John Cooper

John Cooper is the player's character. He is a washed-up hardboiled detective who gave up on his life and career. Trying to make ends meet, and waiting to meet his end.

### Prologue

During the Prologue, we can take a look around his office and get to know his past a bit. In his drawer, there is a gun, hidden underneath the unpaid bills. He can talk to it, and decide to take it or not. Depending on that choice, we will have Gun's comments during the rest of the game, and different options to use it during some Dialogues.

Other important figure in Cooper's past is Carmen. She is his ex love, because of whom he lost everything. Her photo is hanging on the wall, and depending on the comment Cooper gave on the photo, the Intermezzo cinematic's dialogue changes slightly - if not, it changes depending on the Cooper's highest Personality.

## Personalities

During the game, players will get to choose among different choices that will build up Cooper's character.

### Mechanics

There are four personalities and each has it's opposite: **Cynic** vs **Scientific** and **Empathic** vs **Ruthless**.

**Base mechanic** is that as long as one of the personalities is the highest (and not equal to another) it's opposite will be hidden from the choices. At the start of the game you will be able to choose from any of the four options, but the first time you choose one (it will become the highest), it's opposite will disappear from the next choice. As soon as another Pers becomes equal to the highest one, all choices return, and as soon as that becomes the highest, *its* opposite will disappear.

**Second mechanic** that also build up unique gameplay over time, is based on conditions that a particular stat *must* be: the highest, the lowest, equal or higher than the average of all stats, lower than the average of all stats. We can use this if we want to give some specific information if the player, for example, had the most scientific approach, or block some options if those personas are below average, etc.

All this highest, average, lowest saves us from tracking every possible outcome that the player could have taken, and it would be almost impossible and really painstaking for both us and the players if we had, say a required Scientific at: 12, instead is either the highest or above average, and so on.

### Personalities are:

* **Cynic**
	+ - concerned only with one's own interests and typically disregarding accepted standards in order to achieve them. believing that people are motivated purely by self-interest; distrustful of human sincerity or integrity.
	+ - "he was brutally cynical and hardened to every sob story under the sun"
	+ - Personality: Cold, unmotivated, teasing, provoking
	+ - Alignment: Chaotic neutral
	+ - Relationship interest: D
	+ - D's nickname: Damsel
	+ - Past: Drinks to forget,
	+ - Now:  lives in the moment
	+ - POV on Bions: living coffin
* **Empathic**
	+ - showing an ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
	+ - "an attentive, empathic listener"
	+ - Personality: Religious, faithful, loyal, scoundrelish, charming, traditional
	+ - Alignment: Lawful good
	+ - Relationship interest: Carmen
	+ - D's nickname: Lady Death
	+ - Past: Drinks to remember, lives in the past
	+ - Now: Lives in the past, for the past. Lives to die
	+ - POV on Bions: blasphemous, sacrilegious, torture for the soul
* **Scientific**
	+ - Personality: analytical, observing, rational, systematic; methodical, explorative
	+ - Alignment: Neutral
	+ - Relationship interest: Lucy
	+ - D's nickname: Miss D
	+ - Past: drinks to think,
	+ - Now: Open to move forward, redeem himself
	+ - POV on Bions: Interesting tech
* **Ruthles**
	+ - Personality: bully, strong, stubborn, selfish, uninterested, close to the Cynic, reckless, intimidating
	+ - Alignment: Chaotic neutral/evil
	+ - Relationship interest: everyone and no one
	+ - D's nickname: double D's
	+ - Past: drinks to numb the pain,
	+ - Now: doesn't care about the consequences
	+ - POV on Bions: wicked toys