The problem with modern video games summed up in one review

[Kantor]

There are times when I don't want enormous amounts of help from the game. Puzzles, for example.

However, in an RPG, when I am in a city, I don't want to hunt around for a quest-giver, or for someone who knows how to find a quest-giver. Either tell me exactly where they are, or put into place a proper way of finding out - for example, you ask someone on the street, and they reply "He sounds like a soldier. Try asking the commander, who should be in the castle throne room" or some such thing.

But since the majority of developers are too lazy for that, we usually end up just having to wander around until we find them.