In the emerging field of "interactive narrative" there is a common argument about the balance between the dramatic arc and the amount of control that the reader, or user has. Many pieces of interactive narrative exist in a state of being that is potentially interactive, but that interaction is exploited at the cost of the narration and that narrative's dramatic arc. We believe that there is a balance that can not only be struck between these two, but that this balance can actually leverage the other side to dramatic or interactive benefit.
In terms of this implementation the character is able to talk about a range of topics with a general trend towards telling a story. This story can be interrupted with questions. The type of question determines the type of interaction, and so the character will start to drift from monologue to dialogue as the questions demand less narrative and more interactivity. Opinion serves as a fulcrum between them.
Functionally, the character moves from telling a story (monologue)to answering questions about the specifics of the story (opinion) to engaging in short bursts of traded conversation (dialogue).
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