One of the reasons that I grieve the premature loss of Ultima X Odyssey was that the devs had some truly intriguing ideas of how to incorporate choices into players’ quests — choices that would have consequences. That’s right: Years before SWTOR, Ultima X was already rife with nail-biting choices.
“Questing in most online RPGs unfortunately involves sending you on countless errands, requiring you to run for 10 to 15 minutes (sometimes more!) at time,” lamented Lead Designer Jon Hanna back in 2004. “Nothing ever happens during these quests. There are no surprises, no decisions, and no opportunities for role-playing.”
How could modern MMO quests become more than they are in respect to player decisions? How would you like choice and consequence to play out in your games?
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
