DEV Suggestion: Increase Content 10 fold with little effort!

[Pellegro]

SUMMARY
Every [week/month/?], re-shuffle the XP and loot rewards of every quest in game, randomly. E.g. Week 1 --> Quests A,B,C give +30% XP and +0 loot. Quest D gives +20% XP and +1 loot. Every other quest in game is normal.
By doing so, you will incentivize random questing to discover that [week/month/?]'s bonus quests. Once discovered, that quest (or 2 or 3 or however many) will be run extensively until the next [week/month/?], when the cycle is repeated.

ISSUE
Too much of the current content is unplayed. We all know the typical routine of how to fastest gain XP, or how to fastest gain loot, or whatever. Unfortunately, this leaves 90% of the game's content untouched (where a good 70% of it is actually very enjoyable).

DISCUSSION
One advantage of the favor system is that it helps keep the players playing quests that don't give out top-XP, or top-loot. Unfortunately, it doesn't do enough. 90% of the game's content is not played.

If there were a way to increase the % of the game's content being played, it would have great consquences. Most folks find quests that they don't know backwards adn forwards to be more enjoyable - call it the "surprise" factor. That is gone for the standards, but if you haven't run a quest in months (or years), going back and replaying it can be very exciting. You kind of know what to expect, but kind of don't.

Increasing the desire to play different quests would also help the LFMs, and the PUG scene in general. There is no need to take anything away from the current staples, and this proposal doesn't. It merely throws some surprises out there to be discovered.

This proposal has an added effect of ... adding surprise! Who doesn't like running a quest only to discover something new. "Hey, I pulled a ML 14 out of this chest, wow!" That's fun. And think of the excitement when the +1 loot hits an already top-end quest ....

This proposal would result in quests-of-the-week. PLayers enjoy showing off how efficiently they can run a quest, and how quickly they can reach the "perfect" run. This proposal would permit more of this type of perfecting of runs by focusing attention on a particular (or 2) quests for a week or so.

Balance is a concern, and so is flooding market with great items. But consider that the +1 loot option would only matter when it fell on 5 quests (I'm assuming that the raid is removed). So if it fell on any of those 5 of what, 150 (?) (i.e. not often) you'd get some influx of above level items. True. But hell it would be fun !!!

***

Please discuss, criticize, or ignore. But please don't be an ******.

[MrWizard]

I would say it looks like you are stuck on that 'milk for xp, do all xp optionals' style of leveling.

Most people do not do that much. Although many still do.

Fact is, it is much quicker to level by just going through all the dungeons you can just once. No repeating.
Stormcleave is great example. You can do all the optional stuff and do it lowbie and take forever to do it, or just do it when level appropriate, skip stuff you do not need, enjoy and have fun....and the run is about 15 to 20 minutes, not at hour or more. Speed runs for xp even faster.

By not repeating and skipping annoying dungeons, you can level and favor much faster than someone hacking their way through waterworks for the 6th time. You can have great fun without speed running and skipping a lot for further exploration and you will level faster.

just my opinion.

it sounds like it is getting boring for you skipping all that content, you should stop doing that.....

[Pellegro]

I'd prefer to talk about the ideas than me, but anyway ...

I run what I can find groups to run (on my lowbies).

In my experience, when I look at the LFM, I see the same quests pretty much everytime. Very infrequently do I see something off the beaten path, and even less frequently is it a run that is for XP and that matches my level.

When I post for such quests, and I do, the groups tend to take longer to fill, and seem to attract a certain set of players.

All I'm trying to do here is create additional incentives for more of the playerbase to play more of the content.

Thank you for participating.

[sirgog]

I like the idea.

I too am sick to death of the 'standard' XP runs. But waiting for a group that'll never fill to run something unusual is even worse.

Could you imagine seeing LFMs up for 'XP Farming Dead Girl's Spellbook' or similar quests? I'd like to see it.

[ahpook]

I think this is an idea with merit.

I think it is better than the favor system for encouraging level appropriate quest diversification. Too often favor is simply run at a time when the character can overpower the quest and is getting 0XP.

And it sounds like fun.

[theblaz]

Too much of the current content is unplayed. We all know the typical routine of how to fastest gain XP, or how to fastest gain loot, or whatever. Unfortunately, this leaves 90% of the game's content untouched (where a good 70% of it is actually very enjoyable).

How is this a problem, truly? You can still run whatever quests you want.

All this will do is turn a random quest into a hideous zerg-fest for a week or so with everyone playing the **** out of it.

How is that attractive in the least?

[Xalted_Vol]

If quests change to have end loot items random for 1 week then switch another this would rock and people would follow the quests that were givin out cool loot that week what a great idea.

[Xalted_Vol]

The idea is attractive because you would run quests that get forgotten about

[Pellegro]

How is this a problem, truly? You can still run whatever quests you want.

All this will do is turn a random quest into a hideous zerg-fest for a week or so with everyone playing the **** out of it.

How is that attractive in the least?

I dunno. Maybe that way we'd play the **** out of a different quest each week, instead of teh same ones?

[theblaz]

I guess I just don't see how you can't do that now. I never have a problem finding a group to do "obscure" quests, and when I grind the same quests over and over, it's always my choice.

/shrug

Hey, if it works, great. This idea being implemented won't hurt me in any way, so more power to you and your suggestion. I just don't understand why you can't run these quests now and why you need a special gimmick to get groups for them.

[Venar]

The idea is interresting, but would turn things into a wierd quest-zerg fest each week, with local lag.

How about this:

Group Missions

A group leader can, at any moment, go see an NPC that gives group quests. The NPC varies according to level. For exemple, lvl 1-4 missions could be Capshaw the Crier, another NPC would give out lvl 4-6 missions, etc, etc.

The way it would work is:
1- The leader of the group approach the NPC. The NPC tells him that there is pressing needs, and wants the party to tackle a quest of his choosing. If the party accepts, they will be rewarded with bonus exp.

2- A pop-up window appears in the screen of each member of the party. It asks: you have been offered to undertake a mission for "NPC". Do you accept y/n. Note that at this point, the players have yet no idea what the quest will be. Yes, its a blind accept, just like drawing loto.

3- All members of the group must accept or refused individualy. Trying to speak with the NPC prompts "some members of the party are still considering the offer".

4- Once all players have made their choice, the leader talks to the NPC again. He names the quest to be done (level appropriate). From that moment, 2 hings happens:
- players who accepted the missions will gain an extra 35% bonus exp upon their next completion of the named quest.
- players who accepted the missions cannot accept another group mission until they complete the current one OR a period of 2h elapses.
- players who refused can still quest with the rest. They just wont get the extra 35%.


So basically, form a party. Talk to NPC, Get a random mission to complete a quest for +35% xp. If a player decides to turn down the quest, he must wait 2h before getting a new mission.

[Xalted_Vol]

This is a great idea op I like the idea of it changing every week it should be double the norm xp

[theblaz]

The idea is interresting, but would turn things into a wierd quest-zerg fest each week, with local lag.

How about this:

Group Missions

A group leader can, at any moment, go see an NPC that gives group quests. The NPC varies according to level. For exemple, lvl 1-4 missions could be Capshaw the Crier, another NPC would give out lvl 4-6 missions, etc, etc.

The way it would work is:
1- The leader of the group approach the NPC. The NPC tells him that there is pressing needs, and wants the party to tackle a quest of his choosing. If the party accepts, they will be rewarded with bonus exp.

2- A pop-up window appears in the screen of each member of the party. It asks: you have been offered to undertake a mission for "NPC". Do you accept y/n. Note that at this point, the players have yet no idea what the quest will be. Yes, its a blind accept, just like drawing loto.

3- All members of the group must accept or refused individualy. Trying to speak with the NPC prompts "some members of the party are still considering the offer".

4- Once all players have made their choice, the leader talks to the NPC again. He names the quest to be done (level appropriate). From that moment, 2 hings happens:
- players who accepted the missions will gain an extra 35% bonus exp upon their next completion of the named quest.
- players who accepted the missions cannot accept another group mission until they complete the current one OR a period of 2h elapses.
- players who refused can still quest with the rest. They just wont get the extra 35%.


So basically, form a party. Talk to NPC, Get a random mission to complete a quest for +35% xp. If a player decides to turn down the quest, he must wait 2h before getting a new mission.

That's a real interesting idea. I could get behind something like that.

[I_Bob]

Several very good ideas. I, too, often have trouble finding groups to do the off the track quests. Even if the "grinders" do just that, beat to death the weekly quest, at least it's not the Shroud, Reaver, Tap Run, yet again...