Handicaps

[Moo]

There is generally a big difference in terms of chance of winning between "old" and "new" players. To try to mitigate that I often give myself handicaps to try to even things out a little, but it would be nice if the game could enforce them itself. It could also make games between more equally-matched players more interesting, by choosing different settings for each player/team, or just make things more difficult by choosing the same settings for all players.

Some ideas:

• All gems required in order to win.
• 100% map exploration required.
• Lower hitpoints. Could have it that your bottle starts half empty but could be restored to normal level by healing potions.
• Slowed movement.
• Can't use potions/scrolls (could be individual setting for each, or both together).
• Automatically uses potions/scrolls. Can't walk over them without triggering them.
• Can't use daggers.
• Can't use traps.
• Can't use lockpicks.
• Can't use wands.
• Can't use any weapon, only sword.
• Map only shows current and adjacent rooms.
• Map only shows current room.
• Map wiped upon death, like the scroll.
• Other players always see your position on the map.

That's just a few. I'm sure others could come up with more. Ideally there'd be another window reachable from the quest settings screen, with maybe a grid of checkboxes with the options down the left and player names across the top...

[Stephen]

I quite like this actually.

Some more suggestions:

• Cannot heal by returning to starting point
• No premapped (i.e. only one player gets premapped dungeon, the other doesn't)

[Romanio(Rus)]

I think too hard the following handicaps:
4.Slowed movement
12.Map only shows current and adjacent rooms
13.Map only shows current room

First because it gives too much advantage (I think), the second and third because some players (including me  :D) will be very difficult to navigate the terrain.
Instead, I suggest following options:
1) Reduced the damage of weapons
2) The slow strokes of weapons
3) The slow speed when carrying a weapon (except the sword)
4) The delay before the revival