Better Journals

[Neanderthal]

Better Journals

In this current stage of the game there are only so many ways for our characters to express themselves, and I have found journaling to be one of the most rewarding aspects of the game, to fill a somewhat empty world (for now), with some life. But I think we could make it a lot nicer.

 

As of now, each page is very small in terms of how much text you can put in it, while going beyond the word limit of the box requires you to scroll through said tiny box, which isn't very easy on the eyes. Moreover the aesthetic of the box is very simplistic. I know this is a personal gripe that comes down to personal taste, but looking at what the developers were capable with the great map UI (the way it opens a window with a textured page that you can pan your view through, with proper writing) I'd like to think that they understand what I'm getting at. My posting this was partly inspired by the journals of u/Special_Pickle_Buddy and u/CausticCafard on the r/ProjectZomboid subreddit, the latter of which really went above and beyond what a cool journal entry aesthetic can be. Images down below.

 

Now I'm in no way suggesting that it needs to be up to the standard of Cafard's work, what he's done is some great digital artwork but its not the standardized journal type you'd imagine a game to have. Something to Skyrim's journals would be more appropriate I think.

 

This is my (poor) attempt at depicting what it might look like. Its missing some options like page-turning, and isn't well formatted because I'm quite sloppy, and probably has numerous other issues.

The options I would like to have in it in descending levels of priority (that is, what I prioritize, things that I would really like and look for) are:

• Multiple fonts (Cursive, print-esque handwritten, maybe block letters if you have a typewriter?)
• Different options for paper texture before you press the lock button (More wrinkled, different colors of paper within reason like yellow legal pads, lines, blank etc.)

Big Leap of Inconsequentiality

• Drawing tool (Something like a brush, perhaps with varying levels of thickness starting from pencil-thin to something like a marker), I think this would be nice for the map too)
• Tools to add shapes and lines (If you're making a table for an inventory or diagram this would be handy)
• Stamps (Dates, symbols, CONFIDENTIAL, that sort of thing, maybe importable stamps?)

Big big big leap in unimportance

• Image Importation? I would probably like to add zombie sketches to try and make a cool research journal. 
• Hydrocraft had envelopes and manila folders. Maybe the ability to store pages in such folders as you can with keys in key rings. Could also use the letter opener in the vanilla game to be able to recover the folder for later use without ripping it open and ruining it.

 

Final Addition: I'd also really like those same previously mentioned shape & line tools for the maps themselves too, because I think you also might want to make a birds eye view of your base on the map.

Edited March 21, 2020 by Neanderthal
fixed formatting issue & added tiny blurb about letter opening, also added one last tiny thing