# Act Template

# [Arc Title] Seq [#] | Sequence Title

## Narrative Purpose
---
Brief overview of what this step accomplishes in the story and gameplay flow.  
- Define emotional tone (panic, calm, discovery, dread).  
- Identify immediate narrative or character goal.  
- Specify any mechanical or tutorial purpose.  

## Narrative Breakdown
---
Each step is divided into **beats**, which are self‑contained moments of action, emotion, or transition.  
- Use as many beats as the pacing requires (sometimes one sustained beat, sometimes three to five).  
- Each beat should mark a change in objective, tone, or control state.  
- Keep every beat anchored in what the player *feels* and *does*.
- Player is not voiced, they choose interaction options dialogue style

### [Beat] | [Title]
Base description of the beat in general terms—what the player *feels* and *does*.

- **Camera:** Describe the player's viewpoint, camera control state or Full Control if not specified.
- **Audio:** List ambient sounds or musical cues tied to this moment or "None".
- **Environmental Cues:** Lighting, motion, or visual storytelling that defines the space or "None".
- **Objective / Task:** What the player is trying to accomplish in this beat or "None".
- **Player Feedback:** Haptic, visual, or dialogue responses to success or delay or "None".

**Actions:**
- Bullet list of what happens in this beat.

**Dialogue:**
> Short sample lines or reference tone for interaction. tone-driven, minimally voiced. Player is not voiced—they choose interaction options.

**Branches (if conditional variations):**
- Use when the beat changes depending on previous actions, variables, or states.
- **Branches inherit** all parent beat data (Camera/Audio/etc.) by default.
- **Override only what changes**: Add any data point (Gameplay, Audio, Environmental Cues, etc.).
- Minimum fields: **Condition**, **Variation**, **Transition**. Add NPC or system responses if applicable.

---
#### Branch A – [Condition Summary]
- **Condition:** [Trigger or state dependency, e.g., "If player saved NPC earlier"].
- **Variation:** [How the beat differs—scene tone, dialogue, animations, or objectives].
- **Transition:** [Next beat/step or "None"].
---
[Repeat for additional branches]

**Choices (if decision beat):**
- Insert after Dialogue using horizontal rules (---). Use 2-4 options maximum.
- **Options inherit** all parent beat data (Camera/Audio/etc.) by default.
- **Override only what changes**: Add any data point (Gameplay, Result, Camera, Audio, etc.) as needed—**do not restate unchanged elements**.
- Minimum fields: **Gameplay/Result**, **Purpose**, **Transition**. NPC Response optional.

---
#### Option A – [Descriptive Choice Title]
- **Gameplay:** [Specific mechanics/outcomes].
- **Purpose:** [Narrative/mechanical intent].
- **Transition:** [Next beat/step or "None"].
---
[Repeat for additional options]

**Triggers:**
- Bullet list of triggers this beat can fire.

**Notes:**
- Bullet list of any notes (may be omitted if no notes).

---

## Narrative Intent
---
Explain why the step exists in narrative terms.  
- How it develops relationship dynamics.  
- What theme or mystery it reinforces.  
- What knowledge or tone shift the player carries forward.