New quest types with random maps

[Sintwar]

The premise of this post, is to request completely random adventures with entirely random maps, as well as several ideas to implement them in a way that would allow for randomness, while still maintaining a believable and interesting storyline for each of them.

As it is now, random maps would not work for the existing adventures, simply because they have in depth, but static stories. Those are great, and a lot of fun, but they do become repetitive after running them several times.

The random quests would essentially consist of a basic plot, of which there could be several types of plots, along with a random map of some sort, and could be generated for different challenge ratings (or levels).

This also really fits into the D&D world, since PnP consists not only of official quest packs, but also of a DM making up random quests for the players. This could really work well in DDO.

Quest Types
In order to justify the use of randomly generated maps, you need to have fairly simple quest types. Here are a few possibilities for "reasons" to have random map types.

1: A sheriff NPC could be placed in the marketplace, and would give you random quests relating to things such as rescuing someone who has been kidnapped, recovering stolen property, bounties, and other law related quests.

2: Alternatively, a shady NPC could be hanging out in a dark alley, and would give you random quests that are against the law, such as assassinations, thievery, performing kidnappings, and other shady quest types.

3: A pirate NPC could be placed at the docks in the harbor, and hand out random treasure hunting quests that take place on randomly generated island maps (I have a previous post that I made only about treasure maps here: http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=212528. This post is the evolution of that idea, into something much bigger and better)

4: A military NPC could be placed somewhere in the marketplace, and would give you random quests for espionage, obtaining documents from an enemy, safely escorting an NPC or NPC group/caravan from one location of a map to another, or even for a full out raid sized assault on a makeshift base using a random map.

Can you think of any other quest types? The possibilities are endless.


Mechanics
The randomness of each quest, is the real goal here. In order to achieve this, there could be several map types, that could be randomly generated using parts and segments from existing maps. You can see examples of what it might be like to have random dungeons, by Googling the term "dungeon generator", and playing with some of the web apps that come up. You can see that some pretty amazing exploration possibilities can be made from complete randomness.

Some map types could include crypts/catacombs, sewers, caves, tunnels, dungeons, etc, all made up of parts that are already used in the existing dungeons. As well as randomly generated wilderness zones, which could also include islands, island clusters, or just be located somewhere in the middle of nowhere in a jungle, desert, swamp, etc.

Mobs, traps, secret doors, monsters wandering in hallways, and even a few random mini bosses, along with a main boss/objective could all be randomly generated and scattered throughout the map depending on the quest type and challenge rating (level).

Several random maps for each quest type could be generated each day, stored, and used by several groups. The next day, those would be replaced by a new set of random maps. This would allow for a new and unique adventure almost every time, without having to generate them on the fly every time someone wants to run a quest.

An example would be:
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You visit the shady NPC named "Krueger" in a dark alley. He has a few contracts that you can choose from, ranging from assassinations to kidnappings. You select an assassination, and the quest is bestowed as "An assassination contract for Krueger". You may now share this quest with your group. One of the daily generated maps for this quest type is assigned to your quest instance. If someone already has this quest bestowed, their quest and map assignment is overwritten by the new one when they accept the shared quest.

The objective is simple. A noble by the name of Edwin (a random name), has been attempting to acquire information about a client of Kruegers. This client wants Edwin to disappear. Speak to Krueger to begin the quest.

Once inside, you are standing inside of a stone tower with several corridors and rooms. It is night time, and Edwin is somewhere inside of this tower. A few armed guards are patrolling the halls, and several closed doors line the winding halls. The rooms are filled with sleeping quarters, where several innocent bystanders are sleeping, as well as a few sleeping quarters for guards who if alarmed, will wake and attack to defend. There are also several traps around that will elevate the alarm if triggered. Your objective, is to take out Edwin without raising the dungeon alert past yellow.
=====================================


Another assassination quest given by the same NPC could play out like this:
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You visit Krueger in the dark alley. You select assassination as the quest.

The objective: A halfling by the name of George (a random name), has been stealing the clients from Krueger. Krueger would like George to disappear. Speak to Krueger to begin the quest.

Once inside, you are standing in a massive underground tunnel system, with hired assassins roaming the tunnels, and occupying the dug out rooms throughout the area. George is somewhere in here, and you need to find and eliminate him.
=====================================

The names, reasons, map layouts and map types can be entirely random. But ultimately, the plot is the same. Krueger needs someone assassinated, and you are up for the job.

Maps would consist of segments and rooms that themselves would have random configurations. For example, you could have a 5 segment tunnel, made up of the same exact tunnel segment, however each segment has it's possible configuration selection of decor. Crates and barrels, no crates and barrels, paintings on the wall with crates, no paintings on the wall with crates, etc. With enough possible configurations, the environments will seem completely different, even though they have seen this particular segment with this particular configuration several times before.

Profitability

Turbine could sell each NPC as an adventure pack.

[Natulyre]

One word: Eww >:|

[Turial]

Some quests are generated with x number of potential different map arrangements. These quests avoid some of the problems that random maps have while still introducing a more random dungeon to the player base.

Some random map issuse are things like: specific quest objectives being inaccessable, stuck spots opening up because the map parts do not line up perfectly, really hard quests with no shrines, or really easy quests with a shrine every other room, etc.

[Rathinosk]

From a programmer's viewpoint, I don't see any of those items as a big issue. The art of random dungeon generation on computers is quite old.

I myself wrote one in the old days (80s) for PnP games I used to DM. It would generate a random (solvable) dungeon, identify encounter locations and generate level appropriate encounter tables. It would also identify special locations and encounters (including loot) including secret doors and traps. It would then generate a printable map and adventure key.

It was up to me to give the whole thing "atmosphere", but it made for some interesting and sometimes deadly adventures. It was NOT an easy program to write, but it worked great and I used it for the better part of a decade.

The only question would be: are the Turbine devs up to the challenge?

[Missing_Minds]

The only question would be: are the Turbine devs up to the challenge?

The challenge of creating something like that? I bet they are. The problem is not the know how. The problem is the funding for such creation.

Trying to get funding for a tool that can make your life easier... getting all of your teeth pulled is typically less painful at a large company.

[Tazarith]

I like this idea so much..I wana give it life

/bump

/signed

[Uska]

From a programmer's viewpoint, I don't see any of those items as a big issue. The art of random dungeon generation on computers is quite old.

I myself wrote one in the old days (80s) for PnP games I used to DM. It would generate a random (solvable) dungeon, identify encounter locations and generate level appropriate encounter tables. It would also identify special locations and encounters (including loot) including secret doors and traps. It would then generate a printable map and adventure key.

It was up to me to give the whole thing "atmosphere", but it made for some interesting and sometimes deadly adventures. It was NOT an easy program to write, but it worked great and I used it for the better part of a decade.

The only question would be: are the Turbine devs up to the challenge?

ddo quests would have a lot more issues with random generation then some simple 80's pnp one would we wrote one way back when on a vic 20 I think in 79 or so. Don't see it happening here without buggging out a lot.

[Xaxx]

I'm gonna have to guess that before making this post, the op didnt even bother with the search function.... do you honestly think that in over 4 and a half years of life for this game, people havent brought these ideas up in the past??

Serch function... and read dev answers from old posts... the info is there... go look. If thats to hard dont post.

[Sintwar]

I'm gonna have to guess that before making this post, the op didnt even bother with the search function.... do you honestly think that in over 4 and a half years of life for this game, people havent brought these ideas up in the past??

Serch function... and read dev answers from old posts... the info is there... go look. If thats to hard dont post.

[edit] oops, didn't know you weren't the one to resurrect this thread [/edit]

Just because other people have had the idea of random dungeons in the past, doesn't mean I didn't have something new to offer in this thread on the subject.

[Xaxx]

yeah i wasnt the necro.. and you still should use the search function to see what devs have said in the past when you suggest something like this

[Tazarith]

I'm gonna have to guess that before making this post, the op didnt even bother with the search function.... do you honestly think that in over 4 and a half years of life for this game, people havent brought these ideas up in the past??

Serch function... and read dev answers from old posts... the info is there... go look. If thats to hard dont post.

I see nothing wrong with recindling the idea once again and posting.

[donfilibuster]

There's other threads on random encounters and dungeon crawls.
A PnP random encounter is a bit like rares but a dungeon crawl would be more like respawning areas.

We probably don't need the whole map and maze be randomized, just the outcome be varied.
After all, even PnP encounters and crawls had to be properly built and the DM had to preset what you'll find upon rolling.

There's various possibilities:
On the random encounter the monster is tipically mobile and you roll to not cross them (like when lost in a map).
On the dungeon crawl the monsters stay in the rooms and you roll to see which is which.
On a rpg style you have multiple routes and what you do affects what happens next.

For example, a quest to go rescue a travelling npc who got lost in the jungle.
Only this time the npc keeps moving toward the mountain so you have to choose where to start looking.
Your random encounter vary if you find him or not but also can guess where he is if he leaves a trail.