Feedback:User/Tennessee Ernie Ford/Coordinated questing

Coordinated questing
User	Tennessee Ernie Ford
Categories	Resolved feedback

It's in the game! (Tequatl and most Scarlet events are pretty close to this.) resolution = Implemented !

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It could be enormous amounts of fun and lead to entirely new PvE gameplay dynamics. How successful it turns out would depend a lot on ANet's implementation, whether the rewards of coordination encourage the right type of cooperation, and how good people are at leading (and following). It might turn out terribly, but I'd love to see ANet try.

— Tennessee Ernie Ford

Coordinated questing

In designing various dynamic events, create some that require coordinated efforts by several teams in order to succeed. For example:

• Storming a stronghold: A castle might be impregnable unless there one team can distract some of the guards, another that can enter the castle (e.g. tearing down the gate/scaling the walls), a third can draw aggro from outside reinforcements, and a fourth might cover the assault team's entrance.
• Looting the unlootable: An invulnerable dragon's cave might be impossible to enter unless one team draws the dragon far away, another team enters the cave, and a third prevents the dragon from returning before the looters can escape.
• Deliveries in dangerous areas: FedEx quests (where you have to deliver item A to NPC X, who sends you to NPC Y for item B, etc.) might require that multiple teams go out together so that foes chase the wrong messenger. (This might also apply to rescue missions or protection quests that involve NPCs as the package.)
• Routing the opposition: Defeating the troglodytes might require storming four or five different warrens at once; if any warren survives, the remaining Trogs reproduce more quickly and deadlier.
• Cutting them off at the pass: After losing their castle, the Wytches retreat to the forests; if they make it, they will dig in and becoming a bigger threat to nearby encampments than they were holed up in their towers. One group chasing them cannot hope to prevent this, but a second group can take the dangerous (but quicker) route through over the hills, cutting off the retreat.
• Covering the retreat: the Ebon Vanguard have been forced to retreat from the Plains of Erewhon and townspeople must leave their homes. The route to safety run through a narrow pass in the Shiverpeaks. The evacuation will fail unless there are teams defending the town; the retreat will fail unless others are covering the retreat from the various defensive positions along the road. And the villagers will be crushed in the pass unless there are teams ensuring that the entrance, exit, and aeries above are free from danger.
• Defending the stronghold: The Tyrians cannot hope to hold onto the critical fortress unless there are teams inside the fortress thwarting the various tactics used by the enemy. Some will have to hold onto the walls, some prevent the gate from being stormed, and some might need to sneak outside in order to take out key enemy resources.

How it might work

(Under construction.)

The mettle of soldiers is tested on the anvil of battle: Since this is so new, we don't really know how players would respond.

• Requiring coordination could inspire people to step up as leaders. Some might work alone, but some will organize training. I imagine groups of special-forces like teams that could handle tactical objectives, born-leaders can organize groups of transient players, and officer-cadre players who might be able to help develop small standing patrols. This might happen in any MMORPG, but it's more likely to happen if the game requires and inspires it.

Issues

(Under construction.)

• PUGs are terrible at coordination: Yes, indeed. This would require careful implementation and would depend enormously on the player community. Given the amount of griefing and leeching that goes on, some might be pessimistic. Given the effort on the wiki and other resources (e.g. Guru), there's room for optimism.
• It would be too complicated to make all dynamic events like this: Sure, it would have to be rare. Perhaps only when introducing new content...or setting the stage for new content.

Background

(Under construction.)

Thanks

Thanks to Hong and Guild Wars 3 perhaps for their thoughts on the topic, which influenced changes to the page.

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