The Creative Process and Challenges

Every creative process has its quirks. Sometimes, you come up with a solution without any clue what problem it's meant to solve. Well, I had one of those moments. I paired a large language model (LLM) with a state engine, just to see if it would work. Of course, it worked—it's not rocket science. But seeing it live? Somehow, it felt a bit like magic.

Then it hit me: perfect for a text adventure! Suddenly, I could walk through rooms, explore environments - the whole thing felt quite brilliant. But here's the catch: I'm a computer scientist, not Hemingway. That's where the LLM stepped in again. I set the plot and mood, and the LLM handled the Hemingway part.

I come up with the puzzles, and Hemingway - uh, I mean the LLM - does the rest. And that, my friends, is how you create a solution that suddenly gives you a whole new problem to solve.

Writing Challenges

So, it turns out that adding a StateEngine and some mood into an LLM was just the start of even more challenges! Crafting a text adventure is much more than simply putting words on a page – it's about creating compelling characters, maintaining a coherent plot, and keeping everything consistent, all while trying to channel a bit of Hemingway. And on top of all that, there's a new problem to tame: the LLM itself. Like trying to train a tiger, you need to make sure it doesn't decide to go rogue and rewrite your story or plot on a whim, turning your carefully crafted narrative into something else entirely. Hemingway, indeed.

Text-based adventures demand good writing, interesting characters, a gripping plot, and engaging mechanics. Many existing games fall short because they either have a strong storyline but poor writing, uninspired characters, or great text that lacks meaningful content. Striking the right balance between all of these elements is what makes a text adventure truly special. And now I truly understand what it means to satisfy all these aspects equally – it's like trying to create a masterpiece. And let's be honest, sometimes even a mad experiment needs a bit of polish to turn into something great. 😉