Standard Quest Description Template?

agentjaspor

Hey folks,

I haven't noticed any discussions along these lines (apologies if I've missed it, I'm still fairly new in here :P ), but I was wondering what people thought about coming up with something of a "standard template" to follow when creating the descriptions of quests?

Something along the lines of:

Title
(Optional - Part X of The Whatever Campaign)
(Optional - URL to a site or post with more info)
Suggested Group Size
Difficulty Level
Version Number
Last Updated Date
Gameplay Type(s) (ie, Puzzles, Dungeon Crawl, Mystery, etc.)
Similar To (opportunity to promote other people's work of the same style)
Description
Changes in the Latest Version

The idea would basically be to give players a bit more information and context about what they will be playing. I did see a great threat about categories and "tags" possibly being implemented, but until they're actually built into the game, maybe we could do something ourselves.

Thoughts?

wininoid

I think it would help a lot. It wouldn't be to hard to have a suggested one here that we could all use, but in the editor, maybe they could have the template as the default text. Then new players could use it or delete and do their own.

jdnyc

It's been bantered about, but nothing concrete I don't think. Namely, everyone has a different way of how they want to present their quest. I do think a suggested standard format would be great within the editor like wininoid suggests.

tilt42

You'll quickly run out of space with that template. There's also the fact that this description will end up in the quest journal. I'd like for my quests to look relatively decent in there as well.

wininoid

True, a template would have to be a bare minimum. What key things should each quest tell you? Here is my list:

-Story details (start with this for tilt's reasoning re: the journal)
-Where it starts (in case the map/trail is bugged)
-Approx length (short, med, long, or ~ min)
-Story light/med/heavy
-Fighting light/med/heavy

badbotlimit

Having a standard for mission description will help a lot. As an author I would suggest, as you have, that it be clear and to the point. That way anyone who picks up my quest will not only know what to do but understand where they need to do it. I think that standard template is potentially something that the community will arrive at pretty quickly. My hope is that the authors will work together to help one another out. Another good resource for this will be the tips and tricks posts and wiki that all authors should use.

wininoid

There is a wiki? I've had my nose down since getting in as I worked on my Blacklake entry. I never thought to look around for one.

badbotlimit

wininoid wrote: »

There is a wiki? I've had my nose down since getting in as I worked on my Blacklake entry. I never thought to look around for one.

Sorry, to clarify, I imagine there will be one.

angrysprite

I agree. No standard as of yet, so I created mine the way I would hope to see others, so in-game my Foundry work description looks *exactly* like this:

CATEGORY: Exploration
STYLE: 70%/30% story/combat (reading highly recommended)
EPT (Estimated playtime): 25-40 minutes
START: First contact is in the Blacklake District Zone
RECOMMENDATIONS: Player level 9+;
Designed for solo excursion and is new-player friendly, though I hope experienced, high-level players will find it enjoyable also.

KNOWN ISSUES: None I am aware of, but appreciate feedback.

NOTES: Waypoints are turned OFF (no sparklies to lead the way) - find it all on your own. You will likely want to read everything, possibly even take a couple notes. There is an "emergency quest abort" in room one, should you become trapped, give-up, or otherwise change your mind.

Synopsis: You learn of a large chest ripe for the looting if you can survive the anticipated hoards of Nasher Rebels inside the abandoned archeological dig site underneath the old Blacklake Inn. However, things are not as anticipated.

I always prefer at a minimum people at least state the story to combat ratio. I'm just not of fan of frag-fests and there WILL be plenty after launch.

tilt42

You should always put the description first, because this is what people will see in the quest journal as well as when talking to harper agents (I think). Putting it at the end makes your quest look really generic.

angrysprite

tilt42 wrote: »

You should always put the description first, because this is what people will see in the quest journal as well as when talking to harper agents (I think). Putting it at the end makes your quest look really generic.

Great point! Thanks.

wininoid

After playtesting this weekend, I think a standard description should include "recommended party size", since a quest designed for solo will be boring to a group and a group quest will be unplayable for a solo.

wininoid

Here is what I settled on for my last quest:

Having heard of your exploits at Sleeping Dragon Bridge, a gentleman has asked to meet with you at the Lazy Wyvern Tavern. When he hires you to take care of some pests, you discover that the “pests” are the ones who need help. Will you manage to save them from the persistent gentleman?

-Estimated 30 min. to complete.
-Designed to be challenging for a solo adventurer. High level players should bring a friend.
-Includes 7 custom “Accolades” (1 per map) for those who enjoy exploration. Be sure to post how many you collected in your review!
-Quest includes a mix of dialog and fighting. Light on puzzles.

I like to keep it short and pull the reader in (like the back of a novel description). Then put the essential details. I guess I won't need the time to complete since that will be shown.

My goal with a description is to get them to click on "Accept Quest".

In the future, I think I'll describe relative amounts of Dialog, Fighting, and Puzzles with a coarse scale (none, light, balanced, heavy).