Post by Azoth on Oct 2, 2016 7:24:56 GMT
Quests
adventure awaits...
Elder Tale - An MMORPG turned into the greatest nightmare for some and a dream come true for others. A reactive game world set to the size of half-gaia, or half the size of the real world, with an ever changing planet. For the NPCs, Elder Tale is real life. For the Adventurers, it's just another game to be conquered. Of course, being a game that means there's quests, right?
NPCs are always in need of assistance from kind Adventurers willing to lend a hand. There's always a request up for grabs and always a reward to be sought. Some requests are simple, quick and easy, and able to be finished in under a few hours. Others require Adventurers to travel great distances to other towns and cities or to places that may not be marked on a map. Quests are reactive and adjust to the current state of the world, may need to be unlocked, and may require players to interact more with NPCs in order to get their trust for some things. However, these interactions may lead to great rewards. Put the effort and time into working certain NPCs and doing certain things and you might find yourself with a much, much heavier wallet. In addition to gold and monetary rewards, completing quests gives you a certain amount of AP. Thus, by completing quests, you can help yourself level up quicker!
How do they work...?
Quests work very easily in the world of Elder Tale. Your character is always moving in the world and is always meeting new NPCs. Some NPCs may require assistance in their daily lives and upon meeting with you, an adventurer, they may request something of you. Whether that be to fetch an item, make a trade for something, or to go hunting, will depend on the NPC themselves. There are also plenty of little message boards spread out through the cities where you may find pieces of paper with rewards in exchange for certain activities being completed. There is even a small hall in every city, called the "Adventurer's Hall" which is always hiring Adventurer's like yourself to do work for them! So there are plenty of places to find quests and quite a bit of variety. Each location will provide different types of quests, so make sure you know what you want before you go looking around a certain place!
With that being said, there are two Out-Of-Character ways to trigger and find quests. All Quests can be found in the quest board and will be listed and organized as easily as possible for players. The two ways that you can accept a quest are the following:
- Select a quest out of the available list in the Quest board and create a post asking to take the quest using the application.
This option is the quickest and easiest. You will select a premade quest from the Quest Board and request to take it up. The Quest Request itself will have the location of where your character will go to get the quest, who they will get it from, what the quest entails, and where it will be carried out. These quests will range from gathering materials to killing monsters to small jobs requested by NPCs. Remember, your character may be playing a game but the game is a real world! NPCs have mail to send!
The rewards for these quests will be preset and visible. Although there may be some quests with hidden rewards. If that is the case then you will be going in blind with no idea what you're getting! Depending on how well you do, your reward(s) can be quite good from these types of quests, but they can also be very poor, so take these with caution. - Create your own!
Should you not like what quests are available, you are allowed to create your own quest. You will be given the ability to designate the NPC who gave you the quest, the location, and what activity is being performed in the quest. Based on the information you provide, a Staff Member will either confirm or deny your Quest. If it is approved, you will be notified of what kinds of rewards to expect for the quest and if there are any kinds of restrictions you will have to be aware of as a normal player. - Random Summons
As to give a sense that Elder Tale is real, players may find themselves being summoned by an NPC of some sort in order to participate in a Quest based on their previous actions around the forum. Players may also find random encounters in their travels, so as much as Quests benefit your progress, it may also be in your interest to simply wander the world aimlessly. There are many towns that are not in the regular city scapes and there are plenty of monsters strewn around the world. There are also beings behind the scenes, working hard either to raise the world or tear it down. You might find yourself tied up in their plots. Should that happen; you will have the choice to trudge on and may find yourself reward for your efforts, or you can reject the request and carry on. Your reputation will decide which kinds of Random Summons you receive and which kind of encounters you come across. We do not have a moral system here, but the world will judge you either way. Be the hero, or be the villain. It will shape your Character and the world will reflect it.
What kinds of Rewards are there?
As in actual MMORPGs, Quests will give rewards for completion in Elder Tale. By roaming the landscape and doing the jobs to help the world (or hurt it), your character will be rewarded with various items, materials, and monetary items based on the type of quest completed, as well as who it was completed for. Some quests will obviously have better rewards than others, but sometimes it may be more beneficial for you as the player to pick a lot of smaller quests in order to build a relationship with a certain NPC. Most rewards, however, will comprise of Experience, some sort of Gold Amount, and the possibility for additional Items and Materials. The amount of rewards you receive will depend on several factors;
- Word Count
- Creativity
- Effort
- Times Repeated
These factors together will allow the Staff to decide on what kinds of rewards will be available to you. Put more work and effort into the quests, and you will find yourself getting a lot more when you turn in your quest. However if you slack off or simply keep to the bare minimum requirements, you may find that the Quest was almost a waste of time. So be smart in what you do in the quest and only take quests that actually interest you!
But wait, what do I mean about "put in more effort, get more rewards"? Well, that's easy! Quests will have Tiered Rewards. That means that depending on how much you put into a quest, you will unlock a certain Tier when it comes time to turn that quest in. Obviously, the higher the tier you unlock, the better your rewards. Each tier will have specific conditions that will have to be met in order for them to be unlocked and they might not always be visible. Due to this, always do your best! The Staff will reward you for your efforts and if it is shown that you tried but never really did meet all of the requirements for the next tier, you might catch a break.
How do I get my rewards?
Along with the roll out of the new Quest System, there is a new Redemption Board. In this board, you will post all Quest Completion notifications and from there, you will be given your rewards. Unlike with AP Claims, your experience will automatically be applied to your account. AP Still exists but instead of putting a focus on Word Counts, the focus will now be on your activity and what you do in the world. The more you do, the more you shall receive.
Types of Quests available.
The world is an ever changing place with various different peoples, places, and creatures inhabiting the surface. In your travels you will find that even amongst all of the serenity and peace, there is chaos. Farmers have issues with vegetation, monsters attack travelers, and random cracks in the sky open up to allow beasts from other dimensions into the world. These are just a few examples of the problems that occur in the world of Elder Tale, and in order to make them easier to understand for us Adventurers, we have organized them into a few categories. Below are just a few generic types of quests you may come across in your travels.
- Fetch Quests
In this quests, your character is tasked with some simple; go here, get this, bring it back. These quests tend to be the easiest and have the least rewards at the end of them, but are the best for increasing your relationship with NPCs. Completing these quests shows the NPC that you are willing to provide assistance to them when they are in need. By completing them multiple times or collecting more items (if necessary) than asked for, you will find yourself to be in good company with the NPC and might unlock other quests with them, or even may inspire some random encounters in your travels.
These quests do have a range to them though and are not always Quests in which your character is sent to an area to collect an item, but that is the general premise. These Quests can include, but are not limited to; finding lost persons, recovering animals/pets that have been lost, or retrieving items from other NPCs (without having to negotiate or pay on the NPC's behalf, in this case you are simply picking up an item). - Grind Quests
Due to the fact that monsters are quite a problem in most cases, these types of quests are large in number once you get out into the regions further from the protection of the cities. But, due to Elder Tale being an MMO, they can be found almost anywhere. These types of Quests are the most basic. They require you to attack a certain monster and kill a certain number of that monster in exchange for a reward. For whatever reason, and NPC needs this monster dead and so you are tasked with killing that monster. These quests are a bit more rewarding than Fetch Quests, but the Experience gained is still relatively low. However, players tend to gain more experience for killing stronger monsters. In addition; killing more monsters than you are tasked with generally does not bring in more rewards through the NPC. But, you might find yourself picking up more materials for the kills. - Hunt Quests
The difference between a Grind Quest and a Hunt Quest is the target and the number. Hunt Quests operate the same way as Grind Quests; there is usually something that needs to be killed and someone that wants it dead. Hunt Quests tend to have singular entities as the target and that target is usually more powerful than the other monsters in the area. Depending on the monster and its level, the rewards can be plentiful. At times, it is suggested that you go in a group for these quests, due to the reasons previously stated (the monsters are stronger).
Most Hunt Quests can be triggered by talking to NPCs who are having monster issues in the area or by conducting "Chain Quests". Usually at the end of the Chain, there is a boss that needs to be hunted in order to complete the chain and get the rewards at the end. Other ways to get Hunt Quests is to watch Request Boards and speak to other Adventurers who may be able to provide information on monster sightings. In your travels, these Quests may also be triggered suddenly depending on certain actions taken, so be careful out there. You never know what's lurking just behind that treeline. - Escort Quests
Not everyone is exceptionally powerful, nor does everyone like to wield a weapon when they travel (which is why bandits get away with theft!) If everyone was strong or ready to fight, there wouldn't be a need for guards! Because of this, there will be Quests available where Players are asked to perform some kind of escort detail. Whether it is to simply protect some sort of cargo moving out in the open roads or to just keep someone from getting killed in some manner, players will be paid for their skills and their abilities as to protect something precious to someone. But be wary! There are a lot of monsters and other players out there that want you dead, as you are in between them and their goal. - Expeditionary Quests
As the name suggests, you're going on an Adventurer! News of some distant location or a point of interest has spread through the rumor mill and after some time, someone has finally decided to put up a fee to have someone check it out. These quests require Adventurers to travel to distant places in order to scout out new lands or locations and then return with as much information as possible about these places, their inhabitants, and surrounding zones. These types of quests take quite a while and are generally DMed. They may also require constant interaction with an NPC (should one decide to come along). Locations tend to already be composed by the Staff Team, however, so as you RP, make sure you tag the Staff so they can trigger certain events for you. These Quests are generally the most difficult and tend to require a party, but you may also find that going at it alone will also be to your advantage. - Crafting/Research Requests
The world is real, and the real world has needs. People will often request items to be made by crafters for their daily lives and generally tend to pay to have these items made, or they are willing to barter. Along with your normal, every day NPC, you will come across those that ask for new types of technology as well. They may just think it and have enough money to pay for the research or they may find it in a book somewhere. Who knows! All you care about is getting paid though, right? Right. These quests are purely for Crafting and tend to reward very well depending on the quality of gear made. But of course, there's always a catch; be careful of competition. Sometimes you might find yourself going up against another NPC or even another player! The faster you make the requested item, and the better you make it, the more rewards you'll get! But don't worry, even the loser will get some kind of reward but it just won't be as nice. - Raids/Dungeons
Spread out across the region are areas of extreme danger. These zones tend to be highly dangerous all the time, or during certain times of the year, and tend to be triggered either by accident or through other quests. These quests also pop up randomly for limited time, so if you want in you better be quick. Raids and Dungeons are the toughest quests and require a lot of work. Going at these without a party is almost guaranteed suicide, almost. Should you survive the grind, expect to be rewarded heavily at the end with fancy gear and shiny items. When you take up these types of quests, be prepared to put a lot of time into them, as well. Not all dungeons will be open forever and should you take too long, you might get ejected from the area without any rewards, or with rewards that aren't even close to the ones if you had actually completed it! - Socializing/Training
Due to this being an RP, there are times when you want to just sit around and relax or even freshen up those skills of yours out in the open. These actions fall under this category. Doing these activities doesn't really require any sort of Quest Tag, but generally it doesn't lead to as much Experience for your character. It may lead to unlocking new Tiers of Quests though, so don't spend all of your time just questing! You might find yourself also running into more random encounters with these types of activities, so make sure you keep the Staff in the loop so we can throw little eggs at you when you least expect it. - Unclassified
All others Quests that you may encounter will be considered "Unclassified". These types of quests don't fall into a certain category and may actually be a collection of them in one. These quests tend to have more random rewards and their difficulties also vary. Be bold when accepting these, as you may find that these are few and far between but may be even more worth your time than Raids. - Player Made
Players are allowed to make their own Quests and go on their own Adventures. Much like with Socializing/Training threads, players are allowed to make up their own stories and go along with them. Players will be tasked with using the 'Quest Template' and will post up the template with proper labeling. Upon checking the quests, Staff Members will designate possible rewards and expectations and players will be allowed to carry out the Quest. Actual encounters with NPCs in these Quests may or may not affect the actual world around the player, so keep that in mind!
Reward Tiers
Each and every quest will have something called a "Reward Tier". This is where that effort comes in, Adventurers. In order to gain certain rewards, you will have to reach the different tiers associated with the quest. You are almost always guaranteed some kind of reward, even if you fail, so don't worry so much about wasting your time if you have issues. Just do your best! Each Tier will have certain requirements in order for it to be reached and whether or not you actually reached that Tier will be judged by the Staff Member(s) grading your final report. Each Staff Member will be provided with elements to look for in your RP so don't worry about it being rigged against you! Now, let me go over the generic setup for the Tiers themselves. When generating your own quests, keep these ideals in mind.
- Failure -- This means you failed the Objective of the Quest. Whether it is due to death, gathering the wrong items, or failing to kill a certain monster, it doesn't matter. You did not complete the quest and returned empty handed. Rewards for this tier are minimal, extremely minimal to the point that it is simply to reward you for trying.
- Tier 4 -- This is the tier just about the Failure mark. Being marked in this means that you generally have met the bare minimum requirements of the quest. In your thread, the Staff member found that you didn't exactly care too much about what was happening and your effort was minimal. In essence, you did the quest just for the rewards and nothing else. No social gain, no reputation gain, no skill gain, just rewards. Well, you got rewards.
- Tier 3 -- Once more, another baseline. This Tier is an "acceptable" passing of the quest. You put good effort in and did what you could, but there may have been some things you could have done better or you could have missed some points during your excursion that you could have taken advantage of. Keep your eye out next time!
- Tier 2 -- Going into the quest with the intent to maximize your rewards will generally lead you here. This Tier designates that you had an above-average go at the quest and did very well in completing objectives, but once more, you may have missed some of the more subtle things in the quest that could have expanded things even more than you let them. Or, you did not handle yourself in such a way that increased your standing as much as you could have. Well done, but practice makes perfect!
- Tier 1 -- Perfection. There is nothing you could have done better or worse in your adventure. By reaching this Tier, you showed exceptional skills in the quest and completed every possible objective in the quest to the best of your ability and met all expectations. You triggered all events possible, if there were multiple events, and the items you collected were exactly what was wished for. Damage was minimal to the surrounding areas and you kept focused the entire time. Indeed, by reaching this tier you will be rewarded greatly for your work. Keep it up!
The number of tiers on quests will vary, so don't expect to see all five of them on every quest. Some may just have two Tiers, some may have more than five. This is just a standard setup of what you will generally see on medium-to-large sized quests. You may not even see a tier at all! In those cases, you're almost expected to be able to complete the objective of the quest. There may be no tiers also to inspire you to be creative, but make sure you real up on the quest itself to know the full details.
F.A.Q.
Over the course of time, certain questions will be asked by different players and I personally do not like to repeat myself to answer a question more than three times. Thus, any questions asked by other players (that are expected to be a popular question) will be posted below.
Q: If I have multiple characters, are they all allowed to participate in one Quest? And can I claim Rewards for all of them?
A: You are allowed to Quest with multiple characters in one Quest. However, only one of the characters will receive rewards for the Quest itself. The only exception is when it is explicitly stated by the Staff that every character will get rewards regardless of ownership.
