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Repurpose CAC tasks to become location-specific activities

SteveSteve
in Feedback
So you know those CAC tasks that people do occasionally for little benefit? Those same tasks that are probably on the rework-or-cut list for the upcoming conflict rework? I propose repurposing the CAC task system to make additional PVE and other kinds of activities for each zone, particularly for zones suited to leveling up, for the following reasons:

  1. Alleviate developer resource scarcity by putting more activities/objectives into each zone without having to dedicate developer resources to writing and implementing quests (the tasks system would do a lot of work here with semi-randomized activities);
  2. increase player engagement while exploring and leveling by adding more reasons for players to perform certain tasks, go to certain locations, and so forth; and
  3. enhance player game experience by rewarding activities that players want to do, such as leveling or exploring.

Before going on to the tasks themselves or rewards, let me take a moment to say I suggest a location in each zone be dedicated to the Task Board. And, to reiterate, there's one of these Task Boards in every one of the Areas (found on the AREAS LIST). The Tasks available at each Task Board would be tailored to each zone, such that if you go to a Task Board, you can expect to receive Tasks for you to interact with in that region. Task Boards would be the place to go to undertake tasks, similar to how we can undertake CAC tasks at will.

Tasks would be modeled closely after CAC tasks under the hood, I think. The simplest one to implement, in my estimation, is the bashing task: kill X mobs in that zone, selected from a list of mobs available for bashing in that zone. I think of this Task as one that's based on common quests, and there is room for developing new Tasks that track with common quest objectives, such as collect some items from zone-specific props or turn in drops from mobs in that zone.

Going further afield for Task development, we could add tasks like the following, which are based on existing systems or rather underutilized exploration skill abilities:

  • triangulate in the region (like WILDERNESS TRIANGULATE, ideally with randomly selected triangulation rooms and a mechanism to find out whether you're getting closer to or farther from the triangulation room),
  • use a scanner to scan certain mobs (sort of like a repeatable xenozoo scan),
  • gather reports on local activities from NPCs by talking to them (add a command to streetwise the heck out of individual NPCs),
  • find the thing and dig it up (HEY SHOVEL HOW'RE YOU DOING LANGUISHING OVER THERE?),
  • put out literal fires (speaking of exploration abilities that don't have any good uses),
  • find the game-generated bug and sweep the heck out of it (yeah another exploration ability),
  • locate the hidden mob (yep another exploration ability),
  • ascertain the location of the MacGuffin that has been carried off by an individual (peruse ability)...

You get the idea.

Rewards could be experience, marks, reputation or some kind of location progress-tracking (could lead to honors or lumps of experience and marks as their own quests), gear or mods, some combination of those, something else, whatever.

My suggestions are suited to bashing/leveling and exploration. Others can be added easily to develop other systems such as crafting, performance, whatever.

To summarize: more stuff to do, less admin work longterm by making a single system to flesh out activities in each zone instead of having to create custom quests.

Comments

  • SteveSteve
    One interesting notion: adding a task to fight versions of our NPC PVP bots found in the Arena.
  • RenaultRenault
    I love this idea!

    Personally, something that would enhance it further is somehow intertwining an RP basis for these tasks, the “why” beyond marks and experience.

    Is this Fantom Laboratories hiring research crews to survey the areas? Is this still a factional thing, akin to colonization, where each faction is trying to impose more of its influence on the area?

    I’ve been also trying to come up with a more RP/sci-if term than “tasks” but no luck. I thought maybe bounty boards, but that might be confusing with the current pvp bounty system in place. Something exciting like xenoslaying or the like.
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