The Subjective Interface is not a menu system; it is the soul of the Incarnation made manifest. It is a core Design Pillar of ATET and the primary lens through which the player experiences the game’s world. It rejects the idea of an objective, database-like UI in favor of a dynamic, biased, and deeply personal framework that is a direct, playable rendering of the character’s internal state.

The UI is not a window onto the world. The UI is the character’s perception.

The Empathy Engine

The purpose of the Subjective Interface is to serve as an empathy engine. It translates the complex, abstract internal states of an Incarnation into a tangible, interactive experience. This is the bridge between the player’s understanding and their character’s lived reality.

The foundational principle is this: the player never has access to objective truth. All information is filtered through the consciousness of the character they inhabit. This consciousness is a direct product of their Anatomy and the cognitive systems detailed in the Cognition documents.

The Architecture of Perception

The Subjective Interface is a holistic system composed of several distinct, interconnected interfaces. These are not separate “screens” in a traditional sense, but different modes of perception and interaction that the player engages with based on their current Goal and context. They are the functional “rooms” in the architecture of the mind.

I. The Core Interfaces (The Primary Modes of Being)

These are the foundational interfaces that govern the Incarnation’s moment-to-moment experience and long-term development.

• Overlays: The most fundamental layer. These are the transient, contextual screen effects, intrusive thoughts, and sensory highlights that provide a constant, real-time feedback loop between the Incarnation and the world. They are the light, shadow, and ambient sound that color every experience.

• Anatomical Overview: The introspective view of the self. This is the player’s window into the intricate architecture of their being, providing a detailed and interactive map of both the physical Vessel and the metaphysical Psyche. It is the central hub for understanding and developing the character.

• Inventory: The personal ledger of possessions. This interface renders the items an Incarnation carries not as an objective grid, but as a subjective collection, revealing hidden properties and deeper truths only when the character has the skill or belief to perceive them.

• Exploration: The interface for cartography and discovery. It is a diegetic function granted by in-world mapping tools, transforming the act of mapping from a default feature into a tangible, earned, and upgradeable capability.

II. The Action Interfaces (The Expression of Will)

These interfaces are the diegetic workspaces for the game’s core verbs, allowing the player to engage with the world in a focused, tactile, and context-rich manner.

• Crafting: The physical and virtual space where knowledge is made manifest. This is a diegetic interface where the player interacts directly with a 3D representation of the crafting station and the object-in-progress, making creation a tangible, physical conversation with matter.

• The Social Arena: The unified interface for all significant, non-violent interpersonal Conflict. It is the turn-based “battlefield” of wills where Conversation, Trading, and Negotiation occur as interconnected facets of a single, fluid social dance.

• Combat: The visceral, jarring interface for physical Conflict. It renders the raw, subjective experience of battle through the Incarnation’s senses, translating damage, fear, and exertion into direct sensory feedback rather than abstract health bars.

III. The Metaphysical Interfaces (The Sanctums of the Soul)

These are the special, contemplative interfaces where the player engages directly with the game’s deeper, metaphysical systems of belief and meaning.

• Belief Crystals: The introspective workspace for the soul. This is the “garden of the mind” where the raw “Narrative Echoes” of experience are contemplated and forged into the hard, clear facets of a new, Crystallized Faith.

• Reflection: The sacred, liminal space between lives. This is the player’s direct view into the process of Anamnesis, where the chaotic narrative of a completed Thread is viewed as a constellation of memories and distilled into the pure, usable essence of Eidos.

Together, these interconnected interfaces form a single, cohesive system designed to immerse the player in the subjective reality of their Incarnation. Every piece of information, every choice, every consequence is filtered through this personal lens, ensuring that the player does not just play a character, but truly inhabits a consciousness.