Rare quests

[dimondmind]

Rare quests

I was recently reading up on the diablowiki page for what they have gathered so far on the D3 questing system, and one possibility they suggested was the idea of having rare quests that would randomly spawn in a certain part of an act every few hundred games or so. I think this would be an incredibly cool and fun aspect of the game, knowing every time you entered an area there might be "the rare quest" which if completed yielded a really good item. This would add a new dimension to the concept of "rare drops" that the diablo series is known for. what do you guys think about this? suggestions? there could even be progressively rarer quest spawns than others, say every thousand games or so.

 

[5zigen]

Re: Rare quests

It seems like it might be a cool idea, they will have to really balance it with monster drops, boss drops, and other potential quests that cold 'spawn'.

The problem I would envision is the typical one, that is, that these rare quests would be so desirable that people would know where they spawned in any given level (eventually that will be the case) and they will simply "reroll" the level by exiting the zone or the game upon finding out that the rare quest didn't populate.

Random quests are cool and all but if you start making some that are significantly more rewarding than the others quests will just become the new pindleruns, where you just enter the game/zone to check for the quest and make a new one if there's nothing good.

 

[peasant]

Re: Rare quests

I don't think it's a good idea. While it might sound fun on paper, it's likely to be more infuriating in practice. This is because in order to entice people to complete the quest, there must be something interesting to it; whether it's a unique experience, cool reward or lore development. Otherwise, there's no incentive for people to complete it. However, as it's unlocked by random chance, lots of people would be unable to play said quest.

I think a far, far better idea would be optional quests; i.e. quests that don't need to be completed to complete the game and received at a location outside of town much like the random quest idea but can consistently be found at said location 100% of the time (by first accomplishing certain tasks if necessary).

 

[Fox VII]

Re: Rare quests

100% repeatable/"optional" quests just lead to repeated farm runs from character build's meant to optimize only that one high yielding quest, while random quests throw different interactions at the player and therefore result in more random exploring. Who here wants to enter and exit the same dungeon 100 times before playing, just so you'll have a chance at that super rare drop? For this reason, I hope the above mentioned "optional/100% of the time" quests do not exist.

Also As 5zigen stated, I would love to see semi "rare" quests that are more challenging than normal with slightly better drops, but I hope those drops are not so much better that it would be worth it to start X# of new games just to trigger that quest.

 

[Ishtor]

Re: Rare quests

i really hope this is not the case, the issue with this is already been pinpointed. People would make runs with this, only fair thing if you could only do the quest 1 time only, but the reward can never be amazing, because it ouwld be so easy to obtain, it would need rewards like add a socket or personalize an itme... giving a great item will ruin the game and what its purpose is. It should be very easy to get great gear, over time and understanding how to play make this task easier is understandable, but no random nob should be able to enter a game and find of the quest and get a really good item of it. If that item dropped of a mob that all fair, but to get a garanteed good item from doing a quest is very bad.

 

[5zigen]

Re: Rare quests

I think (as it's been alluded to) that the better solution instead of rare quests giving rare rewards, would be that every time you enter an area there is some random quest, and the quest will give a somewhat static (goodness) level reward. (that is, regardless of the rarity of the quest the reward for doing it will be similar, but not an identical item for all of the quests)

With a system like that, rare quests might be cool in that they will be something new and different. One option for a rare quest would be that it has the same reward, it is just easier to complete, or it has a different boss at the end with slightly upped droprate, or something like that.

I think random (and repeatable quests which they seem to be favoring) will be something that adds to the lifeblood of the game in a good way.

 

[peasant]

Re: Rare quests

100% repeatable/"optional" quests just lead to repeated farm runs from character build's meant to optimize only that one high yielding quest, while random quests throw different interactions at the player and therefore result in more random exploring. Who here wants to enter and exit the same dungeon 100 times before playing, just so you'll have a chance at that super rare drop? For this reason, I hope the above mentioned "optional/100% of the time" quests do not exist.

Straightforward solution to that problem? Make the quest non-repeatable. After all, aren't all quests in D2 already non-repeatable? This isn't WoW, you know.

 

[Fox VII]

Re: Rare quests

Straightforward solution to that problem? Make the quest non-repeatable. After all, aren't all quests in D2 already non-repeatable? This isn't WoW, you know.

Well, then people could still join new players just so they could tag along to potentially replay that rare quest and older characters would face reduced game content, since they would eventually complete them.

In my opinion if the designers are going to take the time to make really neat and rare quests, the players should always has the possibility and excitement of having those rare encounters.

The easy solution to the problem I mentioned above is to just not make the drops in those rare quests outrageously good.

By the way, I've never playled WoW and I have no desire too waste my time or money on it.

 

[peasant]

Re: Rare quests

Well, then people could still join new players just so they could tag along to potentially replay that rare quest and older characters would face reduced game content, since they would eventually complete them.

How is this any different from the fixed quests players need to complete? Furthermore, how is tagging along a bad thing? It's not like they can steal the other person's reward. Ergo, there's no advantage in repeating the kill other than for experience.

 

[Fox VII]

Re: Rare quests

There would be no difference, but why would you prefer a random one time only quest over a random repeatable quest?

I guess I'm just stuck on wanting to have a chance to be able to replay whatever I find enjoyable and am therefore unwilling to consider anything that limits game replay. Having to team up with someone who hasn't done it yet or forcing me to role a new toon just to repeat a quest, doesn't sound fun.

 

[Starving_Poet]

Re: Rare quests

I always like the rotating quest system that Diablo 1 had. Sure there were only like 6 possible quests for the catacombs, but you never knew which three you were gonna get.

I always hated how Diablo 2 had the fixed quest system.

 

[peasant]

Re: Rare quests

There would be no difference, but why would you prefer a random one time only quest over a random repeatable quest?

You're wrong. I'm against random quests of all forms. Optional quests, if included, must be consistently findable, lest it annoy players who want to do them.

As for why I want them non-repeatable, there's firstly the problem you described earlier; repeatable = farmable = bad.

Secondly, and more importantly, the game is designed for single player in mind. Therefore, the scale of the quests are closer to Warcraft 3 than WoW. You're not just a cog in the wheel. You are the wheel. You're not some nameless schmuck and your quests won't involve you doing some of the work as part of a greater whole. In other words, what you do matter in the grand scheme of things. Therefore, having such a quest be repeatable breaks plot coherence.

 

[Fox VII]

Re: Rare quests

You're wrong. I'm against random quests of all forms. Optional quests, if included, must be consistently findable, lest it annoy players who want to do them.

As for why I want them non-repeatable, there's firstly the problem you described earlier; repeatable = farmable = bad.

Secondly, and more importantly, the game is designed for single player in mind. Therefore, the scale of the quests are closer to Warcraft 3 than WoW. You're not just a cog in the wheel. You are the wheel. You're not some nameless schmuck and your quests won't involve you doing some of the work as part of a greater whole. In other words, what you do matter in the grand scheme of things. Therefore, having such a quest be repeatable breaks plot coherence.

Why make a quest both rare and un-repeatable?
1.) If it's un-repeatable it's going to have a rarity of one completion per character per difficulty.
2.) If it's both rare and un-repeatable, it still only going to have a rarity of one completion per character per difficulty.

For this reason, the only gain from making an un-repeatable quest also rare is that some of the game content is withheld until you replay the same zone several times. Since people would just rezone until the quest finally appears, even that would be frivolous.

Finally, an un-repeatable quest that is fun or rewarding to play may result in people only playing part of it and then purposely failing to finish the quest, just so the first half of the quest could be repeated.

Have you ever played a multiplayer game where you felt you were at a disadvantage to the rest of the community because you had already completed a quest that others where still able to do partially and repeat? I hate that situation!

 

[peasant]

Re: Rare quests

Why make a quest both rare and un-repeatable?
1.) If it's un-repeatable it's going to have a rarity of one completion per character per difficulty.
2.) If it's both rare and un-repeatable, it still only going to have a rarity of one completion per character per difficulty.

For this reason, the only gain from making an un-repeatable quest also rare is that some of the game content is withheld until you replay the same zone several times. Since people would just rezone until the quest finally appears, even that would be frivolous.

Read my comments more carefully. I've explicitly said that optional quests must be consistently findable; therefore, they're not 'rare'. One just needs to know where/how to find them in order to start them.

Have you ever played a multiplayer game where you felt you were at a disadvantage to the rest of the community because you had already completed a quest that others where still able to do partially and repeat? I hate that situation!

Again, as I have said before: Diablo III is being specifically designed to be single player first and above all else. That is why Blizzard is purposefully designing each class to be competent on their own in both, damage dealing and keeping themselves alive.