Handbooks: The Alternative to "Recipe Teaching"

[YourMajesty]

This idea was developed in my "Tales by the Fire" thread, originated by OvShit and Graeldragon:
http://www.havenandhearth.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=17725

Some have proposed that people would be able to "teach" other players recipes; if one player doesn't know how to make something, such as a sausage, because he hasn't butchered a bear, another player who has butchered a bear, and has access to the sausage recipe, can write that recipe down and give it to the other player, who will then study it and learn the recipe themselves.

I have a different idea, however.

My idea is that, instead of writing a recipe down, a player would "write" objects down in handbooks (giving them familiarity with objects instead of recipes themselves), and instead of learning it by studying it, a player could only get temporary access to the knowledge while a handbook is equipped.

Let me elaborate, a bit.

A player would begin by creating a Blank Book with 10 parchment, 3 leather, and 2 yarn. The Blank Book would then be used to craft a Handbook.

Right-click the Blank Book to bring up a "Create Handbook." Upon selecting that option, an interface will appear. On this interface would be three slots in which to place items (you wouldn't have to occupy all of the slots); the items you place in those slots are the items that the handbook will grant familiarity of. When you've placed all of the objects you want to, you press the "Write!" button at the bottom of the interface; if you have a jar of ink, a quill and a Beautiful Dream for each item, and are familiar with the selected items, you will begin crafting the Handbook. The items are consumed in the process.

Voila! The Handbook, a 3x3 item, has been created! If you want to check which items are "in" the book, just right-click it and select the "Examine" option that pops up; an interface similar to the creation interface will appear, sans the ability to place items. It will show you what items the book "holds."

To "use" the Handbook, simply equip it to one of your hand slots; it only occupies one hand. After having done so, your character will gain familiarity with the items inside, and thus be able to craft objects requiring them, as long as he has the book equipped; when the Handbook is unequipped, your character will lose familiarity with the items if he had not "learned" them naturally.

Questions? Comments? Flames?

[SacreDoom]

FLAMEOMFGUSUCKQQRAEGBWAAAH

No really, this is a good idea.

+1.

[Jackard]

1. too convoluted, awkward, not cohesive. KISS, see sig
2. the equipping thing sounds pretty annoying! just sayin

[YourMajesty]

1. too convoluted, awkward, not cohesive. KISS, see sig
2. the equipping thing sounds pretty annoying! just sayin

I'm afraid I must ask you to elaborate on both counts, sir. If you could, please:

Tell me in what ways it is convoluted/awkward/non-cohesive (do you mean "non-coherent?"). As creator of the thread, I must admit that I have a certain "blindness" to its flaws, and may not see where I could cut things. (An aside: I always thought that quote was about efficiency, rather than simplicity.)

Tell me how the equipping aspect is annoying? Are you saying that it'd be annoying to have to equip it and re-equip it each time you want to make a sausage? Are you saying that it's annoying that it takes up an equipment slot? Something else?

I appreciate your feedback; you're the first moderator to post on any of my threads.

[Jackard]

1. better to use or modify existing systems than pile on entirely new mechanics. Keep It Simple, Stupid. using parchment and studying recipes was proposed because its a simple idea that fits in nicely with the current system

2. the less you have to fiddle with with gear the better. switching equipment in this game isn't straightforward like most games where you just rightclick the equipment. wardrobes would help if you could pick and choose which gear was part of the outfit

[YourMajesty]

1. better to use or modify existing systems than pile on entirely new mechanics. Keep It Simple, Stupid. using parchment and studying recipes was proposed because its a simple idea that fits in nicely with the current system

2. the less you have to fiddle with with gear the better. switching equipment in this game isn't straightforward like most games where you just rightclick the equipment. wardrobes would help if you could pick and choose which gear was part of the outfit

Ah, thank you. (I did understand the acronym; I just didn't entirely understand how handbooks were overcomplicated.)

I suppose I can't address the complicated nature of this system.

I wouldn't know better than the veterans of this game what would be "cheap" or overpowered; I concede that. But to me, the "write down a recipe and share it" just seemed a bit... Too simple; it would be too easy to get everybody in your village savvy (everyone who needed to be savvy, anyway) to the recipes you want made. From only a few people one could educate, potentially, hundreds. I didn't peruse any of the "written recipe" threads long enough to see any proposed restrictions or costs for them, save for "you won't get the LP for discovery of necessary items." I probably could have spent some more time looking, and I apologize. However, from what I'd seen, my concerns had not been allayed.

Hence, I came up with this, formed from the ashes of my proposed "Lorekeeping" skill. This system, I'd hoped would be many things.
Less exploitable: No teaching a created alt to do one thing and one thing only, and no teaching an entire village how to make something through a single person's experience.
More specialized: You can't prepare a cupboard full of recipes for anybody to pick up and learn; the handbooks must be made with the task in mind.
More versatile: With enough planning, and a knowledgeable-enough recipient, the handbook would grant the user access to numerous recipes. Moreover, the handbook can be used by many people; like any other tool, when you're done with it, you can just put it in the cupboard for somebody else to pick up and use themselves.
An obvious crutch: An object that gets the job done, but makes it painfully obvious that you didn't get the job done "right." Using the handbook/recipe should not be an "easy way" through the discovery mechanic; if you want to be able to do things without dicking around with a book, follow your village's hunting party and butcher the bear yourself for a sausage.

Once more, I concede that I certainly wouldn't know what's best for the game better than you or any of the other veterans. I apologize for not having thought of the aspect of the addition of a new mechanic. I thank you for your time, and for having read the thread.

[Jackard]

I wouldn't know better than the veterans of this game what would be "cheap" or overpowered; I concede that. But to me, the "write down a recipe and share it" just seemed a bit... Too simple; it would be too easy to get everybody in your village savvy (everyone who needed to be savvy, anyway) to the recipes you want made. From only a few people one could educate, potentially, hundreds. I didn't peruse any of the "written recipe" threads long enough to see any proposed restrictions or costs for them, save for "you won't get the LP for discovery of necessary items." I probably could have spent some more time looking, and I apologize. However, from what I'd seen, my concerns had not been allayed.

Costs went unmentioned, devs usually come up with their own. One assumes ink and quill would be required, they might even have it sacrifice the recipe's product. (hopefully not) Quality could come into play by affecting study times.

offtopic; Map quality currently serves no purpose, could be used to help reduce costs of traveling within its bounds