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[3.14]

I know there's an ongoing effort to make the core bigger, but I think the problem is not the size that matters, it's what you do with it

Right now you can go to the core to:
-gather crafting materials
-gather sell-able junk
-do ZC
-hunt players
-fight npc
-go to dungeon
-look for weapons and/or ammo
Making the core bigger will not introduce new activities, and so I propose Core Quests.

The core is already populated with different, some times non-hostile NPC, let's use them!
Some of these NPC could ask players to perform a small task inside the core, these actions would resemble typical side-quests from single player cRPG games.

The rewards for these quest mustn't always be caps, item and exp. -  they can also be information. For example info on players ("Y'know, I've seen a bunch of 'em V-Tech over at Roboco", "Don't tell anyone, but there's a single Lawyer at the PD", "I've seen that Malakai fella running 'round with a Super Cattle-Prod" ), info on NPC ("Wanna see a Powe' Armor? Go to the Library Park", "There's a mutie with a Turbo Plasma at the Hospital", "Whorehouse?! Deathclaws all over the place!"), and info on item ("Wanna Gatling Laser? I've see one in PV Bio Lab").

Some time ago, for a totally different, unrelated project I've made a random-quest system, and for that system I had to come up with all sorts of quest types, so I took the walkthrough from GameFAQs of a few games (rpg like BG, KotoR, NWN but also some h&s- Diablo, Sacred, Titan Quest, and FPP - Half-Life, System Shock) to make a generalized list of quest-archetypes. This is what I came up with:

1. Fetch.
NPC ask to find a item and bring it back.
Twists:
-the item is protected by hostiles
-the item is broken into pieces
-the item is locked, a key needs to be found first
-owner of the item asks for a favor for the item (quest chain or counter quest)
-the item can only be obtained at a certain timeframe
-the item is generic and can be found at random, bought or crafted
-the item is a trophy obtainable by killing a certain type of enemies
-the item returned by the PC is 'the wrong kind', quest gets repeated 
-the item is unimportant, quest-giver wanted the item-owner dead
-the item is unimportant, quest-giver wanted the PC dead/lured to a trap/commit crime
-the item is unimportant, quest-giver wanted to test the PC, start a new quest

2. Kill.
NPC asks to kill another NPC.
Twists:
-target location unknown or not precise
-multiple targets, only one is correct, PC must test targets or kill all
-multiple targets, only one is correct, PC must test targets - killing the wrong one fails the quest
-multiple targets, all must die
-target chain  -The first target goes to the place where the second target is, the second target goes to the place where the third target is, and so on. PC must fallow targets to know where all targets are, killing one target too soon breaks the chain.
-target NPC ask to kill quest-giver NPC (counter quest)
-target can only be killed using some special item (start 'Fetch' type quest)
-target can only/must be killed at a certain timeframe
-kill a boss

3. Escort.
NPC asks PC to go with the NPC to some location.
Twists:
-NPC leads the way, PC fallows, normal game-play dangers 
-PC leads the way, NPC fallows, normal game-play dangers
-Ambush - PC or NPC gets attacked on the way (scripted)
-Trap -quest-giver NPC turns hostile and summons backup at the end location
-Lost sheep - PC must find a number of lost NPC and bring all of them (alive!) to a location
-Spy - PC must fallow a NPC without detection and/or/maybe protect that npc

4. Talk (hard to make script-random).
NPC ask PC to talk to a different NPC.
Twist:
-Detective - PC must find out the truth, all but one NPC lie.
-Dispute - PC must make the NPC agree on a compromise.
-Deceit - PC must make a NPC believe a lie.
-Decide - PC must make a moral decision between seemingly equal values (e.g. life vs. love, lore vs. law, right vs. good, evil vs. lesser evil). 

[Niamak]

good stuff

[mAdman]

There's some really good ideas, though some are already in play really and there are some problems i.e.;

The NPCs in the core already move about, basically nonstop unless they are in combat, and then they leave the area and disappear forever, so there would have to be new NPCs added.

Also players will likely start massacring all NPCs they see if there's a chance they will provide other players with info.

Randomised quests that involve items might not be for the best either, as people would just stock up on the random "miniquest" items and mass dump them when the specific quest appeared, rather than trade them out at base straight away (leading to more excessive hoarding).

The parts already in play would be the traders at the HQs and the mini quest NPCs (the guy that needs sunglasses, briefcases etc). These guys could be utilised more, like the briefcase guy accepting metal ones too, and certain items that can only be found in phoenix being worth more at certain traders etc.

The best ones for inside phoenix, if they could be implemented, would be the quests that involve; go to x location and clear out y enemies (with all the twists), or the talking ones, or the go collect specific quest item ones (the quest item spawns when the quest is accepted). Doing these would involve spawning non moving NPCs either at HQ or in the core, and both would unfortunately still have issues of other players "ruining" your quest by encountering one of the spawned parties inside the core.

[Myakot]

-Detective - PC must find out the truth, all but one NPC lie.

Dead man, dead man, hanging on a tree
How many dead man do you see?
Tongue turned blue, and faces gone grey!
Watch them, as they twist and sway.

'Dis idea is enjoyable to imagine on this server, therefore a huge +.

[3.14]

The quest NPC would need to have their own faction, killing too many of them would make them hostile and unable to take any quests. I'm sure that some players would still butcher them just for lolz, but maybe not all players.
...or if dev's are evil, NPC will report only on the players that have a low quest-npc-faction reputation.
...or if they are twisted-evil, a NPC will tell how many other players are already doing his quest, so that evil players can just wait for the PC to return with the quest-item, kill him, loot him and give the NPC the quest-item for a full reward. If a quest-npc is killed, all the players doing his quest will get notified of the fact, and the quest is auto-faild, and quest items removed from the game (or de-marked as quest items, so you can sell em at your local junk dealer).   

Quest item could be hidden in closed chest, that only a player doing the quest can open or spawn directly in the players inventory when he/she clicks on a npc corpse ("No disintegration!"-Darth Vader to Boba Fett).
Quest NPC (the ones you need to kill or talk to) can also be hidden in tiny, instanced dungeon-like maps. Maps that only someone doing the quest can enter, but I'd much rather see them in the core, like any other NPC.

Mass dumping can easily be solved - the NPC only takes 1 item, then walks away to respawn at a different map wanting a different item, also the list of wanted item can be the list of ALL items, a NPC may want a Iguana-on-a-Stick, a Pulse Grenade or a Leather Coat.

[mAdman]

I too like the idea of NPCs that you can talk to inside the core, I also like the idea of traders in the core (ones that don't drop their inventory when killed), I'd also prefer them to be randomised and have a few going on at the same time, it would add more reason to hang around the core.

You would have to spawn them in non ZC areas as well, but the sewer could be utilised here too. Another problem though is the unfriendly NPCs walk paths would have to be altered so the quest NPCs wouldn't have to deal with wave after wave of critters.

[SnowCrash]

I would definitely want to see those kind of actions inside the core. Also some faction assignments that involve getting into the core.

About get information from other players inside the core. i have thought about that every faction should have a private radio frequency (blocked for players that aren't of that faction) where faction patrols will report of any important movement of other faction they see in the core, or if they are under attack by certain faction. That will make more important to control zones and will make an interesting PvP mechanic for hunting players inside the core

The access to that info can be related to the player reputation.

[Hang-Lip]

A big +1 for this thread