In RIFT, there are many ways to level your character, including questing, dungeon delving, and PvP. But perhaps the most fun and social way was through instant adventures. Instant adventures allowed players to be transported into a raid group on the world map and then directed to run around completing a chain of dynamic events together. It was (and still is) a blast to do — and Trion Worlds couldn’t justify making more of them.
[AL:Rift]Responding to a Twitter thread about the feature, former RIFT senior game designer Nicholas “Captain Cursor” McDowell said, “Instant adventures were very popular and we wanted to do more of them. The problem is we never could figure out a way to monetize it effectively. So unless building a new one was part of an event that it’s own monetization, we could justify making more.”
While RIFT’s development has stalled under Gamigo’s operation, McDowell said that he hopes the idea will catch on in other MMOs: “[Instant adventures] were great for feeling that you were part of a group, and they delivered lore and story effectively. They were also fun. I would love someone to pick up that design pattern and run with it. Maybe they can figure out how to profit from it?”
