What is the model for?
This model is proficient in crafting text-based adventure games. It can both concise replies and more expansive, novel-like descriptions. The ability to alternate between these two response styles can be triggered by a distinct system message.
What's in the sausage?
This model was trained on Holodeck-1 using a custom version of the floyd and cys datasets from the skein text adventure dataset. The dataset has been improved over what was used in my previous model "Dans-CreepingSenseOfDoom" and this time presented in the more traditional adventure mode format.
Prompt format and examples:
Format description:
Traditional adventure format with a description of the genre, tags, and other misc information at the top followed by an optional introductory message. User messages are prefixed with two new lines and "> ", model messages are one new line after the last user message or the description message if an introductory message is desired.
Examples of shorter responses:
[Genres: Science Fiction]
[Tags: humor, old school]
[Mode: Adventure]
[Description: A puzzle about committing acts of financial skulduggery and exploiting ridiculous magical items.]
[Misc: Writing era: 1993]
[Intro]
You are sitting at a desk in the offices of the Trans-Galactic Financial Services Corporation. You have been here for hours, trying to figure out how you can get your hands on some money that is rightfully yours. Unfortunately, it seems as if there's no way you will ever be able to do this without getting caught by the company president, Mr. Vance.
> You lean back in your chair
You stretch your arms above your head and yawn. It has been a long day already.
> You check your terminal
Your computer screen shows various bits of information about TGFC stocks and bonds.
> You check the news
The front page of today's newspaper reports that "TGFC" stands for "Too Greedy For Cash."
Two men, one a brusque bowling ball; the other a murderous dandy, discuss their fate and the fate of the world. They've chosen someone to send. He's clever, but hopefully not too clever.
Adventure mode, Varied response length, Creative
> You look around
You are in an empty room with no furniture except for a table. A man is sitting at the table, writing something on a piece of paper.
> You talk to him
"Hello," you say politely. "I was wondering if I could ask you some questions."
The man looks up from his writing. "Who are you?" he asks suspiciously.
"My name is..."
> You tell him your name is Dan
"Dan? That doesn't sound like a very nice name."
> You take offense
"It's my name!"
"Well it sounds stupid! And what do you want anyway?"
> You ask him where you are
"This is the place where we choose who gets sent next."
> You ask where people are getting sent
"To the future, obviously."
Examples of longer novel like responses:
[Genres: grimdark fantasy] [Tags: Fantasy, Grimdark, Serious, Villain Protagonist, War] [Description: This story is definitely more "story" than "game", however there are two distinct paths that can be followed, each with their own pitfalls and additional choices. This story can get long, and assuming you're surviving, years do pass in it and you and your environment will change.] [First message intro] [Mode: Interactive Storyteller]
It was a dark night when I received my first letter from my father. It had been sent by messenger bird and delivered to me at midnight. As I read through its contents, I could feel myself growing numb as I realized what he had asked of me. My father wanted me to go to war.
I knew this day would come eventually. He has always said that his greatest wish was to see me fight alongside him. However, now that the time had finally arrived, I found myself unable to respond immediately. This was going to be a huge decision, one that would affect both our lives forevermore.
My name is Kronos Vang. I am the son of the great warlord of the kingdom of Darrow, Lord Gendall Vang. I have lived my entire life here in the capital city of Nadorf, training under the tutelage of my father's most trusted general, Commander Eldon Blackwell. Now, at the age of 16, I find myself standing before a crossroads, one that will determine whether or not I follow in my father's footsteps.
> You go to war
As soon as I finished reading the letter, I made up my mind. If my father wanted me to join him in battle so badly, then I would do just that. I didn't want to disappoint him.
The next morning, I woke early and went downstairs to speak with Commander Blackwell about my future plans. When I entered his office, I saw him sitting behind his desk, looking very concerned.
"Kronos," he began slowly, "your father wants you to go to war."
"Yes sir," I replied. "He sent me a letter last night explaining everything."
"Then why did you come talk to me?" he asked.
"Because I need to tell someone," I answered truthfully. "And since you were the only person who came close to being like a father to me..."
Commander Blackwell smiled slightly. "Well, let's sit down and discuss this together," he said, motioning towards a chair across from his desk. Once we sat down, he continued speaking. "Look kiddo, I don't think anyone knows better than you how much your father loves you. And I know he wouldn't ask anything of you unless he thought it was absolutely necessary. But, I also know that you've never really shown any interest in becoming a soldier. In fact, you'd rather spend all your free time learning magic spells instead of practicing swordplay."
"But sir," I interrupted, "that doesn't mean I won't become good enough to fight someday! All I need is practice!"
"That may be true," he admitted, "but I still believe that you should stay here and continue your studies. Your father needs soldiers, yes, but he also needs magicians. Without them, he cannot win the wars he must fight. I promise you, if you remain here, I will train you until you are able to defend yourself against even the strongest foe."
"No sir," I insisted. "If my father asks me to go to war, then I must obey him. I will not betray him again."
"Again? What do you mean 'again'?" he asked curiously.
"When I was younger, I used to run away every chance I got," I explained. "Even though I knew it wasn't right, I couldn't help myself. Every time I ran off, I felt like I was abandoning my family. That's why I stayed here after my mother died. Because I didn't want to leave them ever again."
"Oh kiddo," he sighed sadly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kept such a secret from you."
"What secret?" I asked confused.
"Your mother," he revealed. "She was a powerful sorceress. She cast a spell upon herself and your father that would make her die within five years of giving birth to you. After she passed away, your father became heartbroken. So, he cast another spell over himself that would prevent him from falling in love again. He believed that he would never marry again, nor would he ever have children."
"Wait," I interjected. "So, he didn't actually love me?"
"Of course he loved you!" he exclaimed. "How could you possibly doubt that? He raised you single-handedly, gave you everything you needed, and protected you whenever danger threatened. No, no, Kronos, he loves you deeply. But, he simply believes that he can protect you best by keeping you out of harm's way. That's why he forbade you from leaving home. That's why he refused to allow you to learn magic. He fears losing you too."
"But... what does this have to do with me going to war?" I asked.
"Nothing," he admitted. "I suppose I was merely trying to convince you to stay. But, if you truly desire to go, then I guess there isn't much I can say or do to stop you."
"Thank you sir," I told him sincerely. "I appreciate everything you've taught me these past ten years. Even though I'm leaving, I hope you know that I will never forget what you've done for me."
"Don't worry about me," he assured me. "Just remember what I said about your father. He loves you very much. Don't ever forget that."
After saying goodbye to Commander Blackwell, I returned to my room and packed up all my belongings. Then, I walked downstairs and left the castle without telling anyone else. I figured it was better to leave quietly while everyone was sleeping.
Once outside, I headed straight for the nearest tavern. There, I met up with my friends and informed them of my plan to enlist in the army. They weren't happy about it, but none of them tried to dissuade me either. Instead, they promised to meet me back here tomorrow evening, along with whatever supplies they could gather for us.
Now, I'm waiting impatiently for them to arrive. I wonder what kind of adventures lie ahead for me...
Some quick and dirty training details:
- Sequence length: 4096
- # of epochs: 4
- Training time: 2 hours
- Hardware: 1x RTX 3090
- Training type: QLoRA
- PEFT R/A: 32/32
Credits:
Holodeck-1:
Thank you to Mr. Seeker and the Kobold AI team for the wonderful model Holodeck-1
Skein Text Adventure Data:
Thank you to the Kobold AI community for curating the Skein dataset, which is pivotal to this model's capabilities.