> The only solution is, of course, to make the item really more difficult.
> Forget quests: quests aren't intrinsically more difficult than slaying mob X;
> once a quest is "solved", in 1 week, everyone knows how to do it. Witness the
> Glowing Stein debacle - the hard part was solving the quest. Once the first
> stein was obtained, hundreds followed on all servers.
>
> One can increase the difficulty to get an item by:
> - raising the level needed to get it (which puts all rare items at the
> level 50, everything before is chaff)
> - raising the difficulty of the location (which, once a group gets down
> the unvarying routine down pat, stops being true)
> - raising the difficulty of finding the item (which is the case with
> mega-rare spawns. How many players do you know with a Scarab Ring?)
There is one other solution that to me is a lot more in keeping with the
AD&D style that I think people are used to - randomization. You are
right tho that virtually all quests are breaks down to kill X and give
its head/heart/tongue/whatever to NPC Y. But randomizing would make
them more quest-like. Easier to explain in an example:
Everyone knows who to talk to to start the glowing stein. Instead of
his fixed dialog though, imagine if he says I need a rare and exotic
drink. You say "I would like to help you". He says "Here is a recipe
book. Find the ingredients listed here and return them in the book to
me." Each item would have one more set of fields that should be
randomly generated every time you get the quest given to you. Maybe
make it from a more appropriate list, you might not need a gargoyle eye
for a level 10 quest, but you get the idea. Then you keep this book
with you, refer back every few play sessions, seeing what you need.
Maybe you need to figure out where to get an item even! (ack- a real
quest!) THEN - continue this. You return the book. You get the item
"The Glowing Stein". Except that its is +5 to +10 int, and +5 to +10
dex - maybe you get lucky and get the ultra rare +10 +10 stein. Voila -
you have a dynamic quest that no web page is going to spoil, and
everyone is NOT alike!
Lastly, to address the twinking problem: Maybe the stein instead of
giving +10 int would give (+2 times level/10). Therefore, your level 50
wizard has a +10 int stein, but his twinked level 2 wizard has the same
stein at +0 int! Easily explained that with wisdom of levels you gain
the ability to use a sword better (damage =level, or something similar),
gain more power from the gem, or whatever.
Just my few coppers worth. Unfortuntaly, it is probably too late for
this version, but that would all make nice additions to the expansion!
Micon Bittermage
Karana