Breathing Problems

Breathing Problems is a Generic Call Incident featured in 911 Operator. Having one of the most complicated conversations in the game, this call requires the player to give medical assistance over the phone to a woman who is having trouble breathing. With a heavily randomized structure and multiple different endings, the player must rely on procedure and ingenuity to keep the woman alive as medical units make their way to her.

As a Generic Call, Breathing Problems can be triggered during both Free Play and Career Play, multiple times.

Opening Lines[]

This call may begin with any of three different responses from the caller.

Speaker	Line
Operator	"911, what's your emergency?"
Caller	"She can't breathe! What should I do?!"
	"Um...I've got someone here who's having a hard time trying to breathe."
	"You have to help her! She says her chest feels like it's being crushed and she can't breathe! Is she having a heart attack?!"

In actuality, these are 8 different opening lines, except some look identical to others, reducing the number of "visible" lines to only 3. Behind the scenes, each of the 8 lines can trigger completely different effects, determining what responses and dialogue options are enabled and disabled.

Randomized Structure[]

Breating Problems is the single most complicated call in 911 Operator in terms of conversation structure. It is convoluted, parts of the conversation are enabled/disabled at every turn, and almost every response from the caller is randomized.

Generally speaking, the structure can be described as follows:

Intro: The call begins immediately with a randomized roll, even before you make your first decision. This not only chooses which dialogue line the caller opens with, but also determines which responses the caller can or can't choose later on, and which dialogue options are and aren't available to the operator.

Following the intro, the operator can start by asking one of the following questions:

Where is this happening?
Who is the woman?
What was she doing?
Does she take any Medication? *

* (The last question is immediately available in some cases, otherwise it only becomes available later in the conversation.)

Each question opens up additional questions about the woman's condition, and in some cases possible solutions to be attempted. Each follow-up question the operator asks elicits a randomized response from the caller, which could alter the rest of the conversation. Similarly, each solution you try has a chance to succeed and a chance to fail, altering the woman's condition for better or worse (or simply doing nothing at all). If a solution fails, you may have the option to switch to a different line of questioning, attempt a different solution to the problem, or give up and tell the caller to wait for an ambulance.

Fortunately, there are many points in the conversation where you may simply "give up", and trust your medical teams to do their job once they get to the incident location. So long as you avoid any explicitly bad decisions, you should be able to gather up at least 3 Reputation points by the end of the conversation; but getting an ambulance to the scene fast is always recommended should all your chosen solutions fail.

Reputation[]

Dialog Choice	Resolve Call Reputation	Ignore Call Reputation
(ANSWER CALL)	+3
`DON'T TOUCH HER!`	Set to -5	Set to -8
`TAKE HER OUT OF THE SHOP`	+2
`LOOSEN HER CLOTHES` (50% chance of success)	+1
`REST FOR A WHILE` (50% chance of success)	Set to 2	Set to 2
`CALM HER` (50% chance of success)	Set to 2	Set to 2
`TELL HER TO LAY DOWN` (50% chance of success)	+1
`TELL HER TO LAY DOWN` (50% chance of failure)	-1
`SIT UP`	+1
`TRIPOD POSITION`	+1
`GIVE RED PILL`	Set to -5	Set to -8
`GIVE BLUE PILL`	Set to -5	Set to -8
`ANTIBIOTIC`	Set to -3	Set to -8
`ASPIRIN`	+1
`NITROGLYCERIN`	+2
Maximum possible:	8	2

Getting +8 Reputation for this call is highly unlikely, and requires following a very particular path through the conversation. In general, do not expect more than about +5 Reputation.

Ignoring the Call[]

There is only a single ending that allows you to IGNORE the call. This occurs if the woman is simply stressed or exhausted, and simply needs to calm down. There is either a 66% or 50% chance of this, depending on the opening line of the conversation.

In this case, telling the caller to CALM HER, or that the woman should REST FOR A WHILE, has a 50% chance of resolving the situation instantly, in which case you can IGNORE the call, for a Reputation reward of +2.

Of course, since it is possible to get a much higher Reputation score, this isn't technically an "optimal" solution. It might be better to just send an ambulance to treat the woman for at least +4 Reputation.

Instructions on how to handle this are included in the relevant part of the Optimal Conversation below.

On Site[]

All endings share pretty much the same On Site scenario, with several differences depending on randomized caller responses.

	BREATHING PROBLEMS
Element	Name	Actions			Notes
	Caller				Always female. Resolved by default.
	Woman		Hit Points	90	Always female.
	Woman		Bleeding	-2.0/sec	Always female.
Initially disabled elements (may become active depending on conversation or other events)
	Elderly woman		Hit Points	100	Always old female.

On arrival, units will find the caller and the patient still on site.
The caller is always Resolved by default, and requires no interaction.
By default, the patient has 90 Hit Points and starts bleeding at a rate of -2.0/sec as soon as the phone conversation begins, giving you only 45 seconds to reach and treat her. She will require both treatment on site as well as transportation to a hospital.
Fortunately, many different conversation options will improve the patient's bleeding rate or eliminate it completely. If the bleeding is stopped altogether (e.g. by telling the caller to sit her up, solving her asthma attack or allergies, etc.) the woman will only need treatment, but not transportation.
If the caller reported that the patient is over 70 years old (their grandmother), the young female patient is replaced by an older version who is "injured" but not bleeding at all. Unless a bad conversation option is selected, this means there is no rush to get to her, and she will not need any transportation to a hospital.
Bad choices include giving her randomly-colored pills, telling the caller to lay her down flat, or administering antibiotics. These may undo any "good" choices selected, returning a young female patient to her original bleeding rate, or causing an elderly woman patient to start bleeding when she previously didn't. These bad choices should be avoided at all costs.

Intro[]

The conversation opens with the caller selecting a random line out of 8 possibilities. Some of these share the same dialogue, and are effectively indistinguishable during play, leaving only 3 possible "visible" lines.

Each of the 8 chosen lines changes which options can and can't be selected during the conversation, and how the caller can and can't respond to certain questions.

Once the opening line has been selected, the operator may choose between three different questions to advance the conversation.

Summary[]

A woman calls 911 to report that another woman nearby is having trouble breathing. The operator dispatches a medical unit, while talking the caller through quick diagnosis of the woman and possible basic treatments.

Opening Lines and Effects[]

The following table shows each of the 8 opening lines, and which of the important parts of the conversation they block out. Minor changes that only affect meaningless dialogue are omitted, as are changes that merely reduce or increase the chance for other parts of the conversation to occur.

#	Opening Line	Allergy	Grandma	Lay Down	Medicine	Asthma	Many Drugs
1	"She can't breathe! What should I do?!"	Yes	Yes	Bad	No	Yes	No
2		No
3		No
4	"Um...I've got someone here who's having a hard time trying to breathe."	Yes	No	Bad	No	Yes	No
5		No	No	Bad	No	Yes	No
6	"You have to help her! She says her chest feels like it's being crushed and she can't breathe! Is she having a heart attack?!"	No	No	Good	Yes	No	Yes
7			Yes
8			Yes

KEY:

Allergy: Can the patient be having an allergic reaction? (Easy ending)
Grandma: Can the patient be an old woman? (Disable bleeding)
Lay Down: Whether it's a good or bad idea to tell the patient to lay down.
Medicine: Can the caller be asked about the patient's medication immediately? (Always possible later on)
Asthma: Can the patient be having an asthma attack? (Disable bleeding)
Many Drugs: Can the caller find many drugs in the patient's purse? (Extra Reputation)

Where[]

This line of questioning establishes the caller's location.

The initial question has 4 possible answers: At home, a the gym, in the street, or at the mall. Some of these may be turned off by the opening line. All remaining possibilities have an equal chance of being selected.

For the most part, the answer to this question has little or no effect on the rest of the conversation.

However, if the answer is "the mall", the operator may ask for a more precise response, with an equal (33%) chance of picking from one of three different stores. One of these is the "pet store", which may lead to discovering that the woman is suffering from an allergic reaction - a rather desirable outcome.

Additionally, asking "WHERE?" as your first question allows you to immediately ask for the caller's exact address, so you can send an ambulance there. This, coupled with the possibility of discovering an allergic reaction, are reasons why you should ask this question first.

Optimal Conversation: Where[]

Speaker	Dialogue	Extra Effects
Continuing from Intro... `WHERE?`
Operator	Where did it happen?
Caller	We're at the gym.	Variable chance.
	In a street.	Variable chance.
	In our house!	Variable chance.
	In a shopping mall.	Variable chance.
`ADDRESS?`
Operator	Could you give me the address?
Caller	Yes, of course, it's <address>.	33% chance. Location discovered.
	It's <address>.	33% chance. Location discovered.
	<address>.	33% chance. Location discovered.
Only if the caller is in a shopping mall: `WHICH SHOP?`
Operator	Please be precise. In which shop exactly?
Caller	In the grocery shop.	33% chance.
	This happened in the restroom...	33% chance. Disable "What?" question for this call.
	In the pet store.	33% chance.

If the option HOW DOES HER FACE LOOK? appears, skip to Allergy.

In all other cases, skip tp Who.

Who[]

This line of questioning establishes the identity and age of the patient.

The initial question has 3 possible answers: The woman is either a stranger, the caller's friend, or their grandmother. Some of these may be turned off by the opening line. All remaining possibilities have an equal chance of being selected.

If the patient is either a stranger or the caller's grandmother, it's possible to ask for her age. A random stranger may be 30 or 50 years old, which has no effect on the conversation whatsoever; the extra question should be avoided in that case.

However, if the patient turns out to be the caller's grandmother, asking the caller about her age has a huge effect, as it instantly stops the patient from bleeding - freeing you from the ticking clock to save her. As such, it's important to ask this question early on.

Optimal Conversation: Who[]

Speaker	Dialogue	Extra Effects
Continuing from Where... `WHO IS THAT?`
Operator	Could you be more specific? Who can't breathe?
Caller	I don't know her. I was just walking by when she said she couldn't breathe.	Variable chance.
	She's my friend!	Variable chance.
	My grandma!	Variable chance.
Only if the patient is the caller's grandmother: `HOW OLD?`
Operator	Okay, how old is she?
Caller	She had her <random age> birthday... Please, don't tell me she's going to die....	Disable Woman. Enable Elderly Woman.

If the option WHAT WAS SHE DOING? appears, skip to What.

If it doesn't, skip to Medication.

What[]

This line of questioning attempts to determine what the patient was doing previously, and what her exact situation is currently.

The initial question has 3 possible answers: The woman was either walking, talking on her phone, or exercising. Some of these may be turned off by the opening line. All remaining possibilities have an equal chance of being selected.

In all three cases, the operator may (and should) ask the caller to loosen the patient's clothes. This has a 50% chance of increasing your reputation and slowing down the patient's "bleeding" rate significantly.

Additionally, if the patient was exercising or talking on her phone, she may be hyperventilating and simply needs to calm down. This is a somewhat desirable ending, as it enables you to IGNORE the call, but earns you only 2 Reputation points; you may instead prefer to continue the conversation and try for a higher reward.

Optimal Conversation: What[]

Speaker	Dialogue	Extra Effects
Continuing from Who... `WHAT WAS SHE DOING?`
Operator	What exactly was she doing?
Caller	I don't know... walking? Nothing special, I guess.	Variable chance.
	She was on her mobile phone..	Variable chance.
	She'd just finished her cardio.	Variable chance.
`LOOSEN HER CLOTHES`
Operator	Does she have any tight clothing? If so, you might have to loosen a little bit.
Caller	I don't see anything like that.	50% chance.
Caller	Okay, I'll unbutton her shirt . . . . . . . . . Okay, done.	50% chance. Reputation +1. Woman Bleeding rate +1.0/s. Elderly woman Bleeding rate +1.0/s.
If you wish to get a chance to IGNORE the call immediately, skip to Hyperventilation. Otherwise, skip to Position.

Position[]

Any of the answers to the What question allows the operator to inquire about the woman's current position. There are three possible positions she could be in, with an equal 33% chance of each.

Regardless of which position is reported, the operator can instruct the caller to change the patient's position, gaining a point of Reputation and severely reducing - or completely eliminating - the woman's deterioration.

Optimal Conversation: Position[]

Speaker	Dialogue	Extra Effects
Continuing from What... `POSITION?`
Operator	What is she doing right now? Is she standing, is she sitting, is she lying down?
Caller	She's laying down....on her back.	33% chance.
	Sitting.	33% chance.
	She's standing	33% chance.
If this option is available... `SIT UP`
Operator	She may need to sit up to breathe. Please help her to change position and see if it works.	Reputation +1. Woman Bleeding set to 1.0/s. Elderly woman Bleeding set to 1.0/s.
Caller	Okay. . . . . . . . . . . . .Done. What's next?
If this option is available... `TRIPOD POSITION`
Operator	Help her assume the tripod position. She should sit or stand leaning forward and then support her upper body with her hands on her knees.	Reputation +1. Woman Bleeding rate +1.5/s. Elderly woman Bleeding rate +1.5/s.
Caller	Okay, that sounds complicated but... we'll try to do that . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Done. What's next?
If the option `MEDICINES?` appears, skip to Medication. Otherwise...`WAIT FOR AMBULANCE`
Operator	Wait for an ambulance, it's on the way.
Caller	Okay, I will wait with her. Bye!	Call ended.

Medication[]

This line of questioning attempts to determine whether the patient has on any sort of medication, or if she has any chronic illnesses. This leads to an attempt to administer some sort of relevant treatment. It may or may not be available to start with, but in any case this should be your last line of questioning, as it could lead to a dead end.

The caller may give any of 4 different answers: Either she doesn't know; she knows that the patient has asthma; she's found colorful pills in the patient's purse; or the patient has many different labeled drugs in her purse. The chance of choosing each of these responses is highly variable, as some may be disabled completely by the opening line or other questions answered previously.

The caller's response will either lead to the end of the conversation, or it will lead into positive solutions.

Optimal Conversation: Medication[]

Speaker	Dialogue	Extra Effects
Continuing from What... `MEDICINES?`
Operator	Does she take any medication? Does she have any chronic illnesses?
Caller	I don't know anything about it...	Variable chance.
	Emm.. . . . I don't. . . . . Here are some drugs! I found them in her purse! There are a few blue pills and a red one. Should I give them to her?!	Variable chance.
	I... . . . yes, yes. She has asthma!	Variable chance. Skip to Asthma.
	Emm.. . . . I don't. . . . .Oh, wait! I found some drugs in her purse! What should I give her?	Variable chance. Skip to Many Drugs.
Continue only if you haven't been instructed to skip to elsewhere... `WAIT FOR AMBULANCE`
Operator	Wait for an ambulance, it's on the way.
Caller	Okay, I will wait with her. Bye!	Call ended.

Allergy[]

This is a potential solution, which will end the call early with a +5 Reputation reward (default is +3). It also stops the patient's "bleeding", which makes her a light injury (no need to transport her to a hospital). While you'll be giving up the opportunity to rack up additional Reputation points, the conversation ends much earlier than otherwise, allowing you to focus on other things.

This solution only becomes available if the patient was found at a pet store at the mall, and only if she is not having a heart attack ("crushing pain in her chest" reported in the opening line).

This solution has a 50% chance of working. If it fails, the conversation simply continues with a different line of questioning.

Optimal Conversation: Allergy[]

Speaker	Dialogue	Extra Effects
Continuing from Where... `HOW DOES HER FACE LOOK?`
Operator	How does her face look? Is there any rash, swelling of face or throat?
Caller	One minute . . . . . . . I don't know, her skin looks normal.	50% chance.
Caller	One minute . . . . . . . Yes! There is a little red rash on her neck!	50% chance.
If the caller reported a rash... `TAKE HER OUT OF THE SHOP`
Operator	Take her out of the shop! She might have an allergy to animals. That might explain her shortness of breath.
Caller	Ok! We'll do that! Please, get here quickly!	Reputation +2. Woman Bleeding rate set to 0. Elderly woman Bleeding rate set to 0. Call ended.

If the call hasn't ended at this point, skip to Who to continue the conversation from there.

Hyperventilation[]

This is a potential solution, which will allow you to IGNORE the call for a +2 Reputation reward (default is +3).

This solution only becomes available if the caller had been talking on her phone or exercising before the incident started (see What), and only has a 50% chance of success in either case. If it fails, you can go right back into the conversation as though nothing happened; but if it succeeds, you'll have locked yourself out of the remainder of the conversation with just 2 Reputation points - whereas the maximum reward for other solutions can be as high as +9 points.

Optimal Conversation: Hyperventilation[]

Speaker	Dialogue	Extra Effects
Continuing from What... If this option is available... `REST FOR A WHILE`
Operator	Shortness of breath might be result of exhausting excercises. Tell her to rest for a while. She needs to breath deeply and calmly.
Caller	Okay... Hey, you need to breathe deeply... Everything will be fine... Breathe in.... and out.... I don't think that's helping. We need an ambulance!	50% chance.
Caller	Okay... Hey, you need to breathe deeply... Everything will be fine... Breathe in.... and out.... Is it better? It looks that she's getting better!	50% chance. Reputation set to 2. Ignore Reputation set to 2.
If it worked, IGNORE the conversation as soon as your options come up. Otherwise, if this option is available... `CALM HER`
Operator	It might be the effect of stress, try to calm her down.
Caller	Okay... Hey, you need to breathe deeply... Everything will be fine... Breathe in.... and out.... I don't think that's helping. We need an ambulance!	50% chance.
Caller	Okay... Hey, you need to breathe deeply... Everything will be fine... Breathe in.... and out.... Is it better? It looks that she's getting better!	50% chance. Reputation set to 2. Ignore Reputation set to 2.
If it worked, IGNORE the conversation as soon as your options come up.

If the attempt at this solution was tried and failed, skip to Position.

Asthma[]

This is a potential solution, which will end the call with whatever Reputation reward you've managed to rack up so far. It has the advantage of stopping the woman's "bleeding", turning her into a lightly injured patient. This gives you plenty of time to treat her, and removes the need to take her to a hospital.

This option is completely disabled if the patient is having a heart attack ("crushing pain in her chest" reported in the opening line).

Optimal Conversation: Asthma[]

Speaker	Dialogue	Extra Effects
Continuing from Medication... `FIND INHALER`
Operator	Try to find an inhaler, it should be in a first aid kit or something personal in her bag. The inhaler usually shape like a big letter L, but it could be round as well. If you have to, help her use it: place it in her mouth between her teeth and press the plunger.
Caller	Okay, I'll do that, but send someone here fast!	Woman Bleeding rate set to 1.0/s. Elderly woman Bleeding rate set to 1.0/s. Call ended.

Many Drugs[]

This is a potential solution, which allows you to increase your reputation substantially before ending the call. You can earn either +2 or +3 reputation on top of any you've managed to earn thus far, potentially reaching the maximum +8 Reputation reward for treating the woman on site.

This solution is only available if the patient is having a heart attack ("crushing pain in her chest" reported in the opening line).

With multiple different drugs in the woman's purse, the operator can instruct the caller to search for nitroglycerin or aspirin among them. The caller has a 50% chance to find the suggested drug in the woman's purse. If the suggested drug is not found, you may select the other. Whether or not a drug is found, you will always gain Reputation merely for suggesting it; so the best possible case is not finding at least one of them.

Whether the correct drugs were found or not, if you've been following the Optimal Conversation, this should be the very end. Otherwise, you'll get the chance to switch over to Position.

Optimal Conversation: Many Drugs[]

Speaker	Dialogue	Extra Effects
Continuing from Medication... `NITROGLYCERIN`
Operator	Look for nitroglycerin!	Reputation +2.
Caller	I'm looking for it . . . . . . . I can't... fuck... There's nothing like that in her purse! Is there anything else that will work?	50% chance.
Caller	Okay. . . . . . Here, I've got it! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Okay, she's taken the medicine, what now?	50% chance.
If the caller couldn't find nitroglycerin... `ASPIRIN`
Operator	Aspirin could delay an impending heart attack. She should chew it before swallowing to make it more effective.	Reputation +1.
Caller	I'm looking for it . . . . . . . I can't... fuck... There's nothing like that in her purse! Is there anything else that will work?	50% chance.
Caller	Okay. . . . . . Here, I've got it! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Okay, she's taken the medicine, what now?	50% chance.
The conversation continues automatically whether or not either drug could be found...
Operator	Wait for an ambulance, it's on the way.
Caller	Okay, I will wait with her. Bye!	Call ended.

After Action Report[]

Condition ID	If...	After-Action Report Text
Story	Opening Lines 1-5 only	"A person near caller suffered from shortness of breath."
Badadviceanimal	`DON'T TOUCH HER!`	"A reason of the dyspnea was strong animal allergy. Operator mistakenly thought that was a contagious disease and aroused panic. In result, victim didn't get proper help and died."
Goodadvice	`REST FOR A WHILE` (50% chance)	"Operator gave a proper medical instruction."
	`CALM HER` (50% chance)
	`TAKE HER OUT OF THE SHOP`
	`TELL HER TO LAY DOWN` (Depending on opening line)
	`SIT UP`
	`TRIPOD POSITION`
Badadvice	`GIVE RED PILL`	""Operator gave an improper medical instruction."
	`GIVE BLUE PILL`
	`TELL HER TO LAY DOWN` (Depending on opening line)
Nitroglyc	`NITROGLYCERIN`	"Operator advised to give nitroglycerin to a person who suffers heart attack, which is the best medical solution in such situation."
Asp	`ASPIRIN`	"Operator advised to give aspirin to a person who suffers heart attack, which could help to stop or delay heart attack, especially if it don't start yet."
Baddrug	`ANTIBIOTIC`	"Operator advised to give unproper medicine to a person who suffers heart attack."