[In his latest distinctive Gamasutra opinion piece, Reset Generation/Pocket Kingdom co-creator Scott Foe explains the Campbell 'Hero's Journey' monomyth, and challenges designers to... automate it?]
There I was, in what had to have been the first-ever public speaking stump in my professional career: Hackers 2001, an invite-only support-group for people who suffer from rules-allergies, hidden away in the Californian cranny of Yosemite.
I really shouldn't have been so nervous, seeing as most of the attendees were gorging on ganj and/or hugging the hops from morning onward.
(Perhaps I was nervous because I was possibly the only one there in Yosemite who was not "high on nature," having been, at that time, a not-so-proud member of court-ordered rehab, due to a tiny misunderstanding that had occurred at a Paul Oakenfold show in Fresno earlier that Summer: The tiny misunderstanding being that I thought that a seven thousand dollar lawyer would do more than advise, "Plead guilty.")
Hackers was truly one of the most delightful conferences I have ever attended: Three days sequestered away in some lodge with a bunch of people who see the world as something that needs fixing - we're not talking your "black hat"-variety hackers, no, we're talking those MacGyver-types, who, whether through technology or even social engineering, use constructs in ways that were not intended by their creators. We were each assigned a roommate for the weekend: Somebody that we hadn't met before, somebody to bond with.
(And if you ended up not thrilled by that somebody, it didn't matter, as the whole affair played out as seventy-two hours huddled together in small groups charged by sleepless, electric discourse.)
There was no schedule of speakers at Hackers 2001. The first night of the conference was a flurry of Pecha Kucha (mini-presentation), where each attendee would get up in front of a mic for five minutes to describe the perception-flipping hacks that they were working on. (My favorite was the toilet that played Ms. Pac-Man.)
Down the hallway of the lodge were different rooms labeled by category where one could sign up a time and speak about whatever one pleased - and whatever I please is almost invariably "video games."
My thought for discussion was "The Campbell Engine," so named for the American mythologist Joseph Campbell, who, through his Earth-breaking work The Hero with a Thousand Faces, had developed and described "The Hero's Journey" (also known as "The Monomyth," a phrase coined by James Joyce in Finnegans Wake) a narrative template that appears throughout stories, across time and across culture.
My question was, why hasn't somebody automated The Monomyth? Why hasn't somebody made "The Automyth?"
At the close of my virgin presentation, two attendees approached me with a solemn, "We have to talk." In the privacy outside of the lodge, these hackers informed me that they were hard-working on just that, a "Campbell Engine," a system for automated narrative. I know you hear this all the time, but I think this was the first time that the notion truly came off the street and rented space in my brain: Whatever grand plan it is that you have, there are others out there that have it too: All plans are "Monoplans."
A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man. - Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces
I'm going to in this section summarize the Monomyth - forgive me those who know it well, forgive me those who don't - I am no Joseph Campbell. (Hell, I'm not even Joseph Dirt.) Suffice it to say, these themes and textures can be found throughout human story the world and eras over. Though not all elements appear in all stories, nor do elements appear in the same ordering in all stories, the "nuclear unit" of "separation," "initiation," and "return" pervades.
PHASE 1: DEPARTURE (also known as SEPARATION)
The Call to Adventure: Our protagonist is heralded to adventure, often times through some "helper." This is the first notice to our protagonist that "things are going to change." Example: In the comedy-drama Knocked Up, the hero receives notice that he has impregnated a one-night lover, and that the adventure, pregnancy, awaits.
Refusal of the Call: Oftentimes, a protagonist will, for whatever reason, refuse the call to adventure. Example: In the J.J. Abrams re-launch of the Star Trek franchise, James Kirk wants nothing to do with Star Fleet, an organization to which his father belonged and an organization for which his father died.
Supernatural Aid: Once committed to the adventure, the hero becomes aided by a powerful somebody and/or something. Example: In Adam Sandler's comedic golf romp Happy Gilmore, Happy is trained in golf by one-handed Pro-Tour legend Chubbs Peterson.
The Crossing of the First Threshold: At this point the hero enters the world of adventure, where everything the hero knows to be true must be left behind for the unknown. Example: In Tolkien's prototype-fantasy The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins must leave his house and walk down the path, behind him the safety and comfort of the shire, in front of him what he does not know. Oftentimes, there is a "Threshold Gaurdian" or "Threshold Battle," someone or something blocking the path to adventure.
Brother-Battle: The hero must do battle with or placate a brother (or the like) figure. Example: At the opening of the Wachowski brothers' Speed Racer, Speed races the ghost of his brother, deciding at the last second not to break his dead brother's track record.
Dragon-Battle: The hero must do battle with or placate a fearsome opponent. Example: In the screw-ball sporting comedy Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, the team from Average Joe's must best Girl Scout troupe 417 at a game of dogeball.
Abduction: The hero does not always cross the threshold willingly (and "abduction" can sometimes be the killing or kidnapping of somebody the hero loves). Example: There wasn't much that Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz could do about that twister - she was going to Oz whether she wanted to or not.
Crucifixion/Dismemberment: The hero does not always fair well when crossing the threshold. Example: The Fugitive's Dr. Richard Kimble loses his struggle with the one-armed man and is then condemned (crucified) by the law.
Night Sea Journey: The hero journeys into darkness, not knowing where he or she is going. Example: In Alice in Wonderland, Alice falls down the rabbit hole, not knowing where it will lead.
Wonder Journey: The hero steps into a world that is completely unreal and unlike anything the hero has ever seen before. Example: In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone, Hagrid takes Harry to Diagon Alley.
The Belly of the Whale: This is the protagonist's final separation from his/her old self - the protagonist is "swallowed up" by something dangerous, and undergoes a metamorphosis, opens his/herself up to the new world of adventure, showing that he/she is no longer "a fish out of water" and that he/she is resigned to the fact that there is no going back from here. Example: In the original Ghostbusters film, Dr. Venkman and the gang are jailed by the Environmental Protection Agency, leaving the city of New York and the Ghost Busters both in jeopardy.
PHASE 2: INITIATION
The Road of Trials: Tests and challenges present themselves to our hero, along with new allies and enemies - sometimes our hero fails. Example: In Stephen Sondheim's musical fairytale Into the Woods, the Baker must collect (one) the cow as white as snow, (two) the hair as yellow as corn, (three) the cape as red as blood, and (four) the slipper as pure as gold. Along the way, the Baker is aided by his wife, and together they encounter obstacles in the form of Jack, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, and Cinderella. Unfortunately for the Baker, the "cow as white as snow" dies before the Baker has a chance to complete his mission.
The Meeting with the Goddess (also known as The Sacred Marriage): The hero encounters true love, a love so complete and unquestioned that it is akin to maternal love - if this object of love has been hesitant in the past, that hesitancy vanishes. (This object of love is not necessarily a woman, or even a person; this object's conquest represents the hero's "total mastery of life.") Example: In HBO's Sex and the City, despite an all-the-time dramatically up-and-down relationship, Carrie Bradshaw finally weds Mr. Big.
Temptation to Quit (written by Campbell as "Woman as Temptress"): Something or somebody tempts the hero to abandon the arduous toil of adventure. Example: In the second installment of Wachowski brothers' science fiction epic The Matrix (The Matrix: Reloaded), Neo is offered easy survival by The Architect if he will abandon his quest to take down the machines.
Atonement with the Father: This is the crux of the Hero's Journey, the confrontation with the ultimate power. Example: At the close of Joss Whedon's urban horror-opera television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy must enter the "hell mouth" that lies beneath the Sunnydale high school and closes the hell mouth once and for all.
Apotheosis: The hero achieves divinity, godhood, extreme power, inner peace, or self-assurance. Example: In The Transformers: The Movie, Hot Rod opens the Autobot Matrix of Leadership and becomes Rodimus Prime.
The Ultimate Boon (also known as Elixir Theft): The hero has achieved the reward of his/her quest (most often by obtaining or destroying something of great significance). Example: In the stoner super-adventure Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, both Harold and Kumar, having vanquished their "road of trials," indulge in the gluttony of consuming plates piled high with White Castle sliders and fries.
PHASE 3: RETURN
Refusal of the Return: Now that the hero has found The Ultimate Boon, achieved Apotheosis, or has had a Meeting with the Goddess, that hero is reluctant to return to the ordinary world. Example: In the classic fantasy tale The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, upon liberating Narnia from the White Witch, the hero children stay to rule Narnia for many years before returning home.
The Magic Flight: Returning from the journey can be just as dangerous as embarking on the journey. Example: In Spielberg's great war box-office explosion, Saving Private Ryan, once Private Ryan is found, the U.S. soldiers must still face overwhelming odds against Nazi military forces.
Rescue from Without: Sometimes (for whatever reason) the hero needs assistance (helpers) in returning from the adventure. Example: At the close of Hayo Miyazaki's animation masterpiece Kaze no Tani no Naushika (Naushika and the Valley of the Wind), Naushika is, for all intents and purposes, dead to the world, and it is only the "omu" (bug creatures) that can bring her back.
Crossing the Return Threshold: Upon returning to the ordinary world, the hero is faced with the challenge of accepting the ordinary world as his/her own, and the challenge of applying lessons learned from adventure to that ordinary world. (There is sometimes a struggle or a price to be paid when crossing the return threshold.) Example: At the close of hipster journey of self-discovery Swingers, loser-at-love Mike crosses the "return threshold" by hanging up on the ex-girlfriend that he has incessantly pined for, in favor of talking to a new girl who he had just recently met at a club.
Master of the Two Worlds: The hero has become well-adjusted to both the world of adventure and to the ordinary world and can share his/her knowledge (and/or spoils) with others. Example: At the close of Spiderman 2, Peter Parker has finally revealed his other identity to Mary Jane; Peter can now fulfil his duties as Spiderman with confidence while at the same time maintaining a relationship with Mary Jane. ("Go get'em, tiger.")
Freedom to Live: The hero sheds him/herself of fear of death, and so has the "freedom to live." Example: At the finale of kung-fu fighting flick The Last Dragon, Bruce Leroy has achieved "the glow" through defeating Eddie Arcadian and Sho'nuff (the Shogun of Harlem) - with the ability to "catch bullets with his teeth," Bruce Leroy now has the freedom to live.
Our gaming-fu is masterful indeed: At this point in our collective discipline, we have Diablo's random dungeon generator, Left 4 Dead's AI director, and Jonathan Blow's ultra-opus Braid. (Jon, if you're reading this, let's form "Blow, Foe, and Co." Call me!)
So why don't we have "The Automyth?" Why haven't we automated the Monomyth? Hackers 2001 was in the year 2001 (believe it or not); I figured by 2009 we would be way past randomly generated narrative and well into subtly administering Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) or Kiersy Sorter tests to players to determine Jungian Archetype and react. (Like, eliminate chores or collections for Extrovert Intuitive Feeling Thinking players.)
But I digress. I've noticed with previous articles that the comments sections always wind up being better than the articles themselves (except in the case of Opinion: Be A Wiener, which is still my favorite piece).
With that in mind, I'm making this Automyth piece a "Challenge" instead of an "Opinion." Take the below code and make us an Automyth - or, hey, start from scratch. Use the comments section to display your work and discuss the work of others. What parts do we need? What do we not need? Is an Automyth even possible?
The creator/coder/author of the best Automyth entry will win an all-expenses-paid-by-you dinner date with myself, gorgeous Adonis of the video gaming scene Scott Foe. [EDITOR'S NOTE: In your face, Foe!] (Extra points will be given to smarty pants, know-it-alls, and over-achievers.) Also, glory and shameless self-promotion await any and all submitters to the comments section below! Good luck!
enum EAutomythState {
//adventure not started
ORDINARY_WORLD,
//"departure"
THE_CALL_TO_ADVENTURE,
REFUSAL_OF_THE_CALL,
SUPERNATURAL_AID,
THE_CROSSING_OF_THE_FIRST_THRESHOLD,
THE_BELLY_OF_THE_WHALE,
//"initiation"
THE_ROAD_OF_TRIALS,
THE_SACRED_MARRIAGE,
TEMPTATION_TO_QUIT,
ATONEMENT_WITH_THE_FATHER,
APOTHEOSIS,
THE_ULTIMATE_BOON,
//"return"
REFUSAL_OF_THE_RETURN,
THE_MAGIC_FLIGHT,
RESCUE_FROM_WITHOUT,
CROSSING_THE_RETURN_THRESHOLD,
MASTER_OF_THE_TWO_WORLDS,
FREEDOM_TO_LIVE
};
class CAutomyth {
public:
protected:
private:
EAutomythState mState;
};
|
1)As you state, even Campbell himself admits that no single myth (even the epics) has every single feature of his Journey, nor do they always occur in that exact order. The myths on which his template can be overlayed most fittingly still require metaphorical extension to fit securely. Part of the reason for this is that one of Campbell's major sources, Frazier's Golden Bough, is full of third hand stories which have never been validated by modern anthropologists who've actually studied in the locations which Frazier referenced.
The more important reason is that no great myth or story was actually created using any such template: this is a major reason why so many action and adventure films and novels feel so predictable - you can easily imagine the screenwriter with his/her well thumbed copy of "Hero of a Thousand Faces" (the book in which Campbell first introduced the Hero's Journey) plugging away at the keyboard.
Truly unique art, whether narrative, visual or mechancial (yes L4D is mechanically artistic!) cannot be soley the product of a collection of algorithms or rules, it can only be the product of one or more minds. The complexity of the human mind is one of the reasons Jungian analysts are now an extreme rarity and most companies who use psychological profiling these days use more than one test.
2) It would require a huge effort to make sure all the "randomly" generated components had the necessary narrative depth to maintain immersion, both in-and-of themselves and in connection to the other selected components. If the depth isn't there, the immersive aspects of the game would be "broken", with only stellar game play to save it from the bargain bin.
I think that you can procedurally narrate certain aspects of a story (like the specific location of the Magic Totem within the game world, or even which Totem must be sought), and link those "random" bits together with prearranged narrative, but the likelihood of producing boringly predictable or completely nonsensical stories by generating the *entire* plot structure is just too great. You'd never entirely randomize the physics or art of a game world (although in carefully designed sequences this IS cool!), so why completely randomize the story?
Or to put it another way: will a million monkeys with a million typewriters EVER create Hamlet or the Aeneid or The Big Lebowski (sorry couldn't resist that last one)? No. But could the same monkeys with keyboards that had buttons like "niiice" and "easy there, bro" ever add funny dialogue to a story? Yes - the procedural dialogue of L4D is proof of this (monkeys = algorithms).
wow that was long - sorry! And it's just my opinion - so please don't be offended if you disagree (i won't claim i'm smart enuff to be sure about any of this)
I would say yes, but only giving that an infinite amount of time was allowed. Probability would dicate that in the vast amount of infinity, it would have to happen at least once.
But yeah, I suppose that kind of reflects my idea on the Automyth: in the vast span of infinity, the engine would be able to create something engaging and immersive at least once, but, as evidenced by entertainment itself, bonafide authors/designers/creators have a much, MUCH higher chance of doing so than the engine.
The only case I would grant an exception to the engine's limitations would be if strong AI were acheived and implemented in the engine. Being a proponent of strong AI, I think that it could do the job of what this engine proposes, but that's a separate matter entirely.
Really engaging article. More is craved. Having wading thru far too many predictable and terrible plots devised by us human AIs, I have to assume there's some significant room for interesting storytelling automata, without going Wolfram on everyone and proclaiming the deaths of everything you know, including both the writer and the designer. Now if only I can condense my enthusiasm into clever C++ code in the next few hours...
I love the article and the idea of this project. I agree, however, with the comment that truly successful monomyths have classically used a lot of metaphor and intertwining symbolism; this sort of thing seems difficult to automate. However, before we give up too easily, let's question what the true aim of this project is: are we attempting to create stories that feel "true," classically and earnestly told? Or are we trying to push a new sort of storytelling to create a fun game experience? As a first attempt, I would almost prefer to take a lighthearted approach to this: knowingly abstract the parts of the story to the point of near-absurdity. In the past, players have accepted red mushrooms as "magical boons" and anthropomorphic turtles as "threshold guardians..." I say they would not only do it again, but would enjoy a randomly-generated story more readily with this sort of lighthearted tone.
I believe in the replay power of a game that randomly assembles pieces of a myth from pools of options, assuming the game didn't take itself too seriously. Today perhaps the adventure is to defeat, say, the fish king. Once the fish king option is chosen, this affects some of the assets and enemies along the way. Perhaps the supernatural aid is a magic leaf-blower; this element would affect the way the player tries to get through his quest. There could be pre-made segments for abduction, brother-battle, etc. Each adventure, only a few of these optional sections would be used. Rotation of assets and powers would keep these encounters entertaining.
Again, I do not know the sort of product others have in mind for this challenge. I, however, am very excited about the concept described above. I see it as perhaps an action platformer, or maybe a side-scroller. The “ordinary world” could be a hometown your character visits between each new adventure. Hey, perhaps the boons you bring back to the ordinary world permanently affect your home and its NPCs! This would add a collection/ completion aspect.
Sorry for the long post. I hope my ideas inspire some discussion as to the tone, execution, and ultimate purpose of an “automyth” project.
Cheers,
Jeremy Putnam
http://jeremyputnam.com/
Now, how do we use this in games? There's the AAA question.
For RPG it's great, but the plots would become predictable.
In a sandbox style system a player might want to just run around doing other things.
Let's not forget the villains journey.
Nowadays with morality decisions etc. the player can say screw it, I'm destroying this world
because it's more fun.
Thinking about producing all the extra content needed based on random generation
...my head hurts.
You've got me rethinking: if the goal isn't to produce a culturally significant artifact (i.e. a Myth), but simply an enjoyable experience (i.e. a plethora of stories), then I think this is possible.
http://gamestudies.org/0801/articles/hall_baird
it's a similar attempt using Polti's Dramatic Situations rather than the Hero's Journey.
So, I picked few spare hours to write down a short concept of how I'd do it, and put it into web as pdf file.
https://www.box.net/shared/q2o159yvs8
I assume that if I win the challenge, there is nothing that prevents me selling my prize in the eBay?
http://www.storytron.com
When I read Campbell's work years ago I was very excited because it felt like a new way of thinking, a new school of thought that would lead to years of creative exploration. But as years have gone by I've noticed (rather depressingly) that his idea of the monomyth had become a standardized 'template' to be used to crank out uninspired and depressingly formulaic stories. There are a dozen books that have watered down his theory into a palatable mash with all of the psychological insights cleanly removed. In his lectures Campbell was clearly trying to show how myths could awaken human consciousness, but that aspect of his message gets lost in the call for entertainment.
To some extent an 'automated monomyth' seems like the ultimate degeneration of his work... Not that I don't believe it could be done, but I think it would take someone who possessed the skills of a master programmer and the soul of a modern day shaman.
This is excellent work detailed in your .pdf, and I suggest that readers check it out: A great display of skill! My thoughts are ...
* Unfortunately, the formatting of the original article was lost when published here: "Brother Battle," "Dragon Battle," "Night Sea Journey," "Crusifiction," "Dismemberment," "Wonder Journey," and "Abduction" are all "Threshold Battles," and there is generally but one Threshold Battle before entering the "Belly of the Whale" (the point of no return).
* Did you envision pathes between non-adjacent cells? Pathing between non-adjacent cells would provide for a richer possibility-space. Also, as not all stories should possess all elements, perhaps a "hop limit" between same-phase cells.
@ Arthur Williams
Wow, I love that phrase, "Villain's Journey." I wonder, would a Villain's Journey ultimately vary from the monomyth template?
Rather the Hero's journey, it's three phases and all that's with in it is a paradigm that happens to naturally come out of our creative selves. The hero's journey/monomyth seams, to me, to be an Epiphenomenon- "An epiphenomenon can be an effect of primary phenomena, but cannot affect a primary phenomenon. In philosophy of mind, epiphenomenalism is the view that mental phenomena are epiphenomena in that they can be caused by physical phenomena, but cannot cause physical phenomena" thanks to wikipedia.
Now I'm not trying to say that the monomyth is worthless it can be a great tool, but the base- the setting, characters, allegories, and all the nuanced and creative aggregates that some how make one movie, book or game so much more enjoyable than another- must me thought of and put in place by a creative mind(s) before some sort of automyth engine could do anything worthwhile with them.
On another note, it seems like the game industry (which I hope to be a productive part of one day) loves Joseph Campbell's hero's journey but ignores his other work. I am currently working my way into Creative mythology and it has much that could help some game designers that are looking to ad meaning and depth to their game's stories- because like it or not, like the medium before them games will help create new myths; not just rip of them off for cheap thrills.
great post and wonderful conversation, what would I do without gamasutra
Thanks
To make an analogue. The monomyth could be considered to be raw bits of data and it would take one hell of an engine to take those raw bits of data and turn them into information with out a boatload of preset conditions and context- context is key..
One thing that I did not mention in paper is the fact that the dimensions and shapes of the map may of course be changed to what suits best, and most likely would need lots of prototyping and testing. By that way it would be easy to both, adjust the movement through "Treshold Battles" so that it is only travelled through once. In addition one could easily adjust the maximum path in phases by adjusting shape and dimensions of map, to suit the style of game we are working on.
As the map cells get originally filled by random "story units" I assume that the variation in the story path will be enough even when allowing very simple paths with only movement to adjancent cells allowed.
Jacob Haug: You have excellent point in there what I do agree. I though whole automyth concept more as bigger highlevel guideline for story that can be shaped through character interactions. What I see very important as a background is the "world" to exist. With that, I mean full descriptions of different races, their relations, certain amount of predefined encounters (which should of course be so generic that creatures / traps / other challenges in them can be switched and that switch could have decent level of effect into the encounter itself). When the world would be defined, the automyth could control the mainflow. Each cell of automyth map would have generated special encounter mapped into it, defining also the type of the challenge. This mapping would be done by certain racial/encounter type relativity mapping so that adjancent story unit cells would contain compatible encounters. This would keep the story more solid and allow us to generate nice translation in minor encounters that would take place in transition between major encounters that are the main point of story unit cell.
I should most likely draw it out, to get myself understood, but maybe someone gets a bit of clue what I am trying to describe here.
To summarize, I do believe that automyth could be tool for main story itself but it would need other tools to work with and generate the world. Those tools would include at least game area generator, encounter generator, racial relation management, environmental relation manager and so on.
Scott Foe & Arthur Williams: When I wrote that quick draft, I aimed it to single hero concept. However, my head kept ticking it forward, and that is where that Villain's Journey comes into my mind as well. I was thinking the fact that often in plots the Hero and Villain are trying to reach the same "goal" or "middle goal" such as some special artifact or so. So, why not make them walk in the same "map"? If we could place both the hero and villain starting in the same map, having their goals set, they could start traveling there same time. The story itself could be weaved around the moment their paths cross. And if they do not directly cross their paths before the final encounter, they could certainly come into cells where the other has been already and find the marks there, giving lots more depth to the plot.
And when we are in there, why wouldn't we create both major and minor villains and possible friends there as well. Minor villains could for example have less effect for cells they have travelled through, but would still effect it somehow giving more depth. If you for example hit enough on the same path with certain villain, even though he might be minor one, you might feel like finding yourself an own personal archenemy.
..
So lot's of words and ideas thrown into air here. Fascinating topic indeed.
Crawford refers to a few academics who have worked to identify many "atoms" of storytelling, such as the Hero, the Mentor, the Theft, the Wrong to Be Righted, the Final Battle, the Loyal Henchman, etc... These atoms are arranged artistically into story. Logically, there should be a quantifiable set of rules for possible arrangements of any two atoms. Thinking in object-orientation, each atom has a set of interfaces , each interface capable of connection to one other sort of atom. The Victim can be Kidnapped by the Hungry Beast living in a Dark Cave on the Stormy Mountain where the Wise Old Woman keeps the Divine Weapon to be wielded For Just Cause by the Dashing Hero.
While playing Saga or Ryzom, I encountered an ecological simulation that governed the spread of animal and vegetable species. What if an ecology of story atoms were to be contrived that would spawn the necessary components of story into a virtual world? Two story atoms in appropriate proximity would compare available interfaces and possibly begin the chainlinks to create a whole story. The Hero atom is of course the player's avatar, and the story would begin once the Hero becomes the final necessary component.
Campbell's phases form the top-level states of a finite state machine (FSM) governing the progress of the Hero through the course of the instance of the monomyth. The myth states enumerated above are substates of the top-level states. Each state and substate of a FSM has rules governing the behavior of the overall system depending on current (sub)state, and also rules for entry to and exit from the (sub)state.
I need to ruminate on this some more. I hope the discussion hasn't completely petered out by now.