Inspiration

Overview

Inspiration is the creative fuel that drives composition quality. Every elf has five independent inspiration channels that accumulate from different experiences. These channels feed into the originality score of Compositions, determine which composition properties are earned, and influence genre selection.

Inspiration is not a single number -- it is a 5-dimensional creative profile that reflects how an elf has been inspired, not just how much.

How It Works

The Five Channels

Each channel is a u8 value (0-255 per channel, but the total is capped):

Total Inspiration

The total is the sum of all five channels, capped at 100 for threshold checks:

Total = min(nature + social + rivalry + beauty + solitude, 100)

This cap means that a broadly inspired elf (moderate across all channels) reaches the ceiling just as easily as a deeply specialized one.

Source: src/sim/components.rs, Inspiration::total

Dominant Source

The channel with the highest value is the "dominant source." This determines:

• The suffix of composition names (e.g., "of the Silver Wood" for Nature)
• The title pool for short/long titles
• Which channel receives a +5 boost from Love reactions at revels
• Genre selection bias (Nature dominance with value > 40 favors Pastoral)

Ties are broken by priority order: Nature > Social > Rivalry > Beauty > Solitude.

Source: src/sim/components.rs, Inspiration::dominant_source

Values & Formulas

Inspiration Equilibrium

Each elf has a natural equilibrium for their inspiration channels, derived from their Aesthetic Position. The equilibrium represents where the elf's inspiration naturally gravitates:

Example: An elf with aesthetic position (structure=0.3, tradition=0.2, emotion=0.7, social=0.8) would have equilibrium:

• Nature: (1.0 - 0.3) x 20 = 14
• Social: 0.8 x 25 = 20
• Rivalry: (1.0 - 0.2) x 15 = 12
• Beauty: (0.3 + 0.2) x 10 = 5
• Solitude: (1.0 - 0.8) x 25 = 5

Source: src/sim/components.rs, InspirationEquilibrium::from_aesthetic

Seeding from Equilibrium

When an elf's inspiration is initialized from equilibrium, the system guarantees a minimum total of 25 by boosting the highest-equilibrium channel in increments of 5 until the floor is reached.

Source: src/sim/components.rs, Inspiration::from_equilibrium

Impact on Composition Quality

Inspiration total feeds directly into the Originality score:

Originality = inspiration_total x 0.6 + random(0..20), clamped 0-100

An elf with 0 total inspiration will produce originality scores of 0-20 (random noise only). An elf with 100 total inspiration will score 60-80 on average.

Revel Inspiration Boost

When an elf has a Love reaction to a composition at a revel, their dominant inspiration channel receives +5 (capped at 100 per channel).

Source: src/sim/systems.rs, revel_tick_system Love reaction handler

Composition Property Thresholds

Inspiration channels interact to create special composition properties when two channels both exceed 30:

See Compositions for the full property system.

Creative Block

Trigger Mechanism

When an elf produces three or more consecutive compositions with average quality below 50, each subsequent composition has a 30% chance of triggering a creative block.

A composition with quality >= 50 resets the consecutive mediocre counter to zero.

Block Duration

Creative block lasts 100 to 200 ticks (randomly determined).

Block Effects

• The elf refuses to compose and instead seeks a Garden
• The elf is excluded from revel attendance
• If the elf manages to compose during a block (e.g., forced by circumstances), the composition earns the Cathartic property
• Critical needs (rest, sustenance below 20) override block behavior -- the elf will seek a Dwelling to rest even during a block

Source: src/sim/components.rs, CreativeBlock, ConsecutiveMediocre; src/sim/systems.rs, creative block trigger and behavior tree

Interactions

• Compositions -- Inspiration drives originality score and enables compound properties
• Aesthetic Position -- Determines inspiration equilibrium values
• Revels -- Love reactions boost dominant inspiration channel by +5
• Needs & Mood -- Mood and inspiration together determine emotional and originality scores
• Terrain -- Forest and garden proximity builds Nature and Beauty inspiration

Tips

• An elf's equilibrium is fixed by their aesthetic position. To shift where inspiration naturally gravitates, you need to shift the elf's aesthetics (via friend drift, school drift, or revel audience drift).
• The Solitude and Social channels are in natural tension: an elf with high social axis will have high Social equilibrium but low Solitude equilibrium, and vice versa. This makes the Bittersweet property (Social > 30 AND Solitude > 30) one of the harder compound properties to earn.
• Keep an eye on Nature inspiration for potential Pastoral genre selection. An elf needs Nature as their dominant source AND nature > 40 for the 60% Pastoral bias to kick in.
• The total cap of 100 means you do not need all channels maxed out. A specialist with 80 in one channel and 20 spread across others already hits the cap.
• Creative blocks are recoverable. Place a Garden nearby and the elf will seek it out. The block self-resolves after 100-200 ticks.