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Author Topic: Paper Products  (Read 1170 times)

Urist McStoney

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Paper Products
« on: February 24, 2009, 11:02:38 pm »

Although paper would probably put an end to clerk being an effective training job for dwarves, seeing as it would eat up resources, it would be really cool to need a resource to do accounting.  It would also be really cool to be able to have dwarves whose only job was to set the history of the fortress of paper for you to later read or find in Adventurer mode.  This would probably need some new workshops, and would be more a luxury than anything else, but it would be interesting.
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Fieari

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Re: Paper Products
« Reply #1 on: February 24, 2009, 11:38:08 pm »

# LANGUAGE ARC: The in-game languages need a better framework, as many simple name formulations are impossible in the current system, and it wouldn't hurt to add a basic grammar and phonetics at this time as well. In addition, paper, engraved writing, books, poems, songs, etc. could all be explored in the different game modes in various ways. Related to Core97, Core98, Core99 and Core100.

(Just about the entire language arc is also up on dev next! Scroll to the bottom)

# Core100, NEW LANGUAGE ITEMS, (Future): Parchment, vellum and their buddies then books, songs, poems... all for your entertainment (and horror, if there are random poems). Requires Core99.

# Bloat185, LIBRARIES, (Future): Books and libraries utilizing histories. Once these are in, people that you chat with don't need to know as much. You can find legends here that reveal locations of ruins made by world gen, or your dwarf games. Various other books are possible.

# PowerGoal46, THE GIANT ASS BOOK, (Future): You go to a dwarf fortress and see a giant unliftable tome filled with maps of the Underworld. You sketch a copy and depart.

# PowerGoal106, BOOK LEARNIN', (Future): Your master doesn't have time for you and has you read his book instead. You misunderstand the book and think the book is easy when it is actually advanced, and you tell your master you have learned what the book has to teach. Your master is upset and orders you to perform various menial tasks.


I think it's safe to say that Toady is thinking about paper.

EDIT: Although it seems you're also suggesting that the various bookkeeping jobs actually use up paper, on a fairly regular basis?  Hm.  Halls of shelves of accounting would be kind of dull, but I suppose I can imagine situations where you'd want actual books of ledgers... such as when dealing with banks.  But you'd want this to be an optional thing, or you wouldn't be able to do anything at the start of the game!
« Last Edit: February 24, 2009, 11:45:08 pm by Fieari »
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Urist McStoney

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Re: Paper Products
« Reply #2 on: February 25, 2009, 09:55:16 am »

Whoops, probably should have read the dev list :-\  But yes, clerks being able to write down information on nothing has always bothered me.  Although, knowing the dwarves, they probably etch it into their skin or something ;D
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Neonivek

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Re: Paper Products
« Reply #3 on: February 25, 2009, 10:01:20 am »

Tax Collectors having huge books where they write down how much each dwarf owns and how much their taxes are would also make a lot of sense.

Though mind you... I've only heard of this being done within the time range rule of thumb that Dwarf Fortress takes place in once.
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Silverionmox

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Re: Paper Products
« Reply #4 on: February 25, 2009, 10:16:35 am »

Oh no, that was definitely being done in some abbeys around 800, becoming more and more common in the centuries thereafter for every institution that had rights to pieces of land, farms, mills etc. and/or the peasants on it. That included religious institutions, lords, city administrations, nascent states, independent rich farmers, etc. I have a such a ledger (of the Teutonic order) photographed on my hard disk :).
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Pilsu

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Re: Paper Products
« Reply #5 on: February 26, 2009, 05:53:14 am »

Paper probably shouldn't have quality levels but the cover could be made of dyed paper/leather

Being able to rebind my historical records to more fitting covers would be nice
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Granite26

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Re: Paper Products
« Reply #6 on: February 26, 2009, 09:14:14 am »

every been to a papercrafts shop Pilsu?  Hell, just the difference between vellum, printer paper, and newspaper...

Pilsu

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Re: Paper Products
« Reply #7 on: February 26, 2009, 06:48:39 pm »

I was just thinking in game terms. If you really wanna go there, even lumber would have quality levels
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alfie275

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Re: Paper Products
« Reply #8 on: February 27, 2009, 12:08:37 pm »

How about spell books for adventure mode?
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Granite26

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Re: Paper Products
« Reply #9 on: February 27, 2009, 12:34:21 pm »

I was just thinking in game terms. If you really wanna go there, even lumber would have quality levels

Point taken, but I still disagree.  Especially for the potential magic uses.

Neonivek

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Re: Paper Products
« Reply #10 on: February 27, 2009, 09:55:14 pm »

Just be careful as there are two kinds of quality being used here used interchangably as if it was the same.

1) Craft Quality: The quality of an object made by how well the object is crafted

2) Object Type QualitY: The quality of an object dictated by its materials or type.

For example Gruel is a low quality food... However you could obviously make Gruel very well.

In terms of Paper... Vellum, Printer, and Newspaper is Object Type Quality.
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Silverionmox

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Re: Paper Products
« Reply #11 on: February 28, 2009, 06:24:52 am »

Paper is a bit on the cusp, as an intermediate product. However, cloth has quality levels too, so I'm inclined to expect quality levels of paper.
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