Area Program Commands

This page documents all 44 commands available in area programs. For detailed syntax and examples of shared commands, see the Shared Commands Reference. This page provides a quick reference plus context for how each command works in the area program context.

Table of Contents

All area program commands use the area prefix. For example: area echo, area mload, area varset.

Quest programs share this exact command table. Every command listed here is also available in quest programs (with the quest prefix). The engine dispatches both area and quest scripts through the same command table.

Command Quick Reference

All 44 commands available in area programs:

Command Description Restricted
alterroom Modify properties of a room (flags, sector, name, etc.) yes
call Call another script as a subroutine with return value yes
churchannouncetheft Announce a theft to members of a church/religion yes
dungeoncommence Start/begin a dungeon encounter or phase yes
dungeoncomplete Mark a dungeon as successfully completed yes
dungeonfailure Mark a dungeon as failed yes
echoat Send a message to a specific target character yes
event Interact with the event system yes
instancecomplete Mark the current dungeon instance as completed yes
instancefailure Mark the current dungeon instance as failed yes
mail Send an in-game mail message to a player yes
mload Load/create a mobile by vnum into the game world yes
mute Mute a character (prevent them from speaking) yes
oload Load/create an object by vnum into the game world yes
phaseevent Advance an event to its next phase yes
quest Interact with the quest system yes
questechoat Send a quest-related message to a character yes
reckoning Trigger a reckoning event yes
resetroom Reset a room to its default/template state yes
sendfloor Send a dungeon floor transition to players yes
specialkey Create or manage a special key item (dungeon keys) yes
stageevent Advance an event to its next stage (alias for phaseevent) yes
startevent Start a world/area event yes
startreckoning Start a reckoning world event sequence yes
stopevent Stop/end an active world/area event yes
stopreckoning Stop an active reckoning event yes
treasuremap Create or interact with a treasure map item yes
unlockarea Unlock a locked area (make it accessible) yes
unlockdungeon Unlock a dungeon (make it accessible to players) yes
unmute Unmute a previously muted character yes
varclear Clear/delete a variable from the area yes
varclearon Clear a variable on a different entity yes
varcopy Copy a variable from one name to another yes
varsave Mark a variable for persistent save yes
varsaveon Mark a variable on a different entity for persistent save yes
varset Set a variable value on the area yes
varseton Set a variable on a different entity yes
wildernessmap Generate or modify a wilderness map overlay yes
wildsanchor Set an anchor point on the wilderness map yes
wildsoverlay Apply a tile overlay to the wilderness map yes
wildstile Set or modify a specific wilderness tile yes
wildsvlink Create a virtual link between wilderness and interior rooms yes
wiznet Send a message to the immortal channel yes
xcall Execute a cross-entity script call yes

All area commands are restricted — they require elevated script security to execute. This prevents untrusted scripts from modifying zone-wide state.

What Area Programs Cannot Do

Compared to mob programs (167 commands), area programs have a deliberately limited set. Notably absent:

  • No echo — Use echoat to message specific players, or use mob/room programs for room-level messages
  • No movement commands — No goto, transfer, teleport (areas don’t have a location)
  • No combat commands — No kill, damage, cast, assist (areas can’t fight)
  • No object manipulation — No give, take, junk, purge (use mob programs for these)
  • No affect commands — No addaffect, stripaffect (target through mob/token programs)
  • No self-modification — No appear, disappear, selfdestruct

This is intentional. Area programs coordinate zone-wide behavior; detailed entity interaction belongs in mob, object, room, or token programs. Use area call or area xcall to delegate to entity-level scripts.

Command Details

alterroom 

area alterroom <room vnum> <field> <value>

Modify properties of a room within the area — flags, sector type, name, description, etc. See Shared Commands: alterroom for full field list.

Example:

** Collapse a mine entrance during the reckoning
area alterroom 3045 addflag dark
area alterroom 3045 sector underground

call 

area call <script vnum> [arguments]

Call another area script as a subroutine. The called script runs immediately, and execution returns to the caller when it finishes. The called script can set lastreturn to pass a value back.

Example:

** Call a shared utility script to check zone state
area call 12400
if lastreturn == 1
  area echoat $n The zone is ready for the event.
endif

See Shared Commands: call for full details.

churchannouncetheft 

area churchannouncetheft <church name> <thief name>

Announce a theft to all online members of a church or religious organization. Used by anti-theft systems in church-controlled areas.

See Shared Commands: churchannouncetheft for full details.

dungeoncommence 

area dungeoncommence

Signal that a dungeon encounter or phase should begin. Used in dungeon orchestration scripts to transition from setup to active gameplay.

See Shared Commands: dungeoncommence for full details.

dungeoncomplete 

area dungeoncomplete

Mark the current dungeon as successfully completed. Triggers completion rewards and cleanup.

See Shared Commands: dungeoncomplete for full details.

dungeonfailure 

area dungeonfailure

Mark the current dungeon as failed. Triggers failure handling and cleanup.

See Shared Commands: dungeonfailure for full details.

echoat 

area echoat <target> <message>

Send a message to a specific character. This is the primary output command for area programs — since areas have no inherent room, you must target messages to specific players.

Example:

** Send a personalized message to a player
area echoat $n {YYou feel the land itself watching you...{x

See Shared Commands: echoat for full details.

event 

area event <subcommand> [arguments]

Interact with the event system — create, modify, query, or manage events. Events are zone-level or world-level occurrences that can span multiple areas and trigger cascading scripts.

See Shared Commands: startevent for event lifecycle commands.

instancecomplete 

area instancecomplete

Mark the current dungeon instance as completed. Similar to dungeoncomplete but operates on the instance level rather than the dungeon template.

See Shared Commands: instancecomplete for full details.

instancefailure 

area instancefailure

Mark the current dungeon instance as failed.

See Shared Commands: instancefailure for full details.

mail 

area mail <recipient> <subject>~<body>~

Send an in-game mail message to a player. Useful for notifying players about zone events, quest updates, or administrative messages triggered by area scripts.

Example:

** Notify a player that their land claim has expired
area mail $n Land Claim Expired~Your claim in the Northern Forest has expired due to inactivity.~

See Shared Commands: mail for full details.

mload 

area mload <mob vnum> <room vnum>

Load a mobile into a specific room. In area programs, you must specify the destination room since the area has no inherent location.

Example:

** Spawn a patrol guard at the north gate
area mload 5032 3001

See Shared Commands: mload for full details.

mute 

area mute <target>

Mute a character, preventing them from using communication channels. Useful for scripted silence effects or enforcing zone rules.

See Shared Commands: mute for full details.

oload 

area oload <obj vnum> <room vnum>

Load an object into a specific room. Like mload, the destination room must be specified explicitly in area programs.

Example:

** Place a quest item in the treasure chamber
area oload 7200 3050

See Shared Commands: oload for full details.

phaseevent 

area phaseevent <event id>

Advance an event to its next phase. Events progress through phases, each of which can trigger different scripts and behavior.

See Shared Commands: phaseevent for full details.

quest 

area quest <subcommand> [arguments]

Interact with the quest system — start quests, complete objectives, set steps, and manage quest state for players.

Example:

** Complete a zone-wide quest objective for all participants
area quest complete 5001 $n

questechoat 

area questechoat <target> <message>

Send a quest-related message to a specific character. Functions like echoat but is categorized as quest output, which may be filtered differently by client settings.

Example:

area questechoat $n {GQuest Update: The forest has been cleansed!{x

reckoning 

area reckoning <subcommand> [arguments]

Trigger or interact with the reckoning event system. Reckonings are major world events that affect entire zones.

See Shared Commands: reckoning for full details.

resetroom 

area resetroom <room vnum>

Reset a specific room to its default template state — restoring mobs, objects, exits, and flags to their original values.

Example:

** Reset the boss chamber after the event ends
area resetroom 3099

See Shared Commands: resetroom for full details.

sendfloor 

area sendfloor <arguments>

Send a dungeon floor transition to players, moving them between floors in a multi-level dungeon instance.

See Shared Commands: sendfloor for full details.

specialkey 

area specialkey <arguments>

Create or manage a special key item used in dungeon mechanics. Special keys are temporary items that unlock specific dungeon doors or triggers.

See Shared Commands: specialkey for full details.

stageevent 

area stageevent <event id>

Advance an event to its next stage. This is an alias for phaseevent — both commands are identical in function.

See Shared Commands: phaseevent for full details.

startevent 

area startevent <event vnum> [arguments]

Start a world or area event. Events are multi-phase scripted occurrences that can spawn mobs, modify rooms, and drive narrative across the zone.

Example:

** Start the harvest festival event
area startevent 9001
area echoat $n {GThe Harvest Festival has begun!{x

See Shared Commands: startevent for full details.

startreckoning 

area startreckoning <arguments>

Start a reckoning world event sequence. This triggers the prereckoning phase first, then transitions to the active reckoning phase.

See Shared Commands: startreckoning for full details.

stopevent 

area stopevent <event id>

Stop an active world or area event, ending all associated triggers and cleanup.

See Shared Commands: stopevent for full details.

stopreckoning 

area stopreckoning

Stop an active reckoning event, ending the reckoning phase and ceasing all reckoning triggers.

See Shared Commands: stopreckoning for full details.

treasuremap 

area treasuremap <arguments>

Create or interact with a treasure map item. Treasure maps lead players to hidden locations in the wilderness.

See Shared Commands: treasuremap for full details.

unlockarea 

area unlockarea <area vnum>

Unlock a locked area, making it accessible to players. Areas can be locked to prevent entry until certain conditions are met.

Example:

** Unlock the forbidden zone after the ritual completes
area unlockarea 50
area echoat $n {YThe magical barrier around the Forbidden Zone shimmers and fades!{x

See Shared Commands: unlockarea for full details.

unlockdungeon 

area unlockdungeon <dungeon vnum>

Unlock a dungeon, making it accessible to players who meet the entry requirements.

See Shared Commands: unlockdungeon for full details.

unmute 

area unmute <target>

Unmute a previously muted character, restoring their ability to use communication channels.

See Shared Commands: unmute for full details.

varclear 

area varclear <variable name>

Clear (delete) a script variable from the area entity. The variable is removed entirely, not just set to zero.

Example:

** Clean up event state after the event ends
area varclear event_stage
area varclear wave_count
area varclear merchant_spawned

See Shared Commands: varclear for full details.

varclearon 

area varclearon <target type> <target id> <variable name>

Clear a variable on a different entity — a mob, room, token, quest, or event.

See Shared Commands: varclearon for full details.

varcopy 

area varcopy <source variable> <destination variable>

Copy a variable value from one name to another on the area entity.

Example:

** Save the previous state before updating
area varcopy current_stage previous_stage
area varset current_stage 3

See Shared Commands: varcopy for full details.

varsave 

area varsave <variable name>

Mark a variable for persistent save. Persistent variables survive area resets and server reboots. Use this for long-term zone state.

Example:

** Track total completions across reboots
area varset total_completions $@(total_completions + 1)
area varsave total_completions

See Shared Commands: varsave for full details.

varsaveon 

area varsaveon <target type> <target id> <variable name>

Mark a variable on a different entity for persistent save.

See Shared Commands: varsaveon for full details.

varset 

area varset <variable name> <value>

Set a variable value on the area entity. Variables can store numbers, strings, or expressions.

Example:

** Track event progress
area varset invasion_phase 2
area varset defender_count $@(defender_count + 1)
area varset last_reset_time $T

See Shared Commands: varset for full details.

varseton 

area varseton <target type> <target id> <variable name> <value>

Set a variable on a different entity — a mob, room, token, quest, or event.

See Shared Commands: varseton for full details.

wildernessmap 

area wildernessmap <arguments>

Generate or modify a wilderness map overlay. Wilderness maps are large-scale outdoor environments rendered dynamically.

See Shared Commands: wildernessmap for full details.

wildsanchor 

area wildsanchor <x> <y> <room vnum>

Set an anchor point on the wilderness map, linking a specific coordinate to an interior room. Anchors create entry points from the wilderness into buildings, caves, or other interior spaces.

See Shared Commands: wildsanchor for full details.

wildsoverlay 

area wildsoverlay <arguments>

Apply a tile overlay to the wilderness map. Overlays change the visual appearance and properties of a region without modifying the base map.

See Shared Commands: wildsoverlay for full details.

wildstile 

area wildstile <x> <y> <tile type>

Set or modify a specific tile on the wilderness map. Changes the terrain type at a given coordinate.

See Shared Commands: wildstile for full details.

area wildsvlink <arguments>

Create a virtual link between a wilderness map coordinate and an interior room. Virtual links allow seamless transitions between the outdoor map and indoor areas.

See Shared Commands: wildsvlink for full details.

wiznet 

area wiznet <message>

Send a message to the immortal communication channel (wiznet). Useful for debugging area scripts or notifying staff about zone events.

Example:

** Debug message for staff
area wiznet Area reset script fired — reset_count is now $@(reset_count)

See Shared Commands: wiznet for full details.

xcall 

area xcall <entity type> <entity id> <script vnum> [arguments]

Execute a cross-entity script call — run a script on a different entity (mob, object, room, token) from within the area program. This is how area programs delegate detailed work to entity-level scripts.

Example:

** Tell the town crier mob to announce the event
area xcall mob 5001 12500 invasion_started

See Shared Commands: xcall for full details.

Commands by Category

Output

Command Purpose
echoat Message a specific player
questechoat Quest-flagged message to a player
wiznet Message to immortal channel
mail Send in-game mail

Entity Creation

Command Purpose
mload Spawn a mobile in a room
oload Spawn an object in a room
resetroom Reset a room to defaults
alterroom Modify room properties

Variables

Command Purpose
varset Set a variable
varseton Set variable on another entity
varclear Delete a variable
varclearon Delete variable on another entity
varcopy Copy variable to new name
varsave Mark variable as persistent
varsaveon Mark remote variable as persistent

Script Control

Command Purpose
call Call a subroutine script
xcall Call a script on another entity

Events & Reckonings

Command Purpose
event Interact with event system
startevent Start an event
stopevent End an event
phaseevent Advance event phase
stageevent Advance event stage (alias)
reckoning Reckoning interaction
startreckoning Begin a reckoning
stopreckoning End a reckoning

Dungeons & Instances

Command Purpose
dungeoncommence Start dungeon encounter
dungeoncomplete Mark dungeon complete
dungeonfailure Mark dungeon failed
instancecomplete Mark instance complete
instancefailure Mark instance failed
sendfloor Floor transition
specialkey Manage dungeon keys
unlockdungeon Unlock a dungeon

Wilderness

Command Purpose
wildernessmap Map overlay generation
wildsanchor Set map anchor point
wildsoverlay Apply tile overlay
wildstile Modify a map tile
wildsvlink Create interior link

Other

Command Purpose
churchannouncetheft Church theft announcement
treasuremap Treasure map management
unlockarea Unlock a locked area
mute Mute a character
unmute Unmute a character
quest Quest system interaction