In my game, the player is an apple farmer who delivers apples to people in the town via orders. My issue is I can’t wrap my head around how to make a quest system. I have no idea how to start.
Any suggestions?
So as a general starting point, all your quests will probably use variables of some kind.
You may wish to establish a naming convention such as quests have variables like $q-john for the quest an NPC named John gives out.
I might suggest that quest progress is represented by a number. Quests may have different stages, but something like:
$q-john
= 0 The player has not accepted this quest.
= 1 The player accepted the quest
= 2 The player found the golden apple and needs to return it to John
= 3 The quest was completed.
You may have more stages. Then you’ll probably want a quest log which is a page that checks all the quests and their variables. This is pseudocode but:
<if $q-john eq 1>You need to find a golden apple for John.<elseif $q-john eq 2>You found the golden apple! Return it to John!<elseif $q-john eq 3>You completed John's quest to bring him a golden apple.<endif>
You increment the number at each phase. If John explains his tale of woe about needing an apple, and $q-john is 0, you increment $q-john to 1 so it will show in the quest log. Similarly, increment the variable at each phase - after finding the apple and then after returning it to the quest giver - so it will update in the log.
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Thank you so much!
Now, would I somehow put this into code:
Or was this just a guide for what those stages would do?
That was just a guide for planning purposes. I’m not good with the specific flavors of Twine code so it was all just example hopefully to give the concept of a quest log some structure!
I have been writing in AXMA whose code was very influenced by old-school Twine - it’s sort of like Sugarcube a bit. Here is an example of code from Cursed Pickle of Shireton:
Variable setup in Startup passage
#items
<<if !$junk>><<set $junk = 0>><<endif>>
<<if !$metal>><<set $metal = 0>><<endif>>
<<if !$healing>><<set $healing = 0>><<endif>>
<<if !$flowers>><<set $flowers = 0>><<endif>>
<<if !$pollen>><<set $pollen = 0>><<endif>>
<<if $pollen eq 0>><<set $dronekill=0>><<endif>>
<<if !$florabread>><<set $florabread=0>><<endif>>
<<if !$honeybread>><<set $honeybread=0>><<endif>>
<<if !$crabclaws>><<set $crabclaws=0>><<endif>>
Quest Log passage
=== [[*Character|charmenu]] | [[*Inventory]] | Quests | [[*Healing]] ===
<<if $bakerparty eq true>>
* Get rid of the Cursed Pickle of Shireton
<<if $cooperation eq true>>
* Escape The Lünēbyn Institute
* The Cursed Pickle of Shireton wants you to do //a whole lot of stuff//.
<<endif>>
<<endif>>
<<if $mail eq true>>
* Deliver a letter to <<print $maildest>>.
<<endif>>
<<if $weaponquest eq true>>
* Purchase a weapon from the Weapon Shoppe, equip it, and show it to the Sheriff of NewBeeTown.
<<endif>>
<<if $healquest eq true>>
* Visit Flora's Honeywell to purchase healing items.
<<endif>>
<<if $orphanage eq true>>
* <<if !$orphankey>>Get the key to the orphanage and release<<else>>Take the orphan key to the Orphanery and free<<endif>> the poor orphans before they burn!<<endif>>
<<if $nbtsmithquest neq null>>
* Collect scrap metal and sell it to the Weaponsmith of NewBeeTown. (You have <<print $metal>>) <<endif>>
<<if $crabquest eq true>>
* Harvest crab claws for the Innkeeper of NewBeeTown. (You have <<print $crabclaws>>) <<endif>>
<<if $qflowers and $mutated neq true>>
* Gather 20 Flowers for Flora, the BeeKeeper of NewBeeTown. (You have <<print $flowers>>) <<endif>>
<<if $qpollen and $mutated neq true>>
* Collect pollen from Rogue Drones in Merry Meadows north of NewBeeTown for Flora. (You have <<print $pollen>>) <<endif>>
<<if $mutated eq true>>
* Collect pollen for the Hive Queen to create honey. (You have <<print $pollen>>)
<<endif>>
<<if $qhoneybread>>
* Purchase bread from the Baker of Shireton and return it to Flora in NewBeeTown. (You have <<print $florabread>>) <<endif>>
<<if $hurl eq true>>
* Acquire five loaves of sourdough bread from the Shireton Bakery and deliver them to the Innkeeper in Lünēbyn so the guests at the free breakfast buffet can have //Famous// French Toast. (You have 0)
<<endif>>
<<if $sameybread eq true>>
* The Innkeeper of <<print $destination>> will pay big money for loaves of bread! (You have 0)
<<endif>>
<<if $bbquest eq true>>
* Bring the Dubious Vendor of Shireton a loaf of bread from the Shireton Bakery in exchange for a mysterious artifact! (You have 0)<<endif>>
Thank you for the examples! I appreciate your help.
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