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Why do people need a quest to motivate them to kill things?

SilacoidSilacoid Member UncommonPosts: 237

Why do people insist that MMOs have to have endless amounts of quests to force players to kill xyz mob.  FF takes a different path.  The quests don't offer an xp reward in this game, so the complaint that there aren't enough of them is bogus.  You can invoke your guardian, but that is SE's version of rested xp and you can use all of it up with the current system.

 

My question is why can't people be happy killing stuff without quests?  You'll find in FFXIV that you level quite quick if you just kill things.

 

Is the reliance on quests a result of WoW?  Keep in mind Everquest, one of the most successful MMOs of all time had a quest system that was terrible, yet people still managed to kill things and have fun.

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Comments

  • AshlarAshlar Member Posts: 54

    I haven't played the game, but I have been following some of the threads regarding it.  Most people can't think for themselves.  I really can't stand questing in a game so I usually just grind mobs, and do the occasional quest for a specific item that I want.  I never have understood how it can be boring and no content to just go out and kill bears, but yet when x npc says I need 10 bear hearts (that don't drop off every bear so you have to kill 3-4 times that many) makes killing the bears fun. 

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  • XzenXzen Member UncommonPosts: 2,607

    Crafters also need the materials and crystals you get from killing things. This means you can make a trade/living as a "hunter" if thats what you like to do. I also think the fact that this game is a little bit "sandboxish" might be throwing people off.

  • Zookz1Zookz1 Member Posts: 629

    So basically you're telling us we should go do the Korean grind? Thanks, but I'll have to pass.

  • rodingorodingo Member RarePosts: 2,870

    Some people like to do quests becuase of the gear/item rewards the quest offers upon completion.  Basically a type of alternative to crafting your gear or finding it with blind luck in the form of a drop.  Also, there are some people who actually like the story that is written with the quest.

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  • KilmarKilmar Member UncommonPosts: 844

    Two things:

    Without quests, people would kill the same monsters all of the time, because moving to another spot costs time (and xp). Look at EQ1 as example. With quests, people are motivated to change their killspots.

    Second thing is simple, every quest gives a reward, so you get little rewards all of the time while playing. This makes the player happy.

    An important thing for me is the story telling through quests, but I know, that at max. 0.0001% of the players really read the textes *g*

  • mmoguy43mmoguy43 Member UncommonPosts: 2,770

    I don't know, I don't have to have a quest to kill things. Maybe its because they aren't used to setting their own goals and rely on the game telling them what to do? Or maybe simply killing mobs feels meaningless and endless? Is it that the quest gives the mobs a reason to be there or that the game world gives them the reason to be there?

  • jrs77jrs77 Member Posts: 419

    People get hampered more and more in the modern times and so they loose the ability to set goals on their own. They usually get told by others what to do and this doesn't only applies to MMOs or games in general but for everything in their life.

    It's a new generation these days and now they're old enough to play games and complain about it, when there's no babysitter around.

  • WiezardWiezard Member Posts: 158

    Its funny how same people on this website who despise asian grinder for their mob grinding method of gameplay are ok with FFXIV because its Final Fantasy. once you are done with your daily battle leves what else is there to do if you don't like crafting? yes grind mobs just like you do in F2P asian games. After killing 1000 marmots and warf rats i gave up.

  • SovrathSovrath Member LegendaryPosts: 32,780

    Originally posted by Ashlar

    I haven't played the game, but I have been following some of the threads regarding it.  Most people can't think for themselves.  I really can't stand questing in a game so I usually just grind mobs, and do the occasional quest for a specific item that I want.  I never have understood how it can be boring and no content to just go out and kill bears, but yet when x npc says I need 10 bear hearts (that don't drop off every bear so you have to kill 3-4 times that many) makes killing the bears fun. 

    Peole are making more of the whole quest/not quest thing than they should.

    it's good and bad on both sides.

    I played Lineage 2 for over 4 years and one really didn't "quest". One essentially went to a field or dungeon and camped the area for as long as they could. This was alternately fun and not fun on any given day.

    when wow first came out and I actually had quests to do it felt like a breath of fresh air as there was more of a reason to be doing what you were doing. one could go to a field and know that blah blah vanished somewhere and you had to find her/him.

    One could then use their time to kill the "x number of y's" until they found them and then make extend the reason to stay there and grind.

    The problem then comes when people grab quests without reading, do them, run back grab more, etc. When played in that way, the whole process just becomes tedious.

    Yet, going to a field and killing monster after mosnter, without the right mindset, can also be tedious.

    Essentially players are doing this to themselves on a certain level.

    One doesn't have to grab quest after quest without reading them and just run back and forth. Most of my LOTRO leveling is done by grabbing a few quest, heading to the areas, doing them and staying because the monsters there "needed a killin'"

    Conversely, one doesn't just have to log on, go to a field and grind one after the other if the mood doesn't strike them. One could make up their own reason to be there or just head out across an area and see how long you can go before you get killed.

    Again, I do this in lotro where there is a dangerous area, I take one quest and head across that area. Eventually I find something that is named and try it and I may or may not be successful.

    These games in some ways are what we make them. if we don't bring something to the table ourselves then in a certain fashion we fail our own "good time".

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  • Zookz1Zookz1 Member Posts: 629

    Originally posted by mmoguy43

    I don't know, I don't have to have a quest to kill things. Maybe its because they aren't used to setting their own goals and rely on the game telling them what to do? Or maybe simply killing mobs feels meaningless and endless? is it that the quest gives the mobs a reason there or that the game world gives them the reason to be there?

     

    For me, it's because having a bit of story to go along with the slaying of 9000 marmots is more interesting than mindlessly slaying fields of mobs. Everybody has the same goals in FFXIV because there isn't much to do. You want to level X jobs to Y level. You want to level X craft to Y level and make a shiny hat. So now that I have goals and am self-motivated I should go endlessly kill the same mobs in the same spot? I'm sorry, but it just isn't fun in any way to mindlessly grind.

  • XzenXzen Member UncommonPosts: 2,607

    How about killing squirls for their pelts and hipogirfs and rators for their sinew because they sell for a good price to leatherworkers?

  • JonolinbJonolinb Member Posts: 66

    People respond to better incentives. It's basic human nature. It's a simple assumption made in every social science.

     

    People are going to play a game that rewards them the most effectively. 

  • RyukanRyukan Member UncommonPosts: 857

    A) Quests usually provide extra incentive in the way of quest rewards and quest xp.

    B) I prefer even the pretense of doing something for NPC's ingame even if it just glossing over.

    C) At least with quests there is a little to show that the devs put more thought into it than just the "there be mobs, go kill them" mentality of grinding.

    For these reasons I find quests far more preferable over grinding, which is just lazy mode for devs to not have to put much thought into it. If they are going to just have a straight up grind with no quests really, they should just put you in a room with respawning mobs.

  • yoyoyoblakayoyoyoblaka Member Posts: 199

    My question to you is, why do you care WHY people want quests?

    If a game has quests, you DON'T HAVE TO DO THEM!

    - you can easy go through a game like WoW and grind mobs to max level. I REPEAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO QUEST!!!!

     

    but you know what? for most of us it is nice to have the option. IMO not putting quests in a game is just lazy and a means of saving developers time and money. There is a reason why so many people play WoW, it's because it has so many freaking options. You want quests? got em, you wanna grind? go ahead, you wanna grind in a group? sure go into instances. open pvp, competitive pvp etc etc smoothest mmo game to date? check. 

     

    Mind you I haven't played WoW for over a year after having played for 5 years. Sure when I quit I was bitter, but hell after you play a bunch of other mmo's on the market it makes you appreciate how much fun you had in the game. 

    - Mind you I generalize with WoW since it seems it's the only game people love to hate regardless. 

    There are a lot of games out there that make you mindlessly grind for levels, and i'm sure people like that. After playing lineage for over a year, I realized if I have to do something else to entertain myself while playing a video WHY THE FUCK am I paying for it? I'd often grind cruma tower in lineage while watching tv/movies/surfing the internet. 

    Anyways i'll end my rant in hopes that the number of fanboi/hater posts of this game slow down. Cause seriously? Who gives a fuck about final fantasy 14?

  • NesrieNesrie Member Posts: 648

    EQ 1 had quests, but you didn't need them or sometimes want them. It was easier and a lot more fun to camp certain dungeons. FFXIV doesn't even have that. You want to simplify the quest problem here by blaming it on motivation aka its not the game it's the players... you're missing how deep the questing issue is with this game.

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  • spankybusspankybus Member UncommonPosts: 1,367

    People who go out and kill to save a village are Heroic!

     

    People who go out and kill for no reason are Psychotic!

     

    That's why!

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  • Zookz1Zookz1 Member Posts: 629

    Originally posted by Xzen

    How about killing squirls for their pelts and hipogirfs and rators for their sinew because they sell for a good price to leatherworkers?

     

    If it involves doing nothing but going into the field and killing tons of mobs I simply won't do it. With a group I can stand it for a few hours at most. I have better things to do with my time than subject myself to invasive ever-present grind to, in your example, make some virtual money. If it's not fun, I simply stop doing it.

  • FalcomithFalcomith Member UncommonPosts: 831

    "Why do we need quests to kill things?"

     

    Because to just be going around killing things serves no purpose. There should be a reason. A purpose. Its whats drives your character and the reason why he/she does the things. Character development. Promotes immersion into a story. 

  • XzenXzen Member UncommonPosts: 2,607

    I don't think puttiing in quests would hurt and would at least point people in a good direction to go skill grind and get mats to sell. I They should keep rewards limited to gil though. Gear rewards and drops have ruined in game economies for years. It's about time that stoped.

  • XzenXzen Member UncommonPosts: 2,607

    Originally posted by Falcomith

    "Why do we need quests to kill things?"

     

    Because to just be going around killing things serves no purpose. There should be a reason. A purpose. Its whats drives your character and the reason why he/she does the things. Character development. Promotes immersion into a story. 

    If you are on Mysidia go kill me some squirrls/wolves/hipogrifs and bring me their pelts/sinews and any crystals/shards they might drop. We will pay you decent gil with wich you can buy good gear.

  • RzepRzep Member UncommonPosts: 767

    Quests give motivation and direction to gameplay. Thats one very simple answer. The other simple answer is killing stuff in an mmo is not interesting by itself becouse the battle system in just about every mmo is simply boring. Anyway asking why people dont just kill stuff without a quest telling them to do so is like asking why have a whole campaign or intricate maps in an fps when you could give someone a gun and an army of bots without all that effort.

  • adam_noxadam_nox Member UncommonPosts: 2,148

    If you have to ask, you'll never know.

     

    For a more serious answer. They don't.  But there does have to be a non-repetitive element.  Loot, quests, trophies, whatever.  Some other goal that keeps it interesting.  And the combat and gameplay involved must be enjoyable. Some games can rest on one of these 2 merits alone, but the combat in ff14 is ancient and boring, and there's little other incentive that prevents boredom.

     

    As for questing in general, it shouldn't be about killing things all the time.  Quests should involve a plot, interacting with characters, solving mysteries, exploring areas, etc.  MMOs mostly fail at this so far, but maybe someday.

  • GrayGhost79GrayGhost79 Member UncommonPosts: 4,775

    Originally posted by Zookz1

    So basically you're telling us we should go do the Korean grind? Thanks, but I'll have to pass.

    Dang, I never knew UO was made in Korea.... I guess I didn't really know it was a grind either. Can't believe I was fooled for a little over a decade.

  • FalcomithFalcomith Member UncommonPosts: 831

    Originally posted by Xzen

    Originally posted by Falcomith

    "Why do we need quests to kill things?"

     

    Because to just be going around killing things serves no purpose. There should be a reason. A purpose. Its whats drives your character and the reason why he/she does the things. Character development. Promotes immersion into a story. 

    If you are on Mysidia go kill me some squirrls/wolves/hipogrifs and bring me their pelts/sinews and any crystals/shards they might drop. We will pay you decent gil with wich you can buy good gear.

    That would work if you wanted to develop your story into revolving around a hired hand or a trader. Player made quests have been done in communities before and works great if you can get participation. Sometimes they are better then what the developers have put into there questing system.

  • Zookz1Zookz1 Member Posts: 629

    Originally posted by GrayGhost79

    Originally posted by Zookz1

    So basically you're telling us we should go do the Korean grind? Thanks, but I'll have to pass.

    Dang, I never knew UO was made in Korea.... I guess I didn't really know it was a grind either. Can't believe I was fooled for a little over a decade.

     

    Maybe you enjoy mindlessly killing monsters, but I don't. There's really nothing you're going to say to change my mind. If you want to spend your playtime slaying rats and puks and moles then go for it, but it's just not fun for me anymore.

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