Quote Originally Posted by Awha View Post
That is the thing the quest tracker will still exist, if you follow the quest tracker then you will never lose your place in the MSQ follow the tracker and it will function just as the MSQ does now, expect that if someone does not want to they do not have to. The quest tracker maps out everything for the MSQ it is a step by step guide as to what one needs to do, how will you be missing out on context?

WoW is a poor example because their quest tracker was horrible, but FFXIV has a pretty decent quest tracker, unless one ignores it completely I do not see how one could get lost or lose out on context for dungeons if they follow it.
The MSQ (or optional side quest if it's a side-quest unlocked duty) explains the reason of "Oh we need you to do this in this duty" thus giving the reason. Filling it in later wouldn't work for me, as it'd still be unlocked at the level, and not after the quest explaining why. The flow would still be completely broken for me. RuneScape had quest gatings for areas, which were unlocked as you progressed through the quest chains, so each area also had the meaning behind it. There were plenty "open access" areas mind you, but the areas that were quest gated, had their stories explained behind them, and your reasons for accessing them. Notice how I agreed with Physic's idea of allowing someone to undock them if they didn't want to deal with the MSQ.

Quote Originally Posted by Skivvy View Post
I'm just spitballing here, so bear with me, but would something like the following have any notion of being functional:

*The green-MSQ quest line will still take you around new zones, introduce the dungeons, trials, and the general story line. This is the required part to ensure you get your content unlocked.
*As you continue along the main-MSQ, related side-quests would be become available that flesh out/continue the story for the full completion. This part would be optional.

I'm going to have to depend on you MSQ-readers here as I'm not sure how linked/relevant every single quest is in the MSQ chain. I also imagine it could be somewhat difficult to break up the story in that manner, but as I said, just tossing out ideas.
It's fine to toss out ideas, isn't that the whole point of this thread, to toss out ideas and weigh up how they'll affect different people, in order to find a compromise? As for your spitballing... That could work. So long as the green MSQ went through the reasoning of why you were going into that duty, the aftermath of it could be thrown to sidequests yes. I'd still have my reason for entering the duty explained to me before I go in, and so it'd cut the mustard for me. Pretty good idea actually. And yes, for every duty, the reasoning behind it is explained, with varying degrees of success in its effectiveness.