Phase 9: Quests, NPCs and Progression

This phase is still ahead.

Ships

v0.9.0

Lesson

Data-driven content, content pipelines and validation

Depends on

Phase 8

• Experience from kills and quests, a level 1 to 10 curve in content/progression.yaml, and stat growth per level.
• Level-up event with effects in the client, and levels on nameplates and frames.
• Mob level relative to player level scales experience (far lower mobs give none).

• NPC definitions in content/npcs/ and placement in maps.
• Dialogue trees in content/dialogue/ with conditions (quest state, level) and actions (offer quest, open vendor).
• Interact key and range checks.

• Quest definitions in content/quests/: prerequisites; objectives (kill, collect, talk, explore, use object); rewards (experience, gold, a choice of items).
• Server quest state machine persisted per character; quest items drop only while the quest is active.
• ! and ? markers over quest givers.
• Quest log window and an on-screen objective tracker.
• Content validator in make check: every reference resolves, every quest can be completed, no orphaned items.
• Dev commands to set quest state for testing.

• Start docs/design/lore.md: the setting, its tone, naming rules and a short history.
• Ten starter quests that teach movement, combat, looting and talking to NPCs, written in the Lorehallow voice.

• Draw Batch 09 by hand: four to six NPCs (innkeeper, guard, smith and quest givers), quest markers, an interaction cursor and a level-up effect.
• Intake and integrate.

• docs/walkthroughs/phase-09-quests.md: data-driven design, content validation and quest state machines.
• Devlog draft, release notes, tag v0.9.0 and publish builds.

• A new character can reach level 4 by completing the starter quests.
• A headless bot test completes the whole starter quest chain through the real server.
• Quest progress survives logout and server restart.