Suggestion: In-Game Field Notes

[conductorbosh]

I've been enjoying Don't Starve a lot since I picked it up last week, and have enjoyed checking out some of the field notes listed in this forum. I like the idea, but don't really want to do something like open up a word document, or list my notes on a forum; I completely understand why others enjoy doing this, but I would feel a bit silly.

So I've been thinking that it might be cool to incorporate an option to write field-notes in-game. This would, of course, be completely optional; there needn't be a penalty to ignoring the feature or any significant bonus to taking advantage of it. I just think it might add an extra layer to the game.

This could be achieved either through a pop-up at the end of each in-game day, or through a craftable item, maybe a field journal or writing desk, or something of the like. One could record notes for the day, and go back and look at past notes via the item (if one was involved), or perhaps a button on the map or menu button.

The pop-up would take the form of a window that could be typed onto. I'm not sure what the best way to format this would be, whether people would prefer a blank page, or categories such as "discoveries" or "experiments."

I would just enjoy a way to record my experiences in-game, and, to those who enjoy such things, in-character. It would add an extra level of personality to the game, and it might be fun to look back over the notes of old characters, or reminisce about the early days of a game where one had managed to survive for a long period of time.

[mudarris]

Crazy idea on top of this one:

Make paper from reeds, then bind them into a book.

Awesomeness.

[conductorbosh]

It would also serve as a record of past adventures. Not something necessary to make the game enjoyable, but, for example, I'm several hours into a game right now (about 20 days), and it looks like I may make it a while longer. I've got an almost completely self-sustaining camp built up, chests full of backup food, and a couple extra spears and logsuits in case I get into trouble. I've almost nearly completed gathering the hairs I need to build my first meat effigy.

I feel really accomplished and like I'm doing a great job moving forward in the game, and I've put a few hours of playtime into it.

But I know that eventually, I will die, and I'd like to have something to show for it. Gameplay-wise, I'll have the extra couple of items I unlocked through research, but once I've unlocked all of those, dying will leave no evidence of the game you played. The ability to take notes in game and look at the notes of past attempts would be a great feature. Especially if it was possible to take some sort of in-game screenshot and affix one to each note?

ex. Finished first bee house today, tomorrow I'm going after that obnoxious tentacle (above a picture of the bee-house and a newly completed logsuit and spear)

[501105]

I can understand that all too well. You want to have something to remember your good run by (besides screenshots) and think about how it went awesoem that time.