Stories That Remember

Some events should continue to matter after the scene ends.

Dai Novel uses selective long-term memory. It is not a complete transcript of every line. It stores, scores, retrieves, and consolidates the events that should keep mattering.

Three layers

Working memory

Recent events from the current journey. These capture what just happened, who was involved, and why it mattered.

Episodic memory

Important story moments. Promises, betrayals, discoveries, losses, and turning points can be reflected upward when they prove durable.

World memory

A small set of world-level truths. These are the facts the setting should keep treating as real.

How memory is used

During play, the runtime retrieves relevant memories instead of dumping the entire history into every prompt. Retrieval can use recency, importance, emotional intensity, subjects, and focal points from the current scene.

For example, later scenes may use:

• A promise a character made.
• A wound the player caused.
• A secret that was revealed.
• A debt that has not been paid.

What not to expect

Do not expect perfect recall of every minor detail. Memory is bounded and selective by design. Compact current-state tracking handles the facts that must stay reliable right now. Memory handles the events that should echo later.

Memory is not perfect recall. It is a way to give important events a better chance of affecting later scenes.

See Play Runtime for how memory sits beside state, phases, and player agency.