Escort quest/mission :

Make sure it doesnt appear like the things being 'escorted' seem to try to walk through every single hazard on purpose.

Random encounters (on a detailed sandbox world) should be most of it (and make it a bit different for each player).

One main 'opposition' to the mission is sufficient (particularly if the 'Fail' ratio is high and will make repeats tedious).

Well, what about a reverse escort quest?

in that, you would have to rely on a more powerful character who is escorting you through an area full of extremely powerful enemies or environmental hazards. It's something I'd like to see more of.

you would have to rely on a more powerful character who is escorting you through an area full of extremely powerful enemies or environmental hazards

but what would be the reason for the player to enter such an area?

either

1. they got a quest to do so. that quest could spawn the escorter.

2. they're going after something on their own, that's on the other side of the area. but how do they hire an escort? and that's technically not even a quest. IE its not a task assigned by someone / something else.

it would probably play out much like a regular escort quest. you stick to the NPC like glue, not so they won't die, but so you won't die.

One of the most memorable COD missions is a reverse escort quest :D

you would have to rely on a more powerful character who is escorting you through an area full of extremely powerful enemies or environmental hazards

but what would be the reason for the player to enter such an area?

To get to the other side?

Imagine you are in Valley A, and you are trying to get to Valley B, which is also your level, but between the two is Really Dangerous Canyon of the Cockatrices, so you need an escort.

You are merely trying to get through a very difficult area.

Another reason is because you are trying to collect something in a cave, filled with noxious gases (or darkness), and you need to stay close to the mage who casts a barrier of good air (or light).
^ This becomes a collection quest, but with an added mechanic that makes it feel different.

Or maybe it's a "Kill <Specific Enemy>" quest, but the specific enemy is way above your level, so it turns that boss-fight into a "survive the boss for enough time for <Your Powerful Escort> to kill the boss", which is an interesting twist on regular boss-fights, AND acts as a power-benchmark for the player looking forward to the future when he's powerful enough to kill the same species of boss (i.e. a large dragon).

it would probably play out much like a regular escort quest. you stick to the NPC like glue, not so they won't die, but so you won't die.

But conceptually, and practically, it is different:

A) When you wander outside of the escort's purview, you have ZERO nagging feeling that the AI is going to get killed.
B) You feel awed at the dangerous creatures around you.
C) Because you are in a really dangerous area, you feel extra tension and concern for yourself.
D) You are more likely to like the NPC as a character, writing-wise, then if he was a nuisance to you. Psychologically, you might even feel gratitude or admiration.

It's a very significant twist - I wish I could upvote Demiurgic_Amon several more times for suggesting it. :)

One of the most memorable COD missions is a reverse escort quest :D

That was fun. They pushed some of those missions a bit too much in later CODs though.

I think another nice twist on escort quests, would be quests where you are "escorting" specific NPCs from afar, by covering them with a sniper rifle or helicopter, or heck, a bow and arrow. I'm sure there are some examples of that, but I don't remember any off-hand. Usually the COD "overlord" missions were more shooting fish in a barrel type of fares, rather than focusing on covering specific individuals even if that was ostensibly what you were doing.

Or maybe it's a "Kill " quest, but the specific enemy is way above your level, so it turns that boss-fight into a "survive the boss for enough time for to kill the boss", which is an interesting twist on regular boss-fights

i'm currently experimenting with that gameplay style in skyrim. low level charater (< 10th level), 14 followers, and legendary difficulty. i lead my "army" into balttle, then try to stay out of the way. just two arrows from a regular bandit will kill me. and here i am with lightning bolts and all kinds of other stuff flying around during combat. my followers may be set to essential, but i'm not! <g>.

i guess the only thing that pops out at me is that, unless the player has a quest to "get to the other side", getting to the other side would simply be a gameplay option, but not a quest. the player could simply hire warriors (mercs / henchmen / men-at-arms) to protect them. no quest required. well, at least you could in a game where you can hire warriors (like Caveman). obviously, in a mission driven game like COD, every mission is a quest, and "extra help" is typically assigned on a per mission basis. you can't hire your own soldier-of-fortune to help you out on the battlefield, they way you can hire a follower in skyrim (i assume. its been a while since i played a COD title, i need to catch up).

how about a "deliver message" (or whatever) type quest, and they give you a couple of warriors (temporary followers) as bodyguards, and you get quest encounters with double (or at least higher than usual) number appearing. would that be ok? that _would_ make it a quest - as opposed to a player initiated action.

how about a "deliver message" (or whatever) type quest, and they give you a couple of warriors (temporary followers) as bodyguards, and you get quest encounters with double (or at least higher than usual) number appearing. would that be ok? that _would_ make it a quest - as opposed to a player initiated action.

That could work, if, for example, you have five people guarding you, and you suddenly get ambushed by 12 or so enemies trying to intercept the message, so you have to escape out of danger (with close to zero chance of defeating all the enemies), with your escort trying to buy you time to escape ("We'll hold them off - hurry and get out of here! Our tribe's survival depends on you delivering that to <allied tribe>!").

I don't think that can be pulled off more than once (or twice) in one game though.

I don't think that can be pulled off more than once (or twice) in one game though.

Dang! its got to be repeatable to be a questgen quest....

guess it'll have to be a one-shot hard coded storyline based quest made with the quest editor.