Cruise writes:
> How do you support player made quests in your
> game, and how do you encourage players to use it?
This behavior is emergent, not implemented. Just give the players the tools
and some problems to solve. Present problems of every shape and form, from
those that a single player can resolve in a couple minutes up to those that
a thousand players can resolve in a year. The big problems break down to a
collection of small problems. There is even a choice of problems to deal
with. If the problems that you present are interesting enough, your players
will happily pursue solutions. And the players who share the same agenda
will work together if the problem is difficult enough. Inversely, if
players enjoy working together, they'll tackle problems they can work on
together.
Implicit is the need to avoid game systems that are implemented on rails.
Players must have a sense of using their own creativity or of learning of
others' creativity in solving problems. Otherwise, they aren't solving any
problems. They're just walking the rails.
For example, if the developers are initiating attacks on the players using
various NPCs, then the players may have a number of options available to
them. They could create some engineering work to discourage the attacks.
They might try diplomacy. They might assemble enough force to drive them
off. There may be still other options such as ignoring the attacks because
they're falling off in frequency. Scouting may be in order.
The attacks are happening at a certain location, with certain players
nearby, with certain resources nearby, with certain NPCs in certain
strength. Different groups of players will want to tackle the problem in
different ways. As circumstances change, the players may well lean in other
directions.
Meanwhile, there's the bigger problem of how to get across the small sea so
that the game itself can advance. Several groups have already taken off to
see if they can go around. One joker decided to swim across buck naked,
"Just because". His body should wash up any day now.
On a more immediate note is the problem of the player characters who have
damaged gear. There is no town and there is no NPC with a forge to fix
stuff. It's a problem that they have to negotiate with other players or
take action themselves. And because the whole player base is moving
forward, setting up a town may not be too practical.
Etcetera.
Changing problems that can be addressed by the players using the available
tools.
In summary, the environment should be dynamic, the players should have
flexible tools, the problems should come in a wide range of sizes, and the
players should look to each other as resources, not NPCs.
JB