Hand-holding or initiative?, The style of a your quests Options

[Lena Wolf]

Now that I've released a large quest mod (TWMP Skyrim Alive) with several quest lines, I am getting questions from users who get stuck, and not because of bugs. This got me thinking back to all the various games that I played and how they handle quests and quest lines, how much hand-holding they provided and what I found fun and what not so much. Given that most people on this forum have already played a game or two I thought we could discuss this.

I'll start with a comparison of Morrowind TES3 and Oblivion TES4. In Morrowind you start on a ship, arrive in a strange land, get a package to deliver fully expecting to be thrust into the thick of things... and what does Caius tell you? "You're no good to me at level 1, go off, do stuff, come back when you're stronger." Huh? In Oblivion on the other hand, you do get thrust into the thick of things straight away, and with great urgency - just like in most other games I played.

The first time when I played Morrowind, I got discouraged and confused. What do you mean - go off and do stuff? What am I supposed to do..? But now, so many years, games and playthroughs later, I absolutely love this approach. And it continues like this throughout - Caius never puts any urgency onto his requests, he's a typical fellow who speaks softly and carries a large stick. And with that we arrive at the topic of quest markers, etc.

But it's over to you now. What approach to quests do you like or dislike? Do you like it structured or do you prefer to be told to go off and do stuff?

[Renee]

Ah! What an apt discussion you have brought up!

Funny thing is, during my earliest days of Oblivion (my first Elder Scrolls) I remember just being blown away by the world, all its NPCs, the fact that NPCs actually went different places, all over the world sometimes. Particularly, I remember following Thoronir around during the Market quest. Was amazed he went from his shop into different parts of the I.C. After years of console games in which NPCs mostly stand around, (unless they attack) I was thoroughly amazed that so many people could simply live actual lives, etc..

As Thoronir walked all around the city I have a vague memory of the Quest Arrow changing from red to blue to green. At the time I had no idea what this meant; I was too impatient to read the game manual. Once I understood what was happening, over time Quest Arrows began to bother me. Eventually (as many of you know) I began putting electrical tape over the compass, directly on the TV screen. Because wasn't I supposed to be the one figuring out all this stuff, while roleplaying my character is the one actually doing so?

But it's over to you now. What approach to quests do you like or dislike? Do you like it structured or do you prefer to be told to go off and do stuff?

So yes, I prefer Initiative.

As for your mod, I am saying: do not compromise. As Bethesda themselves well know, you cannot please everybody. And adding Markers in to appease those who are disappointed might cause issues, not to mention a ton of extra work.... and there would still be some folks who are not pleased.

One solution could be to write up a Walkthrough/Cheats guide for those who want it. I can see you've already considered this, as well. This is the lesser evil, in my opinion, and it seems you don't wish to do this (which is fine.. it's your work after all). But one thing you do NOT wanna do, again my opinion, is compromise all the way to Quest Markers. Because doing so could affect your Reputation. I like that you've chosen to go for a Reputation for mod-making which is Challenging. Don't bend to the lazier folks' wishes, is what I say. Over time, those who appreciate challenge will be attracted to your ideals.

Thank you. *sits down*