Unsolved quests: a can of worms, but maybe not?

[frefaln]

There used to be a rumor — and I remember seeing it echoed in an interview long ago — that some of the quests in original EQ were never solved. Some may have never been discovered. First off I should say that I find that really difficult to believe. Hardcore EQ players can be accused of a lot of things, but leaving stones unturned is not one of them. Considering just about every inch of every zone (through at least GoD, I stopped playing after that) was mapped for EQ Atlas, it's almost impossible to think that hundreds of thousands of players all managed to miss a certain quest/hint/solution.

That said, let's say it's true. Obviously EQEmu wouldn't have those missing pieces since you can't emulate something that you don't know exists — and if you have the original bona fide DB somehow, then you likely DO know it exists and it's therefore no longer an unsolved quest!

Here comes the "can of worms" part. If the P99 Devs decided to be creative and inject a custom quest here and there, would that upset the player base? Would it be acceptable given the possibility that some content was never unearthed in classic? My take: I consider myself about an 80% purist when it comes to preserving classic, but even I don't have any objection to this idea. I think it'd be an extra incentive to keep exploring old stomping grounds, for who knows, I might come across an undiscovered goodie at some point.

Your thoughts please. And yes, I'm ready for the abrupt "No, STFU noob" responses. Let 'em rip.

[mmiles8]

So far the p99 devs have taken EQ to the next level by making NPC bards and boats work, which the live devs never could manage. I'd be all for it, and think it would be interesting.

Just my opinion

[Sigleaf]

I feel custom content is part of the EQ experience, afterall, GM's did host these events regularly when EQ was first released.

As long as the events are fun, balanced, and reasonable then I have no problem with it.

This would apply to quests as well :D

[Chodan]

...?

[frefaln]

I feel custom content is part of the EQ experience, afterall, GM's did host these events regularly when EQ was first released.

As long as the events are fun, balanced, and reasonable then I have no problem with it.

This would apply to quests as well :D

Alright, good stuff. I was going to ask the follow-up question of whether you're okay with those custom quests resulting in custom items (bringing in the whole itemization topic), but if you support custom GM events that's probably a resounding "yes".

[Gandite]

This mysterious interview gets thrown around a lot. Supposedly there are hundreds of unknown or unsolved quests and thousands of unknown items. Considering how datamining has been used to discover stuff in expansions on live I am wearing my skeptical hat.

We used datamining at the Safehouse to crack the rogue epic 1.5 and 2.0 so I don't really believe there is a lot of unknown or unsolved shit in the game. If there were I'd definitely be interested in some clues to get some balls rolling provided some devs know of said clues.

There is a lot of broken shit though. Cracktusk's 2 slot box for example and the book quest involving the Oracle dude in OOT.

[Sorn]

That would be pretty awesome. I already go around hailing NPCs trying to find something to work for.

I have also seen a player do a short quest event in Gfay, so it doesn't have to be limited to GMs or what the developers write.

[doacleric]

There were 50+ page threads on Everlore about dozens of broken quests back in the day. I remember spending hours just reading about all the speculation about how to complete the "blued two handed hammer" quest. Everyone thought they were missing something obvious. Turns out, the quest was simply broken. It was eventually fixed a few years later, but IMO, not the way the original developers had intended.

[mmiles8]

Alright, good stuff. I was going to ask the follow-up question of whether you're okay with those custom quests resulting in custom items (bringing in the whole itemization topic), but if you support custom GM events that's probably a resounding "yes".

The devs here may be more willing than the eq devs were, but getting items created for gm events was considered a big deal and done so few times throughout the history of eq you could count them on both hands.

I was the Quest & Event Coordinator for Xev Server back in '03. I ran nearly every GM event in the pool at some point. The standard GM event reward was a blue diamond, or if several were called for, the other "Upper Echelon" gems.

Edit... I actually think I still have the old scripts for the old GM Events on a backup somewhere. All the devs would need to do is generate the Quest characters to copy for the events.

Course those were all just thought up by guides anyway, and the only limitation in creating new ones is your imagination, and the OPCodes.

[Humwawa]

There was a quest text in the Necro guild in Neriak called The Scroll of G'han, where a necromancer GM would tell you about a legendary ritual which, if invoked fully, would allow you to speak directly to Innoruuk. He mentioned that half of it had been stolen by a fier`dal rogue and taken to Felwithe to ensure the tier`dal could never fully invoke the power of their god. I used to love roleplay in EverQuest, and to my character, a self-proclaimed Priest of Innoruuk, the ability to commune directly with God was worth any price.

I spent a month trying to find it.

I killed every single NPC in Felwithe, either solo or with some friends.

I spent days in Neriak, searching for a lead.

I never found it.

Many years later a dev told the community that the quest was never finished, and that it was only left behind as a kind of Roleplay flavor text.

....so it goes.

[frefaln]

Hmm, that's interesting mmiles8. Do you happen to know why the creation of items was such a big concern on their end? I can understand that concern if custom items were far and away better than any weapon/armor piece/whatever currently on the server, but if it were comparable to gear already available and even just had a custom name, I'd still think most of the "hey, look at the cool kid with the unique item!" factor would still apply.

[Humwawa]

The Aegis of Hatred doesn't exist on this server!

(yes, I have a huge Innoruuk fetish)

Edit: http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=1132

That one!

[frefaln]

@Hum: dude, that story is awful and almost pisses me off for you. All that time invested for what? A dev playing the big 'ole "sad trombone" sound for you. If it's any consolation, you could've faced Inny in the EC tunnel the other night when GM Cyrius was shapeshifting people :-/

[mmiles8]

Because they didn't want to have to deal with the issues of balance, entitlement, and fairness. That was the main thing. SoE was all about their bottom line, Guides were a leftover program from Verant, and SoE turned them from members of the support staff into stage-hand extras not long after they got control. That was when I stepped down.

I didn't like being forbidden to help people. It got to where I could do more to help folks on my play character than I could on my Guide. So I deleted my guide character when I left the program and recreated the character as a regular play character on my play account, as a little "fuck you" to SoE.

^ The shapeshifting. I actually got reprimanded for using /become and helping folks have fun to neutralize a camp dispute at the fabled-whoever-it-was that dropped the Jboots. But I digress...

[Reiker]

The Aegis of Hatred doesn't exist on this server!

(yes, I have a huge Innoruuk fetish)

Edit: http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=1132

That one!

Probably for the best that we don't have any necros running around with a 25 ac, 10 int, 10 sta, 575 hp shield.

Edit: Quoted before your edit, I thought I remembered an Aegis of Hatred with those stats. I was always skeptical of its existence, but there's been more overpowered artifacts introduced into the game.

[Humwawa]

I can understand that concern if custom items were far and away better than any weapon/armor piece/whatever currently on the server, but if it were comparable to gear already available and even just had a custom name, I'd still think most of the "hey, look at the cool kid with the unique item!" factor would still apply.

This is truth. An item doesn't need to be extremely powerful to carry a kind of almost mythic weight.

Remember the Crystal Claw? http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/item.html?item=335

It was rumored that the warrior who received it had her religion changed to Mayong Mistmoore by a GM. I still don't know if it was true, and I never asked, but the entire idea fascinated me.

[Humwawa]

Probably for the best that we don't have any necros running around with a 25 ac, 10 int, 10 sta, 575 hp shield.

That'd be over 1/3rd of my health! Yes yes yes!

(edited out my confusion)

[Reiker]

That'd be over 1/3rd of my health! Yes yes yes!

(edited out my confusion)

I'm not crazy, thx Google: http://kratosguild.org/KratosRLP/plugins/stats/itemshot.php?i=10886

[Humwawa]

HAHAHA, I remember that thing!

There was an entire set, and I had it on my necro on Live (minus the shield) - Lanys T'Vyl for the Rogue 1.5 dropped the set for a while before it was patched out.

Abhorrent Armor of Darkness. The stats were terrible, but it looked like plate.

http://everquest.allakhazam.com/search.html?q=Abhorrent

[Lowlife]

i just want an illusion troll mask for my rogue, even if it means a GM glory hole event. i'm down.

[Humwawa]

I didn't mean to derail the crap out of this...

There were so many unsolved quests that drove countless players crazy.. I'm not sure having them solved after the fact is a grand idea, but it would sure make some folks happy.

For the scroll.. my guess is you invoke Innoruuk, he laughs at you for your impudence and destroys you. Forever.

[RKromwell]

I didn't mean to derail the crap out of this...

There were so many unsolved quests that drove countless players crazy.. I'm not sure having them solved de facto is a grand idea, but it would sure make some folks happy.

For the scroll.. my guess is you invoke Innoruuk, he laughs at you for your impudence and destroys you. Forever.


That would be awesome to see.

[Reiker]

unsolved = broken/unfinished.

[Humwawa]

unsolved = broken/unfinished.

That doesn't really change the topic... I think we're looking for them to become "unbroken." =)

[firesyde424]

So far the p99 devs have taken EQ to the next level by making NPC bards and boats work, which the live devs never could manage.

Someone explain this one to me. How is it that our devs were able to fix something in their spare time over the course of a few weeks that the Sony devs couldn't fix in better than 10 years?

I don't know if it's true or not, but it eventually seemed like Sony just gave up trying because the TP NPC's became permanent and you didn't see the boats again.

[firesyde424]

Anyone ever work on the "Tome of Ages" quest?

*Edit* I just read that it's been solved.

[Gandite]

Anyone ever work on the "Tome of Ages" quest?

*Edit* I just read that it's been solved.

I'd like a link on this I thought this quest was never solved.

[Reiker]

Someone explain this one to me. How is it that our devs were able to fix something in their spare time over the course of a few weeks that the Sony devs couldn't fix in better than 10 years?

I don't know if it's true or not, but it eventually seemed like Sony just gave up trying because the TP NPC's became permanent and you didn't see the boats again.

Bards: My guess is that SoE didn't give a shit. Bard NPCs have worked "out of the box" on any emu server for as long as I can remember. I still don't know why P99 doesn't strip away the functionality, as that would be classic.

Boats: The P99 fix took awhile and is far less than perfect. Again, SoE didn't give a shit. The boats broke during a period where they were already tuning the game towards easier travel and less waiting around for pointless stuff. So translocators made more sense than fruitlessly wasting manpower trying to fix the boats.

[Reiker]

I'd like a link on this I thought this quest was never solved.

http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/quest.html?quest=65

Holy shit typing "Tome of Ages" into http://everquest.allakhazam.com was hard work.

[Breuce]

I spent a long time trying to figure out the Tayla Ironforge quest. Long time. Lots of researching, killing, talking...

I just read now that it finally got implemented in 2003, and the reward was a combine weapon.

I always tended to think that as 'perfect' as classic EQ was, and as much as I absolutely loved it... it was SO CLOSE to being absolutely awe-inspiring. All these friggin broken quests and so forth really did frustrate me quite a bit.

Tho, to be fair.... they made me do a lot of work, learn a lot about lore, and fueled all sorts of gossip and rumors for years. Maybe they weren't so bad :)

[Gandite]

http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/quest.html?quest=65

Holy shit typing "Tome of Ages" into http://everquest.allakhazam.com was hard work.

No shit you mongoloid if you actually read that page you will discover it isn't solved. The reward at the bottom is a blank lore no drop item you get for turning in the book of scale. Useless.

[Vanech]

here (http://oldunsolvedquestsineverquest.yuku.com/)... I stop by this forum from time to time, is a defunct message board aimed towards cracking old unsolved quests for EQ.

I would love to see the quests that were later 'fixed' or 'implemented' (later as in post Velious) reinstated in their proper form in a classic context.

the Guise of Horror (http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/quest.html?quest=3027) Quest that is linked to the rogue 1.5 / 2.0 epic on live was a quest (http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/quest.html?quest=2958) (ctrl+f n' search for shakey for the relevant part) that existed well before GoD / OoW but never worked... It would be great to see rogues (and bards) get the scarecrow illusion mask 'classically'. (that is, without the MUD-flated stats etc.)

This brings up a critical point, though. I'm fairly certain that all of the Iksar sub-epic quests (whistling fists, greenmist, etc.) Were badly broken and went unfixed for a fairly substantial period of time on Live, many of which weren't fixed until after the time frame this server aims to encapsulate... Does that mean that we'll never have working versions of these quests in game, or will they be implemented despite their 'out-of-time' status..?

[JayDee]

There were 50+ page threads on Everlore about dozens of broken quests back in the day. I remember spending hours just reading about all the speculation about how to complete the "blued two handed hammer" quest. Everyone thought they were missing something obvious. Turns out, the quest was simply broken. It was eventually fixed a few years later, but IMO, not the way the original developers had intended.

Holy Shnikees (dru/shm) ... Are you putting this in ?

http://common.allakhazam.com/images/8/2/82aa33c349d77a84ea228cf5af37c324.png

I vote yes !

[Icecometus]

When this comes up I always mention the fact that the Glowing Black Stone is a quest item in a unsolved quest involving Varsoon and the various weird NPCs in qeynos hills.

[Humwawa]

When this comes up I always mention the fact that the Glowing Black Stone is a quest item in a unsolved quest involving Varsoon and the various weird NPCs in qeynos hills.

Varsoon's Black Heart!

[Reiker]

Holy Shnikees (dru/shm) ... Are you putting this in ?

http://common.allakhazam.com/images/8/2/82aa33c349d77a84ea228cf5af37c324.png

I vote yes !

This quest has worked from the beginning on P99, unless it was recently removed. It was actually a lot easier than live, as the Staff of Slime wasn't nearly as rare of a drop.

No shit you mongoloid if you actually read that page you will discover it isn't solved. The reward at the bottom is a blank lore no drop item you get for turning in the book of scale. Useless.

Then I guess it answered your question? His classic quest was always unfinished, you could either turn in the Unrest book for a Golden Torch, or the Book of Scale for the Paladin epic.

They also implemented this quest that involves the oracle: http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/quest.html?quest=2652

[astarothel]

Terrorantula Heart >.>

[Rael]

Only if an ex-SOE/Verant employee was willing to spill the beans on the unfinished quests. There's plenty of custom content EQEmu servers already.

I wanna know what Cracktusk was really for, damnit!

[Sarkhan]

There are so many unsolved/broken/unfinished quests in Kunark that drive me nuts! There is an ornate tin box that drops off froglok outlander that has combine button that I have NO idea what it is used for, yet if you hail a certain trooper in the swamp of no hope, and ask him "What ornate tin box" he will say "I have no idea what you are talking about" or something along those lines... That means there IS something because otherwise he'd just ignore you...
Then the obsidian hilt that is found in Warslik woods that the iksar knight runs and digs up and leaves the "broken" one for you...
Then there is a trooper in FoB that goes on and on about a legendary weapon that can kill dragons and if only we had it the iksars could take back the land against the dragons or something like that...
Its been years since i was quest hunting in Kunark so i forget most of them or how they go :-/

[Virgis]

Rathe mountains is basically one giant unsolved content-y quagmire too, if memory serves. The weird scarabs, sphinxes, inexplicable factions, etc. Seems like so much could've been done with that zone.

[Simplistik]

Whistling fists, shackle and Cudgel quests were working when Kunark was released the Necromancer hat quest was not after the 7th + it was broken.

[Sarkhan]

warrior pikes were also unfinished till after kunark too i believe... i could be wrong

[JayDee]

This quest has worked from the beginning on P99, unless it was recently removed. It was actually a lot easier than live, as the Staff of Slime wasn't nearly as rare of a drop.



Then I guess it answered your question? His classic quest was always unfinished, you could either turn in the Unrest book for a Golden Torch, or the Book of Scale for the Paladin epic.

They also implemented this quest that involves the oracle: http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/quest.html?quest=2652

No wonder Jeremy is trying to sell his barb hammer.

Thanks, gonna tell my buddy about this.

[runicNomad]

reviving this a bit I guess...
I just started on p99 and from my early days of EQ i went around and hailed every NPC to gather information and lore and do even those most trivial of quests.
Although I know here on p99 they are focusing on staying true to old skool and even the timeline I would love to see more quests branching out from unfinished quests and rarer incomplete factions.
It is unnecessary for me to see some uber amazing stat item but rather to flush more out of the lore and have specialized gear based on the more rpish quests.

[Bigcountry23]

The information came from an interview with Abashi (who also once said that he considered getting a personalized license plate, but realized that if any players saw it, they would intentionally drive him off the road, he was that loved). I'll see if I can dig it up anywhere. That being said, shortly after he was replaced by Absor (SOL time frame IIRC) there was a patch that fixed hundreds of quests (including Shaky Scarecrow and the clockwork in Steamfont) meaning that if there really were thousands of undiscovered or unsolved quests, chances are very few actually worked.

[Lagaidh]

I just read page one of this thread. Looks like it could be good, but I wanted to echo the sentiment of others: I never believed there was a single unsolved quest in classic ever quest.

I do believe many quests said to have been unsolved were broken, and then solved within 72 hours of the patch that fixed it.

Look how addicted we all are. We all knew people more addicted than us.

No stone was left unturned by the original 200k subscribers. I have no objective proof, but if someone had definitive proof sealed away to be shown in a week, I've got $100 that says all the original quests that were not broken were solved, and that any original quest that was broken was solved within three days of the fixing patch day.

As I used to say a lot in live, "Trust the dwarf."

EDIT:

Hah! I didn't notice how old this thread was! I do love when one of these comes up from the depths.