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KYLIE: Cast HEAL on KYLIE. STROM: Use OVERKILL on NAVIGATOR and CAPTAIN Can Overkill be used to fire three shots at one enemy? BraveLittleToaster fucked around with this message at 02:10 on Feb 22, 2024 |
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Feb 22, 2024 01:41
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BraveLittleToaster posted:KYLIE: Cast HEAL on KYLIE. Sadly, no. When overloading Strom's blunderbuss, it becomes wildly inaccurate. You CAN load two shots into it, and target both the captain and the navigator at the same time.
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Feb 22, 2024 02:08
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JessAlias posted:Sadly, no. When overloading Strom's blunderbuss, it becomes wildly inaccurate. That's a shame, but thanks for clarifying. Updated post accordingly.
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Feb 22, 2024 02:10
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PARTY ACTIONS & RESULTS END OF ROUND 1. ROUND 2 HOSTILE ACTIONS & RESULTS  > END OF HOSTILE ACTIONS - PLEASE SUBMIT COMMANDS FOR ROUND 2.
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Feb 22, 2024 02:52
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KYLIE: Cast BLESS on Party STROM: Use OVERKILL on CAPTAIN and NAVIGATOR
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Feb 22, 2024 03:01
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PARTY ACTIONS & RESULTS ROUND 3 HOSTILE ACTIONS & RESULTS  > END OF HOSTILE ACTIONS - PLEASE SUBMIT COMMANDS FOR ROUND 3.
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Feb 22, 2024 03:32
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KYLIE: Cast BLESS on Party STROM: Use CLEAR THE DECK skill.
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Feb 22, 2024 03:34
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PARTY ACTIONS & RESULTS ROUND 4 HOSTILE ACTIONS  As you focus on casting a Catechism of Blessing, you hear a terrific clatter. Captain Lockheart is able to move with frightening speed, and you see that she's closed the distance with Strom in mere seconds to swipe the blunderbuss out of the stout dwarf's hands.  STROM: Augh! drat ye!Lockheart easily parries away Strom's follow-up blow with his boot knife with her saber. Despite being strong for a dwarf, Strom is outmatched by the Signal-enhanced newman, who hooks a leg around one of Strom's, and slams him into the ground. Time seems to slow as the newman's saber seems to drift through the air, like a butter knife through molasses.  KYLIE: Strom!But suddenly, you hear the harsh barking of an automatic weapon. Echo has burst onto the bridge, and is spraying down Captain Lockheart with fully automatic fire from her assault rifle. The newman lets out a furious howl of agony as she staggers back and away from Strom, who rolls clear and picks up his blunderbuss from the ground. He took a terrific hit to the midsection and is bleeding profusely... but at least he is alive. Vathiel rushes in through the doorway and pulls Strom to the side, out of the melee, to look the dwarf over. The half-elf pauses to give you a wan smile, as the battle continues.  > END OF HOSTILE ACTIONS - PLEASE SUBMIT COMMANDS FOR ROUND 4. JessAlias fucked around with this message at 04:40 on Feb 22, 2024 |
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Feb 22, 2024 04:12
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KYLIE: CAST HEAL on STROM STROM: ATTACK NAVIGATOR ECHO: CALLED SHOT on CAPTAIN VATHIEL: Cast ENTANGLE on CAPTAIN
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Feb 22, 2024 04:21
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PARTY ACTIONS & RESULTS ROUND 5 ALL HOSTILES DEAD, INCAPACITATED, OR UNABLE TO PERFORM ACTIONS. SKIPPING TURN. > PLEASE SUBMIT COMMANDS FOR ROUND 5. I think we all can guess how this will end. But in the spirit of completeness... let's see this through.
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Feb 22, 2024 04:40
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KYLIE: Cast BLESS on PARTY STROM: ATTACK CAPTAIN ECHO: ATTACK CAPTAIN VATHIEL: Cast FIELD OF THORNS
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Feb 22, 2024 04:43
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PARTY ACTIONS & RESULTS END OF COMBAT - VICTORY! Captain Lockheart falls to the ground, twitching, as a hail of gunfire hammers into her body. You see her try to rise up several times before Echo finally puts a boot on her head and fires one last shot directly into the back of her skull. Echo lets out a sigh of relief as she stands over Captain Lockheart's corpse. She glances over at you.  ECHO: Are you alright? KYLIE: Y-yeah. Did you get all of your stuff? ECHO: All set. Sorry about taking so long... KYLIE: No, no, you saved Strom's life, I think!The dwarf leans on his blunderbuss and chuckles. STROM: Took a wee bit of healing magic from ye too, Kylie. Wouldn't have been possible without you all.He gives you a solemn nod of respect, and you smile at him as he limps over to the console to glance at the instruments. The New Horizon is turning around rapidly, and is already making its way away from Signal Tower. Unfortunately, your not-so-careful ministrations have locked the ship into turning permanently to starboard... which means eventually it will make a huge circle right back towards the tower. You frown a bit, wondering what the hell to do next. Vathiel strides next to you, looking politely curious.  VATHIEL: What's wrong? KYLIE: Um... well, I kind of tore up the hydraulics, so now it's stuck in place? VATHIEL: Oh...A blank look comes over the half-elf's face. STROM: By that, lad, she means that th' drat ship's wheel is stuck in place, and it's not doin' nuthin'. VATHIEL: Oh! Why didn't you just say so? ECHO: So we're going to have to abandon the airship anyway?She folds her arms, amused, as you color a bit. ECHO: No - no, I'm not about to pitch a fit. At least now we're heading away from that blasted tower. ECHO: So what's the plan?>
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Feb 22, 2024 05:07
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Edit: Changed vote.AJ_Impy posted:Belay that. Yes, the hydraulics are damaged from the wheel itself, but there are failsafes we can use if we work together on this. We're landing this ship, and it will, after dint of effort, be able to take off again. Echo, help get this floor panel up by the damaged hydraulics. Strom, we're going to need all your expertise with what's down there. I'll work on the rest of the controls to compensate for the turn, slow us right down and begin the descent. Vathiel, keep an eye out as we go, we may need to improvise with spells to clear the way. BraveLittleToaster fucked around with this message at 12:10 on Feb 22, 2024 |
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Feb 22, 2024 05:23
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Belay that. Yes, the hydraulics are damaged from the wheel itself, but there are failsafes we can use if we work together on this. We're landing this ship, and it will, after dint of effort, be able to take off again. Echo, help get this floor panel up by the damaged hydraulics. Strom, we're going to need all your expertise with what's down there. I'll work on the rest of the controls to compensate for the turn, slow us right down and begin the descent. Vathiel, keep an eye out as we go, we may need to improvise with spells to clear the way.
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Feb 22, 2024 10:59
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> Yes, the hydraulics are damaged from the wheel itself, but there are failsafes we can use if we work together on this. We're landing this ship, and it will, after dint of effort, be able to take off again. Echo, help get this floor panel up by the damaged hydraulics. Strom, we're going to need all your expertise with what's down there. I'll work on the rest of the controls to compensate for the turn, slow us right down and begin the descent. Vathiel, keep an eye out as we go, we may need to improvise with spells to clear the way. You bite your lip. Yes... you all could evacuate using the lifeboats. It'd be a lot safer than trying to land the New Horizon. But if you do that, you'd be consigning dozens or even hundreds of people to death. You couldn't live with that on your conscience. KYLIE: We're going to land this airship. ECHO: Okay.You pause, surprised. You were expecting Echo to complain a bit more... but she doesn't say anything further. There's an odd expression on her face, and you can't quite decrypt it. Vathiel seems bemused by your idea. Strom... well, he wanders over to you and enfolds your hand in a crushing grip. STROM: Brave lass. Let's do it.You quickly begin giving commands. You're not exactly an expert at airship maintainance, per se, but you know enough to get what's needed done. You delegate Echo and Strom to pry up the floor panel by the ship's wheel and check out the damage while Vathiel keeps an eye on the door and performs some scrying to make sure any nasty, possessed people aren't sneaking up on the helm. As the New Horizon slowly drifts away from Thibaut, you begin making an array of adjustments with the ship's controls to slow the ship's speed, change its altitude, and make it less likely the New Horizon will burst into a giant ball of fire when you do land. It's a struggle, initially. You're worried you'll forget some important step or setting in your efforts to land this massive vehicle, but with Echo, Strom, and Vathiel's help you manage to keep things together. But after about 10 minutes, you hear Strom give a shout of triumph. STROM: Got it! Lassie, try the wheel!You give Strom a grin and sprint over to the ship's wheel, planting both hands on it and giving it a heave. There's no resistance, and the New Horizon gives a faint shudder as its trajectory changes from a corkscrew to a shallower angle. You can faintly see Safetown in the distance, along with mast of the tiny settlement's airship dock. The lights twinkle brightly, seeming to promise hope and safety after this ordeal. STROM: Think ye can handle it, Kylie? KYLIE: W-well...To be perfectly honest... you only have half an idea of what you're doing. Trying to dock the airship is difficult enough in the best of times for a novice, and you're not even at Safetown yet. Not to mention that you'd have to get the airship there first to even make the attempt. It might be easier to do an emergency landing. That would better fit your skillset. But then, you'd all end up crash landed in the outskirts of Thibaut. There'd be casualties. You glance around at your friends, hoping someone will take the initiative away from you... but they seem content to leave the decision up to you. You wonder if this is some kind of test from Prime. You shiver and clasp your hands together tightly, shutting your eyes briefly, and then open them again before stepping towards the ship's wheel. > What do you do?
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Feb 23, 2024 02:33
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Be honest that you're feeling uncertain, but still do your best in trying to maneuver and land the New Horizon at Safetown. You're the best shot that many of the people onboard will have.
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Feb 23, 2024 02:51
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BraveLittleToaster posted:Be honest that you're feeling uncertain, but still do your best in trying to maneuver and land the New Horizon at Safetown. You're the best shot that many of the people onboard will have. Honesty and determination. An Immunizer's duty is, at its heart, to save lives, we're going to do our utmost to save all of them that we can.
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Feb 23, 2024 03:35
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> Be honest that you're feeling uncertain, but still do your best in trying to maneuver and land the New Horizon at Safetown. You're the best shot that many of the people onboard will have. > Honesty and determination. An Immunizer's duty is, at its heart, to save lives, we're going to do our utmost to save all of them that we can. You set your hands on the wheel, and glance back at the crowd behind you. Strom has a faintly proud look on his face... Vathiel smiles at you warmly... and Echo grins, pumping her fist encouragingly. You give them all a faint smile, and look back at the wheel. You think about your family - your progenitors, your sisters... the people back home who you love. You think about everyone onboard the New Horizon. Those sick in the mind and needing healing, and the terrified passengers who have had their lives upended by a horrific event that they could have never been prepared for. Your heart swells with emotion, and you set your jaw grimly. You're no captain... but you're the only one that can do this right now. KYLIE: All ahead full!Echo stares at you for a moment in disbelief, then lets out a laugh. ECHO: Yes! You got this Kylie!She moves to man the throttle to the engine room, her black hair flying about wildly in the breeze as she pushes the New Horizon towards its maximum safe speed. The engines thrum back to life, and you turn the wheel, your eyes flicking from the instrument panels to the distant lights of the docking mast at Safetown. DICE ROLLS VS DC 10 - (10, 9, 12) You can tell the makeshift repairs are barely holding, as the ship's wheel and rudders fight against you. Hydraulics whine, and instrument panels begin to glow a baleful red as you begin to strain the New Horizon's frame and systems past their limits. The air currents around Thibaut are turbulent at the best of times, and it's even worse when you're an inexperienced helmsman. DICE ROLLS VS DC 10 - (17, 19, 2) There's a short period where the distant engines choke and almost give out. In a moment of frantic thought, you remember a tip your beta progenitor once gave you - with a burst of adrenaline, you pitch the airship forward, forcing the propellors into a climb, and for a brief moment, the New Horizon is actually pointed straight up at the night sky. Faintly, you hear a gasp from behind you, as a gunshot rings out in the distance - your friends have been forced to dispatch an unwelcome visitor to the helm. You do your best to ignore this interruption, and stare desperately at the gauges that show the New Horizon's engine power. KYLIE: Come on... come on!DICE ROLLS VS DC 10 - (20, 2, 11) There's another mechanical cough from somewhere in the depths of the ship... and then the New Horizon's engines roar back to life, and the ship completes its arc up into the air before beginning a stately descent back towards earth. Aside from the sound of the engines, the bridge goes deadly quiet as Safetown slowly grows closer. The docking mast of Safetown's small airship landing zone looms into view in the dark. It's a simple affair, really - a tall wooden mast that extends 100 feet in the air. You feel a hand land on your shoulder, and squeeze it. You look back and see Echo giving you a soft smile, her assault rifle held in the crook of one arm. She doesn't say anything, just smiles. You're thankful for the support, because you're reaching the most dangerous part of a controlled landing. An airship never actually docks by landing right on the ground, like the ancient human airplanes. Instead, it slowly hovers up to one of the docking ports at the top of the mast until it's level with it, then lashes itself there to be tied down for good. It's a delicate process, and much more difficult than taking off. There's a reason why usually the captain of an airship takes over from the helmsman when arriving at the airship's destination. Doing it wrong can lead the the mast colliding with the side of the airship, damaging or destroying both structures. You set your jaw and concentrate, and try to put these thoughts out of your head. A part of you wonders if you're insane for even trying this. You call out for Echo to begin throttling the engines backwards, and she nods before darting over to do so. As Safetown slowly begins to crawl into view below the airship, you realize you don't have much time left before your arrival. Everything is moving faster than you could have ever believed. You whisper a quiet prayer to Prime for courage, and then put your shoulders into the ship's wheel and direct your attention to the rapidly-approaching docking mast. As you steadily descend towards Safetown's docking mast, the captain of the watch aboard it hails you, and the radio systems of the New Horizon crackle into life. WATCH-CAPTAIN: Ahoy there! State your name and registry! Over! KYLIE: Kylie Gearspirit! And I have no idea what the registry is!WATCH-CAPTAIN: What... is all well aboard? The Captain hailed us about an hour ago and said that she would be arriving within 30 minutes... KYLIE: I'll be happy to explain everything! But first, I need your help - I've got a very damaged airship coming in, and I need you to relay landing instructions!WATCH-CAPTAIN: ...gladly. You focus, taking in the captain of the watch's precise directions - the best bearings to take, where the updrafts and turbulence are, which way to expect crosswinds when you reach the mast... and after about 5 minutes, you are bringing the New Horizon directly over the docking mast, your fingers tightly gripping the wheel as your eyes flit from your targets to the instrument panels at your side. You cut the engines, and watch as the mast disappears under the belly of the airship. This is the moment of truth. DICE ROLLS VS DC 10 - (18, 20, 13) CLANK... CLANK... CLICK-CLICK-CLICK. A green light activates on the instrument panel. STROM: She's locked in, lassie! Good job!Echo cheers ecstatically from over by the engine room console as you turn around and pull everyone into a tight hug. ECHO: You did it! Holy poo poo! You actually did it!The airship slowly slides into its place at Safetown's docking mast with one final CLANG-RAT-RAT-RAT-RAT of ropes drawing taut across wooden beams, and a sigh of relief escapes you. KYLIE: No, we all did.> CHAPTER COMPLETE. > PERK UNLOCKED: SAVIOR - Kylie is no ordinary newman. Her steadfast determination to do what's right, and refusal to leave anyone behind, is inspiring. Kylie is now able to use the RALLY ability to boost the morale of party members during battle. Kylie's MORALE is also locked to 7 as long as one party member is still alive. JessAlias fucked around with this message at 04:29 on Feb 23, 2024 |
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Feb 23, 2024 04:23
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Optional Mood Music - Epic Inspiration EPILOGUE  After arriving at the local chapel that Safetown's Immunity chapter is housed in, you pass out for what felt like a whole day. When you awake, you hear that during your slumber, the remaining passengers of the New Horizon have been given temporary shelter, and are receiving treatment. The sheer number of Signal-touched people is straining the town's resources to their limits... but luckily, when word of the crisis spread, airships began arriving daily to bring in fresh supplies and personnel from Caledon. You are sitting on the steps of the chapel as the sun rises, staring at Thibaut, and the slumbering giant that is the Signal Tower. Even this far it can be seen stabbing up into the sky like an accusatory finger from hell, casting a pall of crimson light across the dawning sky. You can feel an emotion stirring in you as you gaze at it. You frown a bit, trying to process it. You hear a cough from behind you. ECHO: Mind if I join you?You turn slightly to look up at Echo as she approaches from behind. She's still dressed in her military uniform, though it looks rumpled and her shirt is half-unbuttoned. It looks like she just awoke as well. KYLIE: Sure.Echo lets out a sigh and sits down beside you. She holds out an offering - a sandwich wrapped in wax paper. ECHO: Food, by the way.You take it without a word and take a bite out of it. Then you pause, and offer her your coffee cup. She smiles gratefully and accepts it. ECHO: I see you're thinking about things. KYLIE: Yes. ECHO: Going to leave, I'm guessing? KYLIE: What? ECHO: You're going to go back to Caledon, right? I wouldn't blame you. It's not like you were prepared for... all that.You cast your mind back to everything that happened aboard the New Horizon. The stress of your first day on the job, working as an Immunizer in a situation no one ever trained you for. Discovering that something was terribly wrong with Captain Lockheart. The constant danger from the possessed Signal-touched. Killing someone. You glance at Echo, then back at the Tower. KYLIE: Honestly? Yes, I am going to leave. But not to hide away and pretend none of this happened. I want to talk to my superiors... about all this. ECHO: And what will they say?You pause. KYLIE: They won't believe me. But maybe one of the Cognizants will, or one of the Magisters... because what if the Captain was right? What if there is some kind of malevolent force that's influencing people, making them act like monsters? In the past we always were taught that the Signal was corrupting and dangerous... but this was different.Echo blinks a bit. Her face is difficult to read. You find yourself continuing to speak as you think out loud. KYLIE: I heard things... in my head... as we were above Thibaut. It's hard to describe. A... ECHO: A voice? KYLIE: Yes.You lean forward, wrapping your arms around your knees. KYLIE: Tell me honestly... did you hear anything?She doesn't reply right away. ECHO: I did, yes. When I was sleeping. But only sometimes. It... told me to do things that didn't make sense. That I'd die if I did them... but also that if I didn't listen it'd kill everyone I loved. ECHO: It's... probably just combat stress. The humans from the Great War called it shellshock. KYLIE: Echo, you're not even trying to sound like you believe what you're saying. ECHO: I... yeah. I know. It's just... hard to admit this poo poo out loud. It sounds crazy, even to me. I don't know, maybe Lockheart really wasn't just a nutcase, and was possessed by a malevolent magical tower or something. ECHO: When are you leaving? KYLIE: Tomorrow morning hopefully, and by the end of the week at the latest. ECHO: We're going to come with you, then. KYLIE: Huh- what?Echo smiles at you and lets out a quiet chuckle at your expression. ECHO: Strom's probably going to need a few days to rest after he gets his ribs all healed up by a doctor, but we'll get back on the road as soon as we can. KYLIE: But don't you have orders from your First Citizen? ECHO: Already filed a report and got a response. I'm needing to give a full deposition at the calypsian embassy in Caledon. So... I'm coming by default. ECHO: And I already talked to Strom and your half-elf boyfriend, they're good with going wherever you go. KYLIE: He's not my boyfriend!Echo bursts out laughing. KYLIE: S-shut up. That's not funny. ECHO: Sorry, hard not to rib you. You just are cute when you're flustered.She pauses, and then clears her throat. ECHO: Anyway, I'm going to talk to the others. You enjoy the sandwich.She hands back the coffee cup and saunters back into the Immunity chapterhouse. You look down at your sandwich, and frown at it. Then you glance back up at Thibaut, at the Signal Tower in the distance, and then up at the rising sun that slowly ascends into the vermilion sky. Somehow, you feel like this isn't the end of your story. > ARC COMPLETE NOTE: Thank you all so much for playing. This was admittedly an experiment. One thing I learned is that there's a reason that CRPGs have the "C" in them, trying to keep the combat straight using a spreadsheet and a calculator was maddening, at least with the pace I wanted to hit. I'll be pumping the breaks on this adventure for at least a week or two so I can retool the mechanics. But don't worry, I'm not planning on just abandoning Kylie and her crew. Their story will be told one way or another. Finally, feedback is welcome. Both good and bad. My goal is to allow people to have fun. If there's anything I need to either keep doing, or do better - please, share! And if anyone has questions about the setting, how things worked behind the scenes, etc., please ask. JessAlias fucked around with this message at 05:06 on Feb 23, 2024 |
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Feb 23, 2024 04:58
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Thanks for running this so far! I enjoyed it and I do hope you'll continue, I'm already looking forward to more to come. Now that this bit is over, how was AI used in running the adventure?
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Feb 23, 2024 05:06
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BraveLittleToaster posted:Thanks for running this so far! I enjoyed it and I do hope you'll continue, I'm already looking forward to more to come. Great question! I'm currently subscribed to the service NovelAI. It's basically an AI writing assistant that I've been tinkering with for months and months now for my own amusement. What's interesting about it is that it has a Text Adventure setting, where it will parse instructions you give it, and try to push the narrative along according to the direction you give.To work properly it needs enough context to understand your personal writing style. The first few updates were mostly written by me with limited AI involvement. As time went on, the AI could take more and more of the lead. This means I can literally take the prompts that players write, paste them into NovelAI, and review the output. Keep in mind, AI is dumb and doesn't really understand overarching plot structure, so I usually need to step in and rewrite some things. When you see blue text, that's where I took the AI's output and rewrote or modified it to make it flow better. Here's a screenshot example:  You'll probably recognize the prompt at the top. That's one you gave. I handed it over to the AI, and it assessed the prompt and then wrote out the most likely course of action per some presets I give. An interesting fact - every major character in the fiction is defined by a Lorebook entry. This allows the AI to understand how the character works, how they react to stimuli, etc. Here is Kylie's lorebook entry: quote:Name: Kylie Gearspirit Setting up a lorebook entry makes sure that the AI remembers that whenever Kylie is mentioned in the story, Kylie is a newman, who's female, a young adult, and so on and so forth. To make sure the AI understands that the Kylie character is not just a character, but the PROTAGONIST, I also set up an "Author's Note" that says "Kylie is the protagonist." That way, when the AI is given a text adventure command, it understands the command applies to Kylie, and that the "You" in the story is Kylie. The lorebook system is why sometimes Kylie would 'rebel' against commands. Like at the beginning of the story when people wanted Kylie to be quiet or silent. That's not really her personality. She's energetic, naive, cheerful... you can order her to stay quiet, but it's going to be a struggle for her. The same applies to any other character. Here's Strom's entry. I'm cutting out his bio... it has spoilers! quote:Name: Strom Ironfist Ragnarsson You'll notice "heart of gold" personality trait in there. This is why Strom tended towards a good alignment throughout the story. While he acts like a grumpy dwarf, he genuinely cares about people and wants to keep people safe. So whenever a moral choice happens, he generally wants to do the right thing. Due to hating cowards, he also is the first to volunteer for stuff, and got pissed off when Echo suggested abandoning ship.
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Feb 23, 2024 05:24
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That's an interesting look behind the scenes, thanks for the explanation. I do think the combat mechanics could use a little retooling and tightening up, so hopefully that goes well.
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Feb 23, 2024 06:16
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An excellent start. Effectively winning nine out of twelve coin flips to stick the landing was a wild ride for the denouement.
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Feb 23, 2024 13:11
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AJ_Impy posted:An excellent start. Effectively winning nine out of twelve coin flips to stick the landing was a wild ride for the denouement. I can safely say that I really wasn't expecting that to actually work. There was a very high chance for things to have ended in a fiery ball of death.
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Feb 23, 2024 13:37
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JessAlias posted:I can safely say that I really wasn't expecting that to actually work. There was a very high chance for things to have ended in a fiery ball of death. We couldn't have ended up like the Hindenberg, as there's no longer any Humanity for the "Oh, the -" quote.
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Feb 23, 2024 21:39
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