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The terrible old man (Open)
06-23-2010, 08:56 AM,
#1
The terrible old man (Open)
Ask the Rock Guard citizens for rumours.They will tell that two men dissapeared recently,they believe that a strange old man who lives in the outskirts of the town is responsible for this.After finding his house unlock it's door and enter it.Kill the old man to free his hostage.The shocked hostage will say that the old man slayed the other hostage and used his flesh to create some weird potions.Search the house for the potions.Once you found them keep them for yourself or give them to the hostage (he will destroy them) to receive his amulet that brings luck.The old man,the potions,the lock and the % of the luck that the amulet brings are leveled.

Edit by Ibsen's Ghost:
See how this quest turned out here: [Rock Guard Quest] The terrible old man .
True tests never end. :chaos:
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06-23-2010, 09:33 AM,
#2
 
Maybe my twisted mind but this seems too straightforward even for a minor quest.

The strange old man is never the bad guy - it's the normal chap next door.
Either the "terrible old man" needs a back-story to explain why he does what he does - and some form of resolution more complex than just being killed by the player, or better yet: people are jumping to conclusions or deliberately framing him and the real culprit is a charismatic healer - I like the potions idea in that context and there's plenty of nasty diseases planned for Black Marsh to attract snake-oil salesmen.

I think you should give this a bit more thought. No problem with the quest name - just as long as the Terrible Old Man isn't ultimately as terrible as people believe.
Morcroft Darkes
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06-23-2010, 09:51 AM,
#3
 
The idea is that the old man is a mad alchemist who kill people to make alchemy experiments.I can posibly add the part:Sneak to the old man's house watch buying rare alchemy ingridients from black market dealer.You found a few human bones outside of the old man's house.
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06-23-2010, 11:04 AM,
#4
 
Having a straight-forward quest that is very obvious in nature isn't a problem in itself, but looking at the gameplay aspects of this particular quest makes me think that it is much too thin.

In essence, all you're doing is walking to this house, whacking a single dude, and then returning. There's no mystery and there are no gameplay sequences.

Quote:Gameplay sequences. A quest is not a quest without having some of the backbone of western RPGs in it. Dungeon crawling, fighting, exploring, etc. This is the representation of the core part of the particular game's gameplay mechanic. For example, in Mass Effect 2, this is cover-based shooting. In Final Fantasy, it's moving through areas with random encounters. Typically, it's the killing of people and things and as such isn't hard to recognise. Nevertheless, these sequences need to be prepared to make sure that the quest is playable and is not just a story. Gameplay sequences are what separates video games from TV shows and movies. During this stage it's also important to pick the right utilisation of the game's gameplay mechanic. Using Mass Effect 2 as an example again, this is the choice between holding a position, pressing forward with a time limit, large battle in open-field etc. In Oblivion this is the choice between a position being assaulted by mobs, fighting magicians/necromancers/fighters/beasts/etc, in cramped spaces, open spaces, easily traversed spaces or rocky and environmentally dangerous areas, lots of easy enemies, some medium, one very tough enemy and so on and so forth. Anyone who's played Oblivion is aware of the many different types of gameplay that it offers.

From a writing perspective, the quest is much too short and doesn't have enough flesh to serve as a coherent whole on its own. Even though such a quest is realistic from a fantasy setting perspective (oxymoron, I know) it'd serve better as a small part of a larger quest.

Oblivion had a problem with involving quests that never really developed and became interesting. It had too many rinse'n'repeat (or mercenary) quests that didn't really lead anywhere. Black Marsh can really benefit from breaking this pattern, instilling a sense of interest in the player, showing that the continent is full of intrigue that goes deeper than expected.
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06-23-2010, 05:45 PM,
#5
 
True, although I do like the theme. Alchemy is a subject requiring development. It would need to support the potions we currently have at our disposal. Maybe you could use those to draw ideas from, Catlemur? Perhaps start by speculating where some of the potions come from such as root gall (which looks great and should prove to be a quite important potion).

I disagree with morcroft on the point that the 'terrible old man' has to be 'not all that terrible' (although it's a nice idea) but it could draw from the ideas around us. For example, he may have gained rudimentary knowledge of Bhuru magic and is seeking to development his understanding. Perhaps he is an ex-Mage who has refused the rule of not touching things tainted by Bhuru. Therefore, he may be sought by vengeful Shaman or have a contract out on him for the Shadowscales. Perhaps he is intending to sell his 'products' to the 'Trillium Magnata' (ex-slavemasters) so that they can avoid the horrific backlash of Argonian fury...? Perhaps one of his victims can only be cured by going to somewhere like Kangumabog and begging for mercy at the feet of the statue of Eikkai-Ottul...?

How are you at actually implementing quests, Catlemur? Any experience?
Cunning Linguist (Writer and Voice Actor - Lost Spires, St and many, many more.)
Lizard King - Leader of the Black Marsh mod
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06-23-2010, 07:07 PM,
#6
 
Thank you for the comments. My ideas by now are: When you enter the house you fight with 3 disciples of the terrible old man. The hostage tells you that the terrible old man left the house yesterday. He gives you the advice to talk to the Greatest Bhuru Shaman of BM (sorry can not remember his name).

The Shaman believes that the terrible old man uses a forbidden type of Bhuru magic. Then you should go to both Shadowscales and Trillium Magnata and ask for information about the old man.

After visiting the two factions you will find out that the terrible old man is a double agent. Share this information with Shadowscales or Trillium Magnata and they will tell where to find him. To finish this quest you should slay the terrible old man. The reward is a rank rise in one of the factions plus loot.

P.S. I have no quest implementing experience.
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06-23-2010, 08:06 PM,
#7
 
I edited your post a little...the lack of spaces after full-stops was driving me a little nutty.

I think this should be a Shadowscales quest for reasons which I shall explain...

This version is much better but some points need clarifying before it's full strength. One is the Bhuru magic variety itself that the old man is using. For example, through the use of the 'gagroot' herb and 'root gall', it might prove possible to 'ghostwalk' through the spirits of the marsh and thereby uncover secrets swallowed by this ancient land. One drawback might be that it attracts the undead in the real world, causing great risks to nearby towns.

This terrible old man's hunger for knowledge might lead him inadvertently towards Bhuru magic without realising it. I think that if two conditions are met then this quest might be activated: a) that you have already met Anaster Marrowmir and b) that you have found the corpse of a body with strange mushroom or root protuberances from its flesh.

Anaster will inform you of the link with Bhuru magic and will help to identify the culprit. When you find him, the old man has already gained the protection of the Trillium Magnata who would logically show disrespect for marsh traditions. They would represent the most likely 'disciples' as you mention them and their own motivation might lie in aiming to find the 'Achilles Heel' of the Argonians through the old man's methods.

The 'hostage' (the next potential victim of the old man's methods) might inform you that the old man learned what he did from a local shaman. When you visit the shaman, he might be unwilling to speak about Bhuru magic to an outsider especially as he would not like to be seen to be involved in the matter. He may suggest, however, that you speak with the Shadowscales about this as the Shadowscales partly protect Argonian interests.

Through the shaman's word, you might gain audience with the Shadowscales who may issue you the task of killing him and suggesting a likely lair. It should prove possible to script it so that the 'old man' is of the exact same race as the PC. This, combined with what turns out to be good intentions (he may have been doing this in order to find a lost nomadic cult that he was once a part of and who bore their treasured relics with them into the marshes and were never seen again) will constitute the 'blood price' that the Shadowscales require in order to assure them of your loyalty.

In carrying out these orders, you might gain some respect amongst the Shadowscales and begin to work with them.

...out of little acorns, great oaks do grow! =)

P.S. I'd prefer to set this quest in someplace like Chasepoint instead. RockGuard is very small and is already connected with a small quest that drmccoy set up.
Cunning Linguist (Writer and Voice Actor - Lost Spires, St and many, many more.)
Lizard King - Leader of the Black Marsh mod
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06-24-2010, 07:36 PM,
#8
 
Ok.Read the original The terrible old man by H.P.Lovecraft:
http://www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lov...oldman.htm
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06-24-2010, 09:19 PM,
#9
 
Yes, Lovecraft seems to get more and more popular these days...I'd recognised the name from an old short story collection of his. :yes:
Cunning Linguist (Writer and Voice Actor - Lost Spires, St and many, many more.)
Lizard King - Leader of the Black Marsh mod
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08-31-2011, 09:41 PM,
#10
 
Frankly I think that this quest in its original form was a bit bland. I much prefer Ibsen's suggestions, but they actually sound more like something that might be involved in the Main Quest and developed at greater length.

Personally, I think that if a quest is going to be a reference to some other work of fiction, in order to avoid coming across as uninspired it should be either:
(a) Witty and clever, so that it parodies the source material or dramatically subverts it in some way.
(b) Done so subtly that only people who've read the other work will get it. IMHO the vanilla Hackdirt quest is a bad example of this, as its so obviously Lovecraftian than it feels out of place in Tamriel.
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