Molly, thanks for the considered response.  It sounds like you've been making some interesting quests.  If I understand you, yes, that would be a lot of work!

I think I'm after something slightly different – maybe the term 'quest' brings connotations I'm not meaning to imply.

What I'm trying to work out is a sort of plot improvisation engine.  So, instead of coding up a specific quest, I'm thinking of a system that would be able to dynamically compose "atoms" of plot-related NPC behavior onto cohesive stories, on the fly.

By atoms of plot-related behavior, I mean concrete things like, "issue verbal thanks", "give small cash reward", "recognize", or "ask player to carry message".  (Despite being concrete,  these are still 'uninstantiated', and unconnected with any particular player or NPC.)

It's not hard to imagine ways in which you could compose these into weightier behavior sequences, such as ordering an underling to dispense a some gold trinket from the treasury as a reward.

Now consider, separately, the idea of NPC 'motives'.  These are persistent impulses to meet some objective, but in an unspecified way.  An example might be, "demonstrate gratitude to <x>", or something as simple as "kill <x>".  You could imagine the system selecting behavior sequences that fulfill these motives, somewhat randomly, somewhat on the basis of the NPC's resources.  An desperate beggar might satisfy his motive to kill you by dropping his crutches and trying to strangle you in the street (via the "heedless physical attack" sequence).  The king might simply order someone to do it for him (via the "delegate to trusted killer" sequence).

Back to the plot improvisation engine.  Make a bigger leap with me and imagine the engine is always running, always looking for ways to fulfill NPC motives not just randomly, but in a way that engages specific players.  This would be based on player stats, accomplishments, affiliations, and also his or her declared 'story goals'.

One player might be looking for combat challenges, another for courtly intrigue, for example.  If the knight pisses off the king, then contrive him a plot where the king's favourite challenges him in combat.  If the courtier gives offense, then subject him to character assassination.

In fact, how much better if the assassin is himself a player!

So, that's the idea in a nutshell.  Rather than ever composing specific quests, write plot elements that can be randomly composed into bigger potential stories by the thousands, scored for suitability, and the best chosen and put into play.

The ultimate goal is to create a world with an evolving plot, where NPCs are constantly pushing dramatic potential, but where all "denouments" are carried out by players.

Not to sound like a plug, but one of our (almost complete) planets has some pretty nice quests that fit the discussion.

IG Story:

Some hundred years ago, a ship crashed into Jekrito whilst running away from the Empire's authories. Descendents of some half-breed refugees(Human/Brotick) have made their lives on this Planet, which they called Jekrito. They eventually spread out into two tribes, the ones who had more Brotick features, calling themselves Omok, and the ones who had more human features calling themselves Imor.

The Omoki people took to the grasslands of Jekrito, living as nomads, always moving as a group. They herded the cattle animals in the Aughskele Grasslands, using them as a source of food, materials for shelter and trade these with the Imori people.

The Imori people settled at the foot of the Ildaugh Hills, working the fertile soil into a rich farm. The two tribes lived and dealt with each other quite amiably.

Some years, a ship of Corsair humans landed and changed the two tribes life forever. They enslaved the young people and took them away, leaving the tribes in fear, and despair.

Today, join the Corsair humans in their slavery trade of the Imori and Omok, or, convince them that you seek to help keep their youths safe, by hiding them far away from the Corsair Camp.

On the planet you can do various quests, for all three factions, which (along with other things, such as killing their members) can change how they view your character.  Over time one side may take to you more, offering you new quests to either help free the slaves or enslave more of the locals.

The amount of free people in each village, as well as the number of slaves in the Corsair camp, has an effect on the amount of commodities each side produces.  These are sold via commodity shops, as well as tithed to the Empire that controls the planet.  If the Corsair trust you enough they can even enlist your aide in transporting some of the slaves (males only) to their nearby base on the moon Jemok, where the male slaves will be put to work in the mines.

There is a total of around 200 possible slaves/locals that are part of the quests, which does show in the number of mobs on each side (if they have more slaves, there are more slave mobs and less local mobs).  The entire slave process can be shut down as well, which involves getting the locals to trust you a lot and another series of quests.  If it is shut down there is a matching quest, starting on Jemok, to restart the slave trade.  The controllers of Jemok also gain tithes from the Corsair camp on Jekrito, so if different Empires each control one of the planets there would be an obvious (unless both think slavery is bad) fight over the slave trade.

Killing slaves, or locals, can lead to "nuetral" mobs running around that help neither side.  If you are trusted enough to help capture slaves, or free them, then you can round up these nuetral mobs and bring them back to the side you are assisting.

Obviously there's a bit more to the quests here, but I think it's a good example of the types of dynamic quests that can be done with a decent mobprog/script system in most MUDs.  This particular one has been in the works for a little over a month now (just the scripting part) and should be 100% within a few days.  I agree a lot with Molly that adding dynamic elements to your areas really helps it feel more alive, and you should always think about the "out-of-the-box" concepts as well (killing the slaves/locals was one that we originally didn't think about, but modified later to add another element to the planet without giving one side a clear advantage).

Digging up this old post, to give some input. I think that, as a designer, getting away from the concept of what constitutes a "quest" is a good idea. I've scripted events that include things such as player-controlled armies handled in an almost boardgame-like manner that affect enemy and friendly NPC numbers … building projects that allow players to gather supplies and spend time building a tower that was then a full area of its own upon their completion … an automated search+find and then potion-making quest to find the ingredients for a giant spider's venom with a timer for the event, which a catch – failure would mean the death of an actual Player Character … environments with dangerous npc wildlife based entirely off of destructable and hidden monster spawning nests, so that player patrols to scout, find and destroy enemy strongholds have a direct affect on the safety of the wilderness … raiding/protecting farm-land to affect food production for both your side and the enemy's side … and many other such things.

Automation can be a great thing. It allows you to make your game as immersive as you would like through scripting and AI, without needing to rely on heavy admin interaction. It can also let you give a chance for your players to affect the world around them (it's not hard to make buildings be vulnerable to PC arson, or to let PCs build unique structures of their own with tie-ins to localized economy). These can be traditional quests (MMOs), non-traditional quests (Four Dimensions), or they can be tied into the very fabric of the gameworld. In particular, I think that the latter works very well for immersive games that focus on deep roleplay. It's become one of the most important staples which I use in design over the past few years, and I am constantly finding that, yes – you can dig deeper and go further with "quest" gameplay.