Narrative Register

Example 248

★★★

Suppose we want all of our action responses to vary depending on some alterable quality of the narrator, so that sometimes they're slangy, sometimes pompous or archaic.

As we saw in "Variety", we can associate verbs with particular actions and call them up as needed. If we do that, though, we can also store additional information about those verbs and use that information to select the ideal verb to use in a particular situation.

In this example, we create a table of verbs and their meanings, together with some connotative information. Each time we report an action, we then score all the available verbs to decide which is the most suitable to use at the moment. This allows us to change the narrator's diction change mid-game and have the action descriptions change as well.

Moreover, because we're using adaptive verbs, these responses will automatically inflect properly even if we change the story tense and viewpoint.

Play/modify in Borogove

Play in Quixe

"Narrative Register"

Section 1 - Descriptive Functionality

Describing relates various verbs to various action names. The verb to describe means the describing relation.

To take is a verb. To acquire is a verb. To get is a verb. To gain is a verb. To obtain is a verb. To pick up is a verb. To bag is a verb. To procure is a verb. To score is a verb. To grab is a verb. To snag is a verb. To snatch is a verb. To collect is a verb.

To drop is a verb. To put down is a verb. To discard is a verb. To throw away is a verb. To dispose of is a verb. To set down is a verb. To toss aside is a verb. To ditch is a verb. To abandon is a verb. To dump is a verb. To jettison is a verb. To abjure is a verb. To foresake is a verb. To dispense with is a verb.

After an actor doing something to something when a verb describes (the action name part of the current action) (this is the apply random verbs to describing actions rule):

score the relevant verbs;

sort the Table of Verb Meanings in reverse relevance order;

choose row 1 in the Table of Verb Meanings;

let top score be the relevance entry;

sort Table of Verb Meanings in random order;

repeat through the Table of Verb Meanings:

if relevance entry is top score:

say "[The actor] [verb rendering applied to (word entry)] [the noun].";

erase relevance;

rule succeeds.

To decide which text is the rendering of (V - verb) (this is verb rendering):

decide on "[adapt V]".

To score the relevant verbs:

repeat through the Table of Verb Meanings:

if the meaning entry is (the action name part of the current action):

increase relevance entry by 1;

repeat with chosen connotation running through connotations entry:

if the chosen connotation is listed in the current register:

increase relevance entry by 1;

otherwise:

decrease relevance entry by 1.

To erase relevance:

repeat through Table of Verb Meanings:

now relevance entry is 0.

A tonality is a kind of value. The tonalities are pompous, archaic, slangy, upbeat, downbeat.

Connoting relates various verbs to various tonalities. The verb to connote means the connoting relation.

The current register is a list of tonalities that varies. The current register is { }.

When play begins:

repeat through the Table of Verb Meanings:

now the word entry describes the meaning entry;

now relevance entry is 0;

repeat with chosen tone running through the connotations entry:

now the word entry connotes the chosen tone.

Table of Verb Meanings

word	meaning	connotations	relevance ( a number )
the verb take	the taking action	{ }
the verb acquire	the taking action	{ pompous }
the verb get	the taking action	{ }
the verb gain	the taking action	{ }
the verb obtain	the taking action	{ pompous }
the verb pick up	the taking action	{ }
the verb bag	the taking action	{ slangy }
the verb score	the taking action	{ slangy, upbeat }
the verb procure	the taking action	{ archaic }
the verb grab	the taking action	{ slangy }
the verb snag	the taking action	{ slangy }
the verb snatch	the taking action	{ slangy }
the verb collect	the taking action	{ }
the verb discard	the dropping action	{ pompous }
the verb drop	the dropping action	{ }
the verb put down	the dropping action	{ }
the verb toss aside	the dropping action	{ }
the verb ditch	the dropping action	{ slangy }
the verb throw away	the dropping action	{ }
the verb dispose of	the dropping action	{ }
the verb set down	the dropping action	{ }
the verb abandon	the dropping action	{ downbeat }
the verb dump	the dropping action	{ downbeat }
the verb abjure	the dropping action	{ archaic }
the verb foresake	the dropping action	{ archaic }
the verb jettison	the dropping action	{ pompous }
the verb dispense with	the dropping action	{ pompous }

Section 2 - Changing Tone Mid-Game

Understand "new tone" as changing the tone. Changing the tone is an action out of world.

Carry out changing the tone:

now the current register is { };

if a random chance of 1 in 4 succeeds:

say "Your narrator will now adopt an ordinary tone.";

rule succeeds;

let rando be a random tonality;

add rando to the current register, if absent;

say "Your narrator will now be [rando]."

Section 3 - Scenario

Lab is a room. The table is here. The bat and the ball are on the table.

Test me with "get ball / drop ball / get bat / drop bat / new tone / get all / drop all / new tone / get all / drop all".

Lab
You can see a table (on which are a bat and a ball) here.

>(Testing.)

>[1] get ball
You collect the ball.

>[2] drop ball
You put down the ball.

>[3] get bat
You get the bat.

>[4] drop bat
You drop the bat.

>[5] new tone
Your narrator will now be downbeat.

>[6] get all
bat: You take the bat.
ball: You collect the ball.

>[7] drop all
ball: You abandon the ball.
bat: You abandon the bat.

>[8] new tone
Your narrator will now be archaic.

>[9] get all
bat: You procure the bat.
ball: You procure the ball.

>[10] drop all
ball: You abjure the ball.
bat: You abjure the bat.