In the Free2Play MMO Neverwinter, one of the lead designers shares insights. What is important in quest design? And how can a story be told when the same quest mechanics have to be implemented?
The US site massively had the opportunity for an interview with Senior Content Designer Randy Mosiondz. “Content” refers to the actual game content.
In the conversation, Mosiondz addressed an old problem that players have with “MMOs”: it’s always the same. Kill quests, fetch quests, back to the quest giver, nothing ever happens. There’s never anything new, it’s always the same. Mosiondz agrees in principle. Every quest ultimately breaks down into a series of simple mechanics.
The Size of the Story
Imagine: In a desolate swamp, you encounter the spirit of an elven maiden, who weeps and laments amid the ruins. She says that long ago she waited here for her groom to arrive for their wedding, but he never came. She says she feels the presence of her beloved, but cannot leave the ruins to search for him.
The player leaves the ruins, wanders further through the swamp, and encounters will-o’-the-wisps. He fights them and finds a skeleton wearing a necklace with two rings. The shimmering spirit of an elven warrior appears. He says he was on his way to claim his bride long ago, but was overwhelmed by will-o’-the-wisps that fed on his life energy.
The player then sets out, slays the will-o’-the-wisps, and releases the life energy of the elven warrior. His form stabilizes, and he finally asks the player to return the chain with the two wedding rings to his beloved. The player brings back the chain, and the two spirits happily ascend to the afterlife, with the elven warrior leaving the player an old sword as thanks.
The Banality of Quest Mechanics
So, Mosiondz points out, if you break it down, the story goes as follows:
- Accept the quest with a click.
- Trigger the will-o’-the-wisp encounter on the way to the quest location.
- Click on the quest object to spawn the second quest giver.
- Kill-and-collect quest with will-o’-the-wisps and life essences.
- Turn in the quest to the second quest giver.
- Transport quest back to the first quest giver.
- Complete the quest, collect loot.
If the designer succeeds in immersing the player in the world, these repetitive quest components do not detract from the experience. It’s important that the individual steps function narratively and that the quest mechanics are not the dominant element.
It’s not about just giving players text that has no connection to the world they see. Rather, the entire environment must serve the story and the telling of that story.
In Neverwinter, they aim to achieve this through visible storytelling, voice actors, and occasional lore snippets. Since Neverwinter is an action MMO, they avoid so-called “walls of text,” large blocks of text, and instead focus on visual elements. This ensures that the story remains dynamic. Additionally, they understand how important the Dungeons & Dragons background is to fans and therefore meet with the Wizards of the Coast once a week.
Learn more about the Free2Play MMO Neverwinter on our dedicated page.
