Before I get 3d game studio/A7 Commercial edition...

...Noob Questions:
1. I've read in a book about 3dgs that it can play sounds, but only short sounds. How long (seconds and/or minutes) can 3dgs play one sound? How can I use longer sounds in my 3dgs games for things like characters talking, or having a long conversation?

2. In the same book I mentioned (it was called "The Official Guide to 3D Gamestudio A6", and I have it), it also talked about Finit State Machines for advanced AI. Are Finit State Machines for human simulation games possible in 3dgs, using lots of "if... then... else" statements as the Finit State Machines?