Joint Project 2: Runtime Quest Editor
 

This is an idea that's been stewing in the back of my mind for years now...and I think Graal's finally at a point in its evolution where it can produce it.

Here's the basic plan, how quest evolution will look when this project's done:
The Levels Admin makes a dungeon, and it's the most boring dungeon EVER. It's a 4x4 GMap, three floors, with a fullheart at the end. Maybe he scripts a unique boss-monster, maybe a Boss Door and Key, possibly a Quest Weapon, but it's all empty rooms.
Then some player signs on for a month to Improve it. He gets access to a special NPCW that places Baddies, Conditional Doors (When all baddies in this room are defeated), Locked Doors and Corresponding Keys, Walls, Pits, Signs, Signs-that-look-like NPCs, Signs-that-look-like-books, the whole shabang. At the end of the month, it either goes to someone else to finish up, or it's locked in as A New Quest.

Thus, theoretically, a server could have as many quests as it has people clamouring to make quests, without the standard issue risk of "And it gives you a goldsword if you say I LOVE VEGITA, lolz!"

Would it be worth it? Can it be done? Should an automatic path-detector be included to keep the Quest Editor from making rooms entirely unacessable, or should it just be human verification?

That idea sucks. Sorry :(

However, I do remember in classic years back if you said ROFLAMO (Yes, ROFLAMO, not ROFLMAO) you would get a...bow or something....in someone's house.

im sorry are you saying you want to make a dungeon generator?

An online dungeon generator. Dungeongen exists, sure, but it's too open-ended; I'm talking about somewhere between the level editor and the Build Your House function on Kingdoms. Here's a dungeon, dress it up. In room one, put an Old Man sign that says he's lost his medicine; then put the medicine-key in room 4b surrounded by baddies. Make the Old Man Sign also a "lock", and when given the Medicine Key he gives you the first Normal Key...
It can be scripted, it just won't be easy.

basicaly an online dungeon editor? but why would that be different than say lating a level and then uploading it,

i think the only real function your going to be able to get is if you copy the zelda 1 dungeon structure, where all rooms/ walls are the same, and you add little scripts and npcs like keys, wall/stones, if bombedhp= 0 AND player touches me warping scripts for walls, and junk that could actualy be pretty usefull, but then you could once again question why you would need this when you could simply do the same thing usuing the level editor.

That's basically the idea; A simple toolbox that's rather resistant to abuse, unlike giving random players full access to the level editor, with its myriad possiblities. If trusted level admins make the weapons and treasure, etc, then who cares how many keys are in the dungeon? Who cares what walls go where? Such aesthetics can be left to the people most likely to devote the time and attention these things need, the players, than to the people who would rather be scripting, I don't know, some new way of teleporting.

or you could just give the players a list of join scripts to use, check the level to see if there are any npcs that dont join and then approve or dissaprove.

Still approval-based - someone has to painstakingly review it before it's shown to the world, whereas my way, someone has to painstakingly review it only before it's considered Done.

someone could still find a way to abuse the scripts, and people wont like if the quest is too easy and a waste of time, no matter what there will be reviews to see if its acceptable.

Yes, yes, reviews after. And someone editing the quest could lock people in rooms (and they could warp out), or abuse their power so only their friends are allowed to finish the quest - unless you're not allowed to edit the room while people are in it, in which case one jerk can clog up the entire process...or unless you close the entire quest for construction...details, really.

why would someone want to build up on a dungeon...

Actually we are working on something like this for Graal Kingdoms :)

I just thought of something amazingly cool and I will not be sharing it with the class.
But thank you for sparking my thought.

(Grr, no fair, I wanted Classic to get quests again...oh well)