Basic scribbling as alternative to proper writing

[stringburka 72]

The new book system is really cool, and makes sense, but it does have a negative effect: The existance of the book and quill meant I nearly stopped immersion-breaking out-of-game notetaking and used book an quill for this instead. It added immersion and a liiiittle bit of difficulty as books could be lost etc, but not so much I wouldn't bother doing it.

With the new book system though, it's probably going to end up with me taking out-of-game notes anyway or carry around a scribing table on the back, both of which are immersion breaking. I also feel something is missing when it comes to writing, namely simple scribbling rather than actual painting.

My suggestion is the following:

1. Papers can be placed in the world as a white (or rather pale beige) 16x16x1 pixels large block on the ground. The block is by default turned into microblocks or whatchamacallit so you can select individual pixels.

2. By crafting a torch alone in the inventory you put it out, creating a simple pen with 10 durability.

3. By right-clicking with the pencil on a paper block pixel, that pixel turns black (or rather dark gray/brown) and one durability is spent. There is no way to remove this.

4. By right-clicking the paper with an empty hand, it drops as an item and keeps the exact pixel setup/item state (how this works technically I don't know, but I know other mods have similar features).

That's the gist of it. That would allow one to craft very simple maps and take very simple notes, but not to write anything complex.

Adding to these some follow-up ideas that are more complex but could be cool in the long run:

5. Ability to craft other kinds of pens with charcoal and potentially colored pens made with dye; could allow for artists to make simple paint-art and sell, similar to how sculptors make stoneworks.

6. Making some kind of way to hang these on walls, whether glue, hooks, frames or whatever - preferably able to be put side by side to create a larger picture.

7. Allowing painting on other blocks in a similar way, if possible. Paint could simply replace the surface pixel of a block and when it comes to blocks that aren't the papers it isn't as important to keep it stored if the block is broken.

8. If it is at all possible (I have no idea) increasing the amount of microblocks in the paper from 16x16 to 32x32 would allow much more complex pictures. This could allow reaaaally cool pictures, but should maybe only be allowed with proper tools, like brushes with paint.

9. If it is at all possible (I have no idea) increasing the amount of colors available by making painting with a lighter color on a darker cause them to blend (so painting white on black will make dark gray, painting white again will make a lighter gray etc). This could increase the number of colors available by quite a bit.

(10. Increasing the paper requirement for making books. Seriously, why are there only 3 papers in a book? Should be at least 8, lol.)

I think the addition of 1-4 would both make it reasonably simple to jot down basic info in-game, and would add something fun to use, and that 5-9 if possible could make this into a whole new dimension where painting is added to the arts of writing and sculpting that are already in-game.

What do you people think?

[Peffern 94]

Honestly, while I like your suggestion, it doesn't actually fix the problem:

You still can't take field notes.

The scribing system works great for making cookbooks but not field notes.

I need my field notes.

[stringburka 72]

Honestly, while I like your suggestion, it doesn't actually fix the problem:

You still can't take field notes.

The scribing system works great for making cookbooks but not field notes.

I need my field notes.

you can take field notes through scribbling. throw down the paper, and start jotting down! you have to simplify them, of course, simplifying the coding system, but it is very much possible.

I just played around with it in paint to see what I could get down and I had no issues to write a message of "fruit tree at coordinates +1180/-2810" (skipping the last zero because I can find it within a ten meter radius, lol) on a 16x16 pixel square.

Looked kinda like this though more compact:

%T. ..1881

Anyone who's played roguelikes know how much info you can get down in a single letter. Especially if colored pens would come; even having two colors increases the amount of info tenfold.

EDIT: I do agree though that later in the game it should be possible to simply carry around a proper book for field notes. I do think however that such book/pencil sets should be more expensive, representing the need for good protection from the environment and ink that can be used easily.

[fofi9753 25]

maybe there should be some sort of a hardcover notebook that you don't need a scribing table for, making it possible to write something even when away from home

[Peffern 94]

I guess you are right.

Just one point:

You aren't planning to remove the scribing table method are you?

[fofi9753 25]

I guess you are right.

Just one point:

You aren't planning to remove the scribing table method are you?

If you were talking to me, no of course not, the scribing table should remain the scribing table, a notebook wouldn't replace a scribing table, you couldn't make plans and the sort.

[Peffern 94]

Ok. Because I was thinking, suppose I scribble my field notes on a piece of paper. When I get home I want to copy them down into a book.

[Srgnoodles 1,030]

well, yknow i was kind of thinking of a writing system myself so possibly you would have your "notebook" and then you would put a writing utensil in a slot, then as you type, the font would go according to the type of pen used, and slowly that pen would be used up

"pens could be such things as a stick of charcoal, an inked feather, or eventualy a good old obsidian fountain pen, with the writing neatness and durability going up as the tool gets more refined