More About MMOs - Wizards and Warriors: Massively Multiplayer Online Game Creation - page 34

particular location or provide them with items before they will interact with
you. NPCs can also be used as hired help to complete a particular quest. NPCs
are used to help the players discover new areas or new skills by telling the
players what to do.
Quests
A quest or mission is one of the ways a player can achieve experience within an
MMO, and it can also set a particular task for them to accomplish. Quests are
usually given to players by NPCs, but could also be given as part of an ongoing
story or a particular event.
Quests can also be used to give the players more information about the world
that they are playing within, including learning about other characters, events or
its inhabitants.
Quests normally have introductory text and then the relevant player actions;
these might be collecting a number of particular items, meeting a character, or
killing a number of animals of a particular kind. When creating your own
MMO, you have to be very careful that your quests do not end up with the
players merely collecting X number of items or killing a lot of creatures. These
types of quests can quickly bore MMO players. These types of quests have been
given the name of grinding, as the players have to complete repetitive tasks over
and over again. To reduce the chance of grinding it is important to ensure that
your quests are varied, but also that they link to the main story. This way,
players can buy into the reason why they are taking on the quests, which makes
for a more enjoyable game experience.
To avoid the grinding trap, consider quests that involve more character and
story-based progression, such as:
n Rescuing a maiden from a tower.
n Building a clock from a selection of parts to keep a particular character
happy.
n Patrolling outside an area to protect the town.
n Escorting an NPC to a particular place.