Skye: Typed or spoken skype?
Kosine: Typed. Too socially exhausted for speaking/listening.
Skye: Gotcha.
Kosine: But yeah, we'll post our conversation here as a massive Plurk comment on your thread, after we're done?
Skye: So many ideas, so much up in the air, so much to decide on... Because we *care* about this and want people to enjoy it. :3
Skye: And yeah, that sounds good.
Skye: I'm doing my best to get my thoughts out there so they can be error-checked and critiqued for the betterment of the final adventure.
Kosine: Right now I'm just involved because of a certain amount of perfectionism; I can't ignore unrealized potential for awesome.
Skye: I may come up with ideas and such, but they're often draft-type; like you mentioned, they have potential, but they need the help to get there.
Kosine: Okay, then let's get to the heart of the issue.
Kosine: What is it about the book idea that has you so... set on it being the finale?
Kosine: Admittedly, I haven't played Mist,
Kosine: *Myst?
Kosine: so I don't have the same attachment to certain story tropes.
Skye: It's an idea that came to mind, is all. One that puts a choice to direct the story in the hands of the players. A direct influence on the experiences they'd just been through. In Myst, several of the games revolve around a linking book being taken and the goal being to get it back. Linking books contain whole worlds, whole populations, whole things that could simply disappear, be abused, be changed, or any number of bad things in the wrong hands. But they also represent all the work that someone put into that book and its contents. The notion in my mind is to have an option similar to that of Bioshock (2). The player chooses good or evil; though in this case the choice is much more ambiguous for the destroy/save pathways, and the destroy-SOME path is greed/evil.
Skye: Another possible path that came to mind as I thought on it, however is the existence of "Prison Books"
Skye: Prison Books are linking books that lack a pedestal within the book to link OUT of that world. Meaning that once you're in, if you don't have a linking book with you to go back, you don't go back.
Kosine: Whoa whoa whoa
Kosine: Hold on to that for a second
Kosine: Sounds fun, sounds like a good twist, but it's a detail
Skye: Sure. That's the secondary/alternate/additional idea anyway
Skye: Consider it held while we touch on the first option/idea
Kosine: Okay, so back to the overarching Fictional Worlds idea.
Kosine: What is... well, I suppose I can't generalize the plots of these,
Kosine: but what is the... the stakes of the Myst games?
Kosine: Is it just ownership of the worlds?
Kosine: Is it destruction of the beautiful?
Skye: Third game plot was destruction of the beautiful as well as the murdering of people within worlds.
Skye: Fourth game plot was what do you do with someone whose use of their creations you disagree with if you feel it is particularly "evil"
Kosine: Okay, then...
Kosine: In our scenario,
Kosine: who is our antagonist?
Skye: First game plot was introduction and hard choices.
Skye: Second game plot was saving a damsel in distress and stopping a madman running through the ages/books.
Skye: In our scenario, we have two possible groups that can be antagonists. The crew/researchers or the linking book author(s)
Skye: In the case of the Myst series, the primary authors of the books were a Father and his two sons.
Skye: The two sons were, though they tried to hide it from the "player", the antagonists. Their father had imprisoned them on the Myst Island in prison books as punishment.
Skye: Just had another plot alternative / side quest idea that came to mind from that; holding on to it.
Skye: Though it could be far too similar to the first Myst game's purpose/goal.
Kosine: Yeah, keep holding onto those until we've figured out our primary goal/conflict.
Kosine: Anyways,
Kosine: That brings up two different sets of questions.
Kosine: 1) What do the NPCs who are running around in the book/dungeons want, and what do they hope to accomplish?
Kosine: 2) How on earth can the Player be his own antagonist? What does he accomplish by destroying or saving his own work?
Skye: 1) Meaning the NPCs from the ship?
Kosine: Assuming that either/or are the primary antag of the map.
Skye: 2) But the Player isn't a linking book author? Wha?
Skye: What do you mean by the second one?
Kosine: ...Okay, that was a bit of miscommunication from earlier. I had the impression that somehow the players themselves were the ones responsible for the creation of each of the dungeons, as the authors of the books.
Kosine: That was my mistaken impression from an earlier plurk comment you made.
Skye: Oh, no, whoops.
Skye: Clarification: The "Players" are a part of the research crew on the island, with ambiguous jobs and are really AFGNCAAP types.
Skye: The "Authors" are the individual(s) responsible for writing and creating the worlds within all the Linking Books.
Skye: The chasm is a coincidental plot device utilized throughout the beginning of the Myst games to bring in an unfortunate stranger and lead him to the first linking book to enter the world(s).
Skye: Almost *always* there is an overarching "hub" linking book that contains multiple other Linking Books.
Skye: So the first world, the one with the eight pillars, is the "hub" world contained inside of the Linking Book in the chasm.
Skye: Then that "hub" world contains eight+ other linking books.
Skye: Those linking books contain worlds that only link back to the hub world.
Kosine: ...Okay.
Kosine: So, where did these-
Kosine: No, wrong question.
Kosine: Hm.
Kosine: Why are the Linking Books in our map so important? What does ownership of them do?
Kosine: Do they summon the Eternal Dragon Shen Long who grants you a single wish?
Kosine: Do they grant limitless power, i.e. liken unto a god, onto their owner?
Kosine: Here's a simpler question:
Kosine: "Why do the antags want the books?"
Skye: Pft- Nothing grandious as that. I'm taking a quick look back at a few of the "special" type linking books that exist real quick.
Kosine: alsdjfalsdj
Kosine: Stop that. Details minor.
Kosine: Once we have plot, details can be added/detracted as necessary to make our game unique and interesting.
Skye: In general, linking books are simply windows into other worlds. These worlds have particular importance because they are all created for a reason.
Skye: So for example, if you built a world with the sole purpose of being a vault for your valuables: You wouldn't want anyone else to have it.
Skye: With enough time in the wrong hands, someone could inevitably break in.
Skye: Other worlds contain whole civilizations of people. Destroy the book, you kill off an entire population that could oppose you.
Skye: Others are simply blank slates. Opportunities to start anew and be alone and literally have a world to yourself.
Skye: Once a book is written by an author, it exists forever. But not every individual can write a linking book; it's a special talent.
Skye: So these books are, in essence, a commoddity. They're rare.
Kosine: . . .
Kosine: Well, those details provide new opportunities for interesting conflicts and story direction, but as reasons for conflict...
Kosine: The "stakes" that they represent are, relatively speaking, rather small in scale.
Skye: This is true; and for the record in the first Myst game, no conflict is ever even revealed until *hours* into the game
Kosine: ...Ugh.
Skye: The premise for the second game is that "The Stranger" (the player) is invited to Atrus (a world author)'s home to see his newest world that he wrote/created.
Skye: Er, third game*-- and just before you can see the world, a dude shows up, busts up the place, ganks the book, and uses his own linking book to run away.
Kosine: ...What the hell?
Skye: And so you basically chase him the whole game.
Skye: To get the damn book back.
Kosine: ...Okay, I get the player (Your) motivation in that, but why did the other dude gank the book!?
Skye: As basic as I can make this: Atrus' sons (who are in the first and fourth games) destroyed the world that that dude's family / is his home. He swore vengeance and is out to destroy something that Atrus loves. Plot twist is that Atrus actually saved those people before his sons destroyed the world they were in; and then he imprisoned them. That's what leads back to the sons being imprisoned on Myst in the first game.
Skye: Ah, worded that bad: He saved the people on the planet and imprisoned his sons**
Skye: planet/world damn it words.
Skye: And of course the "good end" is you tell the dude that his people are alive, and he goes to be happy with them. Then you get the book he took back.
Kosine: ...I'm beginning to think that the "premise" for the setting of the Myst games - the idea of being able to create entire worlds through books - is the primary draw of the series, in combination with engaging puzzles/riddles.
Skye: And visuals.
Kosine: Okay, and visuals.
Skye: I mean, really, the story is simple, the conflicts aren't grandiose in scale, and the story is long and drawn out. The primary features of the games are puzzle solving.
Skye: So you're not wrong.
Skye: A reviewer: "a leisurely paced, all-encompassing, mentally challenging experience."
Skye: But also: "Fans consider Myst an elegant, intelligent game for grown-ups, while detractors call it a soulless stroll through a digital museum, more art than game."
Skye: Can't really deny it on either side.
Skye: But the inspiration for drawing from Myst comes from the fact that it allows a great deal of story flexibility without limiting us.
Skye: That and: It's out of the ordinary for the Minecraft world.
Kosine: Okay, as an outsider to the Myst series, but a regular Minecraft player, I have this to say:
Kosine: the concept is intriguing. The mechanic of moving from a hub world to a themed dungeon and back again, unlocking further levels, is a solid gaming decision in various other titles, but the act of integrating it into Minecraft is astounding.
Skye: A big challenge will be utilizing this concept in the story and informing players without overwhelming them.
Skye: We'd be inspired by the Myst series, but we don't want players to *have to* know it. The adventure should give them the information they need.
Skye: Wait- Did you mean "astounding" in a good or bad way
Kosine: BUT. In and of playing the game to finish the puzzles, there is no in-game reason to going inside the Linking Books, either the Super Hub Linking Book or the smaller Dunegon Linking books. The story as is lacks the compelling draw to get a player to start investigating except out of sheer curiosity or boredom.
Kosine: And astounding usually means positive?
Skye: That's the purpose of the existence of the crew and following a very simple game mechanic: Your buddies went ahead of you, follow them.
Skye: The big game-starting moment is: This giant-ass chasm wasn't in this island before. We knew it was strange, look at the mushrooms, but what the fuck chasm!?
Skye: Then the twist is: Wait a minute, why are we alone? Where the fuck did the others go?
Skye: And the draw: How do people just disappear, shouldn't they be down here near this book? What the hell is this book even?
Skye: And into the first linking book they go.
Skye: Or at least that's how I'm currently seeing it.
Skye: Also my original thought process, in case you wondered how on earth minecraft led to Myst: Command Block allows instant teleportation -> We need an idea, what fits? -> Myst
Kosine: Okay, then, here's a question about the opening sequence:
Kosine: "Why did the chasm open up?"
Kosine: And don't you dare say random chance.
Kosine: Speaking from a storytelling perspective, nothing that happens is ever coincidence.
Kosine: These guys were minding their own business examining this strange island! Why did a fucking rift into the abyss split their little scientific paradise down its metaphoric seams?
Kosine: "Coincidentally" revealing a hidden room to a powerful and mysterious artifact?
Skye: Well, for one thing, the island is an odd place already, and that will be established in books from people. In the Myst games, the chasm appears not to "reveal" a "hidden room" to a linking book, but instead the chasm brings a room with a linking book to the location it opens in. Which is the needed reason for the botanical/plant person and archaeology person to leave notes saying that it doesn't belong there because it literally *was not there before*. And it was brought from elsewhere, with the linking book, to lure in and bring the people to and into the first linking book. Essentially it runs on the "hero" or "chosen one" type vein.  In the myst games, "The Stranger" is chosen and lured in / falls in to the ravine/chasm because he's going to (because he is fated to) be intertwined with the lives of Atrus / his sons and he's chosen because he can make things right.
Skye: At present, I was going off of that simple premise. Though it's a little on the cliche side. We can think up other options, but I was going with it.
Kosine: Okay, well, presuming we're running on that premise for the chasm's appearance, that begs the second question (which is just a rehash of an earlier question):
Kosine: "What is our Hero (the Player) needed for with the Linking Books?"--
Kosine: ...Except that's going to bring in whoever wrote the earlier Linking Books, isn't it.
Kosine: No, wait, the question still stands.
Kosine: (( By the way, pressing Shift + Enter allows you to type line breaks. ))
Skye: If we run with this plot, that means we have to have at least one author appear; but to explain the various worlds / the plot, having an author mentioned is necessary. Either by direct appearance, or by having an NPC leave a note.

A rally cry or a call for help or a perilous situation in the plot could lead to this. If there is more than one author (which there can be, such as in the case of Atrus and his two sons; all three are linking book authors) then one can be a good-type and the other an evil-type. If the good type has been locked up, it's distinctly possible that a "fated" individual or set of individuals show up to overcome challenges and stop the "evil" individual to save the "good" one.
Skye: WALL OF TEXT
Kosine: ...Okay then.
Kosine: And there's our plot.
Kosine: Now, going back to the ending for a bit because Act 2 could theoretically write itself at this point.
Kosine: (( That's actually a pretty solid conflict to rally behind. ))
Skye: Yeah, and conclusions jesus what are.
Kosine: Alright, so, our "Finale", the climax of the game, is the decision to save or destroy all the books, or any number/combination of either action.
Kosine: It's obvious at this point why a Player would want to save the books.
Kosine: So why would s/he want to DESTROY them?
Kosine: And I don't mean just the books that the antag wrote, I mean ALL the books.
Kosine: Because that is a possible conclusion route, there needs to be a proper motive to get to it.
Kosine: It can, but it shouldn't be, an arbitrary "These books are just too much temptation for a weak species as us men, so I shall destroy them and their temptation forever"
Skye: This is very true; so, ideas to that end?
Kosine: ...Or I could be over-complicating the story this way, but if the possibility is there, the player shouldn't just be a jerk about destroying the books...
Kosine: Um.
Skye: If it helps theorizing, the original people responsible for writing linking books tried creating them as a means to avoid death by plague; but they died anyway.
Kosine: ...Huh.
Skye: Don't know if it helps
Kosine: It presents a possible new motive for creating the books, but not one that would likely to be used-
Kosine:  /blink
Kosine: Okay, I've got an idea for a new dimension to the good author/ bad author idea, but I'm holding onto it for later.
Kosine: Maybe it would help if we re-examined the inverse to the question:
"Why would the Player want to keep any/all the books?"
Kosine: (( the question being: "Why would we destroy them all?", so the inverse is... you get the idea. ))
Kosine: After all, some of these books were written by a clearly evil dude! He was up to no good, starting some trouble in yo' neighborhood!
Kosine: Why would you keep his books around?
Skye: Hmm. A possibility could be a third figure/author in existence. "Bring the books together, it's time we decided what to do with these. Be it lock them up or put them back, things have changed" or something?
Kosine: A third force, huh?
Kosine: At the moment, I can only imagine the third force as an arbitrator of some sort, watching over the conflict between good author and bad author and making sure neither go too far.
Kosine: Which isn't necessarily a good thing; I think the presence of an arbitrator would stifle the story.
Kosine: Bluh, okay, all the ideas in my head are converging into one massive plot, and I can't differentiate between the various elements anymore.
Kosine: I'm either going to have to tell you the entire thing or back off from a bit and digest the developments/progress we've made and let those sink in.
Kosine: *back off from the project for a bit
Skye: Feel free to have at it to blab it out; you might have a revelation as you type through it
Kosine:  /nervous hand rubbing
If you say so, sahib.
Kosine: So the conflicts begins when one author (good or bad, at this point it doesn't matter which) writes a Linking Book. The other author is concerned/jealous of the first author, and write a book of his own to combat the ideas of the first author's World. This sets off a massive conflict between the two authors, each writing more worlds to support their side, until things finally come to a head when each author creates their magnum opus: a "series" of four Linking Books each that exemplify four powerful concepts they believe in. These eight books (total) become the primary battlefields for the two authors, and are slowly shaped by the ongoing battle between them.

At a certain point later in time, both authors realize they are at a standstill, and relocate their conflict to within a Hub Linking Book, created long ago by some other author (our potential third party). Their conflict and their inability to gain an edge on the other begins to shape and warp the Hub Linking Book itself, begging the need for a Champion(s) to side with one author or the other. Enter our Heroes.
Kosine: This creates four scenarios:
1) Destroy all the books, purging the Hub Linking Book of the conflict and allowing it to return to its unsullied form.
2) Destroy only the Bad Author's books, settling the conflict.
3) Destroy only the Good Author's books, settling the conflict.
4) Destroy NONE of the books, instead settling the matter through [third option], purifying the entire collection of books and making the Hub Linking Book and the Linking Books that much better/richer for it.
Skye: I like this.
Kosine: Act 2 mechanic:

Going into a Linking Book and conquering it (completing all the puzzles) grants you control over a portion of that particular series' fate. Collect all four books of the series, and you can completely destroy or completely purify it.

Obviously, if you complete one series first, the other series will be at an advantage/disadvantage in the conflict, so you have to conquer the remaining books as well so that neither side will overpower the other (preserve the Balance) before you're ready to make your choice.
Skye: Solid mechanic is solid.
Kosine: I have you to thank for the inspiration. Without the discussion and the details you provided throughout, I wouldn't have had the "building blocks" to come up with this.
Skye: Indeed; and that's not something I could've come up with either.
Skye: GO TEAM!
Skye: *Highfive?*
Kosine:  /highfive!