The Problem of Edith
Suppose that we have a core set of issues we want to be able to bring up with all the characters, and we want characters to draw intelligent connections between different conversation topics. We will need some model of how things relate to one another, so:
And if we wanted to offer the player some hints about angles he could pursue:
For that matter, we could use the same system to have characters make sense of any physical evidence the character shows them:
Now we can define what gets said when the subject is changed, regardless of whether the segue was introduced in speech or by a shown object. Since rows are blanked after use, the speaker will never repeat herself; if we provide more than one line about the same pair of topics, the first one will be used, then the second, and so on, until the table runs out:
| starting | final | comment |
| divorce | love | "'As it seems to me, all the love is on one side,' she says crisply. 'And that rarely works.'" |
| divorce | love | "'Stop making that plea: it won't work.'" |
| divorce | infidelity | "'Frankly, I rather think there would have been cause enough for divorce without the perversely plentiful evidence of unfaithfulness.'" |
| divorce | money | "'If you mean that the divorce will be expensive, I know it,' she says. 'But I can think of no happier investment.'" |
| marriage | money | "'If you wish me to understand that it was a marriage for money, you could have spared your energy. That was patent from the outset.'" |
| infidelity | money | "'I'm sorry, but I don't see how having married for money excuses a subsequent infidelity.'" |
If we had more than one character in the scenario, we could provide multiple tables, but this will do to demonstrate the idea.
Of course, we can override specific instances, if we want the character always to say the same thing regardless of how we came to this point:
Test me with "think / ask lady about infidelity / show nasty letter to lady / show note to lady / think / ask lady about divorce / ask lady about love / ask lady about marriage / ask lady about divorce / ask lady about love / ask lady about penmanship".
Lady Uckfield sits at her desk, looking wholly composed.
>(Testing.)
>[1] think
You contemplate infidelity.
>[2] ask lady about infidelity
"Hmm, infidelity," says Lady Uckfield. "Frankly, I rather think there would have been cause enough for divorce without the perversely plentiful evidence of unfaithfulness."
>[3] show nasty letter to lady
Lady Uckfield nods impatiently.
>[4] show note to lady
"Hmm, money," says Lady Uckfield. "I'm sorry, but I don't see how having married for money excuses a subsequent infidelity."
>[5] think
You contemplate a ten-pound note, marriage and Class status.
>[6] ask lady about divorce
"Hmm, divorce," says Lady Uckfield.
>[7] ask lady about love
"Hmm, love," says Lady Uckfield. "As it seems to me, all the love is on one side," she says crisply. "And that rarely works."
>[8] ask lady about marriage
"Hmm, marriage," says Lady Uckfield.
>[9] ask lady about divorce
"Hmm, divorce," says Lady Uckfield.
>[10] ask lady about love
"Hmm, love," says Lady Uckfield. "Stop making that plea: it won't work."
>[11] ask lady about penmanship
She sighs. "So few people write really beautifully these days."
We would have to be careful about this system, since we have applied a various-to-various relation to every single object in the game. In practice it would probably be wisest to restrict it a bit, with judicious definitions of kind and so on.