NPCs Project

[Zeno 2]

Hi everybody. I've being putting an eye over the NPCs role in the wiki, as they appear in quests and places. What I was thinking is that NPCs also are part of this "world": NPCs act in Quests, and are in Places; Quests are played by PC and NPCs and take place in Places; Places have NPCs and are where Quests take place. If I didn't miss anything: end of the story

 

So we have Quests, Places and NPCs, forming a whole all them. I thought having a template also for NPCs and thinking of the possibility of writing pages for them as well as for quests and places, we would have a complete set. I'm too aware I'll not put all my efforts there, as I'm concentrated in Places and Quests, but it can also be a nice thing to have in low priority status that can be filled step by step.

 

Ok, then let's discuss about the main thing: What should an NPC page? I vote for a simple page, just with a short explanation of what he/she is, where to find him/her, and his/her role in quests; plus a screenshot (front full-body photo) on the right side; like THIS one. I will add there a small list of three things:

• You can find NPC_NAME in TOWN_NAME
  
• You can locate NPC_NAME in the INTERACTIVE_MAP
  
• NPC_NAME plays the role of QUEST_ROLE in the quest QUEST
  

I really think no more info on an NPC is needed, and this layout keeps it quite simple, enough to be a page easy to fill with a premade template, and will encourage to quick growth of the section and avoid this project to be a hevy duty upon us...

 

What do you think? You find any information missing for NPCs? You would add anything else:) Questions, comments, suggestions...

 

Cheers,

Zeno

[Knuckles 904]

One thing that might be nice to know is whether or not the quest NPC is immortal. Typically children are.

[Zeno 2]

One thing that might be nice to know is whether or not the quest NPC is immortal. Typically children are.

Yes, that's an extra thing which is useful to know. That would apply to hirelings only, am I right?

[Knuckles 904]

Yup...

 

For example when you reach the Dryad Isle in the Main Quest and free the Orcs from the slavers, 2 of the Orcs will join up with you. When you first get them, they are immortal until you rescue the child. After that they can be hurt by enemies.

 

 

On a side note, for those that are trying to complete every quest and have a really good friend or 2 pc's, there's an easy way to do escort quests. One person waits on isle or another safe place. 2nd person activates quest and then leaves game. Once he leaves the quest npc will teleport to 1st person. 2nd person comes back into game and completes quest while never having to worry about NPC as it will stay with 1st person until quest completion

[gogoblender 3,078]

Hi everybody. I've being putting an eye over the NPCs role in the wiki, as they appear in quests and places. What I was thinking is that NPCs also are part of this "world": NPCs act in Quests, and are in Places; Quests are played by PC and NPCs and take place in Places; Places have NPCs and are where Quests take place. If I didn't miss anything: end of the story

 

So we have Quests, Places and NPCs, forming a whole all them. I thought having a template also for NPCs and thinking of the possibility of writing pages for them as well as for quests and places, we would have a complete set. I'm too aware I'll not put all my efforts there, as I'm concentrated in Places and Quests, but it can also be a nice thing to have in low priority status that can be filled step by step.

 

Ok, then let's discuss about the main thing: What should an NPC page? I vote for a simple page, just with a short explanation of what he/she is, where to find him/her, and his/her role in quests; plus a screenshot (front full-body photo) on the right side; like THIS one. I will add there a small list of three things:

• You can find NPC_NAME in TOWN_NAME
  
• You can locate NPC_NAME in the INTERACTIVE_MAP
  
• NPC_NAME plays the role of QUEST_ROLE in the quest QUEST
  

I really think no more info on an NPC is needed, and this layout keeps it quite simple, enough to be a page easy to fill with a premade template, and will encourage to quick growth of the section and avoid this project to be a hevy duty upon us...

 

What do you think? You find any information missing for NPCs? You would add anything else:) Questions, comments, suggestions...

 

Cheers,

Zeno

 

 

Love this

I remember last year, when we were just starting out with the quests and npc...I remember thinking that it's going to be wonderful how the npc's themeslves are a whole world into themselves. Each one can get his own page, and who actually knows how many there are in the entire game?

 

The template is a wonderful idea, Zeno, and this kind of work is stuff that lots of peeps can add to easily by snapping pix.

 

Great idea

 

 

gogo

[Slayer89 0]

Maybe split that last one up into:

 

Quest Given:

Quest Involved In:

 

That way both bases are covered.

[Zeno 2]

Maybe split that last one up into:

 

Quest Given:

Quest Involved In:

 

That way both bases are covered.

Mmm... I can't see the advantage It's just the same but splitted? I can't remember any NPC taking part in different quests, so both options would never be filled together... Am I right?

Anyway, if your really think it helps to keep the page simple & clear, no problemo

 

Cheers,

Zeno

[Slayer89 0]

Maybe split that last one up into:

 

Quest Given:

Quest Involved In:

 

That way both bases are covered.

Mmm... I can't see the advantage It's just the same but splitted? I can't remember any NPC taking part in different quests, so both options would never be filled together... Am I right?

Anyway, if your really think it helps to keep the page simple & clear, no problemo

 

Cheers,

Zeno

 

 

True a good portion of the NPC's wouldn't have both. There are some NPC's that fit both. For example, in A Long Journey, the last objective is to take a package to Commander Elsurion. After doing so, Elsurion has a quest to give you.

 

I'll mess around with a layout

 

 

Here is an idea. Not a very good one though, but its simple.

Edited June 27, 2009 by Slayer89

[Zeno 2]

True a good portion of the NPC's wouldn't have both. There are some NPC's that fit both. For example, in A Long Journey, the last objective is to take a package to Commander Elsurion. After doing so, Elsurion has a quest to give you.

 

I'll mess around with a layout

 

Here is an idea. Not a very good one though, but its simple.

Happy to see that. Yes, that's not exactly what I had in mind, but it's quite simple and readable. I also did my own tests, and you can find them Here.

I've used your ideas changed a bit the layout to what I had in mind. Hope you like it!

Note it could be not only quest giver but also be involved in another quest, and it would be written as another list item under Quests section, like you explain in your tests.

I've also written the basic layout to create a page like the one in my page. It's Template:NPC (you can also find a link in my user page).

 

Cheers,

Zeno

 

PS: Btw, it would be really nice a wiki big boss added template substitution icons (like the quest one, the "Q" icon) for places, chainquests and NPC when finished. Could it be possible:)

Edited June 27, 2009 by Zeno

[Schot 407]

Yet another great project Zeno. Do you sleep!? lol. I love this idea and think creating pages for the NPC's will add charm to the wiki.

 

As for the additional buttons, certainly! This is where the magic happens:

 

Common.js

 

The code is fairly simple to work with so I'll just need to make some spiffy buttons and we'll be good to go. ^^

[Zeno 2]

Yet another great project Zeno. Do you sleep!? lol. I love this idea and think creating pages for the NPC's will add charm to the wiki.

Sleep? Oh, yes, of course... Only the template, I promise!

 

As for the additional buttons, certainly! This is where the magic happens:

Common.js

The code is fairly simple to work with so I'll just need to make some spiffy buttons and we'll be good to go. ^^

[Zeno 2]

I finished all NPC pages related to place Sloeford, so you can all see how it looks like for a complete set of related pages: all NPCs and quests in Sloeford, and everyone makes reference to the others. I hope you like it, and if there are no further comments/issues/suggestions I will proceed to publish the templates, and then wait for some altruistic recruits to write up the pages missing...

 

Cheers,

Zeno

[Slayer89 0]

Looks great, I can't think of anything that would make it any better then it currently is. With your template and Schot making a button, should be an easy project.

 

 

 

PS: Zamanar and Farmer Walcott seem to be using an older layout.

[Zeno 2]

PS: Zamanar and Farmer Walcott seem to be using an older layout.

Right, I didn't edit them; just kept what was already done. Maybe later I adapt them to the new layout.

 

Btw, what about adding a link in the left sacred2 navigation menu (where are the links to places, map, quests, items...). I'm not sure what should appear after that link, maybe a little briefing along with the category listing. Maybe a listing page like for quests or places would also be fine, but known the number of NPCs in Sacred 2 it can be a neverending page (nonsense IMHO). What do you think?

Edited June 29, 2009 by Zeno

[gogoblender 3,078]

I was looking at the work yesterday...it's fantastic! I was clicking all the npc's on the category page just to "visit" all the people in the game. And because you did this, I think think I have an idea on how we can get the community to donate more pix of npcs. I'll run a topic on this tonight on all the Sacred forums and I think you're going to like my idea ^^

 

Regarding along the left, I can talk to Schot about this, we're always tweaking that part based on Search Engine Optimization (SEO for short) And base it upon hits to the wiki as we pull out of our stats, and maybe we can look at that again.

 

So... any idea how many npc's there are in the game? At least a few hundred, right?

 

This is going to be a HUGE category ^^

 

 

gogo

[colif 36]

Think I will keep to collecting quest names, there are only about 700 of them. Maybe assign a town to people, as the Elven & Human regions are huge, or corners of the map. Then there are all the npc's who are only there if you have the quest... um, I am walking away now

[Zeno 2]

Well... if there are +600 quests, probably there will be at least +500 NPCs.

 

About the pix, it would be great if they were all in whole-body (take mine as examples) and about 160x350. It's not a must this size and angle, but if they are all similar we'll get a nice layout.

Btw, I've finished a template {{subst:NPC}} which will ease these page creations.

Note that I've started a new folder in the photobucket account inside the existing one. It runs the following layout: Sacred2/NPC/Region_Name/Place_Name/NPC_Image.jpg. As an example, the current pic for Michel the blacksmith apprentice is:

Bucket>/Sacred_2/NPC/Tyr Lysia/Sloeford/Michel-the-Blacksmith-Appre.jpg

If we can manage to keep that folder layout we will keep some order over this, you know; imagine +500 pix spread in any way over the bucket account...

 

Cheers,

Zeno

[gogoblender 3,078]

Noted!

I'll add all this to the post I'll make tonight about what your needs are for the pages. And yeah, with this many npcs in game, eventually further down the rad, the npcs can be "towned" perhaps within their own geographic categories as sub category within the larger npc one?

 

Interesting...this is actually going to be the largest category on the wiki, if not the one that's the most "fun" ^^

 

 

gogo

[colif 36]

Hmm, I actually meant that you should ask for volunteers and those people should be given towns to collect people from.. but I guess the other understanding of what I said also works. I will help if needed, need to play more and post less anyway.

[Slayer89 0]

Well... if there are +600 quests, probably there will be at least +500 NPCs.

 

Probably more like 1000 NPCs

 

Got all the Ascaron employees.

[Zeno 2]

I've just removed the link from the NPC images, as it is real size and quite small anyway. so there is no reason to open it alone. Does anyone think I should keep the link behaviour:)

[gogoblender 3,078]

Since you're already showing real size, there is no real benefit in making the pic a link. I think your decision is a good one.

 

Cheers!

 

 

gogo

[Sunfire 0]

Zeno,

I have some screenies of a quest dealing with a fella named Harun in the desert, He is a single line quest giver NPC, Can pm you links to shots if you wish as I'm not worth a crap at posting this kind of stuff on wiki.

Didn't see him listed on NPC page yet, however quest is called "Nails are forever".

I suggest getting the "Lost caravan" quest out of town Khorum first, as the completion areas are both nearby one another and a portal.

Let me know, be glad to share them, if pertinent to the project.

Jet

[Zeno 2]

Zeno,

I have some screenies of a quest dealing with a fella named Harun in the desert, He is a single line quest giver NPC, Can pm you links to shots if you wish as I'm not worth a crap at posting this kind of stuff on wiki.

Didn't see him listed on NPC page yet, however quest is called "Nails are forever".

I suggest getting the "Lost caravan" quest out of town Khorum first, as the completion areas are both nearby one another and a portal.

Let me know, be glad to share them, if pertinent to the project.

Jet

Thanks Jetcutter. You can pm me and you can send me these images so I can store them, but I won't use them right now, as I'm focusing in Sloeford region. Maybe I could arrange to upload the photos and keep track of them somehow... Anyway, I'll contact you to get them, no doubt

 

Cheers,

Zeno

[Sunfire 0]

Ok Zeno,

I'll get them together in a zip file for your reference, if needed.

Jet