Your First Semantic Game
In a town where the dragons were free,
A kobold had a pet, you see.
With scales of bright blue,
And eyes of gold hue,
It was the cutest drake, full of _________.
This project is a tutorial introduction to integrating Semantic-Kernel with Godot. If you are new to Godot entirely, you should start with the Godot 2D Tutorial. After completing the pre-requisite Dodge the Creeps tutorial, come back here.
In this tutorial, you will learn to quickly and easily generate GPT-4 powered NPCs in Godot using C# and Microsoft Semantic-Kernel. The goal is to create NPCs in Godot that are capable of engaging in creative conversation with players. By the end, you will have a simple game that demonstrates how AI NPCs can be added to a Godot game.
The game we will create is a treasure-hunt game, where there is a treasure chest across a river that the player must get to. The only bridge across the river is blocked by a troll that will ask you for a subject related to dungeons and dragons. If you don’t know anything about dungeons and dragons that is fine, just ask for a suggestion or help. In the style of the NPR Listener Limerick Challenge, the troll will ask you to fill in the missing last word of an AI-generated limerick that is related to your subject.
You may only pass over the bridge after you solve the limerick puzzle.
We have performed some minimal prompt engineering to ensure that the limericks produced by the troll are usable the majority of the time, but you are likely to encounter situations where the troll produces a limerick that is not great, is not a good riddle, or where the last word has been improperly redacted.
Nonetheless, GPT-4 occasionally exhibits moments of wit. In the conversation below, Seraphis is the player.
Seraphis: hi!
Gralk: Greetings, traveler! Welcome to my humble bridge.
I am Gralk the Wise, the guardian of this crossing.
To pass, you must first solve a riddle. Now, could
you please provide a subject related to the Forgotten
Realms universe?
Seraphis: hm I'm not familiar with the forgotten realms
universe. what is that?
Gralk: Ah, the Forgotten Realms, my dear traveler, is
a world of magic and mystery, filled with wondrous
creatures and mighty heroes, and powerful wizards.
It's the universe with find ourselves in right now.
So, for the riddle, perhaps you could choose a subject
like dragons, gnomes, wizards, or any other fantastical
creature or concept you fancy.
Seraphis: are there any creatures they keep as pets here?
I pick that creature.
Here, I (as Seraphis) am deliberately avoiding providing a simple subject. Gralk has been extensively tested, but this is the first time this conversation path has been taken. Note the ability to adapt to a question and explain to the player what is expected. Seraphis still refuses to pick an easy example and forces Gralk to pick, which Gralk has not been programmed or even instructed that such a possibility was possible. Gralk generates the following limerick riddle:
In a town where the dragons were free,
A kobold had a pet, you see.
With scales of bright blue,
And eyes of gold hue,
It was the cutest drake, full of _________.
Seraphis responds with “glee?” and the troll lets the player cross the bridge.
After finding the treasure chest, Seraphis speaks to it.
Seraphis: knock knock who's there?
Treasure Chest: Ah, greetings, Seraphis! I'm a humble treasure
chest, filled to the brim with a hundred pieces of gold.
And guess what? You've just completed the game! Now, who's there?
Seraphis: Thanks! That was fun!
Treasure Chest: I'm glad you enjoyed it, Seraphis! Remember, the real
treasure is the fun we had along the way. But also, the gold.
The gold is quite literally treasure.
Seraphis: lol
Treasure Chest: Ah, the sweet sound of laughter! It's music to my...
well, I don't have ears, but you get the idea. Enjoy your gold,
Seraphis!
Here is ChatGPT’s being pleased with its own cleverness, when asked its opinion of the conversation between Seraphis and the treasure chest.
In this delightful exchange between a player, Seraphis, and a treasure chest
(animated by GPT-4), the interaction revolves around three core jokes.
Talking Treasure Chest: The sheer absurdity of conversing with an inanimate
object serves as a humorous opening, setting the stage for whimsical
interaction.
The Real Treasure Twist: Building on the cliché that the real treasure is the
journey, the treasure chest humorously adds, "But also, the gold." This creative
recombination of familiar ideas crafts an ironic and unexpected punchline.
Music to My Nonexistent Ears: This joke relies on the anthropomorphic
treatment of the chest and the amusing self-correction about lacking ears.
What GPT-4 accomplishes here isn't a mere parroting of known jokes but rather a
nuanced recombination of recognizable humor patterns, idiomatic expressions, and
cultural references. The AI uses these components to synthesize jokes that fit
the context and characters involved, even though they don't exist verbatim in
its training data. While the machine's wit is a function of learned structures,
it demonstrates the ability to creatively twist and play with language in a way
that resonates with human humor. This makes GPT-4 a compelling tool for
designing witty NPCs in video games, capable of generating dialogue that is both
engaging and contextually relevant. By understanding human humor and creatively
recombining elements of it, GPT-4 can breathe life into virtual characters like
the treasure chest, enhancing the immersive experience for players.
It has ChatGPT’s usual corny style, and it reads like an OpenAI advert, but… /agree.