Quest FAQ

[The Old Ye Bard]

Q. What is the Quest Forum about?

A. The Quest Forum is the place where quests for Black Marsh are made.

Q. Can I make a quest?

A. Yes, however to get it published you must meet the standards you are given?

Q. What?! Standards?! Do I have to?

A. The "Standards" are merely for keeping quests organised, so that when it comes to implementing it is easy for the modder to understand and work with.

The standards are:

*A set location.

*A set reward.

*Is actually plausible (like it isn't imposible to script).

*Is easy to follow.

*It is completly agreed upon by everyone that posts (If there is any problems it is talked through until whatever probelm is resolved).

*Gramatically correct.

*Lore Correct.

Q. That easy enough, but where do I get the Lore from?

A. Either TIL or UESP

Q. So who gives my Quest the OK?

A. That would be me, once your quest is finalised and everyone is happy, then I will move it to the published Quest section, ready for a modder to take and implement.

Q. So what is with this "Faction" thing?

A. Factions are a long line of quests that tie into together (which are often called "questlines").

Q. So can I make up a faction?

A. No, because as it is we already have alot of Factions, both claimed and unclaimed, if there are anymore factions to be made, they must have a (very) stong basis in Lore.

Q. So I can't design a faction?

A. Yes you can, there are still factions to be claimed, and there are still factions to be put up to be claimed.

Q. So what if I want to only make one quest in a questline, but not a whole faction?

A. This can vary, but if you ask the person already incharge of the faction to design of the quests they might let you, however ths varies from person to person so don't get angry if they turn down your offer.

Q. So what this thing with "Note" and "Location" at the start of a quest.

A. The "Note" is for when you need to explain something outside of the quest, or state that you need a retex or a new model. The "Location" is an indepth list of Locations featured in your quest, so that we know what you need for the quest (e.g. you need a cave made).

Q. Is that all I need to know?

A. Yes, however if you, or anyone else has a question that has not been covered, please post here so that I can include it in the FAQ.

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Here is how you need to layout your quest.

*Main Location*, *Quest Name* (for the thread name)

In you post:

Note: I need blah blah made (preferibly a new model if posible but a retex will do), and this is also the Count/Countess/Village Leader quest for X Town (or city).

Location: *name* Town/ *name* cave/ *name* city

This quest begins in *name* city/place/area, where blah blah blah.....

Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah.

And as a reward you are given X thing from X person for doing X thing.

End.

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If you don't understand anything in the FAQ or quest Layout please post.

[XXMagma5]

Look, I was told Bard by Iben that I have to mod the quest as well. And I may have read this wrong but I think you have said that someone else can claim the quest. Now Iben told me that was possible only if the quest was mind blowing. Here I think you've said that this can happen easy peasy. I probably read it wrong but....tell me if I did and I'll be ok. See i dont hav a good graphics card and I have WinXP. And personally I dont think my quest can be approved if no one says anything.

[Deeza]

Very nice set of guidelines, TOYB. Says everything that needs to be said. You should cross-post it on the other projects if you haven't done so already.

[morcroft]

@XXMagma5 - for future reference you really do need to read the posting date before responding to threads: a lot can change in three and a half years! Ibsen, who is now mod leader (and very much actively in charge) of Black Marsh, wasn't even registered with ST when TOYB posted this.

I think Ibsen't point is that he keeps seeing newcomers arrive with what they consider good writing, and expecting someone else to realise their story for them. It's not so much that you are banned from submitting writing to the project, or that it will be "rejected" - just that you will find it next to impossible to interest anyone else in doing the actual modding work unless it is really very much out of the ordinary.

This is a volunteer enterprise so nobody is ever really "assigned" work to do: if nobody's interested in a thing then ultimately it will be dropped, and if you've put in a lot of work writing something that no-one ever makes then it will be you that is disappointed. This isn't project policy, it's just life.

[Xae]

Originally posted by Deeza
Very nice set of guidelines, TOYB. Says everything that needs to be said. You should cross-post it on the other projects if you haven't done so already.

Check the date the OP was posted.

Edit: The OP may become obsolete once questwriting has begun, pending an on-going discussion with IG.

[The Old Ye Bard]

Ibsen, who is now mod leader (and very much actively in charge) of Black Marsh, wasn't even registered with ST when TOYB posted this.

Way to make me feel like this.

Yeah this thread is pretty old, but the guidelines are still pretty valid, prehaps need some slight revision, but it's a good system all-in-all; ah the days when I was co-leader of Black Marsh.

[Deeza]

:lmao:

Still, my comment stands, regardless of the list's age. Maybe a few updates here and there, but it still holds up pretty well.

[morcroft]

I think you're both right - it's a good list, and I don't mean to detract from that.

The issue I see from what Ibsen has said in the past is just that however good and well-thought-out a quest design is, there's very little chance that it will be made unless either it's a key part of the overall mod narrative; or the quest writer mods it him- or herself. So the only phrase I'm quibbling about is "ready for a modder to take and implement" - and that only because I take Ibsens point that this is actually unlikely to happen for ad-hoc quests.

I certainly agree that planning for main- or guild-storyline quests should follow these guidelines, since they may be modded by someone other than the author. They are also good guidelines for anyone modding their own quest.

Oh, and Bard? I just have to look in a mirror to feel like that.

[Ibsen's Ghost]

I don't want to go into that whole "who's the oldest, most crinkly, hunch-backed hobbler amongst us?" debate but it's really just about anyone taking responsibility. Nevertheless, as associations with the project go: yes, you're an old git!

As for quests, to clarify MX's point, you just need to have a strong idea and someone willing to do the modding because 'no modding ability, no quest'.