[2021] NPE Updates

NPE Updates

Summary

The current tutorial has received several complaints, from its length, amount of enemies in proximity, to its rewards. For that reason, the new goal of the NPE is to provide a faster through-line to players who wish to get to the action, with optional quests sprinkled throughout.

Main Quest Line Track
This rework will involve removing quests and converting some quests into side quests. For that reason, we need a method to assign the next main quest to players who have had their quest removed, or turned into a side quest. 

• The main quest line should be a defined list of quests
• When a player logs into a campaign with the main quest line and has no active main quest, the first incomplete main quest from the main quest line is automatically granted to them (if any)

General Quest System Improvements

To better facilitate players choosing the length of their tutorial, we need to improve the way we track quests.

• Players can choose an active quest from their quest log
  • This will cause the quest marker on the map and compass to only point to the active quest
  • Only active quests appear in the quest tracker
  • Players can set up to 3 quests as active at a single time
• Players may abandon any quest which is not the main quest from their quest log
• It is possible to untrack (set inactive) all quests, even if only one quest remains

Game Flow Suggestion - Server Swap from Temple

Currently, players have to log out to switch servers to shadow or dregs. Forcing players to log out (and wait 20 seconds) could be a drop-off point for some. If we were able to bypass that wait by allowing players to server swap their current character from the temple, it would improve the flow of the game, and we could even give the player a quest to interact with a world-swapping portal.

• This portal would need to enforce import and export restrictions in the same way that we do from the main menu

Tutorial Tip Addition
After Finishing the Main Quest, we will trigger a tutorial tip that indicates that God's Reach Worlds are tutorial worlds and that they should move onto Shadow or Dregs

Main Quest Revamp

As the intention of the NPE has moved towards getting players to the action as quickly as possible, we will be removing quests, and converting many quests to entirely optional Side Quests.

The following functionality will need to be added based on new quests:

• A quest task to join a group

The list of changes to the Main Quest Line is as follows.

GR1
The following quests should become side quests:

• GR_Z01_Main_1001_000_005 - GR_Z01_Main_1001_000_011
  • This is the camp with Sammae, Hilda, and Yuri
• GR_Z01_Main_1001_000_017 (Kill Enbarri Bandits)
  • Dawnchild sends the player to kill bandits
• GR_Z01_Main_2001_000_001 - GR_Z01_Main_2001_000_012
  • These quests contain the storyline that forces players through the Stoneborn ruins, the abandoned village, and back to the temple
• The following quests should be REMOVED:
  • GR_Z01_Main_1001_000_022 (Gloomwing's Hunting Grounds)
    • Shakkan sends the player to a dirt mount
  • GR_Z01_Main_1001_000_023 (Nowhere to be Found)
    • The player goes from dirt mound back to Shakkan
• The following NEW sidequests should be added:
  • A sidequest that tasks the player to join a group should be available immediately when logging in

GR2

• The quests following should become sidequests:
  • GR_Z02_Main_3001_000_011 - GR_Z02_Main_5001_000_009
    • This is the questline that sends you to Lt Ismerelda, to the Urgu camp, to Scout Enver, The sage of gloaming, and eventually back to Vatra
  • GR_Z02_MAIN_6001_000_009, GR_Z02_MAIN_6001_000_010
    • These are the quests to kill sun elves and burn the tents
  • GR_Z02_Main_8001_000_000 - GR_Z02_Main_8001_000_007
    • This is the questline that sends you to the Sun Elf camp near the Temple
• The following quests should be REMOVED:
  • GR_Z02_Main_2001_000_001 (Too Many Sun Elves)
    • This is the Sun Elf kill quest near the Temple
  • GR_Z02_Main_2001_000_002 (What Are They Planning?)
    • This is the quest to steal the Sun Elf plans

GR3

• The following should become sidequests:
  • GR_Z03_Main_02001_000_000 - GR_Z03_Main_02001_000_006
    • These are the quests to aid survivors and craft a bandage
  • GR_Z03_Main_03001_000_000 - GR_Z03_Main_06001_000_001
    • These are the quests that center around the Canyon and the Aracoix village
  • GR_Z03_Main_09001_000_000 - GR_Z03_Main_09001_000_005
    • This is the questline that sends you to aid a soldier with arachnophobia
• The following quests should be removed:
  • GR_Z03_Main_01001_000_003 (Thin the Herd)
    • This is the quest to kill Muskhogs
  • GR_Z03_Main_07001_000_001 (To the Heart)
    • This is the quest to kill Enbarri after the outpost capture quest
  • GR_Z03_Main_08001_000_001 and GR Z03_Main_08001_000_003
    • These are the quests to sample the hunger for Gaius and to defeat a hungrified Bog Bear
  • GR_Z03_Main_10001_000_000 and GR_Z03_Main_10001_000_001
    • These are the quests where the player is ambushed by the Enbarri
  • GR_Z03_Main_11001_000_002 - GR_Z03_Main_11001_000_006
    • These are the quests that revolve around Soldier Sanev and Scout Ruenar

GR4 (LowSec)

• The following should become a sidequest:
  • All quests beyond GR_LowSec_Main_3001_000_008 with the exception of GR_LowSec_Main_5001_000_000 - GR_LowSec_Main_5001_000_003
    • These are all quests in GR4 which come after the keep
• We should add the following to the main quest:
  • After the keep quests, a quest should direct you to enter the Shadow Campaign when you are done in God’s Reach

Based upon feedback this has been added to the original post:

Temple

• The following side quests (with repeatable dialog) will be ADDED
  • A side quest to craft an epic mount
  • A side quest about upgrading minor disciplines (which discusses major disciplines as well)
  • A side quest to upgrade a harvesting discipline (if the player has a harvesting discipline)
  • A side quest to upgrade a crafting discipline (if the player has a crafting discipline)
  • A side quest to equip and then upgrade a belt (once the player can equip one one)
  • A side quest to equip and then upgrade a toolkit (once the player can equip one)
  • A side quest to describe the benefits of upgrading buildings in keeps by interacting with the city planner

Thanks for your feedback to the NPE Updates design.  The designers will be going over your feedback and changes made to the existing NPE in the future.