{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/detective--family-09","type":"mechanic","id":"detective--family-09","lang":"en","title":"Information-database search","summary":"A discovered word, name or identifier becomes a query that reveals previously unknown parts of the case.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/detective--family-09/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/detective--family-09.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/detective--family-09.md","aliases":[],"tags":["Detective games","Witnesses and information sources"],"sourceIds":["source-653210cf80cd2de3","source-090ee83445744667"],"sources":[{"id":"source-653210cf80cd2de3","title":"Her Story","url":"https://playism.com/en/game/her-story/","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-090ee83445744667","title":"The Operator","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1771980/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"A discovered word, name or identifier becomes a query that reveals previously unknown parts of the case."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Variants\n\n<a id=\"family-09-branch-1\"></a>\n\n- Keyword search: use a phrase heard in one recording to find a related record. <a id=\"family-09-variant-1\"></a>\n- Identifier chain: move from an address to an organization, then to connected people. <a id=\"family-09-variant-2\"></a>\n- Query refinement: change spelling, period or category when the initial results are incomplete. <a id=\"family-09-variant-3\"></a>"},{"id":"example","title":"Design example","body":"An unusual nickname appears in a recording. Searching for it finds an interview missed by a surname query."},{"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-09","title":"Detective games","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/detective/#family-09","categoryIds":["testimony"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Information-database search","description":"A discovered word, name or identifier becomes a query that reveals previously unknown parts of the case.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/narrative-the-operator-02.webp","width":1440,"height":810,"game":"The Operator","sourceUrl":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1771980/","originalUrl":"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/1771980/ss_613084ae51e3357660fc79c80edaf0385245d951.1920x1080.jpg?t=1778485297","credit":"Bureau 81 / Bureau 81 / indienova","rights":"© Bureau 81 / Bureau 81 / indienova. All rights reserved.","caption":"A name becomes a query in HumanDB","alt":"A name becomes a query in HumanDB","markers":[{"x":21,"y":48,"label":"The Connie Moore query opens the corresponding record"}]},"tips":["Let players obtain query terms from evidence they already have."],"examples":[{"title":"The Operator","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1771980/"}]}},"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"}}