Why is there so many terrible quest mods?

[Magic Spazm]

I just played through Sirenroot and it was pretty good, which reminded me of how many quest mods suck. I end up uninstalling them all the time mid-playthrough.

[Liquid Inc]

maybe because your getting quest mods that you don't like? ........

[Skumboni]

Should check the posts tab and see what others have said about the mod before downloading it.

[UsernameTaken666]

do ppl not read posts, bug reports, etc. before downloading mods?

[Imanoldcoot]

Quest mods the player can either do or do not, however, that *&$### courier dropping of his load of BS mail drives me completely knucking futz. Then there is the random npc's that hound you like the dogs from hell to ask you to do something you really do not want to do and once the word is a much as said "DO....." you are stuck.
I know, avoid them, but eventually just in passing they nail you

[alexander_dougherty]

Originally posted by Magic Spazm:

I just played through Sirenroot and it was pretty good, which reminded me of how many quest mods suck. I end up uninstalling them all the time mid-playthrough.

Because it's harder to write a good quest than you think!

[Siddha]

Originally posted by UsernameTaken666:

do ppl not read posts, bug reports, etc. before downloading mods?

Absolutely. I always read through the description page and the posts and bug reports. Very often you will find very useful and relevant information... even fixes for issues you might encounter such as conflicts with other mods etc. There are usually pinned comments at the top with additional info from the author. So yea read the posts and possibly save yourself time & grief.

[Ihateeverybody]

I tried doing a quest for a mod I modified. Its hard. I even used a Tutorial. still a lot of effort. And that was for a one step Turn in x amount of money to an NPC. Like one step to an existing NPC.

Just couldn't figure it out. So now I just forge some Gold Bullion (Immersive Jewlry) and toss the amount down in Gold bricks and call it a day.

Yeah quests are hard (for me).

[UsernameTaken666]

based on the op post, you’d think not. that was rhetorical i guess. i always read all i can before just downloading mods.

[dvdbillen]

I found a pretty OK one the other day: Beyond Reach. Some people don't like it because it's very dark.

One big problem, for almost any mod that's not perfect, is that you just can't trust it. So like, you can't see how to open a door. Is it a bug or should you search around trying to solve the puzzle?

Another issue is content fluff. For example, the reason a lot of spoken character lines is considered a good thing is that it implies intricate interaction with many characters. Not because, (as in Beyond Reach), it's fun to sit through hours of rambling dialog every time you're forced into conversation with an NPC.

Also, for all the complaints about Bethesda's QA, it's pretty clear that they tested everything as a warrior, thief, and mage. Most mods I've ever tried seem to automatically assume warrior. (This was the best thing about Beyond Reach. It did have open fights so you couldn't play as sneak assassin, but definitely seemed to accommodate all three basic types).

[Magic Spazm]

Originally posted by dvdbillen:

I found a pretty OK one the other day: Beyond Reach. Some people don't like it because it's very dark.

One big problem, for almost any mod that's not perfect, is that you just can't trust it. So like, you can't see how to open a door. Is it a bug or should you search around trying to solve the puzzle?

Another issue is content fluff. For example, the reason a lot of spoken character lines is considered a good thing is that it implies intricate interaction with many characters. Not because, (as in Beyond Reach), it's fun to sit through hours of rambling dialog every time you're forced into conversation with an NPC.

Also, for all the complaints about Bethesda's QA, it's pretty clear that they tested everything as a warrior, thief, and mage. Most mods I've ever tried seem to automatically assume warrior. (This was the best thing about Beyond Reach. It did have open fights so you couldn't play as sneak assassin, but definitely seemed to accommodate all three basic types).

I didn't like the environmental design or the quests.

[Fear2288]

Creating a good quest/mission in a game is more challenging than it seems.

Unlike other forms of storytelling, games include and are driven by interaction from the audience.

In a book or a movie, the storyteller gets to spin their tale however they want, and we as the audience is along for the ride as a “passive observer”. We don’t get to control or have any impact on the events being laid out before us.

In a game, the storyteller has to craft a narrative that not only involves the participation of the audience, but can account for the multitude of different ways that someone may approach and navigate that narrative.

On top of that, they need to do it in such a way that is entertaining and rewarding for the audience.

It needs to find a good balance between gameplay and narrative, and that’s pretty hard to do - much harder than many people realize on first thought.

If you focus too heavily on storytelling, you risk boring your audience with dialogue-heavy interactions, multiple or lengthy cutscenes, and leaving the player feeling like they have no actual impact on things or very limited choices that shoehorn them into pre-determined routes.

Alternatively, if you focus too much on gameplay you risk leaving the player feeling like their actions have no consequences or impact, that there’s no real rhyme or reason for the things they’re doing, like their purpose is just go here/kill that/collect this, and thus disconnected from whatever world they’re playing in.

A good quest/mission or storyline in a game is one that gives purpose to the objectives you’re pursuing, can make you invest in the events and characters around you, and leaves you feeling like your actions and choices actually had weight because you can see the consequences of those actions…all while entertaining, challenging, and engaging you along the way as you perform those actions needed to progress the story.

That’s not easy to pull off, and few games actually accomplish it - instead banking on spectacle, shock and awe, “edgy teenager” stuff like graphic violence/nudity/sex/language, addictive gameplay mechanics, high quality graphics, etc to make up for it and hopefully distract you from the fact that their story and characters are paper thin, illogical, unrealistic, poorly written, badly paced, and so on.

[Magic Spazm]

Originally posted by Fear2288:

Creating a good quest/mission in a game is more challenging than it seems.

Unlike other forms of storytelling, games include and are driven by interaction from the audience.

In a book or a movie, the storyteller gets to spin their tale however they want, and we as the audience is along for the ride as a “passive observer”. We don’t get to control or have any impact on the events being laid out before us.

In a game, the storyteller has to craft a narrative that not only involves the participation of the audience, but can account for the multitude of different ways that someone may approach and navigate that narrative.

On top of that, they need to do it in such a way that is entertaining and rewarding for the audience.

It needs to find a good balance between gameplay and narrative, and that’s pretty hard to do - much harder than many people realize on first thought.

If you focus too heavily on storytelling, you risk boring your audience with dialogue-heavy interactions, multiple or lengthy cutscenes, and leaving the player feeling like they have no actual impact on things or very limited choices that shoehorn them into pre-determined routes.

Alternatively, if you focus too much on gameplay you risk leaving the player feeling like their actions have no consequences or impact, that there’s no real rhyme or reason for the things they’re doing, like their purpose is just go here/kill that/collect this, and thus disconnected from whatever world they’re playing in.

A good quest/mission or storyline in a game is one that gives purpose to the objectives you’re pursuing, can make you invest in the events and characters around you, and leaves you feeling like your actions and choices actually had weight because you can see the consequences of those actions…all while entertaining, challenging, and engaging you along the way as you perform those actions needed to progress the story.

That’s not easy to pull off, and few games actually accomplish it - instead banking on spectacle, shock and awe, “edgy teenager” stuff like graphic violence/nudity/sex/language, addictive gameplay mechanics, high quality graphics, etc to make up for it and hopefully distract you from the fact that their story and characters are paper thin, illogical, unrealistic, poorly written, badly paced, and so on.

Nah it's pretty easy actually.

[Fear2288]

Ok, then do it.

If you’re gonna come on here and complain about how 99% of quest mods suck and it’s easy to make good ones, put your money where your mouth is and make one.