Originally posted by CTH2004:

Ideas for writing and books and additions and such

You should have a "computer" and "printer", that work together, along with paper, to allow someone to type "book pages", which are used in the "binder" to make "printed books". It can also print "News Pages", which are merged in a "Stapler" to become "Newspapers". WIth the computer, you can set a minimum intelectual skill, as well as a minimum "Book Type Skill", which sets how high the trait for the books subject needs to be (A social book needs "x" social skill or above). You can even set individual levels for each trait! So, a intelectual book needs someone with intellectuall 20, but a melee one needs just 5

New book type: Magazine (Like a newspaper, but more effective, reusable, and decays slower. Also uses the binder, but with glossy paper as the binder)

books made by people with higher intellectual skills are more helpful, and the higher the trait of the typer is of the subject of the book, the better the book (Social affects newspapers)

If you have dubs bad hygenine, they might take a book with them to a bathroom, but refuse to come out till they finish reading! (Or come out when they complete their "buisness")

The printer needs paper (Using a multi-step process involving creating "chem-acid" from chemfuel, making wood chips, making a mash by mixing the acid and the small chips, straining it (A job that can cause chemicle burns, less likley with higher manipulation, and wearing gloves decreases chance as well), then taking that pulp to a paper-press. 1 log becoms 50 sheets. You can make chemicles to improve the paper, as well as make it make cardstock, which produces higher quality books, but is more expensive))

The printer also takes ink. Not sure how to make it, but it represents the ink cartreges. You can also use ink to color the paper, once again making better paper.

To use the printer, they type a book, and the computer does need paper. 1 paper comes out, as a "book order" They take it to the printer, where the "book order" prints the necesary pages on paper (Semi-random amount, based on the hidden book order quality). You then take those "staked pages" to the binder, which needs leather. If it's less than the desired quality, it becomes a "garbage book", which can be recycled for paper, or burned. It can be read, but it gives a negative mood to everyone (Read a horrible, incomplete book), but if you have a high (10+) intellectual, it "inspires" them, which might make them better temporarily with writing, and gives a good mood ("Read a bad book, I could make it better!"). Only then do you see the quality. The quality is determined by a value assinged to each section. You can set a minimum quality, so while you can't see the quality, if the typer messes up and it's less than what you set, it is re-started. Same with printing (The quality is like "did paper jams occur, did the ink work")

What's different about the printer is it saves the book. At least, that's the idea. You can print the same book again by re-using the book order! Once put in a zone, it get's forbiden. If un-forbiden, it will be used to make another! However, they only put it up once finishing the binding. If he binding is bellow he minimum quality, they will scrap the book (Put it in an avalible zone if possible, drop it if not), and re-print it.

The stapler uses metal. Different metal has a different effect. (Higher quality)? The stapler, besides that, also has an effect similar to the binder, and you make a quality of "x". if less than the target, it becomes a "garbage book", and they go reprint and re-make.

Nespapers don't use binding, and the magazine actually needs you to bind it. But, it doesn't use leather, it uses "glossed paper" (Made in the glosser with wax (other of your mods provide it, can also be made from animal fat as parafin wax) and cardstock. It has a quality which effects the binding. Higher quality is easier to make high-quality bindings) The magazine finishes with you going to a "painter" and having the cover painted (whatever effects sculpting). That quality can't be set. if legendary, gives the "beutiful cover" buff. if bad gives the "was that artwork!?" debuff.

Just some ideas!

Originally posted by CTH2004:

Ideas for writing and books and additions and such

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Great ideas!

This is just a general suggestions thread, right...? Oh well...

Religious texts. I think it's only obvious that (with Ideology) colonies should have an option to spawn with a religious text that contains the narrative text of the religion. It should be reproduceable, so you could avoid situations where your ideology burns out, and have situations where it could. Reading it should increase belief. Maybe selling it/giving it away enough would convert other settlements without any interaction, or angering them.

I also think that there should also be ideological-attacking books that decreases belief of a certain ideology without increasing others.

Originally posted by Denneisk:

This is just a general suggestions thread, right...? Oh well...

Yes. yes it is

Originally posted by Denneisk:

Religious texts. I think it's only obvious that (with Ideology) colonies should have an option to spawn with a religious text that contains the narrative text of the religion. It should be reproduceable, so you could avoid situations where your ideology burns out, and have situations where it could. Reading it should increase belief. Maybe selling it/giving it away enough would convert other settlements without any interaction, or angering them.

I also think that there should also be ideological-attacking books that decreases belief of a certain ideology without increasing others.

And, you could have "book burning", which some ideologies would like, especially if it is a religious text that goes against their own! You could have it where if colonists start disagreeing with the doctrine, they might destroy the book... and even a (toggleable) feature (Not sure where the toggle is) that if that book is destroyed (All of them), you loose, since "you loose all that makes your society your society"

As an idea for different types of books other than skill increase I would suggest books that have a chance of adding/removing traits. You got a great prisoner but he is a pyromaniac? Buy a fire safety book and have him read it!

Regarding the FAQ:
"Q: Where are the fiction books? Can we get an X book type?
A: Fiction books and other books will come in the future. As much as I appreciate suggestions, please don’t suggest a book type unless you can also suggest a way to make it unique other than “It gives more joy”."

- fiction books/non Skill books could increase the chance to get an "inspiration" event:
Fantasy/Adventure==) melee or shooting or Art or smithing* + Joy
science fiction==) Research Inspiration or Medical + Joy
Drama/Soap==) social
Horror==) Shooting /Melee
Survivalguide ==) Plants or Animal or Medical or Mining
Improvising/"housework"/ [sry my english vocabulary isnt the greatest: there is a synonym of jury rig that starts with b] ==) Construction or any form of crafing
Religios==) Art inspiration or chrafting /something with the new DLC
etc.


*custom inspiration


The Joy from these Books should be higher than the joy from the skillbooks and the inspiration Chance should be relativly low
You should consider creating a new set inspiration events that are slightly less powerfull than the vanilla ones an that can only be obtained by reading the Books. In the new Set "hunting inspiration" sould be different from "taming inspiration" and "smithing inspiration" should be different form "stonemason inspiration" [both could for example an +1 to the next crafted object in their category]

the new fantasy books should be addet to all loottables and traders. Books should be rare and rather expensive.

You could theoreticly ad "qualitys" [awful too legendary] to these books but that would, in my opinion be a bad idea. Instead i would suggest that you keep track of which colonist read which book and ONLY allow every collonist to get inspired by evrery book ONCE. That should motivate the Player to grow bigger library and hunt for new books. The main source of new books should be by aquiring them form trders and finding them as loot, they should be a minor pain to produce (big time investment).

i Suggest to create a list of random booknames and authors for the different genres, so you can slipp in some eastereggs.

Example:
The Tale Of An Unfortunate Test Subject - Sience Fiction, Portal esteregg
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Sience Fiction, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy esteregg
The Dwarves dug too deap - fantasy, Lord of the rings easter egg
Nekronomicon- HPLovecraft esteregg
the knowledge of the old ones - HPLovecraft esteregg
etc.

Authors:
unkown Wizzard - esteregg: terry pratchett "wizzard" spelled with "zz"
etc.

on a personal note:
can you add "Isfet the wise" [the dnd character from someone i know who uses the mod] as a fantasy author?

unrelated: you could add some Quests:
"The Forgotten Manuscript" - Basicly a hidden tresure quest but with a book
"Forbiddenknowledge" - Some Pirates gained possession of a Forbidden Book, you must Raid their base and return it to [fracton name Here] - reward 2-5 Books, goodwill
"Share Knowlege" - Basicly a deliveryquest, were you must deliver a skillbook to the base of a friendly fraction to gain a reward.

A third idea: a Diary
Basicly a copy of a Pawns Log that is pwersistent over a long time. Writing the diary fullfills the recreation need of the pawn. The speed f writing is consisten with the INT skill.

There should be an assigned task to read so players don't have to manually tell pawns to read a book multiple times.

With Ideology, and for colonies that prohibit killing innocent animals, there could be a non-animal resource usable as book cover

I second the idea for a workbench that's better/faster than the typewriter, like a desk with a computer and a printer.