Side Quests: Why Am I Doing This Again?

[Soviet Heavy]

This is a question I've been asking myself more and more as I play through side quests from a bunch of RPGs. Particularly Mass Effect or Dragon Age. Both of these series stress the urgency of the latest "Save the World/Galaxy" threat, yet they are packed with side quests that seem so bloody superfluous.

Sure, it is a fun diversion hunting down a satellite module stolen by a monkey, but how in the world does that connect with stopping the galaxy from being eaten by giant robot squids? How does running errands for a criminal syndicate during the middle of a world spreading plague of mutants have any context? And don't even get me started on "Kill X number of Zs for a reward" quests.

Side quests just seem to serve no purpose anymore other than to fill out games that are lacking in the main plot developments. Individual escapades might be fun, but they don't really contribute to the main story.

I was playing Mass Effect for HOURS just scouting random planets and driving the Mako everywhere, after only finishing two of the main plot planets. It just started to feel diluted. What was I doing? Was I hunting for Prothean Data Disks? Tracking down pirate bases? Chasing pyjaks? Or wasn't I supposed to be saving Feros from the Geth?


It's a shame, because I have seen games where the side quests actually do play an important role in the overall game. The premier example of this I feel is Morrowind, which had long, arching side quests that ran parallel to the main story, and eventually integrated into the plot in a very natural sense. So much stuff all linked together in the end, giving meaning to your actions. But games that do this are few and far between, sadly.

Does anyone else feel like Side Quests need a bit of an overhaul?

 

[nekoali]

In general, I think it's more that the stories of games in general need an overhaul. Or at least recognize that if you want a massive YOU MUST DO THIS OR EVERYTHING DIES as the main plot line, side quests need to be streamlined and fit in with the story. One of the problems is that no matter how urgent everyone makes the main quest out to be, the bad guys will just sit there calmly and wait for you to arrive in your own good time. Mass Effect and Oblivion were prime examples of that mistake.

On the other hand, incorporating a lot of side quests into the main mission is a good thing. Trying to get information from someone about the main baddy/your missing family member/the ultimate macguffin but having them refuse to help until you 'do a little something for me first' is a great way to pad out content and game play and still make sense.

 

[OniYouji]

Because sometimes they give you extra stuff. Call it...doing favors for supplies to fight off the evils threatening the universe.

 

[DAAANtheMAAAN]

Side quests are exactly that. They're mini-adventures that typically don't relate to the main plot. I agree that they're mainly done to beef up the content in a game, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. They're a side dish. They may not always be a good match for the entree, but they still cleanse the pallet nonetheless.

I just beat Mass Effect a few days ago, so I know what you mean when it comes to exploring endless planets for mundane items or solving ALL of Admiral Hackett's problems. If you haven't beaten it yet, know that the item-collecting missions don't have any legitimate reward outside of more EXP and credits, which is pretty much thrown at you in that game for breathing on every other computer console. I just picked the non-collecting quests and completely ignored anything of interest on planets unless I drove by it on the way to the mission. Even then, I still ended up at level 50 with over 4 million credits.

 

[kane.malakos]

As long as the main quest isn't time-critical it's not too bad, but you certainly have a point. Maybe the problem is too much emphasis on the main quest, and not enough on experiencing the world. Morrowind is actually a good example. Basically the first quest you get is "Go get a job somewhere." You actually can't progress in the main quest until you've gained some useful skills for yourself.
Oblivion let you do your own thing, but the main quest just felt so disconnected from everything else. I spent half the game just ignoring the huge glowing gates of death because the side quests were more interesting.

 

[JesterRaiin]

Everything comes down to marketing. It seems that developers are too afraid to try new formulas. Personal survival/save the Universe are considered "safe scenarios" i guess. Everything else is just too risky and we're talking money here... :|

BTW : Lately i finally upgraded my PC and tried some of "best", commercial crpgs. I was shocked how shallow they were (at least some of them, like ME) in comparision to some indie productions.

 

[StrixMaxima]

I think that complaining about side quests is the same thing as complaining about side characters in a novel or movie. They are part of a whole and, when used correctly, greatly enhance the end result.

Of course, there are different kinds of side quests. The basic "Kill 10 Rats to receive 1 Silver Piece" are simply mindless filler. A quest to save a child from an infested house given by a shady mother or father, in the other hand, is much more interesting, even though it might not relate to the main quest.

After all, any story needs some ground to stand upon, and side stories and characters help doing just that, creating a believable setting.

 

[Thunderhorse31]

Here's one word that I want you to remember when asking this question in the future.

Scope.

When there is 500 other things to do in games like Mass Effect or Dragon Age that aren't intricately tied to the story, they exist to provide extra gameplay, yes, but they are also there to give you the feeling that you are involved in a living, breathing, grand universe that has it's own shit going on that you may or may not care about.

There is a rogue VI on the moon. This elf lost his necklace in a cave. Space pirates have taken a politician hostage. Darkspawn are attacking a caravan of innocent people. An asteroid is heading right for a city. Elvish assassins are killing people at random.

Do you need to care about these things? No. Do you need to get involved? No. But you have the option, and the fact that they exist gives testament to your presence in a big world with lots and lots and lots of stuff going on.

Almost like in real life.

 

[EasySt17]

I think the real problem is side quests that are just mindless filler vs a side quest that give the sense of a larger imagined world that builds atmosphere. All the extra characters and places in Tolkien's novels add depth to the world. Side quests that make you feel like you are just some sort of wondering handyman rather then a man with a purpose only make us feel less connected with the world and our character. Side quests can add to the atmosphere without being connected to the main story (fallout one and two proved that), and in roleplaying games if they have multiple solutions they can even give us a chance to make us more involved with our character.

Also some games do have a time sensitive element to them, such as in Fallout when you had to find a water chip for your vault before they died, and even let you buy water caravans to go to the vault but it increased the chances of your vault being destroyed by mutants. Not sure it was a good thing.

In the end of the day the problem is that most writers either have no real sense of the epic world they are trying to create or they have an inability to communicate it to others via the medium.

 

[Davidline]

When I'm down somewhere, doing a side-quest that is not really important I'm always expecting more than just kill this to recieve 1 silver or something. Per example, I finish a quest for Link in wow in the Un'Goro Crater, and I go into this whole side quest line that is so epic, people keep items from that quest forever, like the boomerang.

So in short I'm always expecting a seperate, good storyline to any sidequest, and when there isn't one...well back to the main questline for any possible fun.

 

[Zhukov]

Yeah, I've never been too enthusiastic about side quests. They're usually just filler that subtracts from the focus of the main story. I do them, but only for the sake of completion.

The only side quests I've ever really like were the loyalty missions in ME2. I loved those, mostly because they were based around specific characters and had some effect on the main mission. Although, even in that case, the connection to the main plot was awfully arbitrary.

 

[AyreonMaiden]

Here's one word that I want you to remember when asking this question in the future.

Scope.

When there is 500 other things to do in games like Mass Effect or Dragon Age that aren't intricately tied to the story, they exist to provide extra gameplay, yes, but they are also there to give you the feeling that you are involved in a living, breathing, grand universe that has it's own shit going on that you may or may not care about.

There is a rogue VI on the moon. This elf lost his necklace in a cave. Space pirates have taken a politician hostage. Darkspawn are attacking a caravan of innocent people. An asteroid is heading right for a city. Elvish assassins are killing people at random.

Do you need to care about these things? No. Do you need to get involved? No. But you have the option, and the fact that they exist gives testament to your presence in a big world with lots and lots and lots of stuff going on.

Almost like in real life.

I agree with this so much. Yakuza is one of my favorite game series due to this. I've never in a game played so many different roles for so many colorful characters. Ass-kicker, cupid, gambler, nightlifer, gangster, father-figure, gamer, fetch-boy, savior, bodyguard, nightworker...I can do EVERYTHING I want in this little snippet of Tokyo. I don't have to if I don't wanna, but my god does it add to the fun.

These things add so much to the vibe of a breathing world, which is what RPGs pride themselves on, more often than not. Kamurocho breathes thanks to the inane nothings you can do outside of saving the Tojo clan or whatever it is you're saving this time. To me, it's the same with Radiant Historia, Trails in the Sky, Dragon Age, Zelda, Mass Effect, etc.a

 

[Camaranth]

I pretty much agree with you OP, especially in sandbox games where there are plenty of sidequests (which is kind of the point) but then the main quest is also made out to be world threatening, like Oblivion.

In other games it's fine that the sidequests are kind of arbitrary and exist mostly to flesh out the world like Fallout 3. The main plot here is you are just trying to survive.

I thought most of them fit in quite well in ME 1/2 and DA, in ME you are a specter and are off trying to track this guy down BUT you are also an Alliance soldier and therefore will be asked to fulfill your duties. Same in DA yes you must stop the blight but there are other duties you need to attend to as a warden and lets face it, you want to survive any of these threats you need the best equipment which means you need money and therefore you become the worlds odd-job guy.

Can I make a confession? I have never finished a Bethesda RPG because of this. I get so bogged down in the sidequest stuff that I lose sight of the main point. I've recently started Fallout 3 again and changed my mindset about it a little, and I'm enjoying it a lot more. A little less I'm here to save the world and a little more I'm here to explore the world.

 

[skywolfblue]

I love side quests.

I like the variety and options that they offer. Do what you like, it's not like the main story where it's railroaded. They offer the chance to fight different people, and explore stories off the main plot. If EVERYTHING was all about fighting collectors and only collectors that would get boring very fast.

 

[geK0]

Final Fantasy 10 and 12 did side quests really well IMO. They weren't just mindless extra tasks (for the most part), but instead provided extra challenges which were harder than the main story.

 

[lord.jeff]

I have to agree it always felt weird doing all this random stuff that doesn't doomsday device (seriously how many chocobo can I breed before that meteor falls, there are ones that are grandparent now that weren't even born when that started falling). Although I've seen it work in a few games Persona comes to mind as you could only fight at certain times so why not play games in your off time.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

I feel your pain on Mass Effect. I did all those side quests, expecting to be rewarded at the end. Legion on One I was expecting to confront the finale member in combat. Nope. Collecting the writings, I was hoping to find some secret Asari stash. Nothing. All the side quests in that game felt utterly unimportant and simple fluff, and I didn't like it. I kept comparing it to Final Fantasy VII or VIII, where doing the side quests revealed information about a main character, or gave you a powerful item. Nope. These ones simply felt like chores.

The Dragon Age side quests I understood because Blights have happened before, and people know that the world still goes on, so they still need stuff doing. You were also rewarded for completing the quests, whether it was with gold, items, or simply seeing a child returned to his sister. Mass Effect lacked these things.