Lit Dev Suggestions

[Deeza]

This is the start of a list which will eventually encompass all of our finished literature, intended to aid modders placing books in the worldspace. It contains a brief summary of what each book is about, and has recommendations for where the book should be found. For example, if it's a religious text about the Temple, then it would probably be found in temples, monasteries, and specialist bookshops, or perhaps the houses of theologically inclined characters. If it's a heretical text, such as one that suggests that the Tribunal are dead, then it will only be found in the homes and shrines of religious dissenters and characters of other faiths.

Please note these are only guidelines - if you can think of a reason why a particular book could be elsewhere, let me know and if you can justify it then OK!

[sandor]

Thank you.

This is very useful for the reviewing team as well.

[Ibsen's Ghost]

Hi Deeza,

Great to see all of the work you're doing here! I just wondered if there were any plans to categorise the library of ‘general release’ books that are rapidly being organised here. That is to say, books that do not concern particular individuals (such as diaries) or refer specifically to quests, or appear as a single edition but are to be found in various different places.

It would be useful for both ourselves and the PC if the categorisation system were made clear. For example, lore books, biographies, poetry, historical accounts, fiction etc. From the ‘Usage of MW books’ thread, I notice that this occurs but partly with reference to the location they can be found in and often including likely ‘sub-categories’. For a sub-category such as ‘cults’, you might put this under ‘religion’ and so on.

I think this could lead to some rather nice developments:

For general accessibility, I wondered if their general category might be indicated clearly on first sight in some way, such as by the colour of their cover perhaps. As far as I know, this was not clear enough in Oblivion.

It would be especially cool to create new bookshelves, preferably with labels either attached or separate, each pertaining to the categories. I'm not sure if we have them already or if you wished to issue a claims request for a model or two but I do know that there is no library in any city that I know of in any mod and that comes across as a little strange to me.

I'm not necessarily suggesting creating a Dunmer architecture model just for this purpose but the library interiors that I am familiar with in the UK are pretty damn cool as they can be positively labyrinthian. One that sticks out in my mind is Liverpool's city library which, in some rooms, is the traditional type that you will come across in most fantasy films, which is circular but split-level with spiral staircases leading up from the ground floor to the next floor/ledge, of which there are about 3-4 and on which are sliding ladders on every ‘ring’ to get to the hard-to-reach books. A library interior would not necessarily need to be this complicated but it’s a design idea that would look nice and highly appropriate in some city areas.

Btw, if, by the time you have checked out all the literature, compiled it, sorted it and everything else, you find out that there is a lack of a particular type of book then let me know and I’ll try writing something up. I originally signed up here with the desire to write as I still regard it as my first skill in the world of modding (above voice work and modding itself) so it would be nice to get writing again. Perhaps a claims thread could be opened covering the sort of information that is lacking.

[Deeza]

Thanks Ibsen. Those are good suggestions, which I'll look into as soon as I've got through the immediate task of clearing the editing backlog which has built up since the last Editor left.

Ideally I will commission some new cover designs for the categories of book (I'd like to have a cover with the Tribunal symbol on it for the Temple books, for example).

As for writing, that's kind of you to offer. I've already made a few guidelines which (in part) relate to areas of literature I feel we don't have enough of, but I will make something much more specific in future.