Zona Alfa - hmmmm... AI.. Stories... hmmmm...

There's some aspects of hobbying that are just dull.  Some people probably like them, but there's no accounting for taste.

When you're painting, blocking in colours is pretty dull, but then when you add the washes and dry brushing and the models start to pop it starts to feel like it's all worthwhile.

Similarly when you play a mission and have a cool little narrative to tell that's fun, but then writing it all up can be a bit tiresome, draft, hunting typos, coming up with ideas even. 

Well, recently I was investigating an AI site/online thingime... I was actually looking at the code/programming it produces, but i also had a poke at the 'wordsmithing' capabilities.  It's... not overly bad - but that is conditional.  Anyway, I'm still contemplating but thought I'd present a little result I got. 

The source material I'm working off is the very first OPZ test battle I did. It was a super simple encounter.

STALKERS on the trail, investigate the outpost, find bandits, find bandits nearby as well.

So I thought... how about if I feed some of that into the AI and see what it makes...

My input is in bold, and the output are in italics. I only included the 'final' results from the AI but there were some intermediate story steps along the way. 

- i'm going to enter a series of statements and i want you to build them into a story.

- the story is set near an abandoned apartment block. the area is overgrown with vegetation.

"As the sun set over the abandoned apartment block, the area was cast in an eerie shadow. The once well-manicured lawns and gardens had become overgrown with weeds and wildflowers. The windows of the apartment block were shattered and the paint was peeling from the walls, giving it a desolate and abandoned appearance. Despite the derelict state of the building, there was a strange allure to it, as if it held secrets that were just waiting to be uncovered. As the night fell, the only sound that could be heard was the rustling of the grass in the gentle breeze."

- 3 armed explorers approach the building. their mission is investigate it's state and possibly clear out any monsters that have taken up residence inside.

- the apartments are being used as a squat by some bandits. the explorers are combat veterans and defeat the bandits when the bandits attack.

- change it to 2 armed explorers.   after they win inside the building they are attacked by more bandits outside. although they defeat them too, they decide they should leave the area quickly before any more arrive.

"As the two armed explorers made their way through the abandoned apartment block, they were startled by a group of bandits who had been using the building as a squat. The bandits, caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the armed group, quickly drew their weapons and attacked.

But the explorers were no ordinary civilians. They were combat veterans, with years of experience fighting in some of the most dangerous places in the world. They quickly took control of the situation, outmaneuvering and defeating the bandits with ease.

Breathless and adrenaline-fueled, the explorers emerged from the building, ready to report back to their superiors about the success of their mission. But as they stepped outside, they were met with yet another group of bandits, this time even larger than the first.

Despite being outnumbered, the explorers fought with determination and skill, taking down one bandit after another until they stood victorious once again. But they knew they couldn't stay there for long. It was only a matter of time before more bandits arrived, drawn by the sound of the gunfire.

With their mission complete and their lives at risk, the explorers made the difficult decision to leave the area and report back to base. As they disappeared into the overgrown vegetation, the abandoned apartment block was left to the bandits once again."

And... there you have it.  It's... not... terrible.  It's far from great too, but it's something.  I wouldn't have included some of the stuff (i guess it was guessing regarding filler), but conversely I wouldn't have thought to include some of the stuff either.

Doesn't match the battle report exactly but broad if you put strokes in, you get broad strokes out.

Having written a bunch of low-grade fiction filler blurbs, it doesn't feel like my writing style.  It's... quite stereotypical... I guess, in a few places, but then the input I gave it was also spare.... and I probably could have continued adding further details to fill the gaps and I think it would come up with something better or at least more of what I had in mind.

I don't know man... I'm actually confused about this. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if a lot of books and especially TV scripts are made this way.

On one hand, the technology that gets this done is actually kind of cool, it's perhaps not matured but it's definitely functional and being able to grasp the meaning of my slop input and make something... anything cohesive from it is impressive.  sure it's based on learned patterns and so on, but, yeah, still impressive.

I can possibly see myself using this to make filler stories from battle reports in the future.  Perhaps I am using one to write this post now...

Nah, definitely not.

LATER:  I'm going to add some more details and edit it and see what I can come up with.  I'll just present the end result.

...

After a few attempts at providing just specific suggestions, the going was slow. So I copied out the text, made a bunch of changes I wanted enmass and then plugged it back in for review and suggestions (i.e. typo checking, but there were also a few suggestions that, if not 100% what I wanted, then they at least prompted me to review and rethink a sentence or statement). I also had it try to change it from third to first person narrative, and from past to present tense. Not 100% successful, but not bad for AI.

This is the final result, with a dozen (or two) revisions...

"The sun is low in the sky, casting deep shadows from the stark, abandoned apartment block. The once well-manicured lawns and gardens around the structure are now wildly overgrown with tangled weeds and wildflowers that sway slightly in the breeze. The windows of the apartment block are shattered and peeling paint covers the walls, giving it a desolate and abandoned appearance.

The estate's grounds are level but the surrounding trees have grown unchecked, evolving season by season into a suffocating wood, threatening to overwhelm the once high-traffic clearing. The predominantly deciduous trees block a lot of light, giving the approach a perceived green glow.  In winter visibility would have been far greater, but assignments were executed near instantaneously, without that kind of strategic forethought.

The two STALKERS cross from the tree line to the structure quickly and enter the shadow of the building, weapons raised. The leader pushes one of the doors open quietly and peers inside. The interior of the building is dark and musty, the only light coming from the leaf-dappled sun filtering in through the broken windows.

Their worn but well kept boots tread carefully over the battered floor, littered with divots, loose tiles and crumbling plasterboard.  But even for seasoned combatants like the STALKERS, complete silence amidst such debris is near impossible and they soon hear a sudden, startled commotion ahead from a group of bandits who had been using the building as a squat.

The bandits, caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the armed intruders, draw their weapons cursing, and attack.

Gun shots boom deafeningly within the hollow hallways, turning the ruined structure into a sudden maelstrom of deadly distractions, but the STALKERS are combat veterans with years of experience operating in some of the most dangerous places in the world.

The veterans duck into concealment and choose complimentary firing lines, quickly take control of the situation.  They manoeuvre fluidly, pushing forward unrelenting with controlled aggression. Short bursts of their assault rifles dropping the bandits efficiently, ruthlessly.

They move methodically through the building ensuring it is clear, expertly sweeping each rotting room and checking the body of each emaciated bandit to ensure it is no longer a threat.  The leader kicks over the last of the prone bodies, noting dispassionately the ragged clothes and the rust on the weapon that the lifeless hand holds.

With breath tainted by plaster dust and gun smoke and adrenaline rushing through their blood, the STALKERS emerge from the building, ready to report back to their superiors about the success of their mission. As they step outside, they are peppered with concrete splinters as bullets smash heavily into the wall, another destructive insult to what had once been home to several families.

A troop of dishevelled bandits approaches from the undergrowth, continuing the battle outside. The drab green of the STALKERS fatigues contrast starkly against the building's stucco exterior, making an inviting silhouette for the newcomers.  The STALKERS immediately drop into cover unphased, resuming the fight with practiced determination and skill, picking off the desperate but clearly inexperienced bandits one after another until only they remain.

Silence returns and they scan the surrounding area, knowing instinctively that it would be unwise to stay much longer, but waiting with drilled patience to ensure it is clear to move. There are still likely to be more bandits out there, drawn by the sound of the pitched gunfire.

The leader makes a quick hand gesture and they detach from their position to leave. Their mission is complete, they have collected all the intel they need and then some.

As they disappeared into the overgrown vegetation, the decrepit complex is again left to its fate, at least for now."

Fun stuff... the process... not the inexpert fiction.

And I guess that leads to my conclusion. Based on my experiment it provided not a complete story like i'd somehow expected (how could it possibly know what i wanted without detailed input) but a feedback mechanism to make me review and revise the story more.

As a writing tool it was helpful. The content it produced was not specifically what I was after but it did provide suggestions for areas that might be considered weak and suggestions for improvement - based on just one test I don't know how generic or otherwise that advise is.

It also provided motivation to review and improve what I was writing as real time feedback, in the same way that discussing or talking out the story with a real person might be help, but without snide organic criticism  haha  :p 

Anyways, until next time...  beep bop boop!