# SENSE: State-aware Emotion Navigation Storytelling Engine

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.07666 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2610.07666/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 4 of its 38 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 6 Oct 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [IP-Adapter: Text Compatible Image Prompt Adapter for Text-to-Image Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.06721/) (2023)
- [All Stories Are One Story: Emotional Arc Guided Procedural Game Level Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.02132/) (2025)
- [WHAT-IF: Exploring Branching Narratives by Meta-Prompting Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.10582/) (2024)
- [TaleFrame: An Interactive Story Generation System with Fine-Grained Control and Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.02402/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

This paper presents SENSE, a state-aware framework for generating playable branching visual novels with multi-track emotional navigation. Integrating a state-based narrative architecture called MIND, a structure analyzer, and a path-aware context management module, SENSE produces narratives that are both structurally coherent and emotionally rich. From minimal high-level inputs, it generates multiple intersecting routes while preserving character consistency and narrative causality. Evaluations using LLM judges, affective metrics, and visual assessments indicate SENSE outperforms baselines in narrative diversity and robust asset integration, while preliminary human trials show directional improvements in emotional fidelity alongside comparable enjoyment.