Quest "modes"

[TheImpossibleDream]

A lot of people have been talking about upping quest levels and I thought something along these lines MIGHT be a solution:

Several popular quests get a separate mode, that gives you a different quest for the same QA with totally different spawn sets. Let's take for example orcs, you get an ooc dialog option that allows you to take the regular version of the quest and the level range is listed (4-9, or whatever it currently is) then theres an option for a more difficult variant with the level range of 6-12.

If you choose the hard mode it notifies you that the quest is going to be exceptionally difficult, the experience reward after the original quests max level will be minimal(or zero would be fine) and that the loot will remain unchanged from the normal version.

The harder versions of the quest would feature alot more powerful waves of mobs that I fear to even suggest! Chosen of Gaathmar(sp?), shar'gath adepts and that sort of thing!

Anyway something like this will probably never be implemented, but I thought I'd put it out there as a possible solution to the demand for shorter, fun, higher level quests that higher level pc's can do with their lower level minions in under an 1.5 hours.

[Snoteye]

People seem to be missing the point that it's largely by design we generally don't extend level ranges to beyond 10.

[Kotenku]

What I would like to see in 'Quest Modes', would work out like this:

The Normal Modes would be perhaps slightly easier than they are now. Enough to give the mechanically uninclined a fun challenge.  They will grant experience as normal, and modest material rewards. Monsters would be generally the grunts, with special monsters less frequent.

Heroic quests (to borrow WoW parlance) would be punishingly difficult. They would have no defined level range. Anyone at all can go on this quest.  However: Monsters grant NO experience. There will be no experience at all. Item rewards will be bountiful, and very well more than fairly rewarding.
Monsters will have punishingly intelligent AI, the quests will have significantly more powerful monsters - (perhaps this can implemented by area-wide Ability score adjustments, rather than seperate blueprints for all monsters?) - large supplies of (droppable) potions on each of them, which they are programmed to take advantage of.

 Let Heroic quest-modes be where the world-builders play with the most creative monsters.
Let Heroics give rise to new tactics. Create a need for Wizards to choose alternate spells. Give them a use for Grease, where in the Heroic Wolf-farm, the wolves have an increased movement speed, and use whatever AI it is that Flayer Stargazers have.

Heroics are where the monsters who use Cloud of Bewilderment belong. Especially because it gives Wizards a cause to bring Gust of Wind.

Let the implementation of Heroics create a two-tiered style of play. Normal mode for the players who just want to get a decent level so they can pursue plot goals, and Heroic Mode for the Players who have PCs who are truly combat oriented.

It would give rise to new proving grounds for characters who WANT to deliberately seek out the greatest possible challenge to their abilities.  
Adventuring Troupes, Mercenary companies, military organizations -  Heroic mode quests would give these types of groups a goal to work toward when they don't have the attention or interest of DMs. To be the first groups to take on X quest's Heroic Mode and succeed. Because the point of Heroic Mode isn't to be balanced for even the low-end groups. The point is for it to be only attempted by the optimum group, with players of skill. For the players who want a creative, thought-provoking challenge.

Deaths on Heroic mode should be common while groups learn new tactics. While they realize that the wizard shouldn't necessarily take 2 bull's strengths and 2 endurances for the frontline, on a quest, and instead they should bring a full stock of Ultravisions, because the quest which is normally a horde of slow walking zombies is now, in Heroic Mode, a series of tight clusters of Shadow Assassins, who fill entire rooms with Darkness, and Sneak Attack relentlessly.

Ideally, the group won't feel so frustrated by total party wipes on Heroic Mode, because with the partial nerfing of Normal Mode, the experience will be more easily regained for them, creating an actually enjoyable progression.

The more I write about Heroic Mode in quests, the more I feel that it is a solution to pretty much every single problem currently pervading the concept of PW Story Scripted Questing.

I know there is probably a concern about how it might be hard to justify an Heroic mode IC for some quests. I would suggest that if it isn't possible to justify a seperate difficulty mode for a quest, then don't.  Either include the Heroic Mode, or don't.

Neverwinter Nights is a GAME. EfU:A is a GAME. It should be fun, not 100% realistic. Efforts to utterly eliminate OOCness from a PW Story range from the pointless to the detrimental. It is okay that we are playing a game, and not an accurate simulation of medieval life.

Games are more fun anyway.

[Egon the Monkey]

It might lead to OOC arguments within groups as to what version they are doing. Adding the option to any quest as Kontenku suggests could mean that there would be a huge amount of supply spam going on, and less opportunity for lower level PCs to go along on a quest for the XP if everyone does half their quests on hardmode.

That said though, two different versions of the quests with varied level ranges would be cool. I could imagine say the Hard Mode for several quests could be used to add more mid-level quests by "recycling" the early ones. I really like some of the lowbie quests, and optional 3-7 versions of Wolves or Scalemount with Werewolves, Kobold siege engines etc would be sweet.

[Random_White_Guy]

If Orcs pt 1 is too easy for your group and you don't feel heroic enough, go for Orcs 2, I'd say.

There are a good deal of quests that are never done for being "Too Hard" as it is I believe.

That there, sounds like Heroic Mode.

Also consider the fact there's always Underdark Quests!

That'd probably be Very Hard mode

[Anonymous Bosch]

Splitting up the player base OOCly into softcore and hardcore isn't, IMO, what this server is about.
Right now there are hard quests and easy quests, which anyone can ICly choose to do or not.

[SN]

I was under the impression that this is a low level, low magic, RP server.

[TheImpossibleDream]

If Orcs pt 1 is too easy for your group and you don't feel heroic enough, go for Orcs 2, I'd say.

There are a good deal of quests that are never done for being "Too Hard" as it is I believe.

That there, sounds like Heroic Mode.

Also consider the fact there's always Underdark Quests!

That'd probably be Very Hard mode

Ah, I was told that the quests weren't being done because they took two to three hours worth of time investment!

And in response to starlessnight, your comment has absolutely nothing to do with this topic what so ever!

[Mort]

It does, in a way.

But doing different quest paths is just as long as doing new quests.