User Generated Quest System mentioned at 20th anniversary

[Riyana]

Back at the 20th anniversary party, Mesanna mentioned a possible user generated quest system. It's mentioned on the video at 37:58.


With the PEC gone and EMs splitting their time across multiple shards, the time for empowering players with more options for our own content is here. But how could such a system be implemented?

I think that creative combination of existing features could get us something pretty good. We have a perfectly good, currently unused "holodeck" in the Kotl City ruins. We have instanced Shadowguard rooms. We have partial city replicas in Blackthorn's dungeon. We have arenas. We have a castle customization tool. I suggest some variation of the following:

• Add/adapt a control panel that allows players to reserve a time in the ruins/alternative quest area. (The ruins are huge and could easily be split into multiple rooms.)
• Have multiple pre-built settings--I would suggest chunks of each major city, a generic grass, desert, swamp, snow, and water/island setting, a generic dungeon-type setting, etc. I'm sure others have more ideas too.
• Have multiple rooms available (like Shadowguard) in which people can build and save their own settings. For example, I want a custom setting of a village of 5 small houses in the snow. I would use the base snow setting, build my little village, and save the build (either as an item or as something intrinsic to my character) to use however I wanted to later. (This feature could even serve as a gold sink or a store item.)
• Allow players to lock down items as well as use an approved deco pool to decorate their settings. Lockdowns would be kicked into a moving crate that could be retrieved via the control panel when the time expires.
• Allow players to create a certain number of spawns for their settings. No loot, no karma, no fame, just punching bags.
• Allow players to create a certain number of oracle type characters.
• Make it so that only players designated by the event runner can enter. That could be via the event runner having a special temporary teleporter or giving them an item (timered of course), or something like that. My preference would be something that could be worked into a RP narrative naturally, but targeting/selecting each person or giving them a code could work too.

What I would NOT be looking for is a way to get special items/changes for the "real" world or profit off of events. This idea is strictly to help players run more robust community events/stories by providing tools that add flavor, interest, and versatility, while NOT disrupting the "real" game world and while minimizing grief opportunity by both event runners and event crashers.

I think something like this would very well satisfy the criteria Mesanna described at the 20th party and be a big treat for the RP/player community event crowds. Thoughts?

 

[MalagAste]

When they killed the PEC program I gave up any hopes of any of that stuff...

 

[ShriNayne]

Nice post as always @Riyana I've mentioned the user-generated quest system a few times both on here and the other forum, I think they realised they couldn't do it without breaking other stuff so they just ignored it and hoped it would go away. The Producer seems to think if she just denies a thing ever happened then it makes it so, even when dozens of other people saw it. Unfortunately 2 1/2 years after the fact it has probably ended up in the same place as the revamped account management page.

 

[Riyana]

When they killed the PEC program I gave up any hopes of any of that stuff...

The loss of the PEC program (due to "lack of interest"? REALLY? I know at least some people who definitely had interest just weren't getting replies from the PEC) was a blow, but if you look at the other items on the list Mesanna is discussing in that video, they have done a lot of it. The possibility exists, the mechanics exist in other parts of the game, and with people stuck at home now is a great time to revisit an idea that could help people stay engaged and give UO another unique feature to stand out from the game crowd.

Mesanna even said it herself in the video: it's better for us to have the tools ourselves rather than rely on someone else (PEC) to do it for us.

Nice post as always @Riyana I've mentioned the user-generated quest system a few times both on here and the other forum, I think they realised they couldn't do it without breaking other stuff so they just ignored it and hoped it would go away. The Producer seems to think if she just denies a thing ever happened then it makes it so, even when dozens of other people saw it. Unfortunately 2 1/2 years after the fact it has probably ended up in the same place as the revamped account management page.

Maybe, maybe not. All we can do is remind and ask. I thought it was the most exciting thing that came out of the party presentation.

What would you guys like to see in a user generated quest system?

 

[ShriNayne]

I thought it was the most exciting thing that came out of the party presentation.

I 100% agree with you on that! That's why I kept mentioning it in the hope they would actually give us something, but all I got was a wall of silence, maybe if you put your ideas on the other forum they will at least consider them. I still think that quest system would have been a welcome addition to the game, so many modern MMO's have a robust quest system and it often feels less of a grind when things are in smaller chunks.
I know a lot of people that wanted to do events with the PEC and either they didn't answer their mails or they just never bothered to turn up at the agreed time and place, it wasn't the players that were uninterested it was the PEC.

 

[Riyana]

My hope is that, given the list they were showing in the video and the fact that most of it has been done, a user generated quest system could and should be up next.

I went months without logging in to UO. It was player events that pulled me back, not official content or EM events. It is the players that bring life and value to UO as much or more than any other factor, and empowering us to do more to engage EACH OTHER constructively (in a way that minimizes abuse potential of course) would be a boon to the game.

 

[Dot_Warner]

The March newsletter did reveal an upcoming overhaul to the quest system, along with the tidbit that the EMs will be able to add to it. Precisely what this means still remains to be seen, but it is the logical first step to any opening of the system to user-generated content.

However, there could never be a workable automated system where players could set up events for others. The opportunity for trolling, hate speech, fringe nonsense and general asshattery would prove far too tempting for the less mature. (Hell, they won't even give governors the ability to lock things down in our cities for those reasons, and there is a max of 9 per shard!)

Even if they set up a vetted system for approval, who is going to do it? The EMs? Mesanna? Do they have that kind of extra time? (I'm guessing the answer is NO) I'd rather that the PEC is brought back and effectively advertised (most players didn't know who/what they were or did!). GL utilized the PEC several times a month and we miss being able to bring EM-style plotlines and events to our shard.

Maybe the restart the PEC and they could vet player submissions?

Let's see the new quest system in action first, work out any kinks and then go from there.

 

[Riyana]

However, there could never be a workable automated system where players could set up events for others. The opportunity for trolling, hate speech, fringe nonsense and general asshattery would prove far too tempting for the less mature.

That's why I suggest a temporary private instance. No one is affected who doesn't want to be, and no changes are made to the actual game world.

The governor stuff is a whole other can of worms, but governor requests change the "real" world. I'm not suggesting that--just temporary, contained instances with expanded tools.

That said, restarting the PEC would be better than nothing.

 

[GarthGrey]

I don't need someone elses creativity to enhance my gaming experience. Give ME the power to enhance my own experience. I said a while back we've always needed a dynamic quest system, ever changing on the fly. No offense to any particular person, just because you pretend to smoke a pipe while staring into the fire doesn't make you good for me. ;-)

 

[Riyana]

I said a while back we've always needed a dynamic quest system, ever changing on the fly.

What would an ideal system look like to you?

 

[GarthGrey]

What would an ideal system look like to you?

One that appealed to every type of player, PvM, PvP, RP. We have tons of npcs in cities that we could interact with on a daily basis, and I don't me, "Hey wanna hear how to earn some extra gold" types. Quest systems directly tied into City loyalties. Trade route quests that are more than just Go from A to B and possibly encounter random attacks on the way, Trade routes that are mapped out or that change because you've added other quests on top of it. The skies the limit really.

 

[Dot_Warner]

UO does instancing...poorly. It just wasn't designed with that in mind.

If an event area is private, or invite only, why bother? They shouldn't create a system so just a tiny group can experience something, these will all need to be public to ensure it reaches a wide enough audience to be worth their time/effort.

 

[GarthGrey]

UO does instancing...poorly. It just wasn't designed with that in mind.

If an event area is private, or invite only, why bother? They shouldn't create a system so just a tiny group can experience something, these will all need to be public to ensure it reaches a wide enough audience to be worth their time/effort.

I get that this is an MMORPG, but that just means lots of people on at the same time, not lots of people doing every bit of UO minutia with each other. Some of us like to play alone, it doesn't mean we don't like or want immersive game content, we have a party system, why is it so hard for groups to party up literally before engaging in some kind of content , that instead it needs to be a mass free for all lag fest of unenjoyablility ? Also I need more than just a recolored, re-skinned, renamed Crimson Dragon to up my gaming experience.

 

[Riyana]

If an event area is private, or invite only, why bother? They shouldn't create a system so just a tiny group can experience something, these will all need to be public to ensure it reaches a wide enough audience to be worth their time/effort.

Because...

The opportunity for trolling, hate speech, fringe nonsense and general asshattery would prove far too tempting for the less mature.

You can't have it both ways. The grief potential has to be mitigated somewhere. The restriction can come in the form of Broadsword vetting every single thing, which is an ongoing labor-consuming task that they are not currently willing to support, or it can be restricted via game mechanic of isolation and instance, which is labor-intensive up front, but once it's done it's done.

You could advertise your event and invite whoever and all you wanted, just like you already do. Think of it like container permissions--you could make it open to everyone, to specific people on a list, to alliance, to guild, etc. You'd just have more tools at your disposal.

 

[Riyana]

One that appealed to every type of player, PvM, PvP, RP. We have tons of npcs in cities that we could interact with on a daily basis, and I don't me, "Hey wanna hear how to earn some extra gold" types. Quest systems directly tied into City loyalties. Trade route quests that are more than just Go from A to B and possibly encounter random attacks on the way, Trade routes that are mapped out or that change because you've added other quests on top of it. The skies the limit really.

I'm not sure that any one system could appeal to all types of players. I think what I'm suggesting could appeal to PvM and RP depending on implementation. The PvP crowd got VVV (though that is pretty dead these days from what I understand).

I definitely agree that city related quests beyond just trade routes would be good... I think the entire city loyalty/governor system needs some critical rethinking for that matter, but that's another topic.

 

[petemage]

- scavenger hunts, mini bosses, steal and retrieve items, king of the hill, horse racing in brit, spider in bog, lion in eodon, escorts, yadi yada
- creators can set checkpoints across map, choose start and destination locations; city excluded, housing areas excluded
- creators can place messages that appear in journal when certain areas are hit, or temporary NPCs that disappear again after some time
- each "job" class gives fixed amount of rewards (some gold, etc.), not chosable by creator but defined by the game already
- players can start jobs from a central list, they get a 30 minutes timer and then everything cancels and despawns again
- BS can pick most favorite player generated jobs and include them permanent in UO as "Broadsword verified", maybe even add some beefier loot
- IMO not feasible for 2 developers though, especially keeping up with it long time

 

[petemage]

I don't need someone elses creativity to enhance my gaming experience. Give ME the power to enhance my own experience.

Not arguing what you need or not, but at those places where players can create content, I'm never short of being amazed with what glorious ideas some come up. True, a lot is trash, but every other day there's also something that makes me smile.

 

[ShriNayne]

On Europa we had @Escaflowne who sadly doesn't play any more, he made some great events that were actually fun and a lot better than the EM ones. He also did a lot of Scalis net tosses for anyone to join. I'm sure there is someone like that on almost every shard.
I know it's an MMO but that means lots of people in one game at the same time, not that we are obliged to always play with EVERYONE, I think player events for a group of friends or a guild hunt would be great, 6-24 people, maybe. Scaling from group size up to 'raid' size. We have all been to EM events with 50 people where it's total chaos, the lag is killing you faster than the mobs and half the time you don't know if you are actually dead or alive because the game hasn't caught up to the damage yet. Something less hectic would be nice.
@petemage Personally I love a scavenger hunt.

 

[Deraj]

With regards to the original idea, I would add two suggestions: the first, the ability to not just have pre-made setups, but to be able to completely customize the deco, to build custom setups and then to be able to save them for future use (all of this with tools provided within the event area, and permitting nothing to leave it). The second, would be more variety in accessibility options to allow for private or public events (in the latter case, the event area would be accessible to everyone once the player that reserved the area opens it to public access).

Really though, I find this whole concept to be an ideal way to give players an enormous amount of creative power. If all decorations and mobs were contained within the "instance", and there was nothing to gain materially from within it, then there is no reason why it should affect the main game itself. The biggest issue I have when it comes to organizing roleplay events is that the game's content is mostly broken or bad, and we end up having to jump through a number of hoops to get around things. Most areas in the game are pointless/broken because of the lack of balance in PvM, and the options overall are fairly limited. Being able to arrange PEC events was a huge boon, but even that had some considerable limitations. The way I look at this, this custom-instance idea is a way of granting EM-like abilities to players but in a controlled environment where they cannot be used for abuse in the main portion of the game.