RE: [Tads3] AltTopics and SuggestedTopics

["Eric Eve" <eric.eve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Mike Roberts wrote:

> Maybe, rather than creating the AltTopicSuggestion class, we should create
a new
> suggestion class that you combine with the root TopicEntry of an
alternative tree to
> indicate that the whole tree counts as a single suggestion. You wouldn't
have to do
> anything special to the AltTopic's within the tree - you'd just add this
new class
> (instead of SuggestedTopic) to the root TopicEntry. This new special class
would (1) be
> active as a suggestion when any alternative in the tree is active, and (2)
would count
> its curiosity as satisfied when any one of the alternatives in the tree
has been ASKed
> ABOUT.

> Any thoughts? Eric, does this line up with the scenario that led you to
raise the
> original point about AltTopics and suggestions?

Yes, I think it does; so far as I can recall I was thinking of the situation
in which the player might wish to ask an NPC about a given topic and the
answer given might depend on changes in the game state (not necessarily
internal to the NPC) that the player wouldn't immediately think of as making
it a fresh topic or a topic asked about under fresh circumstances.

I assume this proposed new class would still employ the timesToSuggest
property to allow the tree to be suggested more than once where appropriate.

-- Eric