# Dialogue consequences — next steps

Design for dialogue trees with consequences across conversations ("talk again
does something else", NPC A affects NPC B, dialogue opens doors). Builds on the
existing narrator (Ink) setup — see `dialogue_manager.lua`, `dialogable.lua`.

## Core principle

**Books are disposable views; a global `WorldState` table is the single source
of truth.** Each Ink book reads flags in and writes flags out; it holds no
authority, so it can be re-`init`ed and thrown away without losing anything.
This resolves book-per-character's weakness (book A's visit counts are invisible
to book B) — B branches on a `WorldState` flag, not on A's runtime state.

Mirrors the existing world-vs-room split (`world.lua`: "the world is only a
layout; rooms own their puzzle state"). Narrative progress is a third, global
category with its own save file.

Keep book-per-character (`Dialogable.book`), add a stable `self.storyId`.

## The bug to fix first

`Dialogue.open` re-`init`s the story every bump (`dialogue_manager.lua:31-33`),
discarding all state — so there's no "again" to hang consequences on.

## Steps

1. Add a global `WorldState = {}` (flags + counters).
2. `saveProgress` / `loadProgress` → `save/progress.sav` via TSerial +
   `readFromSource` / `writeToSource` (helpers already exist, used in
   `world.lua` / `world_seed.lua`). Shape: `{ version = 1, flags = WorldState }`.
   Flat table, no per-book blobs initially.
3. `Dialogue.bridge(story)` on open:
   - `story:bind("flag", fn)` — read a WorldState flag from Ink.
   - `story:bind("setflag", fn)` — write one back.
   - gameplay binds, e.g. `give_color` / `open_door` calling into `currentRoom`.
4. Cache the live story per `storyId` in the Dialogue module (stop re-init'ing).
5. Hook `saveProgress` into the existing autosave points (near `room.lua:814`).

"Talk again does X" = increment an own `WorldState` counter (e.g.
`sage_talk_count`) on open, branch on it in Ink. No reliance on Ink
visit-count persistence.

## Deferred

Persisting `story:save_state()` (plain table, keyed by `storyId`) only buys
in-book niceties — consumed sticky choices, resume mid-conversation across a
hard quit. Skipped initially: it couples the save file to book structure and
forces narrator's `migrate` hook on every `.ink` edit. `WorldState` flags don't
— a renamed flag just reads `nil`/false.