After reading this article, can’t help to try and deep dive to the world of bustling fantasy world that offered by the AI machine language of ChatGPT. Despite of my early skeptics, the lengthy prompt interestingly capable to emulate the AI as text adventure platform sandbox, that allowing, even with simple and intuitive way, the system to develop the world, scenarios, inhabitants and event its myth and legends.
Recently, I have been experimenting with AI-powered classic text adventure authoring, using the OpenAI, Bard, and Perplexity. All the three AI platform seems to understood and accepted the idea for them to run as a text adventure RPG. The initial prompt for the authoring process, run effectively:
I want you to act as if you are in a classic adventure-based role-playing game and we are playing.
As the functions within the game system progress, however, among these, OpenAI has proven to provide the most immersive user experience for the classic text RPG genre. This is largely due to its capability, or potential, to greatly enhance the explanations regarding the ambiance and atmosphere within the in-game situations.
For instance, wanting the game system to offer insights to help users progress in the game, I have also included the prompt:
Depending on the story, the system should provide options on how to proceed with the game.
This is where the AI produces varied outputs, adding further diversity to the overall experience.
Perplexity gives me a list of actions, without explanations. Something like: “What would you like to do: (o) Look around, (o) Go to the Mystical Forest.” and so on.
OpenAI, however, give an actionable lists that can be triggered by using the number and words as if it was pre-programmed game.
And, Bard seems to be similar to Perplexity but with better explanations of the action lists.
This kind of nuance seems to be consistent in many elements of the game. On another example, the initial run of the prompt in Perplexity describing the world and initial setting of the game. However, it still unable to persistently simulate itself as if the user and the AI as narrator of the game to be truly living within the game. Aside from almost copy and paste explanation of the prompt, the explanation also describe it as if they are outside the game, by mention that ‘NPC’s as an object of the game.
Bard, on the other hand, provide a more fluid and immersive in game story. However, as it provide least control for the user to progress the game, Bard positioned itself much more as a story teller rather than a game system.
I was shocked when the OpenAI provide much more immersive initial setup. Not only that it give more control for the user, it also provide mood settings for the player.
The “Proceed with caution,” is exceptionally surprising and satisfying for me.
