around a camp or whatever, either quest related or just random or even monsters wandering around. They are usually 1 by 1. Why not also have groups with monsters of a few levels lower that are close to each other so you have to fight many at a time (but at lower levels). That give diversity and change in game play. Usually now it is for quest bosses and typically you first fight level X monsters to get to the boss and then suddenly find the boss of level X+2 PLUS a few guards of level X or X+2 as well. So it is either dead easy to get to him and then he is a challenged, or it is hard to get to him and impossible to deal with him. Hardly fun or good. Grouping wonât change that either.
I would like more ârandomâ wandering monsters to have larger areas they roam. Typically they just move back and forth in small areas. At times you see some moving around large areas. That is much more fun and interesting. Sure, it may mean you can easily sneak by an area at lower level with no fight, but so what? Remember, it helps setting up exploration quests and such as mentioned above for lower level chars as well not really destroying any other feature.
Items could need some boost in interestingness. I really donât know how item generation and item data storage work, but it almost seem each item has to be written up with stats and such and that one canât have random features on them. That is slightly bad. I am not suggesting a system with affixes and such as in Diablo, but some random properties would make things interesting and add variation. Items giving stat boosts could give slight variation and so on. Perhaps it is already implemented.
An example with fishing poles is that there seems to be the plain one, the strong one (adds +5) and a duskwood one that adds +15 and so on. I thought that the duskwood one (there seem to be very little places in duskwood to fish though, but I assume it is the tree) would come and drop only in duskwood, but that was not the case. It drop from a monster in a different area. Why not have different +15 ones then, basically just different names but findable in different places. Seems to not be that hard. They can all have the same look and such. Again, give more diversity and uniqueness to ones character without really much effort for the game or its design. Of course, one can have the Duskwood one (as opposed to the extra strong or Barren one and so on) be possible for an alchemist to transform into a +20 one with the right ingredients and so on. There are endless possibilities. By the way, I love the lucky fishers hat!!
A few things about trade skills.
Have gems and such found through mining (and sometimes dropped) possible to turn into actual âgemsâ or jewellery for selling. It could also be turned into actual jewellery for rings and earrings. That makes such items more common though and I am not sure what trade skill it would be. Could be a completely new crafting one that also take broken tusks, and other raw material and turn it into more virgin one used for other means or just to sell for higher price. Some of it could be turned back into raw material that spice up already existing crafting. Imagine a recipe for a glove, it could require some raw gem. However, one could also find the same recipe but with a processed gem it turns slightly better. Of course, it can also exist but with added processed tusks from some rare animal to added some extra effect (+stats?) and so on.
That extra recopies, new item variants and even a whole new trade skill to process various raw materials one find in the game. In effect it creates variants of existing recopies and items. Such ones could be findable from drops only (the recopies) or from far away merchants not related to the area it exist in. One possible trade skill to add in some of these enhancements to would be Alchemy. Some could perhaps fit into engineering and yet others to mining and so on. Such cross usefulness of tradeskills help promote cooperation and if put at comparable high levels, one avoid people getting all trade skills at lower levels to help out their main trade skill. Still, the basic recopies would be enough to help people playing more solo and so on. A possibility is to make branches in existing trade skill as seems done with dragonleather working. I have not played that high level to now how trade skills work there though.
Add some extra features to cooking for special recopies. Sure, one should avoid turning it into the same things potions and such gives, but perhaps some rare recopies, with rare ingredients could make you cook up some food that add to a stat point or something. If it can make people increase them to much, make them one time things (or once per 10 levels or something) or perhaps even involving a quest to take the food to a special place to eat during a ceremony or whatever (but have a cook having to prepare it).
I also note that drinks canât be âmadeâ in the game through trade skills, I mean milk, juice and such. Similarly, fruit seems to be sold but not collectable. Perhaps herbalism could have some branch that allow collection of fruits that cooking can then turn into a bit better drinks (for mana recovery). That add extra interaction between different trade skills but also make mana drinks more easy to get. Now you have to buy them. Just a thought. Could be a branch in cooking that makes you a juicer that makes drinks.
More to come...
Comments?
This was written up and sent for Blizzard but I thought I might as well post it here as well for imput.
I have now been able to play WoW for a bit, both as alliance and as horde. Mainly as warrior (I am really a warrior type at heart), but have tried out other classes a bit. I have not reached level 30 or above though so comments and ideas are based on things one see before that level/areas.
First, quest related issues. I love the quest system and how quests work and interact with the game. Of course, the more the better but still, there should be some variety and there can for sure be enhancements. Currently many quests are based on killing certain types of monsters. Either for kills or to collect a specific item dropped. It is more or less the same although slight variation. Nothing wrong with that although if all quests are like that it gets boring.
Then we have other quests that means one have to go to some specific place to explore, pick up items (on ground like herbs, mushrooms, whatever) or to kill a specific monster. That is often different and more fun, to me. One drawback, although at times relief, is that if there is many players clearing an area, one can at time do the quest without having to actually fight to get there.
Finally we have the fun and great quests, the different ones. Sometimes small and without much to do, sometimes more involved, still great. They are the ones that have you do different things. An example is the one in Dun Morogh were you âsneakâ by to swap beer. Or the one in The Barrens were you turn of a machine (although it is similar to go to an area and collect stuff). Another is the quest initiated by Murlocks in Westfall and have you travel around following instructions which lead to a chest on an island. All of those quests feel great when you do them and finish them. The one in Westfall really make you feel you are on your own doing a quest in the middle of everything else and others doing their own normal quests. At least when I did it. It is such quests that make you feel great and that you have fun.
So, what is it that one should add more of quest wise? The quests you donât get in the âcitiesâ, that are initiated in surprising places and not always to be found, rare ones, that makes you feel alone on the quest. Often have I passed by some burnt down place (mostly in Barrens) and though, great, what if I suddenly in all the derbies could find an intractable remnant that gave a quest, one that was not always present and when it was, it randomly spawned all over Barrens so you never knew exactly were to get it. That was more of a âquest giftâ than something you go to a place to get and do. Have monsters occasionally and randomly drop some item that can initiate some quest, the glowing trees in Night Elf land is an example of such a fun quest (although it is not a random one but a âyou know were to get it and do itâ type. But it involve the fun element and story of going to someone to find out about it (they are short ones though).
Another example could be quest chests or boxes spawning in far away places in the land, that you normally donât go to. I often explore and travel in more or less empty areas of a map (looking for mines and herbs or just to see if I find something) and it would be fun to occasionally find some quest related thing in for example a dead body or box or whatever. Have it have many multiple spawn points that basically is all over the map so that you never really know were to get it and it would not be worth camping it out. Have a very long respawn time as well. Similarly and empty hut or whatever (I seem to find many) could have something interesting inside, in a shelf or on a table or something. It makes it fun to explore again.
Sure, one can claim such quests will not be for everyone and not as worthwhile as the main quests set up in town for everyone. But with more quests added so that areas have more quests than needed to keep the character going and levelling, those âoddâ and interesting quests will definitely add enjoyment and fun for those that doesnât go out and power level but rather explore and go to strange far off places were one wonât get much kills and/or experience. One such quest seem to be the Chenâs Keg (spelling?) in the Barrens. I once found a barrel but have not managed to find it this push. Initiated by a Keg found on the ground.
From what I heard from higher level characters, it seems that the following might actually be in although at higher level quests, but quests that involve items necessary to have items that trade skills create so that you have to interact with others would be fun. There are some were you need items either mined or fished already that I have seen as examples.
As an explorer and many times solo player, one type of quest. Although perhaps not as fun for many, are the delivery or travelling quests. The ones that means âget a message or item to someoneâ. Often in far away areas. I would like to see more, especially dangerous ones that take you into much higher level areas. There are already some, usually to get you going into new areas. In that aspect, the game and quests are set up well, ones you level it points you into new areas and such, but I would like more and dangerous ones. I like having to sneak through an area, along a road were monsters are many levels higher than me, to get to far away areas. It donât give me kill points but sure is fun.
Quests that give recopies are fun. Although at times, it seems to exist, I have many times through about how many monsters that drop various scales and such, which canât be used for anything. I have then wondered, why canât I collect them and have some way to get them to someone to teach me how to turn them into armour or weapons. Why canât I very occasionally get a complete rare fang or tooth to drop from a monster which I can get to an NPC that will teach me a recipe to turn it into a dagger for example. People might complain that such quests are âimpossibleâ, takes forever and so on if given out ahead, so why not start them when the item drop instead. That way we avoid the, get me X tooth and people go out and kill monsters and complain that they killed 20 and it has still not dropped. The item created and the recipe doesnât have to be much better than other things, but different, perhaps with a different bonus. One can still have the item drop later occasionally to allow for more such items to be crafted. Make it so that many different types of monsters in different areas drop it. Perhaps one can make something similar as with the fishes in alliance land that weight different amount (which seems to have no special function right now though) but with tooth (or whatever, just using tooth as example here). Like 10 cm tooth dropped (for a dagger with a special damage (with recipe learnt), but later you get a 12 cm one from another monster and make a dagger with slightly more damage and so on.
Similarly, all those murlock fins, scales from monsters and so on, make them craftable into armour and such. It gives more diversity and a feeling of more uniqueness and make trade skills more fun as well. As it is, one seem to find to few recopies except from NPCs to buy.
Next for quests I would like to see are ones with decision making. That is, ones were you can take more than one route through it. For example, delivering the item to more than one NPC, one can make it evil/good based or race based and so on. Of course, the rewards will be different as will the follow up quests (there will be follow up ones of course). Sure, you will miss out on some quests but that is a price you have to pay for it! In similar manner, I would not mind some quests being more RPGish, in that it involve more reading of texts, books in houses, libraries (in town and such for more questing there and to avoid killing monsters for all quests). Sure, for people not interested, they can always just read some web site for the solution and what to do, but for those who want, it adds an enjoyable element and give depth to the play. With multiple NPCs that complete a quest (might need change to quest engine?) one again get decision making into it based on what one find in books, tomes and such. Perhaps such tomes and books should spawn randomly so that the quest gets more random in that you find different info on the library at different times and for different people. I donâ
Add exploration quests. I have in a few places found houses with cartographers and explorers or whatever. They have been âemptyâ in the inventory for selling and training (the NPCs), and seemed like skipped skills and such. Why not add quests that make you travel around to many far away and remote places to explore. It can involve visiting all the 5 main light houses on blah, blah, blah. Or to seek out the 3 big mountain tops (of course on different continents and land) and so on. Make you sneak around in high level monster areas (make sure to not pack them THAT tight so that one actually can sneak between them at low level when they move around. Perhaps it can involve library digging. You set out to find the lost ship of XXX that disappeared, in the Library you find books telling the story and about wrecks and you can figure out in which land was lost and were to travel to find it in the sea. The Libraries should be stuffed with books and text for this and other quests and just for plain information. One can add in history information from previous games in the serie and so on as well to not having to write ALL new texts for the libraries. Again, yes, some will just read a website or ask a friend to tell them it is the 7th book on the right side of the 3rd shelf in Stormwind but others, enjoying such quests will read gossip from library NPC and towns people and get info pointing to the correct books (perhaps even needed to activate the correct book to let the quest proceed. Make some general explorations quests that need you to travel to the main towns and smaller towns on the continent. The possibilities are endless. In push one, I had my warrior activate as many gryphon rides as possible (for its level) often meaning going to high level areas, dieing many times and even resurrecting with penalty at ones to get there. It was fun. Have it based on low level so that experience is only given if done at low level so that one have to sneak by and not simply fight through at high levels for the quests.
As can be seen, many of the suggestions are for less combat oriented quests. Of course, one can even have some of them give skill points as rewards to compensate if one like (or even talent points).
As for rewards, I would also like more different quests in that aspect. In the Barrens you kill various named monsters for a quest chain. After a while, it seems you continue it by killing named monsters that THEN start the quest (as opposed to first being told which one to kill). Currently it seems to mostly give extra exp but feeling all that âxâs spirit flows within you, why not having a stat point given as exp reward? Or after killing all 5 named monsters in an area (not involved in other quest but roaming the lands, perhaps even in different maps) and given them to an NPC, you get a special ability (talent?) or something as a bonus and reward. Can the game handle such thing as quests done in random order for a final quest or reward? Imagine killing a few big named monsters in various different maps and it gives a reward of something similar to the old talent that added extra damage to beasts (for example). If one couple this with decision making in some earlier quest to trigger it, like either go kill a monster or help out some other monster (that it prey on) and thus set you up for different chains and make not everyone have the same reward. I love such things.
Obviously with more quests added, especially one that take you through many different maps and lands, one really need to increase the number of ongoing quests. As it is, one constantly find oneself having to ditch quests to get new ones so the log is not full. That is a shame and boring as I need to go back and refind them (and imagine if it is the rare random quests mentioned above). I want to be able to make a few quests in new lands as I pass through on a mission to deliver to someplace without having to ditch all quests in the map I came from, only to reget them when I get back later ditching unfinished ones on the new land and so on. With more involved quests, like exploration ones as mentioned above or killing many different monsters, it takes time and (and SHOULD be done as opportunity presents itself and not by âI go there and now what to kill), one really NEED to be able to have more ongoing quests at once, 20 is simply not enough! I can understand someone claiming it makes decision making on what quest to do, but that actually forces you to do quests one after each other and not having many at a time. It also forces unnecessary travelling just to reclaim quests you already had but had to ditch as you find a quest passing through a an area and the quest log was full. That is not fun.
Also, rewards for quests (experience mostly) should NOT get penalized as much as it currently is for being done when you reach higher levels. I think one should be able to quests in different orders and not forced at specific levels. Sure, they get easier as you level, but even with same exp reward, it is âlowerâ since you need more exp for next level. Also, it helps solo players to some extent that need to make quests at higher levels. Sure, you are âsupposedâ to group, but sometimes one feel like playing alone or canât find suitable players to group.
Finally, not directly related to quests themselves but how they are given and an UI issue, have NPCs giving low level quests have a grey exclamation mark. Now you have to see if an NPC normally not talking with you having a bubble, indicating it has a quest. With guards giving directions and such and most NPC actually selling and such, everyone now has a bubble and you have to actually run around checking them. In towns that makes it hard to find missed quests. For example, the two that have you run around with wine and cloth in Stormwind seems to be level 1 so that when a normal character at level 5 or 6 reach town, he wonât see them at all!!! If a NPC selling stuff has a quest, you wonât know either since it always give bubble (or book or whatever). Since the quests are still available ,why not indicate it slightly more visible.
Lets move on to some other things. None will be as big as the above on quests though. Monsters, typically monsters are spread out and you take them on one by one (if you want). I would prefer monsters that instead are not alone but 2 or 3 put close together so that you must fight them at the same time. Sure, there exist some hunters with their animal with them and so on and some quest bosses has monsters around them that activate at the same time, but take the typical outside area, around a camp or whatever, either quest related or just random or even monsters wandering around. They are usually 1 by 1. Why not also have groups with monsters of a few levels lower that are close to each other so you have to fight many at a time (but at lower levels). That give diversity and change in game play. Usually now it is for quest bosses and typically you first fight level X monsters to get to the boss and then suddenly find the boss of level X+2 PLUS a few guards of level X or X+2 as well. So it is either dead easy to get to him and then he is a challenged, or it is hard to get to him and impossible to deal with him. Hardly fun or good. Grouping wonât change that either.
I would like more ârandomâ wandering monsters to have larger areas they roam. Typically they just move back and forth in small areas. At times you see some moving around large areas. That is much more fun and interesting. Sure, it may mean you can easily sneak by an area at lower level with no fight, but so what? Remember, it helps setting up exploration quests and such as mentioned above for lower level chars as well not really destroying any other feature.
Items could need some boost in interestingness. I really donât know how item generation and item data storage work, but it almost seem each item has to be written up with stats and such and that one canât have random features on them. That is slightly bad. I am not suggesting a system with affixes and such as in Diablo, but some random properties would make things interesting and add variation. Items giving stat boosts could give slight variation and so on. Perhaps it is already implemented.
An example with fishing poles is that there seems to be the plain one, the strong one (adds +5) and a duskwood one that adds +15 and so on. I thought that the duskwood one (there seem to be very little places in duskwood to fish though, but I assume it is the tree) would come and drop only in duskwood, but that was not the case. It drop from a monster in a different area. Why not have different +15 ones then, basically just different names but findable in different places. Seems to not be that hard. They can all have the same look and such. Again, give more diversity and uniqueness to ones character without really much effort for the game or its design. Of course, one can have the Duskwood one (as opposed to the extra strong or Barren one and so on) be possible for an alchemist to transform into a +20 one with the right ingredients and so on. There are endless possibilities. By the way, I love the lucky fishers hat!!
A few things about trade skills.
Have gems and such found through mining (and sometimes dropped) possible to turn into actual âgemsâ or jewellery for selling. It could also be turned into actual jewellery for rings and earrings. That makes such items more common though and I am not sure what trade skill it would be. Could be a completely new crafting one that also take broken tusks, and other raw material and turn it into more virgin one used for other means or just to sell for higher price. Some of it could be turned back into raw material that spice up already existing crafting. Imagine a recipe for a glove, it could require some raw gem. However, one could also find the same recipe but with a processed gem it turns slightly better. Of course, it can also exist but with added processed tusks from some rare animal to added some extra effect (+stats?) and so on.
That extra recopies, new item variants and even a whole new trade skill to process various raw materials one find in the game. In effect it creates variants of existing recopies and items. Such ones could be findable from drops only (the recopies) or from far away merchants not related to the area it exist in. One possible trade skill to add in some of these enhancements to would be Alchemy. Some could perhaps fit into engineering and yet others to mining and so on. Such cross usefulness of tradeskills help promote cooperation and if put at comparable high levels, one avoid people getting all trade skills at lower levels to help out their main trade skill. Still, the basic recopies would be enough to help people playing more solo and so on. A possibility is to make branches in existing trade skill as seems done with dragonleather working. I have not played that high level to now how trade skills work there though.
Add some extra features to cooking for special recopies. Sure, one should avoid turning it into the same things potions and such gives, but perhaps some rare recopies, with rare ingredients could make you cook up some food that add to a stat point or something. If it can make people increase them to much, make them one time things (or once per 10 levels or something) or perhaps even involving a quest to take the food to a special place to eat during a ceremony or whatever (but have a cook having to prepare it).
I also note that drinks canât be âmadeâ in the game through trade skills, I mean milk, juice and such. Similarly, fruit seems to be sold but not collectable. Perhaps herbalism could have some branch that allow collection of fruits that cooking can then turn into a bit better drinks (for mana recovery). That add extra interaction between different trade skills but also make mana drinks more easy to get. Now you have to buy them. Just a thought. Could be a branch in cooking that makes you a juicer that makes drinks.
More to come...
Comments?
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