Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- interceptions_and_encounters [2025/09/23 14:53] – ultracomfy
+++ interceptions_and_encounters [2025/09/23 15:34] (current) – ultracomfy
@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 <WRAP centeralign>Mechanics/\\
 <fs xx-large>Interceptions and Encounters</fs></WRAP>
-<WRAP box>This page is the beginning of a three-part piece on how conversation and social interaction works in my brain. It is loosely based on the system from the 2017 video game "[[The Long Journey Home]]", in which the player has control over a human expedition spacecraft. Each of the three parts goes over the three central ideas that make up this communications system. Understanding it is vital to understand how I think about conversation.\\
+<WRAP box>
-If you are reading this for the first time, you are encouraged to read them in order:
+In my brain, communication is explained through three things:
-  - [[Interceptions and Encounters]]
+  - The mechanics are described through [[Interceptions and Encounters]]. Intercepting gets us into an Encounter, which is how a conversation starts, runs, and ends.\\
-  - [[TRANSCOM]]
+  - [[TRANSCOM]] is the interface my brain uses to converse. It decodes speech into thoughts and ideas, and it encodes thoughts and ideas into speech. Coarsely, but it sometimes gets the job done.\\
-  - [[Comms Engine]]
+  - Finally, there is the [[Comms Engine]]. The Comms Engine is what my brain uses to decide what to say. It is essentially a chess engine for conversation.
+This is the first part of the series. If you're reading this for the first time, you are encouraged to read the pages in order (this is the correct page to start with).
 </WRAP>
 ====== Introduction ======
-Before communication can happen, we need to establish //contact//, and this is done through what the game calls an "Interception".
+Before any communication can happen, we need to establish //contact//, and this is done through what the game calls an "Interception".
-So, most of our day we spend our time roaming. We probably have things to do, we might be sitting at work, we might be walking to the grocery store, we might be sitting at home listening to music. Either way, we are basically just "out there" and open for anyone to engage us (regardless of whether we //want// to be intercepted). So you're out there minding your business, whatever that is, and suddenly someone talks to you - Interception. Anyone in range can, at any moment, reach out to you ("intercept you", either by talking to you directly, or by calling you by phone, etc.) and pull you into what is known as an "Encounter". An Interception is a means to trigger an Encounter.
+So, most of our day we spend our time roaming. We probably have things to do, we might be sitting at work, we might be walking to the grocery store, we might be sitting at home listening to music. Either way, we are basically just "out there" and open for anyone to engage us (regardless of whether we //want// to be intercepted). So you're out there minding your business, whatever that is, and suddenly someone talks to you - Interception. Anyone in range can, at any moment, reach out to you ("intercept you", either by talking to you directly, or by calling you by phone, etc., there are different ways to call it: ping, hail, intercept, etc.) and pull you into what is known as an "Encounter". An Interception is a means to trigger an Encounter.
 An Encounter is a discrete social situation that an individual is part of. This means that once at least one side has established contact, this is now a distinct "situation". It is probably best thought of as a "room" with all the participants. Even if right next to you, even if at the end of the hallway 100m away from you, even if present by phone or voice chat - everyone you are directly interacting with is "in" your Encounter.