Group Crafting: Contracted Task [Archive] - EQ2 Forum Archive @ EQ2Wire

Meirril

03-07-2010, 07:03 AM

This stems from the idea that maybe group crafting doesn't have to be an instance, but rather a task that needs to be completed in a relatively short amount of time.Think of it as the ultimate rush order.One player starts the big quest. Having the big quest makes you the contractor and starts a timer on the quest. You have an hour to finish the quest.It also gives you 6 subquests (for a total of 7 quests). As long as you have the big quest if you complete any of the other 5 quests you get it again. This means the leader needs to have space for 6 quests in his journal or he can't be a leader for this kind of crafting mission.Sharing the quest also gives you a recipe book that contains all the needed recipes for the job. Recipes not only contain components, but also special devices used to avert disasters and set backs.Each of the subquests either has players making components, or placing components towards completion of a project or preventing a problem from happening.For example, lets just say the big job is a rush order on brewing New Halasian Whiskey for a client who wants 10 casks more than the shipper owns, and they need to be done before the ship finishes loading. Craftsmen work on preparing barrels of mash for brewing. Scholars work on a device to magically distill the Whiskey faster. Outfitters work on making a housing for each barrel and brewing device to contain the presure and heat that is going to build up.As the 3 components are finished someone needs to take the 3 components and assemble them which turns them from an inventory only item into a furniture item that needs to be placed and "activated". Once activated the barrel becomes immobile and a crafting station. Each barrel takes 5 minuites to brew and one of several icons or spell effects can appear over them as they brew (check every 20 seconds to see if an effect happens).While they are brewing, bad things can happen like "fermenting slows" add 30 sec to brew time if not countered in 60 seconds (scholar). "Pressure building" cask explodes in 1 min 30 sec unless countered (outfitter). "Smoking Cask" Cask will catch fire in 30 seconds unless countered (craftsmen). Each counter is using the cask as a tradeskill device to craft the appropriate counter. Not all of these will require a full 4 bars. For instance "Smoking Cask" should probably only need 1 bar since you only have 30 seconds to stop it.You can also do "good" things to casks to either hurry things along or get a better proffit. "Enhance wards" subtracts 30 seconds brewing time (scholar). "Tap Cask" allows players to add 10 seconds to brewing time in exchange for a bottle of New Halasian Whiskey (crafting component)(outfitter). "Artistry" allows player to raise the quality level of the cask (improves final reward from instance) (craftsmen).While recipes are linked to a subtype, any crafter can attempt them. Just you have a larger skill bonus when you stick to your subtype. Each station could have multiple crafters on it. Communication would prevent people from wasting their time trying to counter something that is already being taken care of. Each station should lock out each kind of recipe for 20 seconds after it has been completed to encourage groups of people not to just use the same enhancement over and over.As each barrel is turned in a small payment should be made to the group. This could take the form of a coin purse split amongst group members, or it could be a certain number of tokens split amongst the group that could be spent at special NPC vendor. If this is instanced, I'd encourage that the tokens be made no-zone to up the rewards for truely exceptional results. (i.e. no-zone tokens means that if 10 tokens is an average run, having 20 tokens should reward something much better than twice as much as a 10 token reward)As the barrels are finished the big quest starts ticking off. If the big quest is completed in time, the NPC quest giver will congratulate everybody on a job well done and leave the "big quest" reward chest. If the token system is used, a large amount of tokens could be used as the big reward with quality boosts adding to the token rewards directly. Also time should factor in with a larger reward given for ever minuite left on the clock. If tokens arn't used then there should be 6 "rolls" for loot. Quality factor of each component (barrel) should affect 1 roll each. Then a 7th roll for a coin purse affected by the total quality level. I've talked about the rewards themselves in a different post.As a final clean up, each person should loose the quest when they arn't in a group with someone that has the "big quest". They should loose the recipes, materials and finished components as soon as they zone. i.e. All the barrel parts are no-zone. Finally each character should receive an individual lock out on the "big quest". Once you perform one, you can't take the same one again for 48 hours. So a group of 6 could do the same quest 6 times, once per character for every 2 days. As part of the reward process the NPC could call the entire group of crafters into "his office" which is a reward only zone so as to prevent people from stockpilling components for the next round if this was done as a "non-instance" quest. If this was an instanced quest then you should be able to get the quest in the instance to give people a chance to finish loading in before starting, and the NPC doesn't offer the quest again until you leave and return to a new instance.The timer is really imporant. Without it people would be encourage to solo the quest instead of sharing the reward with multiple crafters. Also the rewards can be improved over current design because you need group interaction to complete the objective in time. Even as players continue to level, these missions won't actually become easier due to the nature of the crafting mini-game.I hope this was worth the wait.