in-game Exploration/Research system

Lafi

Greetings!
it's just gone midnight for me and i'm very tired but i have a thought i'd love to share.

As the title suggests i've been thinking a bit about some form of exploration/research system, this system would probably fall under the social organisations that we managed to get back at the kickstarter (shout out to my kickstarter homies!) and have no combat impact but simply be a long-term, solo OR guild activity for people to work on.
Let me break down the idea:

A player is running a dungeon, but spots a small gap between some draping vines and decides to check it out. Entering the room they find no treasure chest, but a wall full of ancient paintings and symbols. Players in 'Explorer's Guild' (MY placeholder name for social organisation) would be carrying their research book & quill and would draw these. Assuming social organisations have some form of ranking, higher the rank, the more detail you note down. After the player notes things down they can go about their day and finish the dungeon.

When they next return to 'Explorer's Guild Hall' and talk to the Guild Master and share with him the notes, either the player (for low ranking users of the organisation) recieve a bonus task to essentially research everything and try and learn as much as they can using IN-GAME resources. Talking with local NPCs, finding more locations in Verra that have the same markings, using a library (i recall this being a thing in a specific node type) to try and translate the language etc.

Players would be able to 'submit' their research and would recieve rank points based on how much research they did, though i'd love to also have an accuracy modifier - the closer you are to having in-game understanding of the lore etc. however, i think its a bit much to add into an mmo.

with regards to group research, perhaps players of certain ranks can lead certain sized research teams, for example a level 1 exporer cannot start a team, a level 2 can lead a team of 3 level 1s to assist themselves in research, a level 3 can lead a team of 2 level 2s who can lead their respective 3 level 1s. ETC ETC.

furthermore, though i noted lore as an example, this would most likely be lore that doesn't overstep into the main storyline (im assuming there is a main story questline so don't want to overstep that)!

thanks for reading this,
please let me know your thoughts

Lafi

Nagash

Thats not a bad idea at all

Lafi

Nagash wrote: »

Thats not a bad idea at all

Thanks

Dayuhan

Lafi wrote: »

Greetings!
furthermore, though i noted lore as an example, this would most likely be lore that doesn't overstep into the main storyline (im assuming there is a main story questline so don't want to overstep that)!

thanks for reading this,
please let me know your thoughts

Lafi

From what I have gathered regarding the lore of Verra, players are not going to know a whole lot In-Character (IC) of what actually happened to Verra in the distant past. While Out-Of-Character (OOC) we have access to quite a bit of lore on what happened, we are not sure how much of that lore is actually true history and not just legends and myths that have been built up in the intervening time. So the gathering of lore IC is going to give characters access to pieces of the real story of Verra's past - and whether we are doomed to repeat it if we follow the same path as our distant ancestors.

Lafi

Dayuhan wrote: »

Lafi wrote: »

Greetings!
furthermore, though i noted lore as an example, this would most likely be lore that doesn't overstep into the main storyline (im assuming there is a main story questline so don't want to overstep that)!

thanks for reading this,
please let me know your thoughts

Lafi

From what I have gathered regarding the lore of Verra, players are not going to know a whole lot In-Character (IC) of what actually happened to Verra in the distant past. While Out-Of-Character (OOC) we have access to quite a bit of lore on what happened, we are not sure how much of that lore is actually true history and not just legends and myths that have been built up in the intervening time. So the gathering of lore IC is going to give characters access to pieces of the real story of Verra's past - and whether we are doomed to repeat it if we follow the same path as our distant ancestors.

Thats the sort of thing i wanted to aim for.

darthaden

I wouldn't mind a system like this in place to learn high level upgraded skills either, kinda like Skyrim's Dragon Walls and the Words of Power or maybe end game crafting recipes

Lafi

darthaden wrote: »

I wouldn't mind a system like this in place to learn high level upgraded skills either, kinda like Skyrim's Dragon Walls and the Words of Power or maybe end game crafting recipes

That sounds cool, however for it to be maintained as more a side-line activity i dont think it gating max skills or recipes would work.
Thinking of that, perhaps creating texture variants or effects would be viable?

darthaden

I could see the quest now. You start by finding a hidden passage that unlocks once a node becomes a metropolis. You find a old dusty tome written in a unfamiliar language. You bring the tome back to the scribe skill master in town, He tells you he can't read it but knows someone who can that lives in a far off remote location, You travel to this other scribe who tells you he can read it but needs something in return. You go find whatever it is he asks for and he teaches you a hidden rank of one of your skills depending on you class.

Lafi

darthaden wrote: »

I could see the quest now. You start by finding a hidden passage that unlocks once a node becomes a metropolis. You find a old dusty tome written in a unfamiliar language. You bring the tome back to the scribe skill master in town, He tells you he can't read it but knows someone who can that lives in a far off remote location, You travel to this other scribe who tells you he can read it but needs something in return. You go find whatever it is he asks for and he teaches you a hidden rank of one of your skills depending on you class.

Of course it could work, however it would then become a system everyone that wants to maintain competitiveness would HAVE to do. Which isn't the direction I'd personally want it to go as OP of thread.
The main point is for those that truly explore and delve into areas find lore etc as a reward outside of standard dungeon loot for example.
Rather than being a gate, its a hand rail that's along a path, you dont HAVE to use it, but those that do have a little something thats enjoyable.

Caeryl

I’m on board with your idea OP. As you can see though, it gets a bit hard to pitch non-combat related ideas lol

This would be a really wonderful way to build the world’s lore. Any Explorer’s Guilds around the world would keep logs that could be visited like a museum, tomes of old myth and historical pre-corruption events, statues of ancient leader whose names and deeds are lost (until another explorer finds it once again), murals of fierce battles or perhaps just a place that meant something to the artist.

Any bonuses should be cosmetic, although I can see an argument for a couple non-combat perks attached to certain abilities. A Rogue’s trap-sense including hidden passageways, or a specifically Explorer related ability that allows to record progressively more detailed information from any historical feature you find.

I love exploring, and getting into places I shouldn’t be. It’s not often I see a game that rewards that kind of play with something meaningful, and lore aspects I can keep to myself or share fits the bill.

Lafi

Caeryl wrote: »

I’m on board with your idea OP. As you can see though, it gets a bit hard to pitch non-combat related ideas lol

This would be a really wonderful way to build the world’s lore. Any Explorer’s Guilds around the world would keep logs that could be visited like a museum, tomes of old myth and historical pre-corruption events, statues of ancient leader whose names and deeds are lost (until another explorer finds it once again), murals of fierce battles or perhaps just a place that meant something to the artist.

Any bonuses should be cosmetic, although I can see an argument for a couple non-combat perks attached to certain abilities. A Rogue’s trap-sense including hidden passageways, or a specifically Explorer related ability that allows to record progressively more detailed information from any historical feature you find.

I love exploring, and getting into places I shouldn’t be. It’s not often I see a game that rewards that kind of play with something meaningful, and lore aspects I can keep to myself or share fits the bill.

At the given stage of the game the combat reveal will be huge so its understandable that people like to push towards it.

Lore correlated towards modern, player made server events all the way down to ancient history could all be linked into the system and finding ways to merge them through the study/research side in a library for example sounds like a great bit of puzzle/problem solving on those days you dont feel like slaughtering or gathering!

Wonder if someone from IS is into this sorta thing too
*Wink wink, nudge nudge*