How long should a sidequest be?

[Spirit]

Inspired by my Insects V Photography thread, I came across the qustion of just how long a sidequst in Zelda should be...

Collecting insects for Agitha in TP took ages and could last the entire game, but the pictobox quest in Wind Waker did take the whole game...

A a result these sidequests gave us something to do in our downtime, but were they too long? How long do sidequests need to be before they start becoming a chore?

Which other Zelda sidequests do you think go on too long?

 

[airistra]

I honestly don't think they're too long because they're something to do during our breaks from "being a hero". Of course, some just gets annoying after a while, but if the rewards are worth it, then I have no problems doing it. I haven't played WW so I can't say anything about the pictobox quests but the insects collecting in TP was enjoyable. Until daytime comes and those bugs are hard to see. But that's the only problem I have with it.

 

[Azure Sage]

I like sidequests that have depth to them as opposed to ones that are just "Go get the thing for me" or "Go kill those things for me". So it'd be good if you need to invest some time in them. Majora's Mask did sidequests right. I want to see more like them. I also wouldn't mind one that takes the length of the game, like the Gold Skultula quest. It's something to fall back on when you've got nothing to do, and finally collecting everything in the end is a good feeling. The rewards have to be worth it, of course.

 

[Maniacal Ezlo]

I like sidequests that take the whole game to complete, like the Gold Skulltula sidequest and even the many Piece of Heart quests. They're fun, engaging, and give players something to do in between all the required main story stuff. It's also really rewarding when you finally complete them. Even the Nintendo Gallery sidequest isn't too long, but it is incredibly tedious and frustrating to complete, which makes it all the more rewarding when it's finally completed.

I also like the mini quests, like the different Gratitude Crystal side-sidequests. They're small sidequests within a larger sidequest, and it's nice to take some time between fighting baddies to do stuff for people.

 

[SavageWizzrobe]

To be honest, I don't judge sidequests in Zelda by their length alone. Length is a consideration for me, but I also take tediousness and rewards into account when judging a sidequest.
In my opinion, the Nintendo Gallery sidequest from WW is my worst sidequesting experience in Zelda to date. Using my sort of "grading scale," this sidequest is insanely long (lasting the entire game), is extremely tedious (you can only hold 3 pictures at a time and some figurines are limited-time), and the only thing you get for completing it is bragging rights.
As for other whole-game sidequests such as collecting all Gold Skulltulas in OoT, all Masks in MM, or all Golden Bugs/Poes in TP, I don't find these sidequests all that bad since they're not too annoying, and the rewards are significantly more than just bragging rights. The Golden Bug/Poe sidequest is a bit more tedious because you want it to be night, and the day-night cycle takes a long time in TP, plus you can't quickly make it night.

 

[Dio]

Inspired by my Insects V Photography thread, I came across the qustion of just how long a sidequst in Zelda should be...

Collecting insects for Agitha in TP took ages and could last the entire game, but the pictobox quest in Wind Waker did take the whole game...

A a result these sidequests gave us something to do in our downtime, but were they too long? How long do sidequests need to be before they start becoming a chore?

Which other Zelda sidequests do you think go on too long?

I think there should be side quests that last nearly the whole game. It just gives the player another thing to do and if they don't want to do it, they don't have to.
I like a variety of different length quests. Short and long, ones that take hours and ones that take minutes. I think diversity in Zelda is what keeps things interesting anyway, not just sidequest length but the fact that you visit different themed areas all the time, the gameplay is not monotonous since you can be exploring one minute, fighting enemies the next and then solving a puzzle soon after.

 

[Dan]

It seemed more akin to a collect-athon like most games genres rather than a side-quest. Regardless if the side-quest isn't a BORE-FEST, then it can be as long as it wants. Just look at some of the really interesting side quests of games like Skyrim. Which are arguably better than the main quests. ;p

 

[Kingwobbly]

I think length of side quest should be equal to the value of the reward. There should be a mix of longer and shorter side quests, but you know you're going to be more willing to spend two hours on a side quest if it gets you the biggoron sword rather than 100 rupees. Equally, you aren't going to want to spend more than about 20 minutes on a side quest for an up sized bomb bag.