{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/dialogue--family-timing","type":"mechanic","id":"dialogue--family-timing","lang":"en","title":"Time and pace","summary":"Duration, pauses and response deadlines become part of dialogue rules and consequences.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/dialogue--family-timing/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/dialogue--family-timing.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/dialogue--family-timing.md","aliases":[],"tags":["Dialogue","Game rules"],"sourceIds":["source-d44c4ba300a58186"],"sources":[{"id":"source-d44c4ba300a58186","title":"As Dusk Falls","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1341820/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"Length, pauses, and timing of responses become part of the rules of communication and their consequences."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Variants and applications\n\n<a id=\"family-timing-variants\"></a>\n\n- Response timer. Rule: The player must choose an answer before the specified time expires. <a id=\"variant-timing-01\"></a>\n- Separate timing options. Rule: Individual lines appear and disappear at different points in the conversation. <a id=\"variant-timing-02\"></a>\n- Default answer. Rule: If the player does not have time, the system selects the specified action or reaction. <a id=\"variant-timing-03\"></a>\n- Price in world time. Rule: Every question or conversation advances the clock and influences external events. <a id=\"variant-timing-04\"></a>\n- Answer at the right time. Rule: The moment of utterance, for example a pause, hesitation or emotional peak, matters. <a id=\"variant-timing-05\"></a>\n- Waiting as a tactic. Rule: A pause forces the NPC to add information, change position, or continue speaking. <a id=\"variant-timing-06\"></a>\n- Limit the number of moves. Rule: The conversation ends after a given number of exchanges, regardless of the length of the remarks. <a id=\"variant-timing-07\"></a>\n- Uneven time spent. Rule: Different cues require different durations and compete with other actions. <a id=\"variant-timing-08\"></a>"},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"Author's working taxonomy compiled for this request. Titles are descriptive; sources confirm individual principles and examples, and not the entire list."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"dialogue","id":"family-timing","title":"Dialogue","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/dialogue/#family-timing","categoryIds":["section-2"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Time and pace","description":"Duration, pauses and response deadlines become part of dialogue rules and consequences.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/dialogue-as-dusk-falls-13.webp","width":1440,"height":810,"game":"As Dusk Falls","sourceUrl":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1341820/","originalUrl":"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/1341820/ss_c00e53a88a8d8d22c753da26a11c7dd03844af9a.1920x1080.jpg?t=1718812917","credit":"INTERIOR/NIGHT / Xbox Game Studios","rights":"Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed Steam screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"A reply deadline in As Dusk Falls","alt":"A reply deadline in As Dusk Falls","markers":[{"x":50,"y":7,"label":"The reply has a time limit"},{"x":39,"y":33,"label":"Options remain available until the countdown ends"}]},"tips":["Explain the result of silence and allow more time to choose."],"examples":[{"title":"As Dusk Falls","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1341820/"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/dialogue"}}