These are just a listing of things I've found in other mudds. I just wanted to throw them out there and see what people think. Many of these ideas might be interesting, but wouldn't be too great in DL.

Pets. Buy pets at different levels, they basically are an equivelent of you aside from your gear. They rescue automatically and you can either flee and let them die, or assist them. They cannot hold gear, wear gear, nadda with gear. Pets get stronger as you get bigger. When you group, only the leaders pet would attack and rescue people. Pets recall with you when you recall and will automatically follow you through a portal. They'd be good for lower levels, maybe can't buy a pet after you reach a certain level.

Quest request. This is an idea I'd like to see in DL. You would be rp strict of course since it's DL, and either grouped or alone, find a quest master and do a quest request, or quest request group. The quest master would give you a small, fairly simply quest within you/groups levels. Mobs related to this quest will have a special flag that'll make only you notice them.
Ex. Quest request
"Ah, very good Gydin, I see you are in need of work, very well. Here's what I have for you...."
1)Quest can either be find a messenger, or such person and bring them back to the quest master. When you find this person, they automatically notice that you've been sent from the questor and will follow you, no matter your charisma.
Ex. A messenger has gotten lost somewhere east of Turien, he was last seen headed east near the lake, please bring him back here for he has an important message for me.

2)Find someone who has an item to deliver, but for whatever reason cannot so you're being sent for it. When you return to the questor you simply give them the item.
Ex. I was to pick up a package today from a nearby magic shop, go ask "blah blah" for the item and then will give it to you to return to me.
-Tell Blah Blah "I am here for a package." Blah blah gives you a package and sends you on your way. -Give package questor- "Well, that was fast, thank you for this."

3) Kill something that went rampant, is threatening people, etc.
Ex. There is a bear in the Palisades eating people food, go kill it and return to me when you are done. Upon your return, the questor has received word that you completed it. (This example from an actual quest.)

These are totally random. Once you complete a quest from a quest master, usually a head in whatever town you're in, you now have a quest timer. You cannot do another quest like this until that timer runs out. When it does, you'll get a special message saying you're ready for another quest. Then you can go back to said questor and request another quest. Shared quest points for groups. Group quests usually involve killing something to either complete, or get to another mob. During the quest you can type quest info and see what reminders there are about what you're supposed to be doing. These are random. One quest request might get you to find a lost messenger and bring him back to town. One might be lost in the desert past the lizard guardian (for higher levels). Another quest might have him around the corner at the lake. Randomly generates what mob and quest type you're looking for to complete it. Later on you might get a kill quest of an insane doctor found killing patients at the asylum. Next, pick up a package from glimmer fairy northeast of town. For completing the quest you'd get quest points. Heck, with a revamped mpp system you could get a few mpp here and there for doing each of these and build up those mpp to buy something worth while. What... now that's a different topic.


Enchanting items with spells for one time use. Casting classes would get this skill. You could enchant and item to say, do a full heal one time. If you fail, the item is destroyed and you still loose the power cost. Could be 4x the normal cost of the spell. Once the item is used the spell is gone, it's not on there to be rechargeable.

Shops that buy items for cheaper the more they have of that item and will sell higher the less of it they have. I think that's self explainable.

Deposit boxes / vaults... this is already an idea, and I love it. Only for a few items, no containers. Pay a large sum to rent it, then a monthly fee to keep renting it, automatically removed from your account... don't have the gold? Bummer, items go on the banks auction board for a % of their app value. Only the bank can consign on this board.

Shared guild gold accounts. People donate money to their guild. - Guild tithe 10,000 coins- The money then goes into the guild bank account which only the Leaders of the Guild can access and spend. -Guild withdraw - Guild deposit- Guild balance- This would make guild fees more applicable.

Levels of casting. This affects the strength of the spell which either works better (healing) or lasts longer (sanctuary). *utter* *cast* or *empower* Each of these take longer to do than previous. Utter being weak, but hitting quickly, maybe costing a little less power. Empower being the strongest, lasting longer, hitting harder, maybe costing a few points higher. Taking a little longer to cast and to recover from if a battle spell.
Ex. Casting sanc costs 25 points. Utter would cost only 20 points, but wouldn't last as long and would be good for just about running out of mana, but getting ready to head back to town after one more kill. Empower could cost 30 points but would last considerably longer than utter and just a bit longer than cast.
Ex. 2. Casting say, fireball does the normal damage, given the mobs resistance. Uttering it would be a bit weaker, but would take less time to recover from. Empowering it would cost a little more power/mana, would be a stronger spell hit, and would take a prompt or two longer to recover from.
*Empower could be a casting skill useable once you're a hero, another bonus.*

Dirt kicking skill to blind a foe for a moment. Great skill for ninjas. Makes maybe the next few prompts of attack from a mob null. Has a % to hit, just like a backstab.
-Mephistal is trying to remove dirt from his eyes, and cannot see you to attack-

Second attack or critical quick. These are passive skills. Second attack being good for most classes not being heavy casters. Occasionally get a chance to land one free attack per weapon in a prompt. I see druids and rangers with this. Critical quick is an attack that hits quickly when you land a critical. Isn't usually as strong as a regular attack, but if it's a free attack, it helps. Critical quick is good for monks and ninjas. Backstabbers when they're melee.

Passive skills maybe gained at hero for diff classes/races. Enhanced damage, healing, regen, kicks. Empowered spells. Shield block.

Here's a list of sklls that could be added to the list of things to do when you're able to (kick)
Uppercut - jump kick - back kick - slash - slice - hack - bite.
Dodge: try to dodge attacks for the next few prompts, not just toggle retaliate
Tackle: brings you to the ground with the mob.
Warcry: raises damroll for a little bit, much like berserk, but a little weaker.

Spells / skills that affect damroll, melee, or resis. Spells that up max hp for a small amount of time, increases as you gains levels. Once timer is gone on it, affect wears off.

Gold rewards (from your god) for donating items. Get say 5 gold for donating something. Once you donate an item, it's sell value is zero, and you can't get gold for donating it again for a certain amount of time.

Gold rewards (from your deity) for sacrificing a corpse.
Ex. Sac corpse. "Blah blah gives you 5 gold for ridding the world of a corpse."
Can't make gold rewards massive because that'd be a really really easy way to get wealthy.

Well I'm caputed out. I hope you liked some of these ideas. Lets discuss and improve DL.

Here's an example of what a simple quest looks like, you find a quest master and:

-quest request-

You ask Swordknight for a quest.
Swordknight says "Thank you, brave Aligor!
Swordknight says "Coneria's most heinous criminal, an evil wizard, has escaped from the dungeon."
Swordknight says "Since the escape, an evil wizard has murdered 7 civilians."
Swordknight says "The penalty for this crime is death, and you are to deliver the sentence!"
Swordknight says "Seek an evil wizard out somewhere in the vicinity of At the Gate!
Swordknight says 'That location is in the general area of Esper '
You have 10 minutes to complete this quest.

There is a quest info command, but I didn't need it for this quest, I knew where the mob was.
It would tell me what I have to do be it kill a mob, recover a package, for find a lost person. Then it would say something about an informant last seeing whatever in such and such zone.

-Finish kiling mob...-
Your slice injures an evil wizard.
Your slice hurts an evil wizard.
Your last strike finishes an evil wizard off!
An evil wizard has been defeated!
You receive 2,325 experience points.
Aligor starts digging a shallow grave. (<--- Victory action, doesn't fit for DL.)

You have almost finished your quest! Hurry back to the questmaster!
The gods give you one gold coin for your sacrifice. (<--- sacrificing corpses)

-Run back to quest giver...-

-quest complete-
You inform Swordknight you have completed your quest.
Swordknight says 'Congratulations on completing your quest!'
For your deeds, you have earned 80 quest points, and 41 gold.

How's that for entertaining yourself? This would require a strong mpp system and redeeming system. DL could use mpp instead of quest points. I have an mpp idea for restringing the names of items yourself that I'll post later. Quick info about it... use quest points to buy a token, go to the shop that'll do it for you, then follow the instructions in the shop. When done, shopkeeper takes the token and item to be restrung, disappears in the back room, then returns with your finished item.

You know, the "quest" code you've demonstrated here is almost exactly like our "task" code, right?

I mean, the mechanics are a little different, but it's more or less the same thing.

Pretty much anything can be done with the task code we have. The biggest limitations is the fact that we don't really have anybody working on new ones (as far as I know, anyways).

so the "task" code is in place, like a quest? is there a help option for tasks so I can explore that part of the game as well? I think the idea of quests is pretty cool and makes leveling and exploring a lil more fun rather than mindless killing that doesnt play into RP all that well

That is correct. It is available only to those who are roleplaying, however. If there is a task available, you will see (Task Master) in purple behind the mobile's name.

Yes, much of what you describe is already possible in DL, it is just that builders haven't taken the time to create many tasks (Amaessara has created every task currently in the game). See help task in the game for more information about tasks from a player perspective and help task editor with your builder for more information about what is possible to create. Some of this other stuff will actually be done in macros eventually.

Best regards,

--Nezmar