Feature Request: Skipping Monologues

[Loriega]

I, for one, don't care at all about some made up babble.
There has not been a single quest that has made me interested in its story.

There are however quite a few quests that let you wait, doing nothing and listening to some bs.

From the top of my head
- Spinner of Shadows
- Beyond the Rift
- Beautiful Nightmares
- Just Business

Lifetime is a finite resource and the most precious. Having to wait because some audio plays and you can't skip it, I personally see that as punishment and not fun.

update: edited to add "Just Business" quest

[J1NG]

Lifetime is a finite resource and the most precious. Having to wait because some audio plays and you can't skip it, I personally see that as punishment and not fun.

I, and many others, like the idea. The only issue is, you're barking up the wrong tree most likely.

Of those three listed quests, Spinner of Shadows and Beyond the Rift are both pre-reqs to get to the Forgotten Realms from Eberron. This is likely to be mandated by Wizards to transpire like this to put emphasis on the travel, etc as well as the characters involved, which comes from their bigger money maker campaigns that they push all the time.

I haven't had time to run Beautiful Nightmares yet, but if memory serves from what others have said, it also has another character in it that's merchandisable for Wizards, meaning their inclusion likely came with an addendum that they need proper exposure. Hence the cutscene and dialogues involved.

So yeah, if you really want a change, you might need to petition the right overlord here, Wizards, and not SSG. SSG can't do anything without Wizards say so over certain aspects inside DDO, and I'm sure all the ones you've listed fall under those aspects.

J1NG

[Eme]

it would be good, if after you've done the quest once, it allowed you to then click on the feet ( or something) to just get the quest instantly

[Oxarhamar]

I, for one, don't care at all about some made up babble.
There has not been a single quest that has made me interested in its story.

There are however quite a few quests that let you wait, doing nothing and listening to some bs.

From the top of my head
- Spinner of Shadows
- Beyond the Rift
- Beautiful Nightmares

Lifetime is a finite resource and the most precious. Having to wait because some audio plays and you can't skip it, I personally see that as punishment and not fun.

Even worse is that video that plays when you turn in that chain

But yeah

[Steeme]

Even worse is that video that plays when you turn in that chain

Press "End" and it goes away instantly.

[Bjond]

I, for one, don't care at all about some made up babble
But, that's how you can tell it's evil. It won't stop talking about how great it is. Coincidentally, this works for detecting real-life evil, too.

[fatherpirate]

Yes, please remove any last vestige of D&D from the game
and while your at it ... change the name to World of Dungeon Craft.

or

Random Dungeon Crawler World

My level care at this point is zero. It is just something to do when I am not working and am
completely bored.

[Oxarhamar]

Yes, please remove any last vestige of D&D from the game
and while your at it ... change the name to World of Dungeon Craft.

or

Random Dungeon Crawler World

My level care at this point is zero. It is just something to do when I am not working and am
completely bored.

No listening to the same monolog repeatedly is not even a thing in pnp for anyone who has repeated a module asking the dm to skip the monolog is real

You say it's zero but you prove that untrue

[Oxarhamar]

Press "End" and it goes away instantly.

Not instantly the video always pops up and plays it's always Uber loud sure you can interrupt it but I want to skip it completely as in have it not play at all

It made sense as a teaser for the expansion but it should be an option in the dialog having it auto play on turn in is pointless how many years later

So glad they didn't put these videos on any other expansion

[Xitix555]

Not instantly the video always pops up and plays it's always Uber loud sure you can interrupt it but I want to skip it completely as in have it not play at all

It made sense as a teaser for the expansion but it should be an option in the dialog having it auto play on turn in is pointless how many years later

So glad they didn't put these videos on any other expansion

Did this quest series recently while preparing sagas for an eTR and noticed they have added a new dialog option during turn in. The new option skips the video.

[Jerevth]

Eveningstar chain video: You can also click "I" (inventory) and escape it. (It really is a great little video, but after several years...)

Once a monologue has been endured once on an account, you should be able to skip it afterward, unless there's a pressing need for the timing. Just click the NPC a second time and it ends the monologue. I agree with the OP.
Elminster, "You're a stranger he-" click. Off he runs, with a haste boost.
Cydonie needs to light a fire, too. One can watch her mince only so long.
Spinner... "Cackle, yadda yadda-" click, transition to the rescue from her prison, gather the chests and exit.

These are made worse when you have an elixir counting down.

[J1NG]

Eveningstar chain video: You can also click "I" (inventory) and escape it. (It really is a great little video, but after several years...)

Once a monologue has been endured once on an account, you should be able to skip it afterward, unless there's a pressing need for the timing. Just click the NPC a second time and it ends the monologue. I agree with the OP.
Elminster, "You're a stranger he-" click. Off he runs, with a haste boost.
Cydonie needs to light a fire, too. One can watch her mince only so long.
Spinner... "Cackle, yadda yadda-" click, transition to the rescue from her prison, gather the chests and exit.

These are made worse when you have an elixir counting down.

I think in the case of these specific ones, there's an in quest timer or script that fires off each other and if it's interrupted, then you get a quest stall because things are happening out of order (and subsequent scripts and quest objectives don't get updated), which is even worse for the player (especially with a pot going) as it won't be going anywhere at that point.

But Elminster and the Spinner, due to the relayion to FR, means those probably can't be altered. Cydonie probably can be altered, but would need messing around with completing the scripting for the guards at front, as well as possibly making it tough on players who were expecting her to arrive from the front door, but automatically teleported to a specific location (which a new player may not know but may have selected at the log book), making it troublesome for those who don't know where she ends up after her exceedingly slow walk.

J1NG

[Alrik_Fassbauer]

Lifetime is a finite resource and the most precious. Having to wait because some audio plays and you can't skip it, I personally see that as punishment and not fun.

I'm quitre the opposite in that : A good story i what I really relish, what I really immerse myself i - and a Dungeon Master's voice just helps me for that - like the real Dungeon Master did when I was playing pen & paper role-playing.

I rather believe that this "speedrunning games" set of mind is the ultimate result pof what Action-RPGs are trasining people into : "I want everything, and I want it now. No distractions, please !"

These are the modern generations who don't go into the Theatre anymore, simply,m because there are monologues, but they o not see that a theatre play is in its essence nothing else than a cinema movie ... The only difference consists of a theatre play requiring more imagination - which newer generation just cannot produce anymore, because they are so much used to TV & cinema / computer screens.

[rfachini]

OMG yes, some of those are much too long. Elminster and the Spinner are the main offenders, but there are others (Gnomon maybe?)

Even if the option to skip the monologue was only on difficulties of Hard or higher, or 3-6 months after the release of the quest, or only if every single party member presses a Skip button...some way to skip these would be greatly appreciated. They may be neat the first 10 times...but some of us have certainly played these quests a hundred times or more and the dialogue is quite old at this point.

[Oxarhamar]

Did this quest series recently while preparing sagas for an eTR and noticed they have added a new dialog option during turn in. The new option skips the video.

Oh thats good to hear

[Oxarhamar]

I'm quitre the opposite in that : A good story i what I really relish, what I really immerse myself i - and a Dungeon Master's voice just helps me for that - like the real Dungeon Master did when I was playing pen & paper role-playing.

I rather believe that this "speedrunning games" set of mind is the ultimate result pof what Action-RPGs are trasining people into : "I want everything, and I want it now. No distractions, please !"

These are the modern generations who don't go into the Theatre anymore, simply,m because there are monologues, but they o not see that a theatre play is in its essence nothing else than a cinema movie ... The only difference consists of a theatre play requiring more imagination - which newer generation just cannot produce anymore, because they are so much used to TV & cinema / computer screens.

I didn't mind the story I like it but, tell it to me while I play like the DM naration does standing waiting to hear the same speech you heard 100 times waiting for a baddie to become active is not immersive

[Saekee]

there are a few questgivers that give that option. The blacksmith in Toee--you can just do a one-shot dialogue, same with Dorris in Framework.

I like immersion but am all for the option to skip dialogue, just offer best of all worlds in both like the above two examples.

[Seph1roth5]

Just business is particularly awful as well. I think quests that have these long dialogues should be like Korthos, except per character instead of per life. You start the quest and when you get to vaunt click on him and have the "Please tell me your life story/skip ahead" options.

[droid327]

Just business, the whole Spinner chain, Housekeeping, the library quest in catacombs, immortality lessons, quid pro quo, trackers trap, many others...

The worst is when the script leads directly into a fight so you can't even afk through it. That should never happen, there should always be a ready check after a monologue.

I think a skip script option should only be given after you beat it once though

[Bjond]

FWIW, y'all have no idea what "too long" is until you've played FFXIV. It has cutscenes from 20~90m long. One is in a raid, too. Newbie stops to watch the CS, finishes, then runs about wondering where everyone is. Actually seen that happen many times. "Where'd everyone go!?" Uh, lol, they finished the raid without you while you were watching the CS. :p

At least they're skippable and posted to youtube so when you want to watch a movie about your MMO, you can do it offline.

IMHO, DDO's DM voice-over that you can listen to while doing the quest is one the most amazing ways to deliver story without impacting game play. Cutscenes are horrible immersion destroying events. If I wanted to watch a movie, I would not have logged into an MMO.

[Oxarhamar]

FWIW, y'all have no idea what "too long" is until you've played FFXIV. It has cutscenes from 20~90m long. One is in a raid, too. Newbie stops to watch the CS, finishes, then runs about wondering where everyone is. Actually seen that happen many times. "Where'd everyone go!?" Uh, lol, they finished the raid without you while you were watching the CS. :p

At least they're skippable and posted to youtube so when you want to watch a movie about your MMO, you can do it offline.

IMHO, DDO's DM voice-over that you can listen to while doing the quest is one the most amazing ways to deliver story without impacting game play. Cutscenes are horrible immersion destroying events. If I wanted to watch a movie, I would not have logged into an MMO.

Agree with all points

And I still think MOTU cutscene was just as terribly immersion destroying even if it was brief so glad they abandoned that on newer expansion

[Loriega]

I'm quitre the opposite in that : A good story i what I really relish, what I really immerse myself i - and a Dungeon Master's voice just helps me for that - like the real Dungeon Master did when I was playing pen & paper role-playing.

I rather believe that this "speedrunning games" set of mind is the ultimate result pof what Action-RPGs are trasining people into : "I want everything, and I want it now. No distractions, please !"

These are the modern generations who don't go into the Theatre anymore, simply,m because there are monologues, but they o not see that a theatre play is in its essence nothing else than a cinema movie ... The only difference consists of a theatre play requiring more imagination - which newer generation just cannot produce anymore, because they are so much used to TV & cinema / computer screens.

I like a good story too, but not hearing it 100 times, especially not being forced to listen to it with nothing else to do.
But this game especially, like I wrote, didn't have a single quest where I thought "hmm interesting story".

Everquest2, which I played for many years, had one dungeon instance (in Echoes of Faydwer) where a vampire would speak his monologue and we'd have to wait for like a minute, maybe less. People protested and their solution was when clicked with the mouse the vampire would stop speaking and attacked.

If you're honest, how often do you play ddo for the story, what story anyway?
There are a few quests where I liked the quest design and content, belly of the beast for instance of the one with the minotaurs in lordsmarch plaza, but generally it's just run quests on repeat to get exp as fast as possible to hit 30 run some high reapers and TR

[Loriega]

Just business, the whole Spinner chain, Housekeeping, the library quest in catacombs, immortality lessons, quid pro quo, trackers trap, many others...

The worst is when the script leads directly into a fight so you can't even afk through it. That should never happen, there should always be a ready check after a monologue.

I think a skip script option should only be given after you beat it once though

Good post.
I forgot about the unskippable music in Immortality Lessons. I hate that quest so much for it.
You have to listen to that song from beginning to end and then some. Every.Time.You.Run.It. sigh