@Vennir suggested this.
She used The Elder Scrolls as an example where you pick up a book and you can read it. At first I didn't like the idea but I thought about it some more...
The problem with TES is that it doesn't keep record of the books you read so you can look at them again in the future. Accurate to the era, the only way to look at it again is to keep one in a library of your own making. Obviously things aren't done the same in 2042 so time to brainstorm...
Ironically enough, Alpha Protocol comes to mind. Remember that
really long tutorial/conversation with Westridge (41:25)? He tells you (45:40, unfortunate fast-forwarding is unfortunate) how hearing a name or information will automatically add that information to your dossiers (his example: Westridge likes people getting straight to the point; professional attitude). Not only that, but dossier information can be weaponized in dialogs, often to the effect of taking the target character off guard, potentially even changing their behavior to a significant degree (there's one in my mind right now but it's very spoiler/end game stuff so won't elaborate). Additionally, when information is added to the dossier, it is clearly noted on the screen that the dossier was updated (46:50).
In Consortium, the keywords pop up in the information console, yes, but no indication is given to player to suggest it has;
► Show Spoiler
moreover, I can only really recall one instance where something in the information console can be weaponized (tell Knight 18 your name is Bob). If the "deicide," "vulnerary," etc. words that show up on the HUD weren't used for another purpose, I think a similar effect would have been great for alerting the user a word has been added to the information console.
I also think that a dossier feature, for example, would have been great for dealing with Kiril Angelov. Just imagine if Bishop Six not only had the alignment to work with, but also knowledge (which is our natural advantage in the lore). For example, you could tell him that "if I kill you, Petar will hide in the upper crawl space and take his place," and/or "if I befriend you, you lie to me about Strommon and Global," and/or "if you hate me, you try to become my ally; it really doesn't befit you." Obviously none of these dossier entries would be available unless you witnessed it in a previous playthough. If you only use one of them, he'd just outright dismiss it. If you use two, he still dismisses it but with clear concern that you know more than you should. If you use all three (would require three completedly playthroughs at minimum), he caves to your will. Since the Rooks and Knights would have seen this all go down, they would be flabbergasted at what just transpired. The immediate impact would be that Kiril would lock himself in the cell like Pawn 4 may do at the end of the game. Rook 25 would weapon lock Bishop 6 so he can't engage Kiril nor his men that retreat to the boarding carrier. There would be no fight with aircraft because Kiril orders them to retreat as well (maybe tells it to Yanko before he disembarks). The Rooks would ask some pointed questions about how Bishop 6 knows these things or understanding that Bishop Six isn't bullshitting about controlling Jenkins. In either case, Knight 15 would end by saying "save it for Ireland" or "the Queen isn't going to want to hear about this." In the latter's case in the spirit of cutting back on complexity/dialogs to record, she could lay down the law that "no one mentions this to the Queen" so it isn't discussed during that dialog tree beyond what is already available.
This ties in strongly to this thread:
Retaining some dialog information through playthroughs
I hope Vennir chimes in here. Other thoughts/suggestions welcomed.
Edit: From the linked thread:
FordGT90Concept wrote:Zombie posting is a bad idea, mmkay? A shame I get my best ideas when I'm <10% awake. XD
Still true! XD
