Quests
High-Level Overview: A modular, condition-driven quest system designed to handle concurrent main story progress, world-gating events, and co-op specific side activities. It structures how objectives are triggered, tracked, and displayed across a split-screen interface.
Quest States
Every quest exists in one of five logical states. Transitions are evaluated whenever player inventory, location data, or character capability upgrades change.
- Locked: The quest conditions have not been met (e.g., players do not possess the required hat or have not collected enough Pearls to open an Elder Trial).
- Available: The quest can be initiated. The issuing NPC switches to an attention-seeking idle animation, and an interact prompt becomes available.
- Active: The quest log is initialized. Objective criteria appear on the player's heads-up display (HUD) only when in the area of the relevant quest.
- Ready for Turn-In: All physical conditions are satisfied (e.g., 5 baby turtles recovered, 3 telescope pieces found). The quest waits for the player to return and interact with the primary NPC.
- Completed: The quest closes. Rewards are processed, state flags are updated permanently, and the quest data is archived.
Split-Screen HUD and Tracking Rules
Because the game uses a continuous split-screen camera system, the notification interface must account for independent positioning and shared progress visibility.
Implementation Breakdown
1. Global Progress Updates
When a shared main story target is progressed (such as inserting the Mystical Shell into the central plaza statue), the notification box anchors across the horizontal screen divider line, displaying to both players at once.
2. Visual Objective Formatting
Quest tracker text on the HUD uses concise action verbs and tracking fractions so it can be read instantly mid-gameplay:
- FIND: Missing Telescope Lenses (0/3)
- RESCUE: Baby Turtles (2/5)
- CRACK: Mossy Clam Shells (1/5)