Book Innovations

[Argentis]

With the introduction of Books I feel like we as a community could come up with ways to expand the use of books and have nice ideas to be implemented. Here are my ideas please refer in the comment by their numbers. For example if you don't like idea number 3, write: "/3 It will never work it's stupid".

1/ More formatting options. I know that JC said he would give us more formatting options within a week. However I feel like it's important to list all the features we want to have added. I'll add them here as people comment and add what they want:
-Changing Font
-Writing in Bold, Italic, Underlined
-Paragraphs (Indents and line skipping)
-Changing Size (For titles)
- Centering

2/ With more formatting options, and even with no formatting options, a preview button seems essential to see if your page looks good. Especially considering that Ink is not an affordable commodity (100s/page if you buy it from the NPC).

3/ Option to add Running Titles or to title each Page. The title would show at the top of the page. It would allow us to either organize more effectively our books or to put page numbers for easy referencing.

4/ Colophons and Printer Sigils. Allow us to put basic images like a Printer's Mark. It was a way at the time to show that the printer had the approval of the King to publish as well as a basic copyright control.

5/ More control over copying Books. Why not make a system similar to keys? You would have a Master Book, the original. If you copy the Master Book you have Free Rights Copy which allows the owner to make Restricted Rights Copies. Buying from the Bestseller NPC would only give Restricted Rights Copies. That would give the writer more control over who can sell his book and if his book is very successful then people may want to buy a Free Rights Copy to make copies of their own for sale (or to give away if it is an educational book).

Update: From Trungdle: Adding the possibility to Forge Copy of books which would leave scents.

6/ Add the ability to bind New World Surveys into a book. That would allow us to create Atlas or to make pre-raiding reports. Possibilities are endless.

7/ Add the possibility to bind Town Charters and Writ of Homestead to a book. Those book wouldn't be able to become best-sellers (or they would cost Best-sellers price + Price of the Town Charter or Write of Homestead. That would allow us to make Guide Books for newbies. The Writ of Homestead can be ripped off from the book and used to make a Claimstone. The rest of the book would explain the rules of homesteading and whatever the author wishes to speak about (it could even be a book given to new members of a town).

8/ I also had in mind the possibility to Ponder on Books and make books that are actually useful to read as they boost your proficiencies or something but I feel like that it would be a bit too OP. Also if they had uses then they would disappear from the circulation and that means that an inspirational book will never be Best-Seller.

Edit: From Absoluum:

Have the person making said skill book pay in inspiration proportional to the requirements to learn said skill, have proficiency required to essentially re-learn said skill, and some rare materials in construction of the skill book, or something along those lines.

Person reading the book needs to pay in a certain amount of inspiration, possibly some form of relevant silver sink(admission to education facility in Prov, given that you have a skill book), and various rare inspirationals relevant to the skill being learned from the book.

If the educational facility is implemented, a time delay from consuming book to actually learning the skill could be added(1-7days proportional to difficulty of the skill).

This could allow a fairly new pilgrim to learn a skill such as cotton planting before he/she has access to said skill via traditional means. Obviously pursuing the skill via traditional means has benefits in terms of production efficiency skills learned along the way, the bonus of +plenty through stocks & cultivares etc.

Skill books should only be available for civilian skills to avoid abuse of things like thieving and the like. Basic combat skills like fencing shouldn't be a problem though.


Skill books, along with the required inspirationals, could also be added to the store packs as an additional incentive to provide funding to the development of the game.


There are many variables available to balance this addition to the game.

9/Burning Books: Add the option to use Books as fuel. Doing so would of course reduce the books in circulation by 1. For when the book is really bad and you feel even worse for having bought it ;p


I'll add your ideas below with credits.

[matan002]

Ideas number 5 and 6 are excellent. I like them very much

[trungdle]

Yes number 5 but with scent for copying Restricted Copy, not completely hinder it. I approve

[Argentis]

Yes number 5 but with scent for copying Restricted Copy, not completely hinder it. I approve

Updated.

[Argentis]

Updated.

[Argentis]

Updated: 9/ Burning Books.

[pistolshrimp]

I like a few of these ideas, especially #9, could leave Censorship Scents, 5 months, requires arson.

[Argentis]

I like a few of these ideas, especially #9, could leave Censorship Scents, 5 months, requires arson.

Yeah could be fun.