Iconography

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Revision as of 19:24, 6 December 2021 by Ilde (Talk | contribs) (Rooms: seems to have been changed at some point--the photographer shows up in photos of rooms)

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Iconography is the Discworld version of photography. It allows you to create iconographs of people, places, and items.

Equipment

Cameras

First of all, you will need a camera of some kind. The following cameras are available:

Camera Weight Source Includes Refillable
Akina TR-10 dual-imp camera &&&&&+1000 1 1/9
  • Nicephore Niepce's Fashionable Iconographie Shoppe on the Ridings, AM
 ? Yes
black wooden box &&&&&&+300 3/9
  • AM assassin weapon shop [1]
Enough paint and papers for 10 pictures. Yes
heavy black cube &&&&&+1000 1 1/9 Enough colour paint for 2 colour pictures and enough black paint for 4 pictures after that. No
impstomatic &&&&&&+700 7/9
  • Impstomatic store on western Long Street in BP [4]
  • Nicephore Niepce's Fashionable Iconographie Shoppe on the Ridings, AM
Enough colour paint for 12 colour pictures, enough black paint for 3 black and white pictures after that, and 5 papers left over after running out of paint Yes
strange cardboard box (Pumpkin Town) Enough papers and paint for two iconographs (both colour). No (lost when you enter the Disc)
strange cardboard box (tourist) &&&&&&+500 5/9
  • Tourists in AM [5]
  • Nicephore Niepce's Fashionable Iconographie Shoppe on the Ridings, AM (disposable impstomatic)
Enough papers and paint for four (tourists) or two (bought) iconographs (all colour). No
wooden box &&&&&+1000 1 1/9
  • Nicephore Niepce's Fashionable Iconographie Shoppe on the Ridings, AM
Enough papers for 16 iconographs, paint for 12 colour iconographs and 4 black and white pictures after that. No

The heavy black cube creates tiny squares of glass, rather than iconographs, and works somewhat differently from the other cameras.

The black wooden box from the Assassins' guild is, appropriately, stealthier than normal cameras.

Attachments

Salamander

The only attachment that seems to be available is the cage on a stick. This contains some salamanders, and using the cage creates a flash of light, allowing you to take pictures in dark rooms. It can be used with the black wooden box, the impstomatic, and possibly the strange cardboard box.

To use it with a camera, you'll need to hold it and the camera, and then "use <camera> {with|plus} cage" or "use <camera> {with|plus} cage on <subject>".

The cage on a stick weighs 1 6/9 lb.

Sold in:

Nicephore Niepce's Fashionable Iconographie Shoppe on the Ridings, AM (two rooms west of Jonas' vault).

Lens

The new Akina TR-10 dual-imp camera doesn't work without a lens. A 50mm lens is sometimes sold in the AM iconographie shop.

Refills

If a camera runs out of papers or black paint, you won't be able to take any pictures. However, if it runs out of colour paint, you'll still be able to take pictures--they'll just be black and white pictures instead of colour ones.

To take care of this situation, you can "refill <camera> [with|using] <refill>". Only the black wooden box and the impstomatic can be refilled.

If you have run out of black paint, you will need to refill the paintbox with a black paintbox. A colour one cannot be substituted.

Refill Amount
miniature black paintbox 10 pictures' worth
miniature coloured paintbox  ?
small black paintbox 18 to 21 pictures' worth
small coloured paintbox  ?
carton of papers 11 to 15 pictures' worth
carton of glass frames  ? probably refill for the heavy black cube but it cannot be refilled

All of these refills except the glass frames can be acquired at the impstomatic shop on Long street, [BP]. All of these refills can be acquired at the AM shop on the Ridings.

Anomaly: The impstomatic model will say it needs "more frames" when it is out of paper - beware that glass frames are not the correct refill type.

Process

Syntax

First, you need to hold the camera. Then, you need to "use" it. With this syntax you can take a picture of the room you're in, a living thing in that room, or an object. An object may be in your possession (although you can't be wearing it), in the room, or in someone else's possession.

use <camera> {with|plus} <attachment>
use <camera> on <subject>
use <camera> {with|plus} <attachment> on <subject>
use <camera>

To take a picture of an object, you can use:

use <camera> on <thing>
use <camera> on <thing> on <person>
use <camera> on <thing> in <container>

Alternatively, you can take a picture. This is the same as using the camera, except that you can also take a picture of a room that you're not in, but which you can see through an exit.

take {photograph|photo|iconograph|picture} [of] {here|view|room} [with|using] <camera>
take {photograph|photo|iconograph|picture} [of] {here|view|room} [with|using] <camera> {with|plus} <attachment>
take {photograph|photo|iconograph|picture} [of] <subject> [with|using] <camera>
take {photograph|photo|iconograph|picture} [of] <subject> [with|using] <camera> {with|plus} <attachment>
take {photograph|photo|iconograph|picture} [with|using] <camera>
take {photograph|photo|iconograph|picture} [with|using] <camera> {with|plus} <attachment>
take {photograph|photo|iconograph|picture} [to] [the] <direction> [of] [here] {with|using} <camera>

If you don't specify a subject, you'll take a picture of the room.

Light

If it's too dark to see, you get this message:

>use camera
The tiny demon squeaks: How do you expect me to paint?  It's far too dark for me to see a thing!

In this case, you can use the cage on a stick with the camera:

use camera with cage
As you press the button on the cage on a stick, a large flash fills the room.
A squeak of delight comes from the impstomatic as you press the button on it.
You hear furious scribbling coming from the impstomatic.
You hear a brief bout of waving as the imp inside the impstomatic tries to dry the picture.
With an ungracious "ker-flup" a small picture falls out of the bottom of the impstomatic.

Normal light sources can also be used to make it bright enough for the camera.

The heavy black cube has higher light requirements, and you can't use the cage on a stick with it.

Movement

You'll need to stay still (not leave the room or fight) until the imp finishes the picture, or you'll just get a blur:

This should have been an iconograph of something, but all it appears to be now is a smear of colourful paint.

Visibility

Other people can generally see you using a camera, either on them or on the room.

<Player> presses the button on the impstomatic.  A squeak of delight comes from it.
You can hear a scritching noise coming from <Player>'s impstomatic.
There seems to be some sort of swishing noise coming from <Player>'s impstomatic.
With an ungracious "ker-flup" a small picture falls out of the bottom of <Player>'s impstomatic.

However, the black wooden box from the Assassins' guild is stealthier. It seems that other people don't see you using it on the room, and there seems to be a skillcheck of some kind to determine whether they notice if you use it on them. If they notice, you see this message when you use the camera on them, in addition to the messages about the imp working:

<Player> seems to notice you point your black wooden box at her.

They, on the other hand, see this:

<Player> points the black wooden box at you and presses a button.

Checking your camera

You can "check <camera>" or "tap <camera>", and the imp inside will either squeak (if he can make a few more iconographs), tell you he's close to running out of paint or frames, or tell you that he's out of paint or frames.

You tap the black wooden box soundly, and the imp inside squeaks happily.
You tap the black wooden box soundly, and the imp inside informs you have only enough paint for one or two more iconographs.
You tap the black wooden box soundly, and the imp inside informs you that you have only enough frames to paint one more iconograph.
You tap the black wooden box soundly, and the imp inside informs you that he needs some more frames to paint on if he's going to make any more iconographs.
You tap the black wooden box soundly, and the imp inside informs you that he needs some more black paint if he's going to make any more iconographs.

Using the heavy black cube

The heavy black cube type of camera works differently than the others. For one thing, you can't hold it. For another thing, you can use it on multiple subjects at once:

use camera on man,cat,dog
You use the heavy black cube on the smiling best man, the scrawny tabby cat and the aristocratic Ramtop wolfhound. After some frantic sounds of pens scratching and brushes brushing, a tiny demon inside hands a piece of painted glass to you.

Also, with this type of camera, taking a picture is instant, so you don't need to worry about movement.

It also creates tiny squares of glass instead of iconographs, which look different (particularly when taking a picture of a person).

Using it without arguments only records the room without any npcs or objects that are present.

When specifying one or multiple targets it shows them in the room, smiling. You can target yourself. For example:

use camera on me,dragon,fruitbat

This is a rather gloomy-looking tent.  The cloth of the walls is quite thick and the light that manages to get through must then contend with a substantial layer of grime.  There is a small man huddled in one corner and a sign on the floor in front of him.  The ground is covered with a thin layer of dirt.
Frazyl, an emo black moon dragon and Ablyss the giant fruitbat are smiling here.
It appears to have something written on it.

You read the tiny square of glass:
This is a beautiful colour picture of second hand goods tent.

Results

Iconographs

Most cameras create iconographs. Black and white pictures look the same as colour pictures, except that it says "a beautiful black and white picture" instead of "a beautiful colour picture".

People

An iconograph of a person shows, for the most part, what you would see if you looked at them, as well as showing the short description of the room they're in:

This is a beautiful colour picture of Verdant Orchard, it shows:
Verdant Orchard is a quiet young man who has a love for alchemy but lacks the analytical mind to make such a career anything other than a death-trap.  Hence he is playing at the shallower end of the pool, running an impstomatic firm in Bad Poo-Ning.
He is in good shape.
He is standing.
Wearing : a pair of long grey socks, a pair of white pyjama bottoms and a blue pyjama top.
In the background you can see a busy impstomatic store.

However, the text of the iconograph description is the normal text colour, leaving out any colour they have put in their description. Also, if they leave while you're taking their picture, the room visible in the background will be the room they went to--not the room you took the picture in.

If they were hiding when you took the picture, it will have "(hiding)" after their name. Also, if they had concealed objects in their inventory, these will show up as "something".

If you take an iconograph of yourself, the first line looks like this, instead:

This is a beautiful colour picture of you, her arm is in a strange position; most likely because she took this picture herself.  What a narcissist!  It shows:

Objects

An iconograph of an object looks like this:

This is a beautiful colour picture of a wizard's pointy hat, it shows:
Even after taking a close look, you are quite sure that this is a wizard's hat, although it doesn't seem to be of the standard issue cone-with-brim type.  This hat has a small cupboard in it where a wizard could keep his spell components, his loose change and perhaps even his lunch.
It appears to have something written on it.
The wizard's pointy hat has one small pocket.
It is over half full with: two small red crystals, eight small yellow crystals, seven small green crystals and five small blue crystals.
It is in excellent condition.
In the background you can see a corridor.

If the object was in someone's possession, then the last line reads, "In the background you can see <name>" instead. If it was in a container, then it will read, "In the background you can see <container>."

Octarine lines do not show up in iconographs. Also, if the object was in someone else's possession, the iconograph will not show contents, wards, writing, engraving, or Lost Property Office marks.

You can also take photos of things that are part of the room; this is treated the same way. For example, "use camera on shonky shop" from just outside the shop results in this:

This is a beautiful colour picture of a shonky shop.  It shows:
The shonky shop, a kind of second hand clothes shop, occupies a small, squat, brick building to the southeast.  It still appears to be open at this time of night, the door unlocked.  Either the shopkeeper is careless about locking up or doesn't shut.
In the background you can see Clay Lane.

Rooms

An iconograph of a room shows what you would see if you looked at the room, minus the exits:

This is a beautiful colour picture of a busy impstomatic store, it shows:
This is a swish-looking store, which sells the latest in impstomatic wizardry.  Behind the glass counter you can see shelves full of neatly-stacked impstomatics, and the tiny paintboxes the imps inside use to paint whatever they can see through the hole in the side of their box.  An iconograph copying service appears to be running behind the counter too, where iconographs of the right format can, for a fee, be duplicated.  In the corner, there appears to be an iconograph booth, which can probably hold more people than you'd imagine.  The door out onto the street is on the east wall.
A scrawny tabby cat, Verdant Orchard and an aristocratic Ramtop wolfhound are standing here.
A large sign is hanging behind the counter, a tray is fixed to the side of the iconograph booth and a counter is standing across the north side of the room.

You will be in a photo you take of a room--though you can avoid this by hiding and using the Assassin camera (which does not take you out of hiding).

Npcs present will be shown in the photo with their position, but those who are hiding, however poorly, will not be in the photo.

If a moon dragon is perched on you it will show your name from it's position. For example:

A midnight black moon dragon is perched on Player.

Tiny squares of glass

The tiny squares of glass that the heavy black cube creates look like this:

This is the western side of the huge atrium of the Temple of Small Gods.  The hall tends to serve as a meeting point for the religions that inhabit the temple before they go off to the various chapels and shrines of their religion.  Each priest shouts to call his congregation to prayer, calling out various chants and hymns.  The fresco on this part of the atrium ceiling is a magnificent scene of Mazda stealing fire from Cori Celesti.
It appears to have something written on it.

While you can use this camera on an object, the result is exactly the same as what you would get from using it on the room.

Note that a picture of a room does not show any living things who were in the room at the time. If you took a picture of a person, it looks like this, instead:

This is the western side of the huge atrium of the Temple of Small Gods.  The hall tends to serve as a meeting point for the religions that inhabit the temple before they go off to the various chapels and shrines of their religion.  Each priest shouts to call his congregation to prayer, calling out various chants and hymns.  The fresco on this part of the atrium ceiling is a magnificent scene of Mazda stealing fire from Cori Celesti.
Annoying priestess is here smiling.
It appears to have something written on it.

They read:

This is a beautiful <colour|black and white> picture of <room name>.

Copying iconographs

At the impstomatic store in Bes Pelargic, you can order copies of iconographs. This costs &&&&&&&&&&&+2400 5Rh per copy, and the syntax is:

order a copy of <iconograph>
order <number> copy of <iconograph>
order <number> copies of <iconograph>

They are available very quickly.

Iconograph booth

The impstomatic store also has an iconograph booth. After entering the booth, you can "pay for a picture". A little while later, the iconograph will appear in the tray outside the booth:

With a quiet "ker-chunk" something flies out of the iconograph booth into the tray on its side.
get iconograph from tray
You get an iconograph from the tray.
l iconograph
This is small piece of paper.  On it, you see:

This is a very small booth, although you imagine any number of people could fit in if they were prepared to squeeze.  A small shelf juts out from one wall, with about enough space for someone very small - an imp, for example - to stand.  The opposite wall is plain white so as not to confuse the imp.  A small uncomfortable stool sits in the centre the booth.
There is one obvious exit: leave.
Ilde and an aristocratic Ramtop wolfhound are standing here.
A small sign is stuck to the wall.

Tourists

Many tourists in Ankh-Morpork carry cameras (the "strange cardboard box" type). If they haven't already used up all the papers in them, you can "pose" in front of them and they'll take your picture.

There is a minor achievement for doing this for twenty tourists, Achievement: Photogenic Poser.

External links