{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/narrative-investigation--t192","type":"mechanic","id":"narrative-investigation--t192","lang":"en","title":"Finding, connecting and presenting evidence","summary":"Evidence gains meaning through provenance, comparison and presentation within a relevant test context.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/narrative-investigation--t192/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/narrative-investigation--t192.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/narrative-investigation--t192.md","aliases":["Comparing and presenting evidence"],"tags":["Narrative, dialogue and investigation","Mechanics and variants"],"sourceIds":["source-24607f3488b057c0","source-c071af1c88e59913"],"sources":[{"id":"source-24607f3488b057c0","title":"inkle: ink","url":"https://github.com/inkle/ink","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-c071af1c88e59913","title":"The Case of the Golden Idol","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1677770/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"Evidence gains meaning through provenance, comparison and presentation within a relevant test context."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Mechanic variants\n\n<a id=\"t192-variants\"></a>\n\n- Provenance distinguishes findings from hearsay. <a id=\"t192-v1\"></a>\n- Comparison tests shared properties of samples. <a id=\"t192-v2\"></a>\n- Chains connect independent facts into a conclusion. <a id=\"t192-v3\"></a>\n- Presentation changes access to new information. <a id=\"t192-v4\"></a>"},{"id":"example","title":"Design example","body":"Fabric matches a repaired cloak and a photograph shows who wore it on the relevant day.\n\nPrototype check: Test conclusions with one clue removed and distinguish proof, suspicion and an unsupported hypothesis."},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"Narrative challenges give players grounds for interpretation, observable consequences of choice and ways to revise a hypothesis. Each overview separates player actions, state changes and alternative rules. Examples are hypothetical design scenarios, not claims about a named game. A prototype check states an observable question for the next iteration. Existing detailed references remain separately linked from the direction map."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"narrative-investigation","id":"t192","title":"Narrative, dialogue and investigation","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/narrative-investigation/#t192","categoryIds":["mechanics"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Comparing and presenting evidence","description":"Evidence gains meaning through provenance, comparison and presentation within a relevant test context.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/adventure-golden-idol-07.webp","width":1357,"height":763,"game":"The Case of the Golden Idol","sourceUrl":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1677770/","originalUrl":"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/1677770/ss_649570093b41419b15482dd6667b0a74c4a8cfb2.1920x1080.jpg?t=1786374001","credit":"Color Gray Games / Playstack","rights":"Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed Steam screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"Names and actions complete an explanation of the incident","alt":"Names and actions complete an explanation of the incident","markers":[{"x":27,"y":46,"label":"A testable account of events"},{"x":78,"y":49,"label":"People who must be identified"}]},"tips":["Make clear which hypothesis a clue supports or contradicts."],"examples":[{"title":"The Case of the Golden Idol","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1677770/"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests. Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not every proposed variant.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/narrative-investigation"}}