Slow down!
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Not played COA for years, and its great to be back. The standards of RP are sky high and its better than ever.
That said guys, slow the **** down!
I'm talking about scripted quests. Let your scout scout, allow time for people to RP whatever they feel they have to. Enjoy and use each combat for what it is.
Dont run like a lunatic from each spawn to spawn, laughing at traps you know cant really hurt you and think this is because you are uber.
If your char requires you to be a complete idiot then feel free to die quickly, but the rest of you take your time, this is a far better environment for getting to know your chars than the guildhall, use it…or at least let me.
It sometimes feels like an attempt to complete (Insert quest) in the quickest time yet. I miss taking things more slowly and enjoying the banter.
That is all :)
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But but but… then the buffs run out, things get expensive and it takes longer to achieve teh winz...
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Agreed completely. I went on a quest once where my partner literally said not a word from start to finish. It was perhaps the most grating quest I’d ever been on. I’ve been on other quests where one guy would power through it all on their own and I’d only catch a glimpse of them now and then.
Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should! Although there’s usually little you can do to slow things down unless you’re the sole warrior in your party.
In which case your party will not advance a step past you, and backpedal if you decide to wander backwards for some reason.
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But but but… then the buffs run out, things get expensive and it takes longer to achieve teh winz...
I get the sarcasm here, but its a point that buffs can put urgency on things. I get also that people can have RL issues and just want to do a quick quest and log off.
I guess I could do more myself to slow things down.
IC I know about tactics, and that mindlessly charging through an encounter is a big risk. Perhaps I should be more insistent that people take more care other wise my char may leave them to it.
After the quest has finished I could ask to talk to other pcs, even if its to complain about how risky the others were. The problem I find with this one is that often people get on board the Quest train and its "Right what else can we do!" rather than a chat about what just happen, their character or anything else.
I understand that, I do it too sometimes when I just log on and want to do a couple of quests and get some gold and xp, but other times I am looking for more interaction and that can be confused with just begging others to quest. So i suppose its about getting the timing right.
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!
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I would agree there also, I do my best to try and make my characters seem alive and responsive to their environment but it makes it very difficult to do that when I can't stop for three seconds without everyone sprinting off ahead. I've been gone from the server for some time too so a lot of the quests are new to me. I have people that don't even explain quests to me because I was a few steps behind when they were accepted it. It can be a little off putting and remind me of too much of WoW
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The OP sounds so elitist that i can't see how this thread can lead to anything good.
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I’m not sure I understand where elitism comes into this. It is not too much to ask for people to roleplay on quests. Take a step back and ask yourself why you’re playing on CoA – is it for gold? Is it for xp? Is it for fun? It’s just like being miserly with your potions – you’ve got to realise that you got them in order to use them, not so that they could sit in your inventory. You’ve got to realise that you came online to have fun, not rack up some numbers as a willing supplicant in a satire of working life.
Back on topic: I find that it’s the quests that prove to be very tough or unpredictable which attract the best RP simply because they require people to step back and hash a plan together. Some of my favourite questing moments have been in the optional part of the Stonelands quest, for instance – and it’s specifically because you have time and the incentive to communicate.
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Not played COA for years, and its great to be back. The standards of RP are sky high and its better than ever.
That said guys, slow the **** down!
[snip]
If your char requires you to be a complete idiot then feel free to die quickly, but the rest of you take your time, this is a far better environment for getting to know your chars than the guildhall, use it…or at least let me.I've reread it again and it does sound somewhat condescending to me. Where's the constructive part?
Want to roleplay during quests? Do it. You can't improve your IG experience by pointing fingers at people on the forums. -
The OP sounds so elitist that i can't see how this thread can lead to anything good.
Ok ill bite :lol:
If all you want to do is get to the highest level you can in the shortest time that fine. I have no problem with that whatsoever. The fact that sometimes I want to RP things out a bit more on quests doesnt make me a better player.
But I also see people put effort into RP'ing their characters, but once the "Quest Accepted" gun is fired, it sometimes becomes a mad rush. At one time I have even informed the party that I am afk for 30 seconds during a lull to have them rush off and continue (I was literally gone for 30 seconds).
If its due to RL concerns then again I get it. Ive seen players do this also for IC reasons, and that takes balls because its risky. But I do get more enjoyment from a quest when people RP it up a bit more.
Often questing is the only or first chance to interact with other characters. Having them flesh themselves out a bit more means that outside of questing I have a chance to further that interaction or not. The ironic thing is that I sometimes see the same people who rush through the quest take a long time when it comes to divvying up the loot at the end of it.
I get that if someone is doing the missing ring quest for the 1000th time their output may not be as much as normal, but at least a few sentences wouldnt hurt.
Want to roleplay during quests? Do it. You can't improve your IG experience by pointing fingers at people on the forums.
The thing is that you dont even get time to type "Mind that Trap" as they charge through it to slaughter whatever the next encounter happens to be. Its a case in point that on the harder quests people do chill out more and take more time, which is a shame really, at least to my mind.
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I'll admit, I've been guilty of some mindless questing before. The good news is that I hate doing it, and I'm sure that deep down the folks that do it more often aren't having that great of a time either.
What the problem boils down to is that the quests on coa tend to be kind of repetative. There's a certain point we all reach where we've played most of them like 20 times. We don't really enjoy going on the quest anymore, but we're focused on the end quest reward because if we get to a higher level, we can embark on either A: New higher level quests with all our high level buds or, B: A respectable level- period.-
I'm only listing my own guilty reasons for it. It could very well be the solution is to acknowledge my problem, and do better. Make the quests fun myself by embellishing my character's enjoyable traits as the quest goes on. Allow the traits to clash or mingle with the personalities that are along in the party.
In fact, I'm pretty sure that's the best way to do it!
However, if a DM does find the time to do so, some of the quests could do with an update. Ways to make it more interesting and so on!
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Just as a thing, the faster you are powering through a quest, the more likely I am to spawn stuff to challenge you. Just to let you know! (and by challenge I mean kill you horribly :P).
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I disagree. I've done these quests for ten years. They aren't fun to me really anymore, the plots and DM quests are. I want to get through these as fast as possible. Melancholia's response of spawning stuff to challenge me is a reward, because it makes the quest fun suddenly, and worth spending more time on.
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Everyone powers through quests now and then. Boredom, just looking to unwind killing shit with friends, whatever; we all do it, even DMs. However, if you do that /all/ the time, yeah, you might want to chill and enjoy the atmosphere a bit.
Plus, we also really enjoy seeing PCs incorporate scripted content into their roleplay / goals as well. Like a mercenary company who does all the dangerous quests in the name of building a reputation, involving a ton of people, making quests into obstacle courses for new guys, putting restrictions on what they can or cannot do in the quest (like have to use a certain weapon or cannot heal during the entire quest, so use great caution), basically treating scripted content as "DMless events" that you can run.
What golw says is true, if you've been here for 10 years and have done every quest in CoA (and there are a lot more than most people really do or know about) it can get dull, but there's always ways to spice it up with a fresh approach to the same content.
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I'm confused by the above post. As someone who has been here for 8 years, I too get bored with doing nada's, find it hard to care about the dead priests in parners, ect…But the server is not just here for you and I. Rushing through quests just because we are bored with them gives bad examples to players who are newer, leading to a whole generation of CoAers that think that getting to level 10 as fast as possible so they can be uber for pvp or dm plottage is what the server is all about. My suggestion to players who think this way is to find a challenge in leading by a good example, or simply find some other vet as bored as you with the old quests and power away. Forcing people to play your way is disruptive to the spirit of the server.
Personally, if I ever get back in game and find myself on a quest where someone is forcing everyone else to "hurry up", I will counter act by holding the rest of the group back at a key moment to ensure your death. Thats probably not the most mature way of dealing with it, but it certainly does get the point across. Just saying....
**polaris's post came in before i hit submit, was intented toward glows post.
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While a side note, I've also find it that there's a lot of RP to justify behaivoirs such as "luring".
I was rather upset the other day with a bunch of people, some of whom have been here a while who, while we were on a quest did their bestest to lure enemies one at a time. The usual uber-buff a single tank, send a archer out to shoot one arrow, with the tank waiting behind a corner, with everyone else ready for ranged weapons/spells behind the tank.
Even if there was only 2-3 of em, and it really wouldn't be a serious challenge.And then "RP" on the quest was a discussion of how my char had a deathwish because it would go up "on the open field" and be seen, as opposed to fitting in with the "plan" of luring.
Not to single out the people I was with that time, it's commonplace and Well, at least it was IC that time, as opposed to it being OOC.Blegh. and I guess it's time for a new secret login cause no doubt I wont find anyone to quest with after this post.
Between "Speedy-Quick quest rushing", and "Luring" and such, I can see why people consider it a "grind".
Slow down, be inventive, come up with reasons for the thousandath time you've done the quest. Bullshit your way through it, even have one person talk alone to the quest giver and BS the stated mission. Maybe by doing that, interesting RP can develop during the quest about why you are there and whats up.(example - metagame the gilmore and fey quest, knowing you'll find "contraptions" and "sorcery" and "infernalism" so that you've somehting about a crazeed gnome wizrad who took over a garden.. and in searching it, you find all thats there, so 1 person goes and reports it, who then leads to being sent to inmvetigate a known gnome.. which leads to Gilmore, and possible connections.. etc etc.. Sure its the same old quests, but you can spark RP out of your fellow players by doing something like that and make it somewhat fun, even if mechanicaly its the same ol same ol. Such could be done in virtually any area.)
-EDIT: and that RP you can spark from them is what's fun, right?- -
well again i agree with most of what s said here… but rp can be achieve out of quest too... you know everywhere around arabel is a proper setting for any rp going on, not only quest.. my point was just that in quest... having two or three character rping for a long duration while all the other wait that their rp is finish, kinda set their mood off , plus for some of us, not fully use to tipe fast the time it take to tipe in answer take longer and while longer it take, bang a monster is upon you and your ass is in the fugue because you got cuaght off guard by a pc who decided to just move a bit further down the corridor while you where rping and werent as muh cautious as you should be.... rping is great... but having a philosophical discussion while about to face hordes of orcs is kinda of stupid, having a rp about two pc that hate each other or just have different opinion is fine.. as long as no one get killed for their lack of caution... i dont remember seeing the elves in middle earth having a chat and rping while in front of a thousand orcs rushing them ..... rping how your character moves, or how he react is perfectly fine in quest, it give flavor and more fun.. but going on and on about how your god is great and why the city watch isnt doing anything to catch criminals... isnt good rp in quest... but once you are out a quest and get paid.. then you may rp a lot more and then about phisolophical nature as no more caution is needed.. well not as much as in quest... and again, no one is alike... some like a lot of rp, some like a lot more action, finding something in between is what i look for
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@petey512:
What the problem boils down to is that the quests on coa tend to be kind of repetative. There's a certain point we all reach where we've played most of them like 20 times. We don't really enjoy going on the quest anymore, but we're focused on the end quest reward because if we get to a higher level, we can embark on either A: New higher level quests with all our high level buds or, B: A respectable level- period.
I don't think people really appreciate the number of quests out there. I've stumbled over many that I've never done, despite trying hard over a long period of time. I think people fall into a negative cycle. "I've done this quest 100 times, so I'll just rush through because its boring." coupled with "I don't know this quest, so I won't risk trying it because it might be dangerous/I heard someone else do that ages ago and died because the boss was OP so I won't bother."
It often boils down to invested time, output of fun and (im)material rewards. If a 4-8 quest is in town and you know it, its fine. If a 4-8 quest is on some godforsaken mountain behind a regular Elite Orc spawnpoint and the payoff from the two quests are the same, you're not gonna go all that way, risk your life just getting to and from the quest and then on top of it not knowing what you're going to face. For most people that is just not worth it, because its too risky and ineffective.
If a group gathers and all are in the mood for something different and a challenge, then they might go do it, but otherwise not. I suppose to make some quests more accessible, you might put questgivers in town and have the quests somewhere a bit off. This way, at least people find the quests and are forced out to do them.I know that if I were looking to hire someone to help me, I wouldn't hang around on some barren road in the middle of nowhere hoping someone would pass me by. I'd head to the closest city or intersection and actively pursue people.
Suggestion: Put more of the quest-givers in town, but let the quests remain where they are. This way people might have to RP a bit on the way to the area too.
But then again, it usually boils down to the mood of the group. So I wouldn't make a generalization like the OP based on the past week or so of questing, calling it a general trend, because I don't think it is. It varies. Sometimes you get lots of grinding groups in a row, sometimes you meet parties where you forget you're even on a quest, you're just out there moving forward and chatting along the way.
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@AWESOMEMAN:
I disagree. I've done these quests for ten years. They aren't fun to me really anymore, the plots and DM quests are. I want to get through these as fast as possible. Melancholia's response of spawning stuff to challenge me is a reward, because it makes the quest fun suddenly, and worth spending more time on.
Wholeheartly agree with this. Some of these quests are really old and doing them for repetition sake to gain XP isn't necessarcily fun as it's more just the reality of what needs to get done in order to level up. RP can make it more fun yes but still the problem remains that the actual content is overdone and v5 is stil aways off. Here are some suggestions in terms of what could be done to address that issue;
1. Replace old quests in the module with newer ones every so often so that way the server feels fresh.
2. Add more randomized content as a viable alternative to gain XP ( stuff like caravans, perhaps the new bounty system I suggested)
3. Move more quest givers into the city so that they are easier to find like lillesmurfen said.
4. Have certain quest givers advertise their plight over the magical sending system as way of letting players know they exist. -
… Here are some suggestions in terms of what could be done to address that issue;
1. Replace old quests in the module with newer ones every so often so that way the server feels fresh.
2. Add more randomized content as a viable alternative to gain XP ( stuff like caravans, perhaps the new bounty system I suggested)
3. Move more quest givers into the city so that they are easier to find like lillesmurfen said.
4. Have certain quest givers advertise their plight over the magical sending system as way of letting players know they exist.All good.
And.. as commwnt on each
1-when adding new quests, perhaps have easy to find hints so peole igiht have a chance at finding out(like a note in adventures guud poitning people in the direction of the new questgiver)
2- randomized quests like the lumberjack are a great way to do this. Perhaps even if different sections were randomized - no reason it cant start as assasins and end as goblins. After all, they are faily distant apart. (and other ones with different "areas" could have different random types of challenges
3. Quest givrs in city ! omg yes.
4. See#1, yes.