Books & Writing
Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 3:34 pm
A preview of the Writable, readable and storable books we're working on 
Functionality:
The writer uses the following commands to tell the system where to place text: <page:1> <page:2> etc..
It then automatically places the text there. The enter key is fully operable and doesn't screw up the writing format. (No need to use a command to tell it to start a new line)
By using the command <language:elven> or <language:dwarven> the following text will be marked as being in that language. It can be ended by using <language:common> (to proceed further in common after a few words or sentences). Multiple languages can be used per page.
If the reader does not know the languages then he will see the DMFI Language gibberish instead of what you wrote. You can only write in languages you know ofcourse. Spells like Comprehend Languages and Tongues also work.
There is also functionality to add "events" when a certain page is read. This could be used for future spells, quests or DM events. (Explosive runes is an example of a spell
)
How the system will be deployed:
The writings players produce in this manner will be storable not only on their person but also in libraries, where copies can be bought and read by other characters. Sort of like an ingame wikipedia.
How do I write?
The way to write has been vastly improved compared to what I found in the NWNvault prototypes. The code was redone for ease of use, so you can see the book as you write it. (and catch any visual errors quickly!)
It's also text format compatible, meaning stuff like line breaks and other system characters do not need to be encoded manually by the player. This is done automatically. (This saves you sooooo much time and makes it fun to write, instead of an excercise in patience.
http://imageshack.us/f/41/booksbeta2.jpg/
Credit where it is due:
Four of the TGA images used as backgrounds were copied from the ALFA writing system, the book itself comes from Lance Botelle's system. Sadly, neither system was anywhere near what we wanted to use and link with the library system, so we had to code it from the ground up. (but having image templates sure saves work, I suck at painting <_<)
Functionality:
The writer uses the following commands to tell the system where to place text: <page:1> <page:2> etc..
It then automatically places the text there. The enter key is fully operable and doesn't screw up the writing format. (No need to use a command to tell it to start a new line)
By using the command <language:elven> or <language:dwarven> the following text will be marked as being in that language. It can be ended by using <language:common> (to proceed further in common after a few words or sentences). Multiple languages can be used per page.
If the reader does not know the languages then he will see the DMFI Language gibberish instead of what you wrote. You can only write in languages you know ofcourse. Spells like Comprehend Languages and Tongues also work.
There is also functionality to add "events" when a certain page is read. This could be used for future spells, quests or DM events. (Explosive runes is an example of a spell
)How the system will be deployed:
The writings players produce in this manner will be storable not only on their person but also in libraries, where copies can be bought and read by other characters. Sort of like an ingame wikipedia.
How do I write?
The way to write has been vastly improved compared to what I found in the NWNvault prototypes. The code was redone for ease of use, so you can see the book as you write it. (and catch any visual errors quickly!)
It's also text format compatible, meaning stuff like line breaks and other system characters do not need to be encoded manually by the player. This is done automatically. (This saves you sooooo much time and makes it fun to write, instead of an excercise in patience.
http://imageshack.us/f/41/booksbeta2.jpg/
Credit where it is due:
Four of the TGA images used as backgrounds were copied from the ALFA writing system, the book itself comes from Lance Botelle's system. Sadly, neither system was anywhere near what we wanted to use and link with the library system, so we had to code it from the ground up. (but having image templates sure saves work, I suck at painting <_<)
I still have yet to tackle the workings of PC tools, but if it proves to be beyond my understanding, then these will just be equip-able books bought from stores.
Oh my god, Today I was just thinking about asking if you had time to do this Death! I hate that it doesn't show a real book too!