Galatea

 Galatea alters the typical interactive fiction game mechanics by concentrating instead on the player's interactions with a single non-player character, the  Galatea. Much of the interest of the piece derives from the ambiguous nature of the player-NPC dialogue. The form of the conversation and, indeed, the nature of Galatea herself shift depending on the focus the player places on certain aspects of the character's personality. Numerous endings are possible. Gameplay centers around the developing dialogue between Galatea and the player when asking about topics in the previous conversation. Two commands, "think about" and "recap", are provided to keep track of what has already been said. The former is also used to advance the storyline, as the player character draws conclusions about the story as it has unfolded to that point. As a way to enhance immersion, the game also encourages using sensory commands (touch, sounds, looks,) adding a physical feeling to the experience.

Galatea is loosely based on the myth of Pygmalion, who made the sculpture of a woman. In the myth, he falls in love with the statue, named Galatea and the goddess Venus brings her to life.

The story begins at the opening of an exhibition of artificial intelligences. The player, alone, discovers Galatea displayed on a pedestal with a small information placard. She is illuminated by a spotlight and wears an emerald dress. Seeing the player about to turn away, Galatea says, "They told me you were coming." From this point, the story may proceed in a number of ways depending on the player's words and actions.

In Galatea you can operate preform many different commands which will result in many different out comes.  For example, if you want to create a friendship with Galatea, examine my screen cast below to see how to. 

After Galatea has loaded, click in the rectangle above and press the space bar. At the > prompt, type a command.

Much traditional interactive fiction offers exploration and interaction with an imagined environment. Galatea offers a conversation. The title character has moods, background, and memory; how she treats you will depend on how you choose to treat her. There is no single plot, and no one pathway through the story. The endings are numerous. I enjoyed my time with this work and I thought it was very interesting. 

Galatea screencast