1) Quest doesn't have many "inbuilt" features. There's the get, (and drop?) there's the look, there's the moving from room to room. That's 'bout it really.
To create a shop just make a room (yes, you only need one per type of shop....) and when you want to move the player into one of these rooms then you might want to set off different commands and move different characters into the room for interaction (oh - the "do <#variable#>" would have been VERY useful here... giving each shop a valid procedure...) all can be done with variables.
To make a guild it's virtually the same!
Have one room per guild/one room for ALL guilds... having an if statement relying on variables to determine what the player see's in each room.

2) Battle system. Quest doesn't currently have a battle system built in. You have to design your own. The "dice roll" feature you say is in a way correct, it uses an algorythem to select a "random number" which you can use to let the player hit/miss ect... Many of us here (I say us but at the moment my system has been temporarialy halted) are designing our own battle system much like those in the final fantasy series and other such commercial games. I myself am basing it around Koudelka, which had a magic system I liked ;) but it is up to you!

I'm not sure if Al has taken it upon himself to design a combat system for the future (after he get's well and does his other stuff(hope you get well soon Al!)) but I'm sure it would be superb and very useful for you budding newbies.

As useual I'm going to walk away, after confusing you for 10 minutes, and let someone else post a response which you'll understand! (I'm just hoping it won't be my arch nemmesis Luridii!)

Computerwhiz- How do you create your own system type? I have downloaded Dreamaker and it evolves around using tree's as bases and that didn't make much sent obj and mob? heh I didn't get it to easily. Am I asking to much to make such a kick butt game with no gaming skill? or if you have or know of any other programs that I can download that would be of alot of help to create a GUILD?
thankx a bunch man.

Now MUSH/MUD is a Multi User Dungeon.... it's basically a text game which is played online with many other people.
I think they're OK but I don't play them that often because they involve alot of work and they aren't all that I would like!

To do level skills, ect... you have to program them in yourself. Just like the guild. If you have downloaded Quest and QDK (what is this about dreamaker?) then QDK is used to create games, while Quest is used to play them.

QDK is pretty straight forward, and I think Al has produced a QDK user guide - but that was for the previous version. ANYWAY you use QDK to produce the "rooms" that your player moves around in. You make the "objects" which the player can interact with (people, animals, objects...) and also specify the code that happens when the player does certain stuff.

I can't really help you with explaining since I have a faulty explanation gene. But others can help you out much better then I can!

Not to push you away from Quest (which is one of the easier scripting languages) but if you want a basic introduction to creating text games I think you should take a look at ADRIFT. It uses pull-down menus to add rooms, objects, and even simple events and conditions. I think it will help you understand how text games are constructed and get you into thinking how scripting works. Then, once you've seen how it all works, use QDK to create more advanced features (which you'll want to do once you see ADRIFTs limitations). I think the ADRIFT web site is www.adrift.uk.org (or maybe without the .uk)

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I'm not sure if Al has taken it upon himself to design a combat system for the future

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No he hasn't :-)

I must confess to not really giving a 'combat systems' library any thought at all, I don't personally write that style of game and so have never considered it.

Frankly I don't even know what a good "combat system" ought to do!

However, if someone would care to specify exactly what is required of such a library, I might add it to my list of 'things to do'.

but has just briefly popped in :)

Also there's the gaining points afterwards (that could be left pretty much up to the actual game programmer - but some things are essential, like money, experience, ect..).

You could even put in a monster special move, where the object's action is called "special" and it runs a special attack - as well as "custom1", "custom2" all the way to 5 or something - having a numeric defining which one to run (not really an option till "select #variable#" comes into Quest.).

Special items for use might mant to check the monster's actions for the item name (so for instance you use a life recovery item on an undead monster - he die's/get's hurt).

Most of it will just be saying "do this object action" and random numbers!