Quest Logs

[Ickorus]

From what I know of the game a more traditional style of quest log* would be fairly difficult to make due to the vast number of variables involved so I'm wondering how and even IF a quest log is going to be implemented at all.

If there are no plans for a quest log in the game I would suggest adding a Journal that we the player are allowed to write in and perhaps be able to collect things such as maps and sketches to add to the journal to assist in our quest.

* By which I mean you receive a quest, get details X & Y logged in the quest log along with a paragraph describing what you need to do.

 

[Parco]

i like that idea idea of just having a journal, then you have to/can take note of the information the npcs are giving you, where you went/going, etc... you cant erase what you have written because it is written with ink and after a while the journal will be filled and you can store your journal in a bookshelf and have to buy a new one. being able to draw in it as well and add maps and sketches, etc.. in it would be awesome.

I think this is a good idea and also think this will be alot easier to make than a quest log, so the devs dont need to use too much time on it

 

[Fawz]

It was mentioned by Bethain that there would be a quest log of sorts (journal) but I don't think it'll be in the traditional sense we've come to see from other games. I doubt it will be like Skyrim where it's a list of all the quests you can do and markers for each

There will be a journal or quest log of some sort yes. We haven't agreed on anything conclusive as yet so it's great to get yours and perhaps other peoples ideas and opinions.

I would like a Book of Knowledge of sorts where it tracks information (as though your character wrote it) and then it's up to the player to use that catalogue of information to see what's useful and what is just trivial observations.

 

[tiny lampe]

I would like a Book of Knowledge of sorts where it tracks information (as though your character wrote it) and then it's up to the player to use that catalogue of information to see what's useful and what is just trivial observations.

Personally I'd prefer a system where it's up to the player to take notes if some piece of information strikes him as important. The main reason is that such system encourages the player to pay much more attention as he is playing.

Dialogue is a prime example. If I know that my full conversation with an NPC is going to get stored in my log, I then have fewer incentives to pay attention to what he has to say. It's like being in class and having everything that the teacher is going to explain already written down for you. Listening to the teacher in this context is, at best, optional.

Discovering locations or enemy weaknesses are other cases where this idea also applies: if I find a new place, should my map auto-update or should I manually open the map and put a mark myself? If I find that enemy x is weak against y, should a bestiary-type log autoupdate or should I open a journal and type 'remember that enemy s is weak against y' ?

In my opinion logs that auto-update remove a lot of fun from the game because they automatize a process that is both involving and realistic: making sure you don't forget those locations, weaknesses and key information that you found.

 

[Fawz]

That's only the case if the tome of knowledge tracks EVERYTHING you encounter, which would indeed suck and dumb down the game.

I was thinking along a much more basic line such as:
You encounter a goblin and after killing it you get a page for goblins (without a name if you don't know it maybe).
There's a picture for the monster your character drew and the basic physical traits (can talk, is small, is ugly).
Then as you get more information through more complicated means it could either add it (a local huntsmen tells you they're called goblins when you ask about one and the page is now marked as such) or you scribble in the extras yourself (you notice they catch on fire and add that to the notes section in the goblin page)

I feel that type of system would work better by giving the player a few guidelines as opposed to an empty journal with 100 pages that you can fill up with the information you choose. Very few people would end up using that past scribbling useless stuff (ie: drawing dicks)

 

[fluffydino2000]

One idea to maybe merge the two would be that books found in game may have information in them. So in Skyrim for example, you find that book talking about troll hunting and it mentions that they have health regeneration. If you had a journal with empty pages, chances are some players won't note anything down as Fawz says. But what if you could tear out information from a book or rip a piece off of a map. Then you'd start keeping information because it'd be quick to do. Then, once you've started, anything an NPC says about a creature, you'd probably then write it down because you've already got a page for it in your journal.

 

[Fawz]

That's a pretty cool idea. If there was a page of sorts that wrote down the recent stuff that occurred and you had to take sections of that and place it in the empty spots of the permanent journal it would help maintain a form of organisation without holding the player's hand too much.

 

[Vold]

I really like the idea of having a book where we can write/attach our own information about the quests, standard quest logs/markers end up ruining games like this.

 

[Sir Hung]

I think it would be cool to have two parts to your journal. One part would be about lore that your character has learned during the game, like after meeting a new monster, your character writes down some basic notes on them and the more you things you manage to see them doing or read in a book or learn from somebody, the more detailed the note gets. The second part would be for the player to use as a notebook, so if you hear something that interests you, you can write the details down like a personal log.

 

[Mati9319]

My look on this case is simple: no self-writing quest logs (or any other logs) of any sort AT ALL with only exception for conversation log. My idea consists of three coexisting concepts (partially based on what was already said):

• dialogues with NPCs are staying in some conversation log (mentioned above), which can be displayed anytime and hold up to - I don't know - 200 words? This would represent our character's memory,
• an empty journal to write everything we want with a possibility to freely copy-paste text from conversation window,
• a calendar, in which we can draw and write anything we want, such as marking the present day, adding tags referring to certain information from our journal (e.g. marking a date which some task must be done until, using a mark corresponding to said task we used in the journal, like 1°, 2°, 3°, etc.).

 

[turtleman155]

planning out a quest that way sounds like it would be pretty fun

 

[-Tim-]

My look on this case is simple: no self-writing quest logs (or any other logs) of any sort AT ALL with only exception for conversation log. My idea consists of three coexisting concepts (partially based on what was already said):

• dialogues with NPCs are staying in some conversation log (mentioned above), which can be displayed anytime and hold up to - I don't know - 200 words? This would represent our character's memory,
• an empty journal to write everything we want with a possibility to freely copy-paste text from conversation window,
• a calendar, in which we can draw and write anything we want, such as marking the present day, adding tags referring to certain information from our journal (e.g. marking a date which some task must be done until, using a mark corresponding to said task we used in the journal, like 1°, 2°, 3°, etc.).

This is a pretty cool idea. A journal for player entries is going to be included, so a system like this could be possible.

To keep things simple and tidy, I'd say make the player rely on actual memory to remember what is said during conversations, and invite the player to record what he/she thinks is important in the journal. No conversation log needed. I'm conflicted about the calendar; could be quite interesting, could be unnecessary hassle.

 

[Mati9319]

planning out a quest that way sounds like it would be pretty fun

Well, my example was not about planning a quest you know. What I mean by "planning" is setting our own goals (the most simple ones could be getting a certain weapon, robbing someone, killing off monsters roaming certain location), rather than "scavenging" villages for people in need, who'd give you some money (or other goods) in exchange for doing them a certain favor.

To keep things simple and tidy, I'd say make the player rely on actual memory to remember what is said during conversations, and invite the player to record what he/she thinks is important in the journal. No conversation log needed.

I tought about that at first, but if we're gonna be flooded with a lengthy statement containing a lot of important information, we might just not be able to memorize everything. Of course we could ask a NPC to repeat what he just said, but it's not the same as having a window with our conversation displayed for just a little time, which would be enough to rewrite/copy what we find important.

On the other hand, if the last statement of NPC is gonna be displayed till we select our next dialogue option, then there won't be any need for a conversation log at all.

I'm conflicted about the calendar; (...) could be unnecessary hassle.

You may be actually right, as we could write the present date in our journal as well.

 

[turtleman155]

what do you think would work better squiggling your notes in the journal or typing them?