Depends. I wouldn't want fetch quests (unless it's realistic, like mining stone for a blacksmith so he can build more houses) but helping the townsfolk in general rather than RPG-esque quests would be nice.
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Did something happen to you in your childhood to give you this unreasonable fear of rutabaga?
I've used that EXACT same argument to try to say that games like Zelda are RPGs. But you know what? it doesn't work. You know why? Because that makes 99.9% of all games RPGs, making the label entirely meaningless.
To me an RPG has the requirement that you name the character/characters. For this, Minecraft sorta works. But a larger requirement IMO is that there be a story through which you play the role of those characters. Minecraft by design has no real story, so there is no role for you to Play.
Usually the idea of stats and levels, XP, etc. are used in games to enforce following the storyline. For example, the way Chrono Trigger is laid out, it's quite impossible to defeat Lavos (Which is the final boss) when you first encounter him after destroying the Mammon machine, because your stats are not going to be good enough; After you are defeated the story continues. (It is possible to defeat him through grinding or the New Game+ feature). Levels, stats, etc are not meant to <expand> the gameplay, but rather restrict it, in some respects.
Another Example, and primarily the one I tried to use in a similar argument, was, say, OoT. You name the character, and you do follow a specific story. And various pieces of equipment do determine how you proceed, but it is very equipment and capability based. Strictly speaking, it might fall under the term, but it fits far better under the Third-Person Action Adventure Genre.
Basically, while RPG could be considered to have a rather broad meaning, the only games that are <only> RPGs are those that don't get slotted to other genres; Halo, for example, is certainly an FPS. LoZ is Action Adventure, etc.
Anyway, I like this idea anyway. It would bring life to the villages, and give people a reason to visit them rather than to be ripped off; it could also tie into it; for example, help out a village enough and you get very good deals from trades, in addition to whatever rewards each one gives you.
Another idea is to tie it in with some sort of stronghold; Each village could have a "dungeon" of sorts generated nearby, and the various smaller quests for the village eventually lead up to one that sends you to the dungeon. These dungeons would be a vast improvement over a cobble box with a spawner, with an assortment of traps, secret passages, and loot.
I like the idea myself. Those naysaying it because Minecraft is not an "RPG" are missing two things:
These components are in games other than RPGs. LoZ could be considered to have quests, and it's not an RPG, it's an Action Adventure game. Minecraft's overarching sandbox feel definitely could use the occasional short-term goal like this, and the loot and treasure and rewards from it can advance the sandbox aspect in numerous ways, and perhaps embrace it; for example you could have standard fetch type quests "We need more clay to build our Brick cathedral!" followed by a build quest to build that cathedral; eventually leading up to the village leader asking you to take care of the village dungeon.
That's the problem with the label. However, it does NOT have to be applied to every game. Whatever the main point of the game is its defining Genre (In the case of Halo, FPS), the fact is that, while many things have RPG elements, you are correct in saying that most RPG, to be considered so, need these things characters and narrative. It should be engaging in making it feel like it is an actual place you can live in, even if you are running around lopping off dragon heads.
Trading was supposed to make villagers useful, and it didn't. Maybe quests could.
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"Sometimes, I just wanna give up, say 'I'm done with this mess' and go to bed. But you know what; you can't shrug off your responsibilities. You got to pull yourself up and meet the challenges head on. That's the only way you're gonna get ahead in life."
My thanks for taking the time to explain what MMO, RPG, and MMORPG means in context to everything. It's pretty annoying to listen to people complain about how Minecraft is "becoming an MMORPG" even though it was one in even the earliest stages of its development.
And for people who are inevitably going to challenge us with "Where's the Role?" Well, if you go by the earlier stages of development... "You're an unknown man named Steve who has beached on the shore of an unknown land. You have no idea where you are, or how you got here. All you know is that you're alive, and you have to build a shelter and survive the nights to come." So right there, you have a Role, the first key factor to a RPG. What's the goal? Well, in the game, there's no set goal (Except for killing the Enderdragon), but that goal is anything you put it to be. So again, there's your goal, the second key factor to an RPG. Put it together...
You play as the role of a man named Steve, and you have a goal to reach, which can be anything.
Logically, you have an RPG. A classless, leveless one, but an RPG nonetheless.
I'd prefer side quests to the current trading system. However, we'd need to have a bit more variety in the NPC market. However, we'd need to balance the system in some way. I mean, if they ask for wheat, guess what? There's tons of it.
Maybe changing the ore spawn code a bit would help in order to make quests feasible.
MMO = Massively Multiplayer Online. Technically it is since now your client is a server, therefore online. Plus you have SMP so....
RPG = Role Playing Game. Dude, you are having adventures as an alter ego. That's pretty much what defines and RPG (Those of you that are about to preach about leveling and quests and medieval dungeons, I've got news for you. Those are RPG elements. Look at adventure maps, you are playing an RPG in them. You can have a classless, level-less RPG system.)
oh please, are you saying there is some sort of storyline in Minecraft? Steve is just the name given to the default skin. people just made a big deal about it. Also, Minecraft isn't an MMORPG. first off, not everyone plays SMP for whatever reason. ranging from bad internet connection to being sick of the horrible community. secondly, just because of the SSP and SMP merge doesn't make it an MMORPG either. mainly it was done, so that coding is easier, The Mod API would be implemented , and so people can play with their friends without having to go through the trouble of having to create a Server. also Minecraft lacks the common features of an MMORPG: A Theme - Seriously does minecraft have a theme? Zombies,Skeletons,Magic Red dust, Pistons? Social Interaction- Not everyone plays SMP, so Minecraft being an MMO is invalid. you just need internet to login and see your skin Roleplaying- See do people even roleplay in Minecraft? unless your on an RPG server, then theres no need to roleplay.
Also, Optional Quests would just be annoying chores, you slayed monsters,fetch wood, mined stone... because the NPC villagers were to lazy to do it.
Alot of people have a stereotype of RPG. They automatically think of WoW. RPG means Rlle Playing Game. It means you play the role of a character. So techically Minecraft already is RPG, but because of the stereotype we think not. If I named this "Helping villagers" you wouldnt have even mentioned RPG, even if the thread was exactly the same.
These quests are small, easy quests. Not like WoW where it tells you to go to the other side of the world, fight monsters, and sell the pelts to a different guy somewhere else.
Its as simple as "Rescue my son from wolves!"Butit is almost invalid to say "No". If you dont want quests in Minecraft, then we can add them and you can just not do them. The quests have nothing to do for a storyline.
No support because I can't see many possibilities with quests besides "fetch this item" quests, which would be pretty useless because in case you didn't notice, that's basically what trading is.
Another issue I have with quests, even optional, is that NPC's would speak to you, which in my opinion doesn't seem like it would fit well. If I see a Testificate say "Hello kind traveler, would you be willing to do me a favor?", I would feel so awkward. It just wouldn't fit the game at all.
I agree, But I do NOT believe there should be exclusive items for doing it, This would make people who dislike MMO's hate on Minecraft... Just it being there would be awesome for like random stuff.
That's the problem with the label. However, it does NOT have to be applied to every game. Whatever the main point of the game is its defining Genre (In the case of Halo, FPS), the fact is that, while many things have RPG elements, you are correct in saying that most RPG, to be considered so, need these things characters and narrative. It should be engaging in making it feel like it is an actual place you can live in, even if you are running around lopping off dragon heads.
oh please, are you saying there is some sort of storyline in Minecraft? Steve is just the name given to the default skin. people just made a big deal about it. Also, Minecraft isn't an MMORPG. first off, not everyone plays SMP for whatever reason. ranging from bad internet connection to being sick of the horrible community. secondly, just because of the SSP and SMP merge doesn't make it an MMORPG either. mainly it was done, so that coding is easier, The Mod API would be implemented , and so people can play with their friends without having to go through the trouble of having to create a Server. also Minecraft lacks the common features of an MMORPG:
A Theme - Seriously does minecraft have a theme? Zombies,Skeletons,Magic Red dust, Pistons?
Social Interaction- Not everyone plays SMP, so Minecraft being an MMO is invalid. you just need internet to login and see your skin
Roleplaying- See do people even roleplay in Minecraft? unless your on an RPG server, then theres no need to roleplay.
Also, Optional Quests would just be annoying chores, you slayed monsters,fetch wood, mined stone... because the NPC villagers were to lazy to do it.
These quests are small, easy quests. Not like WoW where it tells you to go to the other side of the world, fight monsters, and sell the pelts to a different guy somewhere else.
Its as simple as "Rescue my son from wolves!"Butit is almost invalid to say "No". If you dont want quests in Minecraft, then we can add them and you can just not do them. The quests have nothing to do for a storyline.
You could say no, go out into the wilderness and live, or you could say yes and the village improves in some way.
The real issue here is how the gaming medium names its genres.
"Roleplaying game" Can mean a huge number of things.
Or "First person shooter" .. hell, minecraft is a first person shooter, if you use bows.
The problem is that we name things after their mechanics, rather than the general feel they give off.
Trading is already a quest of sorts. You gather the items, you trade with them, you get emeralds.
You trade emeralds for legitimate rewards.
Another issue I have with quests, even optional, is that NPC's would speak to you, which in my opinion doesn't seem like it would fit well. If I see a Testificate say "Hello kind traveler, would you be willing to do me a favor?", I would feel so awkward. It just wouldn't fit the game at all.