{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/detective--family-06","type":"mechanic","id":"detective--family-06","lang":"en","title":"Interviews and question selection","summary":"The player chooses conversation topics, asks for details and obtains new investigative leads.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/detective--family-06/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/detective--family-06.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/detective--family-06.md","aliases":[],"tags":["Detective games","Witnesses and information sources"],"sourceIds":["source-3674ef77efed76d0","source-de967651def38651","source-5826b1f3d00cd60a"],"sources":[{"id":"source-3674ef77efed76d0","title":"Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies","url":"https://www.nintendo.com/hk/3ds/aceattorney_dualdestinies/pdf/Ace_Attorney_5_OPSeet_en_R15.pdf","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-de967651def38651","title":"Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/241260/Sherlock_Holmes_Crimes_and_Punishments/","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-5826b1f3d00cd60a","title":"Shadows of Doubt","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/986130/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"The player chooses conversation topics, asks for details and obtains new investigative leads."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Variants\n\n<a id=\"family-06-branch-1\"></a>\n\n- Flexible topic order: choose which event or person to ask about first. <a id=\"family-06-variant-1\"></a>\n- Evidence-led question: show an object or record and ask for a specific explanation. <a id=\"family-06-variant-2\"></a>\n- Follow-up interview: return with new facts and check whether the answer changes. <a id=\"family-06-variant-3\"></a>"},{"id":"example","title":"Design example","body":"Finding a ticket unlocks a question about a journey. The answer reveals a witness at another station."},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"A working map of detective design: 32 families and 96 variants. The core loop is to find information, form a hypothesis, test it and explain a conclusion. Answer formats, hints and investigation structure are treated separately. Families overlap, design examples are hypothetical, and released-game examples cite primary sources without revealing case solutions."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"detective","id":"family-06","title":"Detective games","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/detective/#family-06","categoryIds":["testimony"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Interviews and question selection","description":"The player chooses conversation topics, asks for details and obtains new investigative leads.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/narrative-shadows-doubt-02.webp","width":1440,"height":810,"game":"Shadows of Doubt","sourceUrl":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/986130/","originalUrl":"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/986130/ss_36346e86ecfb3d72d2280f83bdbd5b9cfdb07385.1920x1080.jpg?t=1787842717","credit":"ColePowered Games / Fireshine Games","rights":"© ColePowered Games / Fireshine Games. All rights reserved.","caption":"Choosing a question while speaking to a citizen","alt":"Choosing a question while speaking to a citizen","markers":[{"x":67,"y":73,"label":"Ask about identity or request fingerprints"}]},"tips":["Connect each question to a specific information gap."],"examples":[{"title":"Shadows of Doubt","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/986130/"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original editorial taxonomy authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-19. Primary developer and publisher sources support specific released-game examples, not the whole classification; design examples are hypothetical.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/detective"}}