mad30 said:
What did you enjoy, did not enjoy about the quest?
It was a new activity to partake in after exhausting other tasks I was working on in the game, and - albeit, it was a short-lived quest - it was interesting to explore Mt. Silver throughout the expedition. It was a quest that had magnetism and generated more activity on the game - even if the area was exclusively accessible by members for its opening weekend, the premise was still lively, comparable to seasonal events.
Not only did its difficulty cater to those who desire a challenge rather than sheer luck (i.e.: the objective of hunting an elusive Dratini in the Dragon's Den Quest), but it was less ill-prepared than the Dragon's Den Quest; aside from one major bug with the Ethan NPC (which has its own workaround), it was much more free of bugged obstacles, paving the way for us to complete it much faster than the DD quest has been accomplished.
What would you change about the quest?
Currently, there is not much I can think of. of which the current scripting system can support, but I did not find the rewards the most compelling. It can be argued that the rewards should commensurate with difficulty - in retrospect that this quest is perhaps the easiest of all of the post-16 badge quests - but aside from the Moltres battle and the improved encounter odds for Larvitar on the 5th floor, I did not find the rewards that compelling.
Regardless, the area is one of the more potent training areas in the game, and since the typical requirement of completion of a quest to access an area was not included in this case, that really cuts out a significant reward that we strived for in previous quests. The omission of this requirement is not one I'm complaining about, however; rather, it should be made an even more ideal training area, as the highest floor is rather distant from the Pokemon center in the exterior area of Mt. Silver. Unlocking an NPC's services by the Pokemon center, which offers you a shortcut to the 5th floor, or a remotely close area, would be an appealing quest reward to a lot of players - and I understand that a one-way NPC is already in the works, just getting my thoughts out there.
What is your opinions on the maps?
Although a little tricky to navigate through, that's the fun part about maps.
It was also interesting to explore custom expansions of the map used in the handheld games, such as the additional floors to note one.
What exceeded your expectations?
A more creative approach to the addition of the maps were taken, rather than replicating the entirety of the map, as it has been done for other maps that have been added in the past.
What do you think wasn't done quite as well?
I did not find it as challenging or intricate of a quest as the Dragon's Den and Cerulean Cave quest - simply on the element of being more short-lived than them. I just personally feel that the only "challenging" requirement was simply the traveling patience, to talk to NPCs in various floors of the area. However, I do understand that the playability of quests is currently limited by a scripting system which has room for improvement.
Also, although the quest seems to have been more thoroughly tested than previous quests, the bug with Ethan's NPC was a bit of a setback, even if a contemporary workaround can be done to avail. Bugs that inhibit one from completing the quest aren't easily that dismissive, but reiterating, it was a smoother gameplay experience than the Dragon's Den Quest, nonetheless.
How would you compare the quest, and the maps to other quests and maps in pwo?
I found it more straightforward, due to being able to complete the entire quest within the scope of Mt. Silver itself without any prior preparation (which is expected, since the quest itself is not required to access the area initially). It's also a quest which did not require much skill, wealth, or luck - compared to other quests that required you to obtain a valuable item (Dragon Scale in the CC quest, for example) or sheer luck (hunting the Dratini in the Dragon's Den Quest); it mainly just boiled down to following NPC directions, and patience to navigate through the cave to other quest points. Notably, it is also the first quest I can recall that coincided with the addition of an area, in which the quest was
not mandatory to access the new area.
What would you suggest to the staff to make the next content update more enjoyable?
Personally, I would like the scripting system improved first before any new major quest is added, to enhance the playability of the quest. That will improve the possibilities and enhance the gameplay experience provided by quests, rather than the simplistic "Hunt this Pokemon/item", "Speak to these NPCs sequentially", "Complete this quiz", etc... elements which have been commonly invoked in all quests I can recall.
Even with the current functionality, I would also prefer a more challenging quest to unlock an area of this caliber - just not tedious tasks which revolve around luck for encountering a Pokemon/item. Currently, I do not find much finesse required in the current quests; just the trial-and-error process for interacting with the environment, speaking to NPCs in a specific sequence, among other elements that have been mentioned already.
Just my 2 cents for now.
