Attention span is a property of an actor. It reduces every time the actor interacts with the same object as previously and is reset to maximum when the actor switches objects.
Actors will prefer to interact with objects that they like. Attention span prevents obsession with a single object and forces the character to interact with another object once in a while.
There’s a problem with this. If attention span is reset to maximum when the actor picks a new object, it will go back to the previous object whenever it needs to make a new decision. Because it likes that object so much.
So you’d see a girl playing with a ball in different ways, then picking up a stick and throwing it away, after which she will play with the ball again.
Of course we always have a chance of break-up which would make the girl lose her fondness for the ball and thus allow her to choose to interact with another object. But break-up should remain relatively rare for dramatic reasons.
If attention span were to work for objects in a similar way as fascination works for opportunities, we would see attention span for a specific object drop as you keep interacting with it. When you’re done interacting, attention span would rise back to maximum slowly.
This sounds like attitude to me. Currently, attitude keeps track of whether the actor prefers to make a relationship better or worse. It’s a boolean value (good or bad) and it’s connected to the relationship with an object. We could expand attitude so that it can express how much you like to make the relationship better or worse.
Here’s how that would work:
The normal level of attitude is the maximum. When you interact with an object, your attitude about this object decreases. All of this in absolute terms while good or bad are signified by plus or minus and do not change in this operation. Attitude modifies your intimacy with an object temporarily. In other words: you get bored, even with objects that you like. While you’re interacting with another object, the attitude about the previous one slowly improves.
We will have to find a careful balance between attitude and decrease of intimacy through seperation. The latter lasts a lot longer and should thus be invoked less frequently.
Posted on July 30, 2006 at 11:48 am
[…] I made a mistake. Attitude is the way an Actor feels about a Relationship: does he want to improve it or worsen it, positive or negative. There’s an Attitude value for each relationship in the game. Attention Span is a property of an Actor. It declines as an actor continues to interact with the same object, reflecting the Actor’s boredom. There’s only one Attention Span for each Actor. […]