Storyteller Rules, Love, Hate and Shock

The beating heart of Storyteller lies in its story simulator, which is made up of logical rules of how things can happen and how characters feel. Explaining how the whole thing works would require an article instead of a post, but I thought it'd be fun to share some of the more interesting rules of the game...

In code, rules look like this:

// my wife has a lover!
if(married_to() != null)
{
 var spouse = this.other(married_to());
 if(thinks_loves(spouse.id, NOW) != null && thinks_loves(spouse.id, NOW) != id)
 {
  shock.add(spouse.id);
 }
}

Translated to english means: if I am married to someone and I now I realize she loves someone that is not me -> I am shocked at her.

More translations...

1. If I am present, alive, not busy, and not in love with X already
2. X is present, alive, sexually compatible, and as far as I know X is not a relative
3. shortcut: if X is a vampire, I fall in love now [vampires have a magic charm]
4. X is worthy of my love [princesses won't fall for poor, regular guys]
5. I don't hate, resent or envy X
6. I don't think X committed a crime
7. I am not friends with X
8. if I am loyal, only fall if I don't have a lover or I already mourned his death

then I fall in love with X

---

If I care about X, I can see X and

• X just died OR
• I am in love with X and
• X just rejected me OR
• X turned out to be a relative OR
• X stopped loving me OR
• I loved X before and he just fell in love for someone that is not me OR [see Programming Heartbreak]
• X just crimed

then I am heartbroken by X

---

I can see X and

• he killed me or someone I care about OR
• X betrayed me OR [betrayal involves cheating and abstract "Tim betrayed Adam" captions]
• I witnessed X commit a crime against me or someone I care about OR
• X reported me or someone I care about OR [These whistleblowers...]
• X declared to my love or the spouse of someone I care about OR
• X broke the heart of someone I care about OR
• X cheated on the spouse of someone I care about OR
• X insulted me

then I hate X

---

1) I am present and not insane or amnesiac
2) I can see X and

• X is death and it just kissed me OR [YOUR TIME IS UP]
• X is myself and I just realized I died OR [A famous movie had this as the shock ending]
• X turned insane or amnesiac OR
• X just imprisoned someone OR
• X is my spouse and she has a lover OR
• X commited a crime OR
• X is free and I captured him before OR [Capturers are shocked at jailbreakers]
• X just died out of suicide or murder OR
• X just resurrected OR
• I thought X was dead but he is alive OR [Characters may have wrong or outdated information]
• X turned out to be a relative and I hated or loved her before

then I am shocked at X