“You left me…ALONE!”
This aforementioned quote haunts me. Prior to launch, I expressed grave concerns over the event system’s monotonous simplicity and how it reminded me of the scrapped Magic: Legends social-system. I’m sure it’s found in other games, Destiny 2 off the top of my head.
Rather than work towards unique and evolving events that reflect the region around them, each event is, essentially, much like the mobs…just reskinned variants of the same thing we’ve dealt time and time again. They’re as shallow as a child’s swimming pool and have zero effect, beyond their immediate surroundings.
Rather than reskinning the same events, each type of event that can potentially-occur within a given region should have been designed from the ground up, based around that region. Atop of that, these events should evolve from the actions of the players and how many players join into the event throughout its duration.
For Example:
Within the Fractured Peaks, you could have an event where a merchant caravan was attacked by ghouls. This event could have multiple branches, and then further branches depending on whether or not more players enter into the event.
If you make it to the event before the ghouls kill the merchants, as they’re likely to have guards, you would be tasked with saving them…but there could be a chance where you don’t even make it in time for that. If you don’t make it to the event before they’re slain…that branch of the event is done for and you’re there for cleanup purposes
Atop of that, additional players coming into the event could cause it to change…building upon the danger and potential rewards through completion. The merchants and their guard that were slain could rise up as shambling undead if you don’t burn the bodies in time because you’re too busy fighting. The ghouls themselves could spontaneously evolve and become stronger from having fed upon human flesh. Slaughtering everything without someone burning the bodies could cause those corpses to coalesce into a massive undead monstrosity that then rampages as a boss.
This could be one, single, event…branching out like a tree depending on a variety of factors.
Another Example:
You’re in Scosglen and a random farm is under attack by Khazra. You’re now tasked with defending the farm from the raiding goatmen, but when you’re just about ready to finish them all off…they retreat and you’re now trying to chase them down before it’s too late.
You fail though…you didn’t catch those few escapees.
The event still completes as a success because you defended the farm…but there’s repercussions for allowing those few Khazra to escape. Ten to fifteen minutes later, the event spontaneously continues as a MASSIVE force of Khazra sweep through the farm and now head towards one of the major cities in a bloodthirsty rampage because you fended off their small raiding party. The NPCs of that farm have retreated to the city and warned everyone, leaving players engaged in defense of the city itself alongside the guards.
Khazra are everywhere, trying to storm in…trying to siege the city as players are now tasked with taking on a MUCH larger force.
- The more potential branches these events have, the better.
- The more our actions and failures change these events, the better.
- The more themed off the region they’re in, and unique to said region, the better.
This is what will give this event system longevity over the same ol reskinned events…and these events could slowly be worked in alongside new seasons and expansions, refreshing old content with new…thus encouraging people to even participate in seasonal content and re-leveling a character. As it stands, these events are nothing more than resource farming to gamble for loot…no one engages with them because they’re perpetually fun and dynamic, but because they feel the need to. When they no longer feel that need, they don’t bother with them beyond the times in which they do again…like Helltide events to gain Aberrant Cinders.
These are the gameplay loops needed to hook players…an active and engaging world where the players themselves cause events to unfold through their own actions. Cause and effect creating a dynamic system that leaves players always wondering what’s going to happen next. The more branches you have for these events, the more dynamic things feel…the more the illusion of a living, breathing, world you have.
As another quick example, what are these forces amassing for in the “Legion Event” event?
If we fail it, nothing happens…but something certainly could…those forces, from a lore standpoint, are amassing for something…so make that happen. That’s not to say that the Legion Events are bad either, as they seem to be one event that people regularly engage in and have fun with…much like World Bosses. They could still be vastly enhanced though, and used to further the longevity of in-game enjoyment through a dynamic world.
Thoughts? Flames? Yes? No? Cake?
The cake is a lie.
Bored and like this post?
Look up “Improving: Helltide” and “Improving: Seasons”
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