Extra questsssssssssss

[MsQi]

Text and reading are fine, but there is not enough involvement from the the player or your character. You are just standing there listening to a seminar most of the time. When there are times you should be jumping to someone's defense you do nothing, maybe draw your weapon. If anyone does it's !@#$'n Thancred. Can I just once shoot Gaius van Baelsar between the eyes while he's standing up on Ultima Weapon monologuing for the fifth time?

I think the writing is getting worse. Too verbose, repeating the same things just in different ways in the same conversation. I was doing a quest a while back when I realized they were trying to convey a joke that someone talked too much. It landed flat, because it's how everyone talks.

They waste words trying to convey character, weird accents, and speech patterns in text when it would be more effective and entertaining with recorded dialog. Yeah it's more expensive, but easy as !@#$ to do.

Can't get mad at Final Fantasy for Final Fantasy-ing, but I read through a lot of Square and Enix games and they were more engaging.

[kaynide]

Side quests are entirely optional. Some are very stupid fetch quests, others are lots of talk and lore, some are just...not engaging to me personally.

I have done every single quest in the game with exception of savage/ultimate content. I did not feel any of it was horrible. Could they be better in some areas? Of course. But with the amount of actual roulette etc to get my jobs to 80, I rather like slow paced quests with a lot of talking and little to do.

[MistakeNot]

When I take them, I take the most I can at once.
When I do them, I smash "next" button without even reading.
When I do them, I sometimes have NO clue about where to continue and complete them. So I fail, do all others I have and start again. Because the one I failed is the only one left so I can see.

Well, that sounds like completely the wrong way to do things.

When I reach a new area I pick up all the quests I can and start working on them. Only when I have finished all the nearby quests do I move on to where the MSQ or vector quests points me next. This way my quest log never overflows, and the quests I do all are connected with each other in some way.
After several years of playing various MMOs, I have found this to be the best approach - to systematically finish as many quests as possible in one area before moving on. It makes most sense story-wise and does not leave me with a ton of unfinished quests in my questlog.

[LalafellDown]

Spot on OP I completely agree with you.
I so far from all these side quest have been just read some text go over there, search the shinny orb and return to read some more text. Then there’s read some text, go over there and read more text and return to select an answer that doesn’t matter. Of course let’s not forget read some text, fight some thing and return to read more text.

One that always made me laugh was read some text, go touch shinny orb, monster spawn, ignore monster and run back to read more text. What was the point of the monster spawning if I can ignore it and leave.

Whats with the shinny orb thing where the player character stands and searches for a long time? Is it loading a cutscene or something? Usually a monster spawns after a long time searching. So why make it so long? Why can’t the Devs be bothered to create a scenario out in the wild when you select a quest? Why can’t they add the props to the location? Why can’t they add a suspicious looking bush where the monster pops out from instead of a glowing orb. Another thing I don’t like is when the NPC takes awhile to complete their body movements before continuing the conversation. I can’t even see them as I smash the next button wonder why the text isn’t moving.

the devs need to cut some of these useless quest out. Give the lore to the surrounding NPCs or books scattered in the homes of the NPCs. Honestly they should follow Guild Wars 2 side quest formula. Where the lore is told through the map. Having to complete tasks around the map made it more fun. Maybe completing tasks around the map can have a visual change for players. Helping the villagers building and hunting changes the look of their town. Maybe life arrives to the location as we fulfill certain requirements. Maybe more shops open up or new areas.

These side quest might as well not exist since they can be ignored. There’s no life in these quests or NPCs.
I tried to read several of these side quest to see if I would enjoy them. They’re forgetful and not worth it. Not a single one I remember. The main scenario quest also has a problem of filler in between. Go talk to 5 people and come back. Go collect 3 shinny orbs. Go stand over there and search then come back. Select an answer that doesn’t matter.

Can we get a light or dark meter based on these answers that we select? Maybe based on the answers we choose or how we decide to complete the quest it turns out character goo or evil? Maybe unlocks certain types of unique gear that can only be worn if you’re light or dark. Maybe what we do in these quest or who we decide to help changes the look of the surrounding area. Perhaps if we go an evil route monsters take over the area and become the local NOC that we accept quest from. That would be more interesting.

[Iscah]

Can we get a light or dark meter based on these answers that we select? Maybe based on the answers we choose or how we decide to complete the quest it turns out character goo or evil? Maybe unlocks certain types of unique gear that can only be worn if you’re light or dark. Maybe what we do in these quest or who we decide to help changes the look of the surrounding area. Perhaps if we go an evil route monsters take over the area and become the local NOC that we accept quest from. That would be more interesting.

I think you've brought this up elsewhere. It's not really going to work within the format of this game. It could be (and has been) implemented in other games, but you need a different narrative structure to pull it off.

Personally I don't like it - generally speaking, not just the hypothetical implementation here - because it comes with a requirement that you have to do the "evil side" at some point to see all the content in the game. I don't want to do that.

[LalafellDown]

I think you've brought this up elsewhere. It's not really going to work within the format of this game. It could be (and has been) implemented in other games, but you need a different narrative structure to pull it off.

Personally I don't like it - generally speaking, not just the hypothetical implementation here - because it comes with a requirement that you have to do the "evil side" at some point to see all the content in the game. I don't want to do that.

Doesn't have to be exactly light or dark. Perhaps as we progress through the map side quests we see change happening like in that Doman Enclave.

Good or evil could be light or dark. Since we're now Warriors of Darkness we still do good. Maybe using light or dark brings a cretin change to us visually only or the unique items we can get. Perhaps it influences the villagers to embrace the light or dark to make us light or dark things? Maybe light or dark has an effect on good and evil villagers. Going dark could bring out a couple a intresting dark quests that have no effect on the story like the current side quest.

The Devs could add a parallel side story where we join the dark side, just for fun. I'd rather have one of those than 100 pointless fetch quests

[Gula]

Doesn't have to be exactly light or dark. Perhaps as we progress through the map side quests we see change happening like in that Doman Enclave.

Good or evil could be light or dark. Since we're now Warriors of Darkness we still do good. Maybe using light or dark brings a cretin change to us visually only or the unique items we can get. Perhaps it influences the villagers to embrace the light or dark to make us light or dark things? Maybe light or dark has an effect on good and evil villagers. Going dark could bring out a couple a intresting dark quests that have no effect on the story like the current side quest.

The Devs could add a parallel side story where we join the dark side, just for fun. I'd rather have one of those than 100 pointless fetch quests

The devs are not magic gods. They have limitations, and this is not something that can be done in a day much less several years. Because it takes them, I believe it was said 3 months? 6?? To make 1 boss. Now they need to make one for both sides. And the bosses name plus all dialog will have to be translated in several languages. And not just that, flip flop localized to make sense and get the point across for multiple cultures. Voice acting? Golly gosh gotta throw that in too. And you are taxing the writers themselves. If you have not seen it, watch all the making of Shadowbringers videos. The game has enough limitations what you're asking for just will not work.

Maybe try single player games that do this. You'll guaranteed get what you want because it was built up to support it. XIV was not.

[yotsuffy]

(...)
I guess you can lead a catgirl to content, but you can't make her do any of it.
(...)

I didn't get this. Lost in translation?

Well, that sounds like completely the wrong way to do things.

When I reach a new area I pick up all the quests I can and start working on them. Only when I have finished all the nearby quests do I move on to where the MSQ or vector quests points me next. (...)

I used to do it this way for a long time. Then I started to feel that I was doing nothing, repeatedly, and for no reason. And boredom became frustrating.



By following the main story quests, the world changes. And you play. And you care.
By following the tribal quests, the world changes. And you play. And you care.
By following the class/job quests, the world changes. And you play. And you care.
By following the "+" quests, the world changes. And you play. And you care.
But the yellow missions ...

You enter a new place. Everyone seems to have a problem and is just waiting for you to fix it. So you put the so urging main story quest on hold and help all of these people. Without even playing.
Then, no one ever has a problem again. You arrive and leave leaving a world in peace. Without even playing.

The way they are set up makes them uninteresting and non-immersive. It's just a finished and known list of meetings to do.
They could appear randomly, and if we approach them. Their unexpected appearance would then make them interesting; like points of interest.
You don't know if you will find any. You don't know where and when. You only know that if you travel, you might find some.
So doing them would be the reward.
Not a step in a long, uninteresting, non-immersive, checklist.

[SturmChurro]

Can we get a light or dark meter based on these answers that we select? Maybe based on the answers we choose or how we decide to complete the quest it turns out character goo or evil? Maybe unlocks certain types of unique gear that can only be worn if you’re light or dark. Maybe what we do in these quest or who we decide to help changes the look of the surrounding area. Perhaps if we go an evil route monsters take over the area and become the local NOC that we accept quest from. That would be more interesting.

Missing SWTOR?

[LalafellDown]

Missing SWTOR?

Not really into Star Wars games or story. Personally think the good and evil or light/dark force in Star Wars is kinda dumb. Would be nice to have quality progress changing quest. Something more than text, a few coin and some EXP.