Quest Overhaul

Probably the least used aspect of Illyriad is the quest system.  As small players we used it sporadically to get discoveries and resources, however as we age and mature in the game it quickly withers away in usefulness to a point where we demolish the tavern to make way for other buildings. The quest system is essentially useless to us at this point, and we have no need for it anymore. However, I feel that quests could easily be tailored to suit a larger player's needs.  

Idea #1: Quest difficulty/reward increase

Currently, quests are a one, two, or three step process that require little thought to accomplish. You click a few times, wait a while, and you're done.  The quests do little to challenge you other than to whittle away at your supply of scouts.  However, a player with more than 7 cities barely even registers the loss - or the reward - as being detrimental/beneficial.  This should, and could very easily, change.  Say, for instance, word reaches you that a dragon has stolen some of the circle of five's night diamonds.  Its lair is rumored to be near your city, and only an old starving priest knows it's exact whereabouts.  This quest would require you a) send the priest some food so he will tell you where the lair is (a fairly easy task which would possibly grant you a few books), b) scout the lair (a more difficult quest which would yield information for the next step), c) take the night diamonds from the dragon with thieves (a hard task which would yield night diamonds), and d) kill the dragon so it doesn't steal any more stuff (an extremely hard task which would yield night diamonds, gold, and possibly some sort of special unit from the circle of five).  This quest, in addition to being long, gives all types of player a reward.  

Idea #2:  Quest differentiation/quest tree

I've heard players in global chat gripe about how many times they've found that farmer in the "farmer's wife" quest a wife.  Obviously, either this man can't seem to hold onto a woman for more than a few weeks or his religion requires that he engage in mass polygamy.  Although this is somewhat of a joke in the community, I believe it nicely shows another way in which the quest system is lacking.  The simple way to avoid this problem is to insert a different farmer's name into the quest each time it appears, however I propose taking it a step farther.  In addition to the previously outlined method, once a quest is completed, it should unlock a new quest or quests into the potential quest pool for a certain city, and the likelihood that it appears again should decrease.

Idea #3:  Quest research

Recently, a whole new branch of research was added to the research tree: crafting.  In addition, trade research received many new technologies.  The quest branch received one new technology, which increased the number of technologies it held to five.  I do realize that quests are a small part of Illyriad, however with the above changes that could easily change.  And if quests were to become more to the game than they currently are, new researches would probably be necessary.  Here are a few ideas: 

-Gossip:  Your bartender gossips with the clientele now and then – who wouldn’t?  However, he now remembers these juicy tidbits of city life and relays them to you, allowing you to find discoveries faster.  Increases rate at which discoveries are found in your city by 3%

-Military Contacts:  Old veterans always come to the bar, to tell tales of valor and to drink more than their fair share to forget the bloodier parts of war.  Perhaps it would be wise to search for useful information amongst these tales?  Unlocks military contacts (see part d) of suggestion #1)

-Happy Hour:  Beer always flows freely in your tavern; however a cut price guarantees that it flows somewhat more freely in happy hour.  And beer has a way of loosening tongues laden with interesting tales…  Grants the ability to automatically refresh quest list upon completion of a quest for two hrs every three days.

-Tavern Expansion:  Your tavern adds a wing, increasing its size and also the amount of people it can hold.  Adds 1 to the amount of quests available.

I can only suggest this, but hopefully we'll see a quest overhaul in the near future...