Nord Bookcase, Alcove: too tall to be functional?

Danikat

One thing I've been wanting to do since housing was first introduced is make a library with the readable books. It's taken me a long time but I'm finally getting to the stage of putting books on shelves and I've run into a problem.

I'm using Nord Bookcase, Alcove because it's the biggest bookcase I could find that has empty shelves, meaning I could fit the most books in with the minimum number of furnishing spaces used for shelves. The problem I'm having is that my characters can't interact with the books on the top shelf. If I try the [E] Examine prompt goes dark for a bit and they walk into the shelves for a second, but the book doesn't actually open. I think they're too high up. If I put a chair in front of the shelves and stand on it then I can reach and read the books, but it's annoying (if realistic) to have to do that every time, and it means any visitors without decorator permissions can't read them.

Does anyone know if there's a way around this? I know positioning interactive books on shelves so they look good and they're readable is easier said than done (I've been so glad of the new precision editing tools!) but it would be helpful to know if I just need to keep tweaking the positions and eventually it will be right or if I should just accept they're out of reach and make the best of it.

Araneae6537

I’ve run into the same problem when adding books to higher shelves of the Alinor bookcase. You could add a purely decorative row of books to the top shelf, but I understand that would negate why you chose the Nord bookcases in the first place.

What if you used the shelves in the second wing of Hall of the Lunar Champion? Then shelving would take up zero furnishing spaces. I know the shelves are far too deep for books, but if this is not concealed by the books themselves, adding a shallower backing with a sufficiently large platform could work and still take up fewer furnishing slots.

Danikat

That would probably work, but I really want it to be in my character's primary house.

But if the problem is just down to the height of the shelves then I probably will try not using the top shelves for actual books. I've got two of the Alinor bookshelves in there as well to fill out the room, but I wanted to minimise the number of readable books that go on there because I want to be able to find them when I feel like reading them, and on those shelves they have to be dotted around in between the decorative ones. I've already got 5 books scattered around the house so it looks like they're being read.

Maybe I'll focus on getting all the books into rows and linked up (I love that tool) and then sort out where to put them. Considering how quickly I get bored with lining up books ZOS might well have released new shelves by the time I'm done.

KMarble

I solved the problem of not being able to reach the highest shelf in game the same way I did in real life - I placed a stool near the bookshelf that was causing me trouble.

Joking aside, since in your case every single slot counts, could you try to sink the bookshelf into the ground a little?

Danikat

KMarble wrote: »

I solved the problem of not being able to reach the highest shelf in game the same way I did in real life - I placed a stool near the bookshelf that was causing me trouble.

Joking aside, since in your case every single slot counts, could you try to sink the bookshelf into the ground a little?

I like the idea but sadly it doesn't work with this shelf, I sank it into the floor until the bottom shelf was touching the floor and the top one is still out of reach. But I'll try to remember that in case I run into the same problem with other objects.