I. Is it awkward to introduce Wayfaring as a method of instantaneous travel from place to place, and then use a second mechanism (the tree's mind transfer) later on?

II. What does Progue learn from the player's actions?
Depends on the ending. 

III. What is contributed to the story by the opening sequence with Rume?
Sets up the story as an examination of the conflict between creating art and pursuing happiness.

   III a. How, then, is this conflict examined in the rest of the game?
   Progue unconsciously gave up his art for the happiness of his daughters. In this state he was susceptible to the tree's suggestions (he has no inner drive of his own, but is still an artist, so is eager to pursue the art of others. Like fanbois getting into TV shows.) But when it was time to make the ultimate decision, when he realized that he was in a position of power and had to take his destiny into his own hands, he couldn't make the choice, because he was no longer a Wayfarer. Free will is required of an artist, and sacrificing your free will for happiness means you lose some of your artistic integrity. 
   Progue's daughters become artists and leave him. He grieves for them but he can't let them go. This is an interesting point: we might expect that the mission is to reunite Progue with his daghters, but we should make it clear to the player that they are gone for good. "Dead." Again, Progue cannot make the choice to let his daughters go and move on. He should have a blank canvas and all the tools needed to paint. But he cannot begin until he has decided to. Avoiding the east island is like dodging a problem: you won't solve it until you confront it. Progue tries very much to live in the moment; his mind is constantly running from the past and thinking about the things he regrets. 
   So how does the player open him up? 

   IIIb. So what is Rume's exact role, then?
   Rume, essentially, is a sympathetic nagging housewife. Rume has given up Wayfaring, for the moment, s/he says, and is disappointed if the player gets up to paint early. While painting, Rume comes down and embraces you. The conversation is about devotion, priorities. Children? Rume sees Wayfaring as the force that brought them together, but also a force that could set you apart. Perhaps it is possible in this part of the game for the player to pursue Rume, and end the game early. 
   (Sidenote: perhaps we can establish the gender of the player and of Rume in a dream, being shaken off as Rume wakes the player for lovemaking. "In your dream, you could not even remember whether you were a man or a woman.")

IV. Does the player have enough to do in the Treeworld / Rebelworld? (Should these have puzzles?)
This will probably have to wait for testing. We only want to put puzzles here if they are in the spirit of the moment and not going to frustrate the player.

V. Should we let the player visit the TW/RW in either order?
Yes. We need to let the player participate in choices.

Va. But then how do we present the information correctly?
Keep track of a concept tree. This will involve some duplicate code in conversations, but it's worth it to enhance the interactivity, and prevent bias from resting on one side or the other.

Vb. Fair enough. How is this implemented, then?
Through dreams. We set up in dreams the idea of two opposing forces, the behemouth and underdog, gazelle and parasite, true believer and jaded cynic. When the player is presented with both options, they should understand how it relates to the dream, and something about the nature of which world they're choosing to visit first.

If they visit Treeworld first, a random Lacunite explains where they are and the basics of symbiosis. The mural explains this in more detail.

If they visit the Rebel World first, the scientist explains where they are and the basics of symbiosis. The plaza statue hints more at this. 



Vb1. What if the player never sleeps?
They will need to at least touch the trees and see the dream sequences before they can access the worlds.

VI. Is the player the protagonist of the story, or the antagonist of Progue?
This is up to the player, and is based on the decision the player makes at the end. If this is a decision which causes the player's character to change, the player has become the protagonist. From any ending, Progue can be seen to be the protagonist, since he does undergo a change. (Possibly 5th ending: make Progue decide?) (Ending text: Much still to do, gather plants for ink, etc., but not even sure where to go. Back to Rume? Somewhere else? If you go back to Rume, what will you tell hi/er? Make this interactive. But ends with "The choice is yours" or something like that. Collapsing probability states. Being proactive. Intentionality.)

VII. Should more aspects of the story be tied together? Progue's daughters w/the two worlds, Wayfaring with Tree Travel, etc.
I think it makes it seem desperate to try to tie the PLOT events together so much, but I'm all about trying to create as many metaphorical and meaningful links between things as possible. The story INVOLVES lots of concepts, locations, and characters, but its really ABOUT a core set of ideas that overlap them all.

VIII. What happens if the player goes back to the Rebel World after the attack?
If its after the attack but they haven't yet spoken to the Minister, things are the same.

If its after the attack and the player has spoken to the Minister but not heard the access code, don't let the player leave. (That would be rude! or something.)

If its after the attack and the player has gotten the code, the player appears back in the science lab, where they can ask followup questions of one of the scientists but "Curfew is still on."


IX. Does the player have real choices in this game? Or is it just a very gussied up ride track? If the player does have real choice, how do we account for the notion that "all potential stories must be equally interesting."

OK. In a traditional story the player merely has to have patience to reach the end. In a game, the player must have skill (and usually patience) to reach the end. FF games. The only real choice you have is do you see more of the story, or do you die. Same as your "choice" in reading a book. In the best interactive stories, the player must actively make choices that determines what end they reach.