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I recommend you to check out the previous parts if you don’t know what this “neural narratives” thing is about. In short, I wrote in Python a system to have multi-character conversations with large language models (like Llama 3.1), in which the characters are isolated in terms of memories and bios, so no leakage to other participants. Here’s the GitHub repo, that now even features a proper readme.

Here’s the next episode of the eldritch show. Last time, the sadistic alien Zha’thik prepared an unfathomable feast in a non-euclidean hall. Our jaded detective decided to take the first bite, only to realize that the morphing mass had turned into the corpse of Emilia, his long-lost teenage love. Now he’s bound to face his personal horror.

Well, that was poignant. I shed tears while “playing” through it, I shed tears while editing it. That’s good.

At the final part of that scene, I needed a fight “beat,” but I didn’t have anything programmed that would provide such a thing specifically. In addition, this fight would take part in the middle of a conversation. What to do, then? Create a new Confrontation action like the Investigate, Research, and Gather Supplies ones, which are meant to be isolated, and then stitch together two dialogues? It didn’t feel right. Besides, in that case, I would need to write the summary of the full conversation to include the physical confrontation with the eldritch horror. So instead, I came up with the notion of a Confrontation Round: the account, taking about ten seconds, of a confrontation of whatever kind, given the provided context. The prompt is focused on that very subject with no distractions, as seen below:

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You are to generate a detailed narrative describing a brief segment (approximately ten seconds) of a confrontation within a rich, immersive world.
Use the provided information about the player, the other characters, and the place involved.
Your narrative should be engaging, realistic, and reflect the abilities and circumstances of the participants suggested by the user-provided context.

Instructions:
1. Viability and Realism Assessment:
Carefully consider the feasibility and dynamics of the confrontation based on:
- The information about the characters, including their skills, abilities, health, equipment, and emotional state.
- The characteristics of the opponents, including their skills, abilities, equipment, motivations, and weaknesses.
- The characteristics of the location, including terrain, obstacles, and any environmental factors.
- The time of day and how it might affect the confrontation (e.g., visibility, shadows, crowd presence).
- The context for the confrontation provided by the user, including any prior events leading up to this moment.
- Potential advantages or disadvantages, such as surprise, preparation, or environmental hazards.

2. Narrative of the Confrontation:
- Write a vivid, dynamic narrative that depicts approximately ten seconds of the confrontation, focusing on the immediate actions and reactions of the characters involved.
- Include specific actions taken by the characters on either side of the confrontation.
- Describe the use of skills, abilities, equipment, tactics, and any maneuvers.
- Illustrate the interactions between the characters, including attacks, defenses, dodges, or spells.
- Convey the emotions, thoughts, and physical sensations experienced by the characters.
- Ensure the depiction is consistent with the world's lore, the characters' personal histories, and their abilities.
- Determine the immediate results of this segment of the confrontation based on your assessment.
- Be specific about any successes or failures of actions taken, including hits landed, misses, blocks, or counterattacks.
- Describe any injuries sustained, advantages gained, positions changed, or other consequences.
- Reflect any costs incurred, such as stamina lost, equipment damage, or exposure to danger.
- The confrontation doesn't need to end in this segment, unless you can clearly determine that the confrontation should conclude now.

3. Tone and Style:
- Write in the third person, present tense, maintaining an engaging and immersive narrative style.
- Use rich, descriptive language to bring the scene to life, focusing on action and immediacy.
- Ensure consistency with the established world setting and the characters' personalities.

Provided Information:
Current Time: {hour} {time_of_day}
{local_information}
Facts Known:
{facts_known}
{relevant_characters_information}
----
Ongoing Dialogue:
{transcription}

Example Format:
"With a fierce battle cry, [Player Name] charges forward, swinging their sword toward [Opponent Name]..."

Your Task:
Using the above instructions and information, craft a compelling narrative that captures this intense moment of confrontation, reflecting both the actions and immediate consequences, while advancing the story in a meaningful way.
Important: do not repeat verbatim previous confrontation rounds: there should always be a progress in the confrontation.

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If the segment at the end of the previous audio was anything to go by, it worked perfectly. To be honest, I was dreading creating a Confrontation action, because I thought it would be the Next Big Part of the app, but turns out that at this point of the AI revolution, LLMs are intelligent enough to “get it.”

I need a breather after this goddamn episode.