Should quest choices have significant consequences ?

vsrs_au · November 2022

[ Mods: please don't move this into the 'Quests...' sub-forum. This topic is about quests in general, while all the topics under that category are for specific quests, so this thread would have poorer visibility in that sub-forum. ]

There are (in my opinion, anyway) not enough quests in ESO with significant consequences for their choice points. At the moment, I can only recall one, which is the final choice in the main Mages' Guild quest series, but there are probably some others. I'd prefer that quest choices have major consequences, e.g. very different rewards and/or consequent attitudes towards your character by the NPCs, and perhaps even affecting subsequent quests.

One possible variant of a choice, by the way, is the time-limited choice, i.e. you have to do something in a quest in a certain in-game time limit, and whether you do this or not affects how the quest subsequently proceeds.

NOTE: this isn't the same poll as in this previous thread, which asks whether quests should have more choices:
https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/comment/7756749

opalcity · November 2022

It would be nice if they did, which is why I chose yes. But I've no idea how they could implement it into an MMO.

How would it work with groups? You'd have to make sure you chose the same responses or you'd get split into different instances?

Also, if your choice has the impact that you beat the enemy and send them running, what do you do later when you need some mobs to kill for an endeavour, or a daily repeat quest?

Nestor · November 2022

It would be nice, but it would be difficult to exist in an open ended game where you keep coming back to the content. There are instanced areas/cities in the game that have different content before and after a quest. So, it could be possible, but the real difference is going to be dialog. And, we have that to an extent in the Main Quest, there are choices you make that can upset half the crew of the ship's crew you meet in Stros Makai and you hear about it later on. However, it does not stop them from pushing the story forward by helping you. So, there is a consequence, but it does not really change the game.

If there were some real consequences, then the permutations who what NPC is going to say what to the PC could easily get out of hand.

bmnoble · November 2022

Not every quest but a few well written ones in each new zone should be possible.

vsrs_au · November 2022

Nestor wrote: »

It would be nice, but it would be difficult to exist in an open ended game where you keep coming back to the content. There are instanced areas/cities in the game that have different content before and after a quest. So, it could be possible, but the real difference is going to be dialog. And, we have that to an extent in the Main Quest, there are choices you make that can upset half the crew of the ship's crew you meet in Stros Makai and you hear about it later on. However, it does not stop them from pushing the story forward by helping you. So, there is a consequence, but it does not really change the game.

If there were some real consequences, then the permutations who what NPC is going to say what to the PC could easily get out of hand.

Yes, I agree, however the existing quest choices have little value when you can read them, think "meh... I'll just choose an option at random", and it affects [almost] nothing.

AzuraFan · November 2022

I think quests with consequences would be difficult in a shared world. If you want that, look to single-player games.

TaSheen · November 2022

I think it's too much a single player game mechanic. It would actually (in an MMO) require every player be instanced for every quest where a major choice is possible. Consider how much larger that would make the entire game - and how many instances running concurrently would impact performance - yes, in an instanced quest line, we might not see a performance dip, but overall I think it would have a heavy impact on those not in instanced questing.

But it's possible it might not cause a problem - I'm not a server tech, I just manage websites, and my host provider manages the server.

zaria · November 2022

Npc comment about your actions, some lady in Rawl'kha keep complaing about something main did then VR1.
Well that one is kind of realistic. If you become president she would complain about the loud trimmed moped you drove around on 40 years ago. Ignoring that you earned a couple of medals of honor and is an billionaire if an high cp ESO player.

SkaiFaith · November 2022

I would like for some decisions to be more impactful but not if they're done in a "Bleakrock Isle" way.
I'm not saying that you had a choice to make in Bleakrock, but if the consequences of my choices divide the game in the same manner as it happens to that zone, hell no. I still want Bleakrock village back.

Kiralyn2000 · November 2022

vsrs_au wrote: »

Yes, I agree, however the existing quest choices have little value when you can read them, think "meh... I'll just choose an option at random", and it affects [almost] nothing.

Personally, I would never think that. I read the choices, and make the one that fits the character I'm playing.

edit: and yeah, it's an MMO - hard to have any real 'consequences' outside of sidequests. Because everyone has to finish up the main storyline quests in the same place, so that the story can continue for everyone in the next DLC.

colossalvoids · November 2022

Yes, but surely nothing time based because of it's mmo nature. Latency, load times, bugs (instance based even), disconnects, irl distractions etc.

Call_of_Red_Mountain · November 2022

Good idea. But not in MMO. Imo.

AinSoph · November 2022

I think to this date, the only quest with a significant choice is the end of the Mages Guild questline because you can either save Valaste or get 2 skill points and you get Eidetic Memory either way.

vsrs_au · November 2022

TaSheen wrote: »

I think it's too much a single player game mechanic. It would actually (in an MMO) require every player be instanced for every quest where a major choice is possible. Consider how much larger that would make the entire game - and how many instances running concurrently would impact performance - yes, in an instanced quest line, we might not see a performance dip, but overall I think it would have a heavy impact on those not in instanced questing.

But it's possible it might not cause a problem - I'm not a server tech, I just manage websites, and my host provider manages the server.

Your point about possible instancing is an excellent one. Looks like I'll have to vote 'No' to my own poll!

Although interestingly enough, the vote (so far) is a definite majority of 'yes', I wonder why ?

DreamyLu · November 2022

We have that in GW2, a lot, for sequence of side quests and for the main story line too, however with steps that remain common to all stories.

My experience with that is rather negative, because after the choice, there is no return back to before. Consequence is, that if we don't like the story of the line we follow, and/or the skills that go with it, and/or the effect applied on us, and so on... we're stuck with it forever. If it's an alt toon and we don't care much about, fair enough, we can still re-create another toon to make a different choice. But if it happens on one of our mains...

robwolf666 · November 2022

Apart from basic "go fetch" quests or "go make" quests, I think all quests should have consequences attached to you choice - at the least it would make the replayability go up a notch.

Haenk · November 2022

On a sidenote, I'd really like to have a "pro" questing area or DLC. Not talking about hard fights, but complicated quests with some brainwork attached and a solution that cannot be found using google.
If you need weeks to solve the riddle - great.
I understand this is *really* hard work for the game designers, but it might attract more people than expected.

"Click left item, click right item - quest done" is really boring after a while.

peacenote · November 2022

I'm good with how it is today. I quest, I think about the choices, but I don't agonize over them. When my friend and I quest together we synchronize "red" quest choices just to be aligned.

Before AwA I might have said yes but the last thing I would want now is a bunch of quest choices such that I could replay with alts, now that so many of my other options for alt tracking were taken away. More meaningful quests but when I run by a boss a another character has completed it still turns white? No, thank you. I wouldn't want this unless our character tracking was restored in some way first.

Elsonso · November 2022

Nevermind.

TaSheen · November 2022

DreamyLu wrote: »

We have that in GW2, a lot, for sequence of side quests and for the main story line too, however with steps that remain common to all stories.

My experience with that is rather negative, because after the choice, there is no return back to before. Consequence is, that if we don't like the story of the line we follow, and/or the skills that go with it, and/or the effect applied on us, and so on... we're stuck with it forever. If it's an alt toon and we don't care much about, fair enough, we can still re-create another toon to make a different choice. But if it happens on one of our mains...

Hmm. And that makes me wonder how it would work here with AWA in place: would you even be able to do a quest in the opposite way with alts, or once it's done, it's done for everyone?

tonyblack · November 2022

I’m not going to draw a comparison between “story rich single player” games and MMOs but after playing SWTOR ESO dialogues seems really shallow and underwhelming, most of the story basically played for you since instead of crafting your own character you follow single predetermined path of noble hero with no personality. Mages guild was already mentioned and, I agree, this is one rare example where you as a player have to make a choice with clear consequence. It didn’t even create different instance or something like that and why should it. Different choice with different consequences doesn’t mean it has to alter zone itself or enemies, just varied reactions from npcs or their involvement would be a start.

Dr_Con · November 2022

Yes, but you should also be able to reset/redo quests since there is no quicksave option like there is in other TES games. It shouldn't be too hard to reset a zone after all quests have been done.

inb4 someone tells me about all the technical complications of this

DMuehlhausen · November 2022

Yes they should, bujt they can't if you want fluid story telling. They just need to cut the stupid responses at times.

They use to have a huge effect, but then you were phased out of half the people which wasn't good.

responses like when you first get to Nimalten. You talk to Aera then the Thane. The Thane says she doesn't want anything to do with you or Aera. Then you complete the quest and the next line of text is. Oh you must be with Aera let me know if there is anything I can do. Like you just said you wanted nothing to do with us.

I_killed_Vivec · November 2022

Yeah, I could tell Vivec that I don't work for false gods and hope the stupid meteorite falls on his head, and walk away laughing as Vivec City is demolished.

Might spoil Vvardenfell for other players though;)

And it would be confusing for my future/past self who will/did kill Vivec, many years distant from the events of ESO...

StormBlade512 · December 2022

Sort of.

It would be really awesome if they did, but I'm content with having a range of choices in the first place, even if they didn't go anywhere necessarily.

I'd kill to have more inconsequential dialogue options that are just there simply for character building. There's been a few here and there but they aren't nearly as consistent as they should be.

fizzylu · December 2022

FFXIV and GW2 both handle this concept well so yeah, don't see why ESO can't. I know even WoW sometimes uses phasing to show the outcome of a quest for the people who have completed it. I feel like I've seen ESO do that back in the original zones, but that's about it. I can't think of any newer zones that had very obvious phasing, but I also haven't been invested in ESO quests to the point of paying that much attention so I could be wrong. The statue in High Isle is the only thing that comes to mind, but idk if that should even really count haha

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Should quest choices have significant consequences ?

Should quest choices have significant consequences ? 64 votes