So let’s talk missions, quests, and stories. We could probably have a taxonomy of small things with one simple objective or as few as possible and then growing into bigger ones. Maybe right now, let’s call them all jobs and missions possibly interchangeably until we need a better definition.

A lot of the early missions are; go to a place and do a thing. The early jobs are just you and the datapad. They do a couple of things in getting you to go places around the ship, teach you to use the datapad tools, the ship’s consoles, your Magic Band, and build reputation with the quest giver. On the Starcruiser, reputation familiar to all MMO players is broken into two traits: Familiarity and Trust. At least based on my non-scientific poll of passengers online, Familiarity is based on face-to-face interactions, and trust can be built both online and in person.

So the early missions go to a previously locked room and badge in again, go to an available console and gain access to information. Use your Magic Band on things, use the scanning tool (QR codes) on crates or coasters, then learn to hack computer panels and other things. Some of the crates with QR codes are locked with encryption that you have to break using the same puzzle mechanic as hacking. You’ll either face a puzzle of matching puzzle pieces, or connecting like pieces on a grid with connecting lines. These puzzles are timed and you might have to try multiple puzzles to get it right.

As the missions advance, you might have to hack a thing, then scan a thing, lots of using the map and going places. I had gone to Galaxy’s Edge Tuesday on my own, then back again on our Thursday Excursion day and just so happened to take a picture of some crates earlier that were part of a questline. There were a lot of crates “around” a very large building, I left my teammate because I knew I’d seen them, but didn’t remember exactly where. You can wander a lot even when the map narrows things down.

Ayways missions build in complexity, the go-to-a-panel, flip-a-switch, push-a-button mission early on day one turns into all the skills you need for a whole activity late on day two with dozens of people working together all at once.

There are later-stage missions that take place on the bridge that only happen after all the bridge training sessions have happened, so you should already know what to do when something exciting comes up.

In this sense, the early getting-to-know-you missions are training wheels for later missions, and they try to make them not feel like tutorials.

If you have any feedback about this post or our books, please feel free to contact us.

Paul

Evilrobotgames at Gmail.com