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Topic: Method
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Introduction
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Presumably you wouldn't be playing this darn game if you didn't want to do
quests. If you don't want (like) to do them 3K is probably not for you.
This helpfile describes one approach to solving quests, and while it is by
no means the only way to do them, the method works. The elements of solving
quests are to get yourself a good map, search the whole area, follow the
story line of the quest if there is one, and pay particular attention to the
characters and objects you will discover while questing. Most importantly,
write everything down. This is so obvious most people forget to do it. At
any rate, these are the mechanics -- the part you bring to the quest is your
patience, and problem solving skills.
Finding a Quest
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Finding quests is actually easy to do in most cases. You find quests by
mapping, and by being familiar with the three domains of 3K. If the quest
listing you find at the guild entrance tells you to
"seek in the Realms of Fantasy", you have already ruled out 2/3 of the mud.
Now all you have to do is be familiar with the one Domain that holds the
quest you want to solve.
Rough map the domain. This is so obvious that most folks miss it when they
first start to play. If you can't find Wayhaven, the probability that
you will ever solve the Wayhaven quest is pretty small. Take the time
to map the three domains (Fantasy, Science and Chaos). You will not
only make your questing life easier, you will discover all sorts of
stuff that is generally useful. As a guideline, it should take 3 or
4 hours to rough map each domain.
When to do a Quest
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Always quest, always map. Be ever searching for the next part of a puzzle.
Monsters that give you reasonable XP and GXP are everywhere. Impatience
and desperation are probably the single biggest killer of questers.
If you are always questing, you will likely progress steadily, you will
have a cool head, and you will certainly have a much easier time doing
quests. The only way to solve the larger more complex quests is to get
good at questing and to always be looking for that next piece of the puzzle.
Mapping
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In my opinion the most important part of solving a quest is to draw up a
good map. Start with a piece of graph paper, and every time you move into
a new room, draw a separate box for the room and put in lines to indicate
exits from the new room. This is simple to do, and it can save your life.
To map for a quest, set your wimpy very high, and just do a fast rough map
putting down all the directions you can see without searching. Read the
room descriptions carefully before exploring a new direction. You would be
amazed at how many people see a sign that says 'Death trap to the east' and
then proceed to go east and die (go figure). With this rough map in hand
you now know all the safe exits, and where all the holes you need to
explore are.
Mapping 2
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With your rough map in hand, you now should look for the non-obvious or hidden,
directions. These are room exits that you cannot see and are generally
found around the edges of an area or leading into the holes you have found
in your rough map. Of course this is not always true -- sometimes there
are exits up, down, and so on. To find the hidden direction, read the room
description carefully, there is usually a clue somewhere in the text (not
always, but usually). The brute force approach is to try every direction
{n,e,s,w,ne,sw,se,sw,u,d} on every square, and believe me you will probably
do this at some point in your adventures here at 3K. Draw in
the hidden exits you find.
Searching
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Most quests have an element of searching to them. To do an effective
search, read the room description. Look at everything in the room,
monsters, objects, and look at every noun in the text of the room
description and in the text you get back when you look. Generally speaking,
in the first few squares, try 'look' and 'examine' both to see which one the
quest uses. While you are looking, also 'search' the things you are looking
at. This may seem tedious, but is a crucial step to finding the pieces you
may need to solve the quest.
Story Line
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From the very beginning, write down what you think a possible solution might
be. As you discover new stuff, change your written solution to accommodate
the new details. As dumb as this may seem, this step allows you to collect
your thoughts and organize yourself to solving the quest. There are not
many quests around that do not have some sort of logic behind them (as
twisted as the logic may be). By drafting solutions you are in effect
trying to put yourself in the place of the wizard who created the quest.
Frankly, the more complex the quest is, the more important this step
becomes.
Monsters
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Monsters give a living context to quests. In some quests they are used as
scenery and filler, in others they give directions by talking to you,
answering your questions, and so on. Don't just blindly stumble around
killing everything you see. Look at them first, consider their size and
damage potential, try saying stuff to them, see what they are carrying.
Then if you must, and it is safe -- kill em. Notice I said 'and if its safe'.
Generally speaking the average quest monster is often bigger than you are
prepared to deal with. Look at your map, plan your escape, set your wimpy,
make sure you are at full strength and have the best equipment and healing
you can afford ... and THEN kill it.
Interactive Quests
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When you see a quest referred to as being an interactive quest, what is
really being said is that the monsters are designed to interact with you
much like another player would. What is more important in these quests
is to find out just what the monsters are trying to tell you or direct
you to do. Try all kinds of things with them, like: say hi, say job,
say quest, tell hi, exa monster, search monster, bow monster,
etc. Look carefully at the room and anything within it for hints, plus
listen to the monster carefully while examining it, etc. Contained in
everything you see and hear will be a hint of what else to ask/look for.
Rules
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Yes, there are rules. If you break them the penalties are severe. If you
start with the principle that most quests are 'secret journeys' or 'rites of
passage' that each player must experience without help, there is really only
one rule that matters:
Don't discuss the details of a quest with anyone, ever.
Rules associated with specific quests are found in the quest listing for
each quest. For instance, if the listing says no partying on the quest you
MUST solo the quest. Pretty simple -- pretty obvious. There is a more
formal RULES room down from where you log on. Whatever this file may say
about rules, the RULES room rules.
-- Vraal's addition, 11/2/00 (for my birthday)
If all else fails, use the Kishpa technique. Kick things around your room,
and curse at the screen. The problem will go away, one way or another.
See also: quest, questhelp, rules, punishment
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