gorboth wrote:Cherek,
I've been cut to the quick by that one! Yikes!
I have to totally agree with everything you wrote. Perhaps the better way to go is precisely as you propose. See if the quest design (which was very carefully considered) is indeed fun and intuitive enough to "prove the point" that quests can be valuable and fun in the game.
Sometimes I get too focused on the destination and forget entirely about the journey. I will think more on this, but I feel your advice is exactly right.
G.
I'm on a roll with Gorboth-compatible suggestions lately!
Well I dont know how the system will work or anything, but I have been working with creative stuff all my life and I've learned that as long as you go with what YOU really think is the best way, you'll usually end up with something other people like too. (Unless you have no idea what you are doing, but if you dont you usually wont stay long in your line of work). Anyway, once you start getting insecure and question yourself and look for ways "out", it usually doesnnt work out that well in the end.
I take it you personally have been involved in creating these quests, and if they are anything like the others quests you have been involved in, I think its gonna be a great showcase for a fun type of questing. Even the most anti-quest people usually mention some well-known Gorboth-quest as one of the best. And also the tutorial area including quest and storyline is usually mentioned as one of the best improvements in recent years.
If this is anything like that, I think its gonna be a success. Even without a buy-out. And if it totally sucks I guess we can get the option buy out later...

By offering a buy-out at the start, alot of people will most likely miss out on quests that are actually enjoyable.
Bromen: The mercy spy does have that Gorboth-ish feel to it. I really dont have a clue who coded it, but I guessing he was involved in that one too. (If not, creds to whoever else coded it!). I am also hoping the new imbuement quests will be of a similar style. Its a great example of a quest with a simple yet fun storyline, and where thinking logically works, and where you also get 'help' figuring out the syntaxes so you dont get stuck on that.
The Labal-quests in Terel Ilrahil mentioned in the other thread are also imho good examples of a new and much better way of coding quests.