Concerning Books and Immersion

[NSCReaver]

Gotten a lot of feedback about what people want in dungeons, and here's two simple questions I still feel the need to ask.

 

1. Books - what kind of things would you actually spend time reading? Is it worth my time to write a book for whatever skill advances I decide to put in, or should skill advances be tacked on to more essential books (instructions, plot revelations, etc)?

 

2. I plan on using a lot of lore from the First Era (we're now in the Fourth). Would papers and parchment surviving from that long ago bother you in terms of immersion, or would it not matter?

 

Thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for any replies!

[artesox]

1- Finding good books is always interesting... I remember how I was excited in the Potema's quests of Solitude, because I have read all the Wolf Queen series in-game.

Finding an book about an dungeon that you actually know, or about someone who you have met is even more interesting.

Actually, Skill Books annoy me, when they are guides and tips I can even understand, but common lore giving skills is odd. Once I leveled twice because I won a lot of skills from reading books, and I wasn't even focusing in those skills.

 

2- A few would survive thousand of years, but I think most would have become dust already. Maybe you should do transcribed first era books (Then they could possibly survive the time,and still, do the lore of the first era) ... or something like that

[CampanaAliquanta]

I love the books and collect as many in game books as I can.

 

1) I like stories and lore-based books. Rather than giving skills I like it when they give hints on in-game abilities. For instance, I was reading some elven biography of a long ago apothecary, and it listed the ingredients for a potion of invisibility - but as part of the story, rather than then deliberately telling the reader the recipe. I thought that was really cool. It would have been so tacky to open the book and get some automatic pop-up "You have learned how to make potions of invisibility."

 

2) Currently any really old texts you find are copies and translations of originals. I actually think this is done really nicely, because sometimes the translation is clearly off, or there are notes on the translation by the writer, or there are bits missing. If you want to put in original texts these would need to be written on papyrus (which I think can survive quite a while in anaerobic conditions) or clay tablets. Or even sheets of copper or gold - remember the dead sea scrolls?

 

I hope you do put in lots of first empire lore, that would be fantastic.

[CampanaAliquanta]

Actually, I tell you what would be cool - things preserved in peat bogs e.g. bog bodies or even a leather sathel containing a manuscript. Organic materials can survive for thousands of years, and Skyrim is exactly the kind of place that would happen.

[rickerhk]

I enjoy picking up a book and reading it, when I'm clearing a dungeon or wherever. I usually read it right then and put it back because if I save it for later to read at home - I never get back to it. More books would be welcome. Especially concerning lore.

[NSCReaver]

Thanks for all the replies, helping me out a lot! Saving me a lot of time that would be otherwise spent writing things no one wanted in the first place.

 

I had another question, and it slightly relates to the topic. Figured I'd tack it onto here, as I'd still like to see more input on the earlier questions. My new question is this: How long (on average) would you want a dungeon mod to be? This would be a single dungeon, part of a series of single dungeon mods that span a larger story. For your answer, imagine that it's entertaining, engaging, such and so forth.