The Best Quest Contest

[ImplementorX]

You know how we keep giving you beautifully written quests that are going to be winning a Nobel Prize for literature any day now? (Hell, I’d be happy with an IgNobel Prize…)Well, I’m sure that you’ve been reading through them and occasionally thought "Hmm, these hack job quests are filled with spelling mistakes and bad jokes! I could do better than this, any day of the week." Oh yeah? Well, here’s your chance to show me how it’s done, with our very own Do-It-Yourself Adventure competition! Yep, you can now write your very own quests, and if they’re good enough, we’ll put them in the game! Here’s how it works:

You write a quest, full of hilarity of cunning, and submit it to us. We look at all the entries, pick a winner (and a runner up) and then put them in the game, showcasing your work to tens of thousands of other players. The winner also gets forty delicious coconuts for their trouble, with the runner up getting twenty. (Disclaimer: We’re all too aware of the possibility that we’re sitting on an untapped pool of magnificent talent, so if there are more entries that are just too awesome to not put in, we may be tempted to give out additional prizes of ten coconuts per amazing quest). Sounds simple, huh? Well, just to complicate it a little, here are some rules that you’ll have to follow so we can easily fit the quests into the existing quest template:

1) The Quest can have as many or as few stages as you want, but try to keep it to a reasonable length. A two stage quest is going to have to be incredibly well written to win, while quests of epic length can drag on a little. Trust me, one TGU is enough.

2) The Quest must begin and end at a base.

3) The following are the terms used in writing a quest:

a) Event Text: a text which appears instantly when you visit a specified base. The first and last texts in the quest MUST be event texts, or our code catches fire and explodes.

b) Discovery Text: a text which appears when you’re exploring at a location. You discover this text rather than encountering a monster. Each stage has one discovery text. Comes with gold idol icon and green tick.

c) Close Call: A text that appears when you’re exploring in the right area, but haven’t found what you’re looking for yet. Each stage has 3 close call texts. Comes with gold icon and question mark.

d) Lost Text: A text that appears when you’re exploring in the wrong area. Should include subtle clues that point you in the right direction. Each stage has 3 Lost texts. Comes with gold icon and red X.

e) Letter: A message delivered by the in-game messaging system (as in TGU).

Note: In this case Close Call and Lost Texts are optional. It’s better if you include them, but if you don’t we can use some stock texts or write some for the quest. Letters are also entirely optional.

4) A standard quest should have this structure: Stage 1 (Event Text, 3xLost, 3x Close Call, Discovery), Stage 2 (3xLost, 3x Close Call, Discovery), Stage 3 (3xLost, 3x Close Call, Discovery), Stage 4 (3xLost, 3x Close Call, Discovery, Event Text), but altered to however many stages you think is appropriate. You can have Letters delivered at the beginning of any stage, if you choose to.

5) Obviously, the quest should try and hit that Zorky humour, and should fit as well as possible with the style of the quests that are already up there. We don’t want to restrict your own creativity, but at the same time the quests do need to fit smoothly into the game, so try and strike a balance between your own style and that of Zork.

6) We reserve the right to edit any quest that we’re going to put into the game. This is mostly so we can fix any spelling mistakes or typos that slip in there, but if there are major changes that need to be made to any quests then we will try to make them in consultation with the author.

7) Obviously, Zork is a game open to all ages, so please keep it clean and suitable.

8) Please bear in mind where is and isn’t a suitable location for your quest. If you’re writing a quest for level 40 players and have them exploring in the Dark Forest, don’t expect them to be happy about it (although if your narrative demands it, you may get away with it, but keep it to a minimum).

9) Puzzles of varying degrees of cunning are not required, but are encouraged. However, what seems a perfectly logical way of solving a puzzle for you might seem insane to another person, so if you are including puzzles in your quest, please have a section at the end of your document briefly explaining the solution to the puzzle.

10) Bear in mind that people from all over the world will be reading this, so try and avoid references or puzzle solutions that depend on an intimate knowledge of baseball, Cornish Pasties, the Paris Metro, or something else that’s particular to a specific nation or region.

Trust me, these rules are important. Each one of them has been forged in the fires of some horrible mistake that we’ve made before, and we’re keen to learn from those experiences.

Quest writing is a complex business, so there will be thread set up on the forums to answer any and all questions (related to the competition. We won’t be doing life, the universe and everything style questions). Please send all entries to breagmor@gmail.com, and direct enquiries to this thread in the forums.

Closing date is 9th of November, so get scribbling!

Looking forward to reading your submissions.

[AJack]

Hi IX,

Could you possibly post some examples of the Lost and Close Call texts? I'd like to get a feel for the style/length before I write my own, and having completed all the existing quests I have no other way to read them.

- Paul

[Rkngl]

are we also to give an example of the reward we think would fit with the quest we make?

[John W. Kennedy]

Yes, the nature of the reward is going to fit in with the final (at least) text, so we need to know about this.

[AJack]

Yes, the nature of the reward is going to fit in with the final (at least) text, so we need to know about this.

Hmm, I've actually written the reward into my opening text...

- Paul

[ImplementorX]

Close Call and Lost texts can range from very short to a pretty lengthly paragraph. Mostly they're just there to give people a quick clue as to where they're going, rather than making some large plot point, but it's up to you how you use them. Below are the Lost and Close Call texts from stage 2 of the Level 60 Quest (which I hope I'm not spoiling for anyone by posting these )

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Lost Text 1:

You lift the lid on the container and find, yet again, a huge pile of poker chips. Jeez, what's going on? You feel like you've opened every vat in this poker-chip factory, and still no sign of any wizards. Maybe you're going about this the wrong way? What else could poker chips be used for...


Lost text 2:

Okay, you've checked all the safe gambling spots in this area and there's still no sign of the Drunk's wizard... Where else could people go where they'd be able to gamble? Somewhere a little more dangerous, maybe...


Lost Text 3:

"So, you have no idea where we're going, do you?" asks the kobold.
"Of course I do, we're... eh... off to see the wizard..." you reply.
"And where is he?"
"He's... eh... Hey, what's that?"
The lucksucker looks up from the card he was playing with. "This? Oh, it's nothing, just some card that I found outside the wizard's house."

You walk over and look at it. "Port Foozle Casino," you read, "now catering for groups (slight monster infestation an issue). " Why didn't you say something about this earlier?!"
"I didn't have a good feeling about it, so I just kept quiet when I found it."

Restraining the urge to punch him in the face, you turn to the others. "Okay, now I know where we're going..."


Close Call Text 1:

You stalk through the Casino, around broken roulette wheels, scattered dice and skeletons in bunny costumes wearing badges which read "Playboy Manager: The New Game from Jolt!". You're not sure which is worse, the unbridled hedonism that used to run rife here, or the fact that right now you're being stalked by several things that want to rip your face off.
Regardless of what went on before, something's definitely up now. There are fresh tracks in the dust. Looks like you're getting closer...


Close Call Text 2:

Port Foozle Casino is known for many things, in your experience. Foremost amongst them, it's known as a place where anyone, from the lowest of the low to princes in disguise and Frobozz business executives, can let their hair down, have a couple of drinks and lost all their money in games of double fanucci, zoggletogs or (if you come on the right now) a game of strip fire-water-grue. More recently it's become known as a place where you can be killed by any number of monsters, but what it's not known for is being a place where you would go around wearing brightly coloured party hats, which is exactly what you've found lying on the floor.
Bending down to examine it, you notice that the colours are shifting and dancing across the cheap paper shape. Obviously spruced up with a little magic. There must be some wizards around here somewhere!


Close Call Text 3:

"Wait!"
You all pull up short, bumping into each other as the Kobold holds up his hand.
"I think there's something..." he mutters, sniffing the air with his eyes squeezed shut. "It's close..."
"Really? Do you think it's-" you begin.
"Wizards!" He declares. "Somewhere nearby... a group of them..."
"Maybe if you-"
"I smell at least four of them, somewhere to the east..." He opens his eyes triumphantly, before jumping backwards when he notices the five bemused looking wizards standing in front of him.
"Yes," you murmur, "I did try to mention them..."

Before you can turn back to the wizards standing in front of you they vanish in a puff of smoke.
"Damn it!" You swear. But at least you know they're around somewhere...

[Afgncaap5]

Hmm. If we *are* allowed to make our own rewards...perhaps we could get a new weapon of some sort into the game. After all, two of the current quests give armor and a weapon respectively.

[ImplementorX]

Hmm. If we *are* allowed to make our own rewards...perhaps we could get a new weapon of some sort into the game. After all, two of the current quests give armor and a weapon respectively.

Just to be clear, you're allowed suggest your own rewards, but they're all subject to review and rebalancing, if required.

[Afgncaap5]

Oh, I expected that. It wouldn't do to have an otherwise excellent quest ending with the presentation of a +10000 AR crossbow that's enchanted to give +2000 DR.

[lordskylark]

Some of that quest text for the "close call" and "lost" events are interesting (and humorous). I wish I had known about all of those. Is there anyway that in the future all of those could be somehow added to the character's quest section once the specific quest is completed (or posted elsewhere)? Otherwise there's not a way I can go back a read them.

[ImplementorX]

Some of that quest text for the "close call" and "lost" events are interesting (and humorous). I wish I had known about all of those. Is there anyway that in the future all of those could be somehow added to the character's quest section once the specific quest is completed (or posted elsewhere)? Otherwise there's not a way I can go back a read them.

I'm not sure easy or difficult that would be to implement, and given how much the devs have on their plate right now it may or may not be practical, but it's certainly an option. Alternatively we could make a thread somewhere and just post them on the forums, but then we'd run the risk of spoiling it for people who are in the middle of them, so that's not realy ideal either. However, getting the various Lost and Close Call texts up there is certainly something to look at in the future.

[nerb]

What level is the quest aimed at, easy (low), hard (high) etc.

And would a new quest in a lower area not be a pain for higher level adventurers? Also, how would high level adventurers know there was a (were) new quest(s), especially if they don't visit the lower levels?

I recogn you need LOADS of new quests myself.

They are great but not enough of them at present and the great thing is you still get to adventure as normal with all the benefits of finding cards and hauling booty and items along the way.

Why not have 1 per level....fun, fun, fun.

I'd love to write a quest or two but feel some clarification is needed regarding how hard/long/easy/short it should be.

Cheers..nerb

[ImplementorX]

The quests can be aimed at whatever level you feel is appropriate, it can be for high level players or low level players as we do need quests in all areas of the game. Generally quests have been added at levels spaced five apart (levels 5, 10, 15, 20, 40, 50, 60) so try and keep that pattern and don't aim it at level 37 (unless you have some really good reason to do so). Obviously, don't write a quest for any level that's already been covered.

And yes, I appriciate that the higher level players do not enjoy exploring low level areas, but I'm sure other players enjoy it even less when we add quests for high level players that anyone under 50 or 60 can't play at all. The game must have a sense of balance, so sometimes that means adding quests for one group of players at the expense of the others, the best thing we can do is to try and spread the quest distribution evenly and be as fair as we can to everyone.

High level players are alerted to new quests through the quest section in their base, they don't need to go to the low level areas to discover them.

The quest can be as long or as short as you like, but most of them are around 5 stages long (ie. you begin the quest, have to discover five things, be they items or whatever, and then end it) so if you want a ballpark number, you can aim for five. Not to say that a two stage quest won't be considered if it's very well written, or an epic 28 stage quest, but they will have to be really good.

Hope that helped?

[AJack]

Well, my Quest is in the mail. Best of luck all

- Paul

[Doctor Shawn McIrken]

...or an epic 28 stage quest...

You sure that's not already in the works, X?