I like your thoughts, Glantri! That is actually really worth the read because you made me laugh numerous times - lots of fun personality in that post.
Genesis is definitely filled with a wide spectrum of quality. Quests like the ones you describe (and hate) are the most numerous in the game for a very specific reason. For most of the game's history, when someone applied to be a new wizard, they were given these marching orders:
- Read these 923 manual pages and rulebooks on how to code in LPC. Still with us? Great, now ...
- Code a workroom for yourself. Got past that hurdle? Okay! Find a Liege to let you code in their domain and ...
- Create a small area to get used to how we do things. Make sure it has a small and simple quest in it.
That happened in domain after domain with new wizard after new wizard. As such, we have typically earned one new (usually not very good) quest for every new wizard who has managed to pass our first few hurdles in proving yourself as a wizard. Over 25 years of development, that has lead to the goofy pile of whatsit that you describe in your review. Fortunately, there were always a few wizards who, even with their very first project, did something interesting and unique. Novo, for example, created the Auction House for his apprenticeship project, and I think the quest that is in there is quite unique, creative, and pretty fun.
What might be fun to see, if you feel up to it, is a list of your favorite quests, too, perhaps reviewing them and letting us know why they felt worth your time. The simple and mundane quests will always probably outnumber those that feel epic and profound, but at least you now have this explanation of why that is the case.
Cheers,
G.