Making a Module using ChatGPT
- Thread starter Beoric
- Start date
Beoric
8, 8, I forget what is for
I know, right? You can train it within a session, but it loses all of that content when you end the session. I'm pretty sure that is an intentional limitation to manage the experiment. You can see how if it was able to keep learning from what you input, so that over time it absorbed your preferences (such as removing adjectives like "large") and your ideas about what made a good module, you could create modules in a very short period of time. Maybe even good ones. I bet you could get to "not making @bryce0lynch hate his life" pretty easily.
If you could pair it with an art AI program that could do the same thing with maps, you would be cookin'. I wouldn't be surprised to see this as a concept within a few years, and as a product within a decade.
squeen
8, 8, I forget what is for
This is astonishing that there were not many more verbal gaffs. It's almost like you are chatting with the computer on the Enterprise. Stunning.
I should love this more because, if fast enough, it could make it possible to generate the details of an entire world on-the-fly with an amazing level of detail.
Truth is, I see what this is going to do to content --- make it so ubiquitous and effortless that it will eventually lose all value.
And I paranoid? FWIW I never was much into random dungeon generation with dice and tables either. Even if indistinguishable, it means more to me knowing it coming from a human mind.
I should love this more because, if fast enough, it could make it possible to generate the details of an entire world on-the-fly with an amazing level of detail.
Truth is, I see what this is going to do to content --- make it so ubiquitous and effortless that it will eventually lose all value.
And I paranoid? FWIW I never was much into random dungeon generation with dice and tables either. Even if indistinguishable, it means more to me knowing it coming from a human mind.
Beoric
8, 8, I forget what is for
The computer's output is still very much dependent on human input, so at this point there is still value to human creativity. It is just another tool.
However I do see the potential to flood the market with some very mediocre modules.
squeen
8, 8, I forget what is for
I think that may have already happened!
Personally I don't care whether it came from a human mind. I care whether it's self-consistent and can be interacted with in a way that feels real. My dissatisfaction with random dungeon generation centers on the lack of cohesion: monster A's presence in the ruins is utterly decoupled from monster B's and from the state of the ruins, BY DESIGN. I would enjoy a more sophisticated procedural generation method which seeds a region with resources and some monsters, then has monsters move towards resources they desire, form alliances with or drive out other monsters, and leave signs of these interactions for desecrators/delvers/adventurers to observe and infer things about which monsters are where and where treasures can be found.
I didn't look closely enough at the chatGPT output to see if it has this kind of consistency, but I would be astonished if it did.
squeen
8, 8, I forget what is for
If it lacks those elements today...then that will be fixed someday for sure. All the arguments against AI generation based on content quality will eventually be addressed...and yet it will still sadden me to see the human's role in all this diminished. That's because I take so little pleasure in being a consumer and so much a creator. I fear it will hollow out the hobby as an active hobby (as opposed to a yet another passive-consumption activity).
Morbid and morose, I know. I'd be better served to adopt Beoric's (and other's) viewpoint of AI content generation as a tool.
Eh, maybe, but frankly I'm astonished enough that a GPT-based engine was able to copy existing modules. I'm not going to hold my breath hoping for something more, especially when it would be so much easier to create the deeper modeling explicitly. It's like hoping for GPT to generate a working videogame for you--it could happen in theory with nonzero probability, but it's not something I expect GPT to be capable of and not what it's designed for.
You're more optimistic about AI content generation than I am. I see potential there for non-artists to generate customized art that is good enough for some purposes ("robot turtle with a laser gun") but only for casual purposes, like a quick-and-dirty splash screen for a game prototype ("Megaturtles", the game I am trying to get ready before the end of this month). It's faster and easier and more legal than copy-and-pasting together photographs from old magazines, but it's recognizably samey. Getting good art from a human artist would be preferable if I knew how to draw or could hire someone else to do so.
I don't expect GPT-based content generation EVER to replace human expertise. I'd be thrilled to be wrong but as far as this thread goes I'm just impressed that chatGPT is able to generate dungeon layouts at all. I'd be equally impressed by a cat who is able to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on the piano.
robertsconley
Should be playing D&D instead
So in the midst of writing of my Into the Majestic Fantasy Realms there are a few entries I got stuck on and put off detailing them until had an idea. I have a small suite of random generators to act as idea generators and aides, but their results can get repetitive and thus fail to inspire me.
Based on this thread I decided to try ChatGPT and see what I could do.
One entry I was stuck on was the Burning Tors
A mountain range in the middle of a desert. The only image I had when I drew this was a sunblasted mountain range like some of the ones in southern Arizona.
Based on this thread I decided to try ChatGPT and see what I could do.
One entry I was stuck on was the Burning Tors
A mountain range in the middle of a desert. The only image I had when I drew this was a sunblasted mountain range like some of the ones in southern Arizona.
robertsconley
Should be playing D&D instead
Me: The Burning Tors are a desert mountain range in the middle of the Forsaken Desert. To the north lies the deep canyon known as as Ironedge Chasm, and to the southern are the vast dunes of the Forsaken Deserts.
Create a unique description of the Burning Tors based on the above description using various Dungeon & Dragons Monster Manuals.
(discard)*
Create another unique description of the Burning Tors based on the above description using various Dungeon & Dragons Monster Manuals.
(discard)
Create another unique description of the Burning Tors based on the above description using various Dungeon & Dragons Monster Manuals.
==================================================
Chat GPT: The Burning Tors are a formidable range of mountains, their jagged peaks piercing the skyline like the spines of some great beast. Nestled within their rocky folds lies the Ironedge Chasm, a deep and treacherous gorge that is home to all manner of fearsome creatures. From the winged beasts that soar through the skies above, such as griffons and manticores, to the scaled horrors that lurk in the shadows below, like hydras and salamanders, the Burning Tors are a place of danger and adventure. Despite the risks, many brave (or foolhardy) souls venture into these mountains in search of ancient ruins and lost treasures. But they must be wary of the searing heat, treacherous footing, and the constant threat of monstrous attack at every turn.
According to legend, the Burning Tors were once a peaceful range of mountains, home to a thriving community of dwarves and humans. But that all changed when a group of powerful mages, desperate for power, summoned a group of fire elementals to do their bidding. These elementals, bound to the will of the mages, were used to forge powerful magical weapons and armor.
As the mages delved deeper into the mountains, their greed and ambition only grew. They began to extract more and more power from the elementals, pushing them to their limits. And as they did, the elementals grew more and more unstable, their flames growing hotter and more volatile.
One day, something went terribly wrong. The elementals broke free from the mages' control, unleashing a massive inferno that engulfed the entire mountain range. The flames burned for days, turning the once-verdant peaks into a barren wasteland of ash and cinder.
The mages, realizing the grave error they had made, fled the mountains in terror, leaving behind only ruins and charred remains. And so the Burning Tors were born, a testament to the destructive power of magic and greed. To this day, the mountains still burn, the flames fueled by the elemental spirits that were once bound to them.
==================================================
So as a result I wrote
The Burning Tors
Jagged sunblasted peaks dominate the skyline of this range. The region is largely devoid of vegetation. The region is dotted by numerous fumaroles spewing heat and noxious gases. The barrier between the Elemental Plane of Fire and the Majestic Fantasy Realms is thin in the Burning Tors. As a result the region attracted the attention of dwarves and magic-users seeking to study elemental fire.
Several hundred ago an alliance between the dwarves and the mages of the Bright Empire sought the harness of the power of elemental fire. Their hubris broached the already thin barrier and swept the entire mountain range in fire from west to east. Afterwards it became one of the few region sof the Majestic Fantasy Realms where fire elementals roam freely in this world.
Create a unique description of the Burning Tors based on the above description using various Dungeon & Dragons Monster Manuals.
(discard)*
Create another unique description of the Burning Tors based on the above description using various Dungeon & Dragons Monster Manuals.
(discard)
Create another unique description of the Burning Tors based on the above description using various Dungeon & Dragons Monster Manuals.
==================================================
Chat GPT: The Burning Tors are a formidable range of mountains, their jagged peaks piercing the skyline like the spines of some great beast. Nestled within their rocky folds lies the Ironedge Chasm, a deep and treacherous gorge that is home to all manner of fearsome creatures. From the winged beasts that soar through the skies above, such as griffons and manticores, to the scaled horrors that lurk in the shadows below, like hydras and salamanders, the Burning Tors are a place of danger and adventure. Despite the risks, many brave (or foolhardy) souls venture into these mountains in search of ancient ruins and lost treasures. But they must be wary of the searing heat, treacherous footing, and the constant threat of monstrous attack at every turn.
According to legend, the Burning Tors were once a peaceful range of mountains, home to a thriving community of dwarves and humans. But that all changed when a group of powerful mages, desperate for power, summoned a group of fire elementals to do their bidding. These elementals, bound to the will of the mages, were used to forge powerful magical weapons and armor.
As the mages delved deeper into the mountains, their greed and ambition only grew. They began to extract more and more power from the elementals, pushing them to their limits. And as they did, the elementals grew more and more unstable, their flames growing hotter and more volatile.
One day, something went terribly wrong. The elementals broke free from the mages' control, unleashing a massive inferno that engulfed the entire mountain range. The flames burned for days, turning the once-verdant peaks into a barren wasteland of ash and cinder.
The mages, realizing the grave error they had made, fled the mountains in terror, leaving behind only ruins and charred remains. And so the Burning Tors were born, a testament to the destructive power of magic and greed. To this day, the mountains still burn, the flames fueled by the elemental spirits that were once bound to them.
==================================================
So as a result I wrote
The Burning Tors
Jagged sunblasted peaks dominate the skyline of this range. The region is largely devoid of vegetation. The region is dotted by numerous fumaroles spewing heat and noxious gases. The barrier between the Elemental Plane of Fire and the Majestic Fantasy Realms is thin in the Burning Tors. As a result the region attracted the attention of dwarves and magic-users seeking to study elemental fire.
Several hundred ago an alliance between the dwarves and the mages of the Bright Empire sought the harness of the power of elemental fire. Their hubris broached the already thin barrier and swept the entire mountain range in fire from west to east. Afterwards it became one of the few region sof the Majestic Fantasy Realms where fire elementals roam freely in this world.
robertsconley
Should be playing D&D instead
Next there are two locales, a lair at 0836 and a settlement at 1234
========================================================
Me: Using the Dungeons and Dragons monster manual, create for me a lair of monsters in the Burning Tors.
(discard)
Using the Dungeons and Dragons monster manual, create for me another lair of monsters in the Burning Tors.
========================================================
Chat GPT: The lair of the fire elementals is a place of scorching heat and flickering flame. Deep within the Burning Tors, the elementals have carved out a network of tunnels and chambers, each one glowing with the intense heat of their fires. The walls are blackened and scorched, evidence of the elementals' power and ferocity.
At the heart of the lair is a massive chamber, filled with a sea of flames that dance and swirl in a never-ending inferno. The elementals move through this chamber with ease, their bodies made of living fire and immune to the scorching heat. They are led by a powerful being known as the Inferno King, a massive elemental with flames that burn brighter than the sun.
The fire elementals are fiercely territorial, and they will stop at nothing to protect their lair from intruders. They are capable of conjuring great blasts of flame, melting through steel and stone with ease. Those who dare to venture into the lair of the fire elementals must be prepared for a fierce and relentless fight for survival.
========================================================
Lair of the Fire Elementals (0836)
When the dwarves and mages broke the barrier between the planes (see Terrain, Burning Tors), the cliffs and hills surrounding a small region thick with fumaroles cracked and shattered forming a network of caves form from blocks of the shattered land collapsing back onto each other. Many fire elementals, salamanders, and other creatures from the elemental plane of fire made this their lair. Deep underground is a large chamber that is home of the Efreet lord Falnaar who has imposed his rule on many of those who lair here.
========================================================
Me: Using the Dungeons and Dragons monster manual, create for me a lair of monsters in the Burning Tors.
(discard)
Using the Dungeons and Dragons monster manual, create for me another lair of monsters in the Burning Tors.
========================================================
Chat GPT: The lair of the fire elementals is a place of scorching heat and flickering flame. Deep within the Burning Tors, the elementals have carved out a network of tunnels and chambers, each one glowing with the intense heat of their fires. The walls are blackened and scorched, evidence of the elementals' power and ferocity.
At the heart of the lair is a massive chamber, filled with a sea of flames that dance and swirl in a never-ending inferno. The elementals move through this chamber with ease, their bodies made of living fire and immune to the scorching heat. They are led by a powerful being known as the Inferno King, a massive elemental with flames that burn brighter than the sun.
The fire elementals are fiercely territorial, and they will stop at nothing to protect their lair from intruders. They are capable of conjuring great blasts of flame, melting through steel and stone with ease. Those who dare to venture into the lair of the fire elementals must be prepared for a fierce and relentless fight for survival.
========================================================
Lair of the Fire Elementals (0836)
When the dwarves and mages broke the barrier between the planes (see Terrain, Burning Tors), the cliffs and hills surrounding a small region thick with fumaroles cracked and shattered forming a network of caves form from blocks of the shattered land collapsing back onto each other. Many fire elementals, salamanders, and other creatures from the elemental plane of fire made this their lair. Deep underground is a large chamber that is home of the Efreet lord Falnaar who has imposed his rule on many of those who lair here.
robertsconley
Should be playing D&D instead
Me: Settlement 1234 Rob's Note:This was a mistake but it was interesting to see Chat GPT make use of it.
On the southern slope of the Burning Tors live a group of Mages from the Order of Thoth studying the Burning Tors and the Fire Elemental that live in around the mountain range.
Create a unique description of this group of Mages and where they live based on the above description and Dungeons & Dragons.
========================================================
Chat GPT: Nestled on the southern slope of the Burning Tors lies Settlement 1234, home to a group of powerful mages from the Order of Thoth. These mages are dedicated to the study of the arcane arts, and they have come to the Burning Tors in search of ancient knowledge and power.
The settlement itself is a small, fortified town built into the rocky mountainside. It is protected by powerful magical wards and guarded by a detachment of skilled spellcasters. Within the settlement's walls, the mages have built a series of libraries, laboratories, and lecture halls, all dedicated to the study of magic.
The mages of Settlement 1234 are a formidable force, capable of harnessing the power of the elements and summoning powerful magical beings to do their bidding. They are constantly seeking to expand their knowledge and understanding of the arcane, and they will stop at nothing to uncover the secrets of the Burning Tors and the fire elementals that dwell within them. Those who dare to cross them had best beware, for the mages of Settlement 1234 are not to be trifled with.
(discard)
========================================================
Me: Create another unique description of this group of Mages and where they live.
========================================================
Chat GPT: Settlement 1234 sits at the base of the Burning Tors, a small, fortified town built into the rocky mountainside. It is home to a group of powerful mages from the Order of Thoth, who have come to this desolate region in search of ancient knowledge and power.
The mages of Settlement 1234 are highly skilled in the arcane arts, and they have dedicated themselves to the study of magic. They have built a series of libraries, laboratories, and lecture halls within the settlement's walls, all dedicated to furthering their understanding of the arcane.
Despite the harsh conditions of the desert, the mages of Settlement 1234 have managed to thrive, thanks in part to their powerful magical abilities. They are able to conjure water and food from thin air, and they have erected magical wards to protect their settlement from the dangers of the outside world.
But the mages of Settlement 1234 are not content to simply study magic in the safety of their own walls. They are also interested in the mysterious fire elementals that inhabit the Burning Tors, and they frequently venture out into the mountains in search of knowledge and power. Those who dare to cross them had best beware, for the mages of Settlement 1234 are not to be trifled with.
========================================================
Desertsage Cliffs (1234)
These cliffside dwellings were carved out of the rock by magic and labor by mages from the Order of Thoth. They are home to the Desertsage Conclave,. The mages use the conclave as a base to study the fire elementals of the Burning Tors (see Terrain, Burning Tors). On and at the base of teh cliff are thick thickets of Desert Sage. A few bushes have absorbed the surrounding elemental energies to produce viz which the mages harvest.
On the southern slope of the Burning Tors live a group of Mages from the Order of Thoth studying the Burning Tors and the Fire Elemental that live in around the mountain range.
Create a unique description of this group of Mages and where they live based on the above description and Dungeons & Dragons.
========================================================
Chat GPT: Nestled on the southern slope of the Burning Tors lies Settlement 1234, home to a group of powerful mages from the Order of Thoth. These mages are dedicated to the study of the arcane arts, and they have come to the Burning Tors in search of ancient knowledge and power.
The settlement itself is a small, fortified town built into the rocky mountainside. It is protected by powerful magical wards and guarded by a detachment of skilled spellcasters. Within the settlement's walls, the mages have built a series of libraries, laboratories, and lecture halls, all dedicated to the study of magic.
The mages of Settlement 1234 are a formidable force, capable of harnessing the power of the elements and summoning powerful magical beings to do their bidding. They are constantly seeking to expand their knowledge and understanding of the arcane, and they will stop at nothing to uncover the secrets of the Burning Tors and the fire elementals that dwell within them. Those who dare to cross them had best beware, for the mages of Settlement 1234 are not to be trifled with.
(discard)
========================================================
Me: Create another unique description of this group of Mages and where they live.
========================================================
Chat GPT: Settlement 1234 sits at the base of the Burning Tors, a small, fortified town built into the rocky mountainside. It is home to a group of powerful mages from the Order of Thoth, who have come to this desolate region in search of ancient knowledge and power.
The mages of Settlement 1234 are highly skilled in the arcane arts, and they have dedicated themselves to the study of magic. They have built a series of libraries, laboratories, and lecture halls within the settlement's walls, all dedicated to furthering their understanding of the arcane.
Despite the harsh conditions of the desert, the mages of Settlement 1234 have managed to thrive, thanks in part to their powerful magical abilities. They are able to conjure water and food from thin air, and they have erected magical wards to protect their settlement from the dangers of the outside world.
But the mages of Settlement 1234 are not content to simply study magic in the safety of their own walls. They are also interested in the mysterious fire elementals that inhabit the Burning Tors, and they frequently venture out into the mountains in search of knowledge and power. Those who dare to cross them had best beware, for the mages of Settlement 1234 are not to be trifled with.
========================================================
Desertsage Cliffs (1234)
These cliffside dwellings were carved out of the rock by magic and labor by mages from the Order of Thoth. They are home to the Desertsage Conclave,. The mages use the conclave as a base to study the fire elementals of the Burning Tors (see Terrain, Burning Tors). On and at the base of teh cliff are thick thickets of Desert Sage. A few bushes have absorbed the surrounding elemental energies to produce viz which the mages harvest.
robertsconley
Should be playing D&D instead
Conclusion it was useful although I would never use the result 'as is'. They were too verbose and generic. But they often contain a kernel of an idea that I found as a useful prompt for what I will ultimately write.
It is also a bit time-consuming to use as I have to think about the correct question to ask and then poke at it further to get something that inspire me. But overall it beats many of the random tables I was using before.
It seems that the essential trick is
1) As Beoric discovered (thanks!) it knows about Dungeons & Dragons so incorporating that as a condition generates a lot more useful answers.
2) Be proactive in asking. Ask it to create instead of describing.
3) Be verbose in describing the overall situation as I did with my questions. The ability of Chat GPT to incorporate this into its answer is very useful as what I am often looking for the details of some general thing I have in my mind.
I think I will be using this as it does exactly what I found useful with all the Judges Guild and Traveller stuff. I got solid high level ideals, but I founder when trying to come up with the Nth item of a long list of planets, lairs, settlements, and so on.
It is also a bit time-consuming to use as I have to think about the correct question to ask and then poke at it further to get something that inspire me. But overall it beats many of the random tables I was using before.
It seems that the essential trick is
1) As Beoric discovered (thanks!) it knows about Dungeons & Dragons so incorporating that as a condition generates a lot more useful answers.
2) Be proactive in asking. Ask it to create instead of describing.
3) Be verbose in describing the overall situation as I did with my questions. The ability of Chat GPT to incorporate this into its answer is very useful as what I am often looking for the details of some general thing I have in my mind.
I think I will be using this as it does exactly what I found useful with all the Judges Guild and Traveller stuff. I got solid high level ideals, but I founder when trying to come up with the Nth item of a long list of planets, lairs, settlements, and so on.
robertsconley
Should be playing D&D instead
Jimmy Cricket! How do I get a private instance of this that doesn't lose its memory? I could feed it all my setting information and it would spot patterns and interconnections that I have forgotten about or failed to spot. (sigh). I plotted out the outline of a ridiculously large map for my Majestic Fantasy Realms. With something like this I could use it to track deep interconnections between regions and characters.
At random times I just come up with small ideas that I note down. WIth this I could just make a ten minute description of something either small scale or large, tell the chat bot about it and it will remember it for the next time I revisit the region.
robertsconley
Should be playing D&D instead
The good news is that it is a major idiot when it comes to anything else other than pattern recognition and creation. Think of it as the ultimate random table. But what can do is learn the patterns you feed it and spot inter-connections that even you are not aware of.
squeen
8, 8, I forget what is for
The future $65/mo subscription-only version (or $299/mo pro version).
They're giving away the drugs for free right now while you help them get the dosage tweaked.
Think of the Brave New World in which we'll burn massive amount of electricity to "help" high schoolers write their homework essays.
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Maynard
*eyeroll*
Interesting to see that even AI can write a better kitchen than most of the dreck Bryce reads.
Maynard
*eyeroll*
I do think this highlighted most of the limitations even while managing to impress. It doesn't understand what a dungeon means in the context of these games. Generating a dungeon will always give a torture room, a guard room, some cells, etc. You have to be very specific about what you're feeding it to give it variety, and even that's going to be derivative. Still it will create fusions we wouldn't have expected.