Quest Programs

Quest programs (quest progs) are scripts attached directly to quest definitions. They let you control the entire quest lifecycle — from acceptance through completion or failure — with programmatic logic.

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What Are Quest Programs?

A quest program is a block of scripting code attached to a quest definition that runs when specific quest events occur. Unlike mobile or object programs that react to world events (speech, combat, movement), quest programs react to quest-specific events — a player accepting the quest, completing a stage, resolving an objective target, or failing the quest entirely.

Every command in a quest prog is prefixed with quest — for example, quest echoat, quest varset, quest mload. This tells the engine that the quest entity is performing the action.

Quest programs have access to 13 triggers that are exclusive to quests — they do not exist on any other entity type. These triggers cover the full quest lifecycle: acceptance, focus, stage progression, objective resolution, completion, and failure.

When to Use Quest Programs

Quest programs are ideal for:

  • Quest lifecycle scripting — React to acceptance, stage transitions, objective completion, and quest turn-in
  • Dynamic quest generation — Resolve targets and destinations at runtime (e.g., pick a random mob to slay, a random room to visit)
  • Quest rewards — Scale rewards based on player level, time elapsed, or custom variables
  • Multi-stage quest logic — Advance stages programmatically, skip stages conditionally, or branch quest progression
  • Quest state tracking — Store and retrieve custom variables on the quest entity for complex quest logic
  • Notification and flavor — Send contextual messages to the player as quest milestones are reached

Relationship to Area Programs

Quest programs share the same command table as area programs (area_cmd_table). This means the 44 commands available to quest progs are identical to those available to area progs. If you already know area scripting, you know quest scripting — the only difference is the triggers and the entity context.

Aspect Area Programs Quest Programs
Command table area_cmd_table (44 commands) area_cmd_table (44 commands)
Command prefix area quest
Triggers random, reset 13 quest-exclusive triggers
Entity context $self = the area $self = the quest
Editor apedit qedit / qpedit

How Quest Programs Work

Every quest prog has three parts:

  1. The script — A block of code stored in the area file (identified by vnum)
  2. A trigger — The quest event that causes the script to run (e.g., quest_accepted, stage_completed)
  3. An attachment — The link between the script, the trigger, and the quest definition

When the trigger event occurs, the engine runs the script with context about the quest state — which player is involved, which stage or objective triggered it, and so on.

Creating a Quest Program with qedit / qpedit

The qedit editor manages quest definitions, and qpedit manages the scripts attached to them.

Step 1: Create the Script 

qpedit create

This creates a new quest program and opens the editor. You will see the program’s assigned vnum.

Step 2: Name the Script

Give it a descriptive name for identification:

name Reward scaling on completion

Step 3: Write the Code

Enter the code editor:

code

Type your script, then type . on a blank line to finish:

** Scale gold reward based on player level
quest echoat $n {YQuest complete! You have earned your reward.{x
.

Comments in scripts use the ** prefix, not //. Place comments on their own line:

** This fires when the quest is accepted
quest echoat $n {CYou have accepted the quest!{x

Step 4: Compile the Script

The script is automatically checked when you finish editing. Syntax errors will be reported in the editor output.

Step 5: Attach a Trigger to the Quest

Use qedit to attach the script to a quest with a trigger:

qedit <quest vnum>
addprog <script vnum> <trigger type> <phrase>

For example, to fire a script when a player accepts the quest:

addprog 50001 quest_accepted 100

This attaches script 50001 with a quest_accepted trigger and phrase 100 (100% chance of firing).

Step 6: Test

Accept the quest in-game and verify the script fires. Use stat quest <vnum> to confirm the program is attached.

Quest-Specific Capabilities

Quest programs excel at managing the quest lifecycle through their exclusive trigger set:

Capability Triggers Description
Acceptance handling quest_accepted, quest_focused React when a player takes on or focuses a quest
Stage management stage_commenced, stage_completed, stage_failed Control multi-stage quest progression
Objective tracking objective_completed, objective_failed Respond to individual objective resolution
Target resolution stage_target_resolved, objective_target_resolved Dynamically assign targets at runtime
Destination resolution stage_dest_resolved, objective_dest_resolved Dynamically assign locations at runtime
Completion handling quest_completed, quest_failed Award rewards, clean up state, trigger follow-up quests

Script Comments

Use ** at the start of a line to write a comment. Comments are ignored when the script runs:

** Check player level for reward scaling
if level $n >= 50
  quest echoat $n {YYou receive a bonus reward for your experience!{x
endif

Quick Reference

Topic Link
All quest triggers (13) Triggers
All quest commands (44) Commands
Practical examples Examples
Area program commands (shared table) Area Commands
Variables and quick codes Variables and Tokens
If-checks and conditions If-Checks Reference
Scripting basics Scripting Basics

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