Quest and Main Story and more

[Vere1]

It seems to me that many people seem to assume RPG also means “story game” where the story is a major part of the game. While this is obviously true, I don’t think an RPG has to tell a specific narrative. It can tell many. And most RPGs do, but they’re mostly afterthoughts to the primary story.

I, personally, would love an RPG that is all “secondary quests”. I’ve been the Chosen One and saved the world and rescued the princess enough times. I want to be whoever. I want to be dropped into the world as a nobody with no special destiny or quest, I don’t want to stumble upon some legendary artifact. Most importantly, I don’t want the world to treat me like I’m the only one that can solve their troubles. Why does every villager ask me to save their kid, or find their lots heirloom, or whatnot? I’m just some traveler as far as they know. And if it’s a society where people all help each other out, why am I the only one that seems to be doing anything? I just want to be a blank slate that I can build from the ground up. I’m a huge fan of RPGs, I think that some of the greatest stories in gaming have come from this genre.

I have noticed however as great as some of these games play, in almost every case I reach a point where random encounters become really tiresome. Most times at this point I either always run from battles, or just use all the default attacks and heal when necessary.

My point is that these aspects usually end up overststaying their welcome. One way or another. The point at which this happens flucuates. But it still happens.

I find this to be an issue because a lot of times if the story is engaging enough, I find the battle segments in between to feel like filler material. Gameplay shouldn’t ever feel like it gets in the way of the story. I think its important to have a balance of both.

Now you could say that by drawing out certain segments, it adds to the themeing and character development/dynamics. And that may be a fair point, but I don’t think its one that can be made on a general level.

[Dastu]

In this game you will be drawn into the action, i guess you will not be the main guy, but you can work yourslef to lead of some kind, and then you have there your world to care or not to care about

[Kdeary]

I understand a bit what Vere1 is alluding to, and one game recently that seems to offer this is Day Z where you are in a somewhat MMO environment with other, but just dropped there to survive and your story or outcomes develop by your interaction with the existing environment and basically can develop in a general real world way such as our lives do. I love the roaming aspect of Skyrim even when a quest is in progress, but I often wonder about how this next example could be worked out: In Skyrim there is a quest where you need to meet two companions at a point and you leave the same inn and agree to split up and head out separately.

Along the way I encountered differing quests and took weeks to actually get to the meeting point, and my companions hooked up with me at what I assume was a set point in the game on my travels there, but made no mention that it took me weeks to get there and they seemed to just be waiting for me. So my question is how do you get what Vere1 would like but also have actions and quests where you are free to roam but have interaction with NPC that rely on you to help finish a quest? Does that quest go unfulfilled and change the story/environment going forward? I have not seen too much of this even in the witcher where your choices matter to the story outcome but just not completing a task has little overall effect on the story/world.

Not sure if my thoughts/questions are coherent or in line with the OP’s but I hope the gist of my thoughts comes across.

[Dastu]

If you have to meet someone, you should be on time-so in said time or-. If you go with them, you should follow, otherwise it ends how it would probably end without you being there and you found corpses after coming back xD for ex.

[PhanTom_CZ]

VERE1: I think I could also add my own signature under all that you have written, so to say…

I won’t repeat what you have already put down quite well, but to add an example from my own experience- while playing Skyrim, I actually enjoyed “side” questlines specific to particular towns or locations more than the main questline. I started the game several times and did several playthroughs up to certain points… but finished the main storyline only once and just for the sake of actually going through with it finally and seeing the end for myself. And nothing actually drives me to do it ever again. But there is one questline I went through every single time.

What I particularly liked, although being a bit disappointed with and would love to see expanded actually, was the questline of the Thieves Guild. The questline starts and develops in a very interesting way, but is terribly linear and doesn’t offer any sort of alternative other than you becoming the new leader of the guild, while everyone else is just… passively backing down to a relative newcomer, even if they were in the guild for years.
For example, I would love to have an option to (aside from the line of dealing with internal guild bussiness) be able to somehow remove that ***** semi-godmother Maven Black-Briar somehow (like discedit her to a point of her getting jailed, or even worse…) and somehow politically manipulate Brynjolf as her official successor (as he seems to be the only guild member with enough clear civilian reputation in Riften). And maybe even to do the same thing with that local Jarl in the process, making the Thieves guild effectively something of the Lords of Riften in secret…
It also would be good to have an option to actually give the leadersip of Thieves guild to someone else, when you take it over (again probably Brynjolf, or maybe even Devlin or Astrid), who would be a more practical leadership choice, remaining there and taking care of bussines, while the player character keeps running arount the rest of Skyrim.

See where I am getting to? Hopefully, Warhose seem to plan a similarly (or even more?) branched sort of approach to their questlines, so I’m quite looking forward to what the quests will be like in KCD when it comes out.

[Vere1]

Thanks for reading it all,I really appreciate it,i get you point,I’m looking forward to warhorse work so far too,if they can make it,it will be such great game.