Quests

Quests are the primary way you will earn NAPS in the class. There is one Main Questline, which is required of all investigators in order to pass the course. This will guide you in your writing and your research, and by the end of it, you’ll have written your own semester-long research paper, and designed your own digital experience based off your findings!

Each unit, there will also be numerous Side Quests which you can complete to hone other important research and composing skills and earn additional NAPS.

Main Quests

Main Quests are a part of the Main Questline, which is outlined in QUESTS. All investigators must complete the Main Questline in order to engage in the Final Boss Fight. Each Quest in the Main Questline is worth 50 NAPS, except for the Boss Fights. Completion of the just the Main Questline with a 100% score in the Final Boss Fight will earn 4900 NAPS (exactly a ‘B’) in the course.

To access Main Quests, you’ll need to go to the “Load Game” menu and select a World to pull up the World guide. From that World’s Main Quest menu, you can Accept and Download your Main Quest as a PDF. You will then have until the deadline to complete the objectives for that Main Quest.

Side Quests

Side Quests are challenges that exist in the world of the game, but you control which to complete and how to complete them. Each unit, there will be numerous Side Quests available, that can be turned in any time before the end of that unit. Completion of individual quests will earn you NAPS with additional rewards for completing whole Questlines. Since some Side Quests require collaboration, you will want to get strategic with crew members to complete them! These Quests are not considered extra-credit. Think of them instead as choose-your-own-assignments, allowing you to tailor your focuses based on your research and interests.

Side Quests are revealed as more of the worlds are explored. I will announce each week what Side Quests are now available to you, and you will have until the end of the unit to attempt and complete them if you choose. To accept a Side Quest, go to the “Side Quests” menu option, or select “Explore Side Quests” from any of the World menus. From there, once you’ve found a quest you want to try, you can Accept and Download it just like a Main Quest. 

Daily Encounters

Who knows what mysteries and dangers will await us as we set off in search of the mysterious Codex Rhetorica— each session (class meeting) you and your crew will be faced with new challenges that will test your new-found skills (and award you NAPS!). These are your daily grades, given for in-class activities and group work. Each day’s worth of work is worth 7 NAPS.

The Mission Log

Every investigator must take time to rest, breathe, and reflect on the challenges they have faced and the skills they have mastered during their journey. Each week, as marked, before classtime on Monday, you will write a single-page response to the materials for that week’s Main Questline. The questions you can choose to respond to will be available on the briefing for that week. 

You will post your response as an update to your own research blog (also called the Mission Log), which we will discuss shortly into the semester.

Maximizing Your NAPS

There are ways to earn additional NAPS for the Main and Side Quests that you complete.

Fulfilling a Questline: If you complete every Side Quest in a Questline, you get a bonus of 75 NAPS. (Ex. Completing every quest in the “Social Games Questline”).

Double-Dipping: It is possible, even encouraged, to fulfill multiple quests as a part of the same assignment, based on the same text, or while working on the same project. For example, I might complete a Side Quest that involves examining a news article about a video game media scandal, and then use that same article as a source in my paper. This isn’t cheating, it’s playing the game cleverly!

Badges: You can collect badges for completing certain kinds of Side Quests. Collecting a full set of badges will grant you an extra 150 NAPS. There are three kinds of badges:

Presentation (P), Collaboration (C), and Research (R).

Collecting 2 presentation,  3 collaboration badges, and/or 2 research badges fulfills a set, and grants you 150 NAPS.