So, I was out trying to catch up on my RSS feed list (2 weeks of content on 50 blogs represents a lot of missed opportunities, I’ve found…) and ran across Psychochild’s latest weekend design challenge re: quest rewards. Woot, a topic for a post, and it’s been less than a week since the original post! (sigh)
First, off the top of my head, a list of potential options…
- Equipment (specific item, select from list)
- Cash (or equivalent)
- Experience points (skill points, talent points, etc)
- Special ability/technique, short term or permanent
- Blessing/buff/attribute increase, temporary or permanent
- Relationship with NPC (special pricing, “cell phone” access from CoH/CoV)
- General Reputation (“karma”, faction, “honor”, etc)
- Badge or Title (overt indicator of status)
- Access to new area or opportunity (“quest chains”, keys)
- Time/delay (assassinating the current trog king delays the invasion for a month)
- Future favors/IOUs
My own preference is for quest rewards to be combinations of the above, emphasizing the bottom end of the list as opposed to the top. I also prefer options over specifics where it makes sense. For example, a blacksmith wouldn’t have to give you a suit of armor, how about an ironbound chest, or a shield, or an IOU for a future item of your choice?
Balancing such diverse rewards is the issue. Are 25 ”faction points” and 50 gold pieces equivalent to a healing potion and 150 xp? Do you want them to be equal? That probably gets more into the specific design goals than anything, but I’m not sure you want all rewards to be equivalent, even within a specific quest.
For example, a “defeat 10 foozles” quest might be relatively easy for a melee class, but difficult for spell casters, if foozles are highly magic resistant in that setting. It would make some sense to have the reward that is tailored to the magic users (assuming a selection was offered) be a bit more powerful overall than the one aimed at the melee classes, since the level of challenge was uneven.
(I had more, but I’ve got to get moving, 3 calls from work so far and it’s not even 8am, it’s apparently going to be another one of those weeks…)
4 comments
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October 29, 2007 at 11:27 am
Aaron
I’ve probably got half-a-dozen posts or more on my site devoted to this topic, but my general stance is:
– Mix it up. Don’t give xp for every encounter. Don’t give loot for every encounter. Not only is this more interesting, but it helps prevent any one player-goal from drowning out the others.
– Presents are more fun than paychecks. Most rewards shouldn’t be predictable. The thrill of unwrapping a present and finding an unexpected item is better than the getting your hands on something you and countless other players have all been working toward.
– Don’t make grouping about individual goals (individual loot, individual xp, etc). Make grouping about group goals. It might be as simple as teamwork. It might be as great as actually serving the community and affecting the gameworld (like slaying the dragon to save the village, not to acquire some epic loot).
– Numbers don’t make change. A Shortsword+1 and a Shortsword+2 are the same shortsword, only for different-level characters. The changes that occur under the hood don’t matter. All that matter are the changes players can feel.
I’m probably missing some points, but those are some of the main ones.
October 30, 2007 at 4:57 am
Mythokia
@Aaron: I disagree with the 2nd point. If I’m to put the next 2 hours into working on a quest, I’d want to be assured that I get a certain reward and not have it left up to a dice roll.
However, it does make sense from an RP perspective.
October 30, 2007 at 5:53 am
damianov
I think the level of challenge may have an impact on how acceptable a random reward will be. For difficult challenges, a guaranteed reward might be preferable. On the other hand, a random reward can add a bit of spice to an otherwise bland “kill 10 rats” quest. And there’s nothing to say that there can’t be both a defined reward element and a random one as part of an overall package.
As general principles, tho, I’d buy into all of those points, Aaron, and especially the last (changes need to be noticeable/felt… preferably offering a new option in play, IMO).
October 30, 2007 at 10:54 am
Aaron
There’s a reason I said “most” rewards shouldn’t be predictable. =)
I certainly agree that there should be predictable rewards in the game and that certain player-activities demand predictable rewards. I just think the emphasis should be on unpredictable rewards.
I wouldn’t put many 2-hour quests in a game; at least, not a continuous 2 hours. If you break up the quest into smaller segments and reward completion of each segment in some way, it’s more accessible (even hardcore gamers need to take gaming breaks unexpectedly sometimes) and more about the moment.
I know there are many gamers who would gladly dig meaningless holes all day long if they were rewarded with loot and xp. But I’d rather my players draw their fun from the experiences — the journey, the adventures — and not only the conclusions. I want to see an MMO in which players focus on the moment, as players of Halo 3 do. In that game, the experience is its own reward. Grinding is when a player is doing something unfun to reach a reward/accomplishment. That’s not how MMOs have to be.