quest-design-patterns: Скилл для проектирования квестов

--- name: quest-design-patterns description: "A specialized skill for the quest-designer agent covering quest design patterns. Provides quest archetypes, reward psychology, difficulty curves, and player motivation frameworks. Use for 'quest design,' 'reward systems,' 'mission structure,' 'quest patterns,' and similar topics." --- # Quest Design Patterns — Quest Design Pattern Methodology Specialized game design knowledge used by the quest-designer agent when designing main/side quests. ## Why Patterns Are Needed Quests are the **glue connecting narrative and gameplay**. If the game just repeats "go kill 10 of these," players will disengage. Combining diverse structural patterns is what keeps players saying "just one more quest." ## 12 Quest Archetypes ### Combat/Action Category | # | Archetype | Core Loop | Narrative Function | Risk Factor | |---|-----------|-----------|-------------------|-------------| | 1 | **Hunt** | Eliminate a specific target | Threat removal, proving heroism | Can become repetitive -> Give the target a story | | 2 | **Defense** | Protect a base/NPC | Sense of responsibility, time pressure | Frustration on failure -> Provide partial success options | | 3 | **Pursuit** | Track a fleeing target | Tension, spatial utilization | Repeated failure -> Adjust difficulty with staged clues | ### Exploration/Discovery Category | # | Archetype | Core Loop | Narrative Function | Risk Factor | |---|-----------|-----------|-------------------|-------------| | 4 | **Exploration** | Discover unknown regions | World-building expansion, curiosity | Loss of direction -> Guide with environmental storytelling | | 5 | **Collection** | Gather items/information | Deepening world understanding | Tedious errands -> Add mini-narrative to each item | | 6 | **Puzzle** | Solve puzzles/ciphers | Intellectual achievement, learning world rules | Getting stuck -> Provide tiered hint system | ### Social/Relationship Category | # | Archetype | Core Loop | Narrative Function | Risk Factor | |---|-----------|-----------|-------------------|-------------| | 7 | **Escort** | Accompany an NPC | Relationship building, character development | Slow NPC -> Ensure AI behavior quality | | 8 | **Negotiation** | Resolve through dialogue | Exploring faction relations, role-playing | Obvious answer -> Assign a cost to every choice | | 9 | **Delivery** | Carry goods/information | World traversal, NPC network | Simple travel -> Insert events during travel | ### Variant/Composite Category | # | Archetype | Core Loop | Narrative Function | Risk Factor | |---|-----------|-----------|-------------------|-------------| | 10 | **Infiltration** | Achieve objective undetected | Tension, alternative play style | Detection=failure prohibited -> Switch to combat on detection | | 11 | **Competition** | Compete against NPCs/players | Achievement, social comparison | Unfairness -> Visual progress indicators | | 12 | **Dilemma** | Irreconcilable choices | Moral weight, player identity | Correct answer exists -> Ensure every choice has pros and cons | ## Quest Structure Design: 3-Layer Architecture ``` [Surface Layer] What the player sees: "The village elder asks you to find herbs" [Mechanical Layer] What the game tracks: Travel -> Collect -> Combat -> Return + Flag changes [Narrative Layer] What the story conveys: The elder's hidden past, the true purpose of the herbs ``` ### Surface Layer Design Rules - The objective must be **immediately understandable** — "What do I need to do?" is grasped within 3 seconds - There must be **2 or more paths** to the objective — combat/stealth/persuasion - **Progress** must be visible — 0/5 -> 3/5 -> Complete ### Mechanical Layer Design Rules - Quest steps should be **3-7 stages** (under 3: too simple, over 7: fatigue) - Each step should utilize **different game mechanics** — combat -> dialogue -> exploration variations - Define **failure states** — What happens on failure? (Retry/Branch/Permanent consequence) ### Narrative Layer Design Rules - After completing a quest, the player should learn **at least 1 new thing** about the world - NPC requests have **hidden motivations** — the surface reason and the real reason - Quest outcomes should **affect subsequent quests** — no isolated quests ## Reward Psychology: DRIP Model | Element | Description | Application | |---------|-------------|-------------| | **D**elayed | Delayed rewards — non-immediate rewards | Main quest rewards come at chapter end | | **R**andom | Random rewards — variable ratio reinforcement | Loot probability systems | | **I**ntrinsic | Intrinsic rewards — story, character growth | Emotional cutscenes, relationship changes | | **P**rogressive | Progressive rewards — cumulative achievement | Achievements, titles, skill trees | ### Reward Balance Formula ``` Quest Reward Value = (Time Required x Base Reward Rate) x Difficulty Coefficient x Choice Bonus - Base Reward Rate: Baseline experience/gold per minute - Difficulty Coefficient: Easy(0.8), Normal(1.0), Hard(1.5), Hidden(2.0) - Choice Bonus: 1.2x-1.5x for completing bonus objectives/moral choices ``` ## Difficulty Curve Design ### Ideal Difficulty Curve: Sawtooth Pattern ``` Difficulty ^ | / / / | / / / | / / / <- Each tooth = quest chain | / / / |/ / +----------------------------> Progress ``` - Each tooth's **peak**: Boss battle or key branching point - Each tooth's **valley**: Recovery quests, story development, exploration - **Overall slope**: Gradual increase — Chapter 1's highest difficulty < Chapter 3's lowest difficulty ### Main vs. Side Quest Placement | Progress | Main Quest | Side Quest Role | |----------|-----------|-----------------| | 0-20% | Tutorial + World introduction | Basic mechanics learning | | 20-40% | First crisis | Adding depth to factions/characters | | 40-60% | Twist + New objective | Discovering hidden narratives | | 60-80% | Final preparation | Securing key items/alliances | | 80-100% | Climax + Ending | Epilogue, hidden content | ## Quest Document Template ``` ### Quest: [Title] - **ID**: Q_[Chapter]_[Number] - **Type**: Main / Side / Hidden - **Archetype**: [Choose from the 12 archetypes] - **Prerequisite Quest**: Q_XX_XX - **Recommended Level**: Lv.XX #### Overview [1-2 sentence summary] #### Trigger Conditions [Quest start conditions] #### Steps 1. [Action] — [Game Mechanic] — [Narrative Function] 2. ... #### Branches - Choice A: [Result] -> [Subsequent impact] - Choice B: [Result] -> [Subsequent impact] #### Rewards - Experience: X / Gold: X / Item: [Name] - Narrative Reward: [Relationship changes, new information] #### Flag Changes - SET: [flag_name] = [value] ```