Game Musings - Quest Logs pt. 2

Writing for a questless player

This is a sequel to my previous post on quest logs because… apparently I have more to say about them! I wanted to talk a little bit about how quest logs impact how a game is written, for better or worse.

The simple fact is, players always need to know what to do next. If they don’t have some guidance towards their current goal, the game quickly becomes frustrating. Quest logs fulfill this need automatically.

So in games that don’t have quest logs… you wind up writing a LOT of hints into the game text. This was absolutely true in Chicory; I’d estimate than about 1/3rd or more of all the text in the game was gameplay instruction and quest hints. A quest-giving character can’t just tell you what they want; they have to remind you what they wanted every time you talk to them. And if you do a partial step, they have to recognize that and then give you the next partial hint. For every step of every quest, for every character. And then when you finish the quest, a clear resolution and “thank you for doing that!” so you know you’ve completed it. I put a lot of effort in to weave all this information naturally into each character’s story and unique voice, but beneath every conversation there’s always this rigid structure.

There are definitely times where I bemoaned these limitations. Characters can never “just say something” - I had to think about what impression it will give the player, and whether they will mistake any passing comment as an actionable item. But, there’s also huge benefits to this in the long run, since players are actively engaged in all the text because it also contains all the info they need to beat the game. Even if flavor is only doled out between practical information, at least you know players are receiving it.

Quest logs provide a tool for helping the player sort what’s relevant, so the writing has a lot more freedom. It doesn’t have nearly as much responsibility to relate to or connect with other elements of the game… so often it winds up becomes a lot more “book-like.” Indeed, it makes a lot more sense for games to be made this way when the teams are larger and writers aren’t working directly with the rest of the team; quest logs help paper over the little inconsistencies that can fall into the project from that kind of environment.

When done really well, the existence of “writing” and “quests” as two separate “systems” in the game actually can create really fun opportunities for new storytelling. For example, imagine an NPC who says “I heard Bob say something really rude about your friend,” and then you get a new side quest pop up: “Teach Bob a lesson.” That kind of little joke/interaction gives you a satisfying bit of characterization. In a log-less game like Chicory, I’d have to heavy-handedly make the protagonist respond by saying “I better go teach that guy a lesson…” and instead of being a little joke it would just be kind of boring and straightforward.

There’s so much to get into! I find myself wanting to keep saying more about this but let’s leave it there. The important thing to remember is that no solution fits every project. Every decision you make as a creator always offers benefits as well as costs; the more aware you are of them, the better you can decide what solution best fits your goals.