Feature Request: In-game codex

[ghost]

Describe the solution you'd like
This is an idea i wanted to share, it's a long term one, it's not for now.
and, if this idea would happen to somehow get picked up, i am not necessarily the one that would implement it. that being said here it is:

it's about having an in-game codex that could serve multiple purposes.

it could act as an always up to date and autogenerated source of documentation available directly in game. (and also exported: no more outdated wiki. game and wiki doc would be in sync)
it could also serve as a good place to centralize and access various information on the game lore and let it expand with dedicated UI panel.
i will detail a bit this idea below. also i made a few mockup of such a 'codex' panel if it existed, that is one possibility (idea) of how it could look. they are full of inaccuracies, don't mind that, they are just here for the general idea.

so, here are the mockups:

monsters:
monsters
survivors:
survivors
documents:
documents
locations:
location
events:
events

and now i explain a bit some of the details:

The codex should use one image from currently selected tileset per item listed.
The image space could also be used to put ascii art text instead of picture ( for ncurse or ascii tiles users, and ascii artists )
Each monsters would get added to the codex, as they are encountered.
as an idea: maybe few encounter needed to get full monster details in the codex. (like studying monsters). each encounter yield additional data written in the codex entry for this monster, after a few encounter the page entry is fully shown.
Each npc gets added to the codex when they are encountered. a good place to remember who's who.. what do they want, what do they need, their faction etc ..
Each document, when it is read, is filled in the codex. all newpapers, flyers, books..
Objects. all game objects should have their entry. so when you find something, and you don't know what it is you could also look at the codex as a documentation.
Locations too, each time a new location is visited, it gets added to the codex.
Events. keep track of overall progress and game events. a good place to find clear resume of the situation so far, instead of having it burried in the log mixed with everything else. like an overall log but only for importants events that matter saving. for example: fullfilled quests, achievements, parts of scenario, reached milestones, things the player noticed about this world. it would also be giving game's lore more visibility. seeing all those events would give at a glance, a sense of what this world became after the fall. thus increasing immersion and atmosphere.
There can be no 'doubles', and there should be only unique entries. Generic objects count for one (don't register 1million 'houses' or 'gun stores' or 'grocery stores' ... entries in the codex, unless they have something additional or particular about them. )
each entry gets a "special" field where one can quickly get what is so special about this location,
(like what kind of object could usualy be found at such a place) or what is so special about this npc, what is he good for ? is he a provider for some rare resource or objects ?
the special field could help denote quickly what's important.
that's it.
what do you think?

[ghost]

i was thinking for a while now that it also needed a new tab for all things like:
fulfilled missions, goals, achievements and overall progress.
to keep track of game's notable events.
like an overall log, but only for important things that matter saving.
so maybe a tab named "events" would be nice.
it would be good because it would participate in "documenting the game world" with what happens in it and good for the lore too. seeing all those events would give at a glance, a sense of what this world became after the fall. thus increasing immersion and atmosphere.

i'll be editing the feature request to reflect this.
of course, for wiki documentation export, some tabs could be left out.

[jbytheway]

(Here because you highlighted it in my PR #39351)

There's already the memorial log, which tracks important events; are you aware of that? Look in the memorial directory in your CDDA install or user directory. Most people don't know it exists, because it only creates a file on disk; there's no in-game visibility. I've been planning to provide some way to see those messages in-game, and that would fit with this plan.

I'd suggest implementing these ideas into the existing Scores/Kills screen. It's not exactly the same type of information, but they're close enough that we probably don't want to have a separate keybinding for each.

[ghost]

@jbytheway
interesting. you are correct, i didn't know it existed.
it's great that it exists, but too bad it doesn't have in-game visibility.
any plans on making such datas available, in-game, to the player is going in the right direction in my opinion.
about your suggestion of merging idea with existing Scores/Kills screen, do i need to do something in particular ? i'm unsure if some action is requsted from me or not.
just in case, i made another little mockup of such 'events' tab (see above, i updated opening post)
anyway, thanks for telling about this.

[jbytheway]

about your suggestion of merging idea with existing Scores/Kills screen, do i need to do something in particular ? i'm unsure if some action is requsted from me or not.

That was directed at whomever aspires to implement these ideas. That may or may not be you. Just saying that these tabs could be added to that window rather than a new one. My comment was a bit ambiguous; I'll edit to rephrase it slightly.

[ghost]

i understand better what you meant now.
that is a good suggestion, sure why not. if someone step up for it, i'd help too if i can.
anyone can use the ideas i'm presenting here, cherry pick or import large chunks of it.
it's all open. what matters is that the info become available to the player.

[KorGgenT]

ok really? why did you close this? you said it was a long-term idea. i'm planning to get around to it eventually, but i was already in feature freeze before this issue opened, and i'm still trying to get nested containers to land as of now.

[GGgatherer]

as an idea: maybe few encounter needed to get full monster details in the codex. (like studying monsters). each encounter yield additional data written in the codex entry for this monster, after a few encounter the page entry is fully shown.

*grins evilly* where's the fun in that? Biskup's way is way more FUN:

Monster memory will sometimes contain inaccuracies due to being based on the PC's in-game knowledge; for instance, observing a monster getting teleported by a trap can result in "They are able to teleport." being added to monster memory.

Imagine the potential combined with schizo trait/mutation.