You’re right – I’m bored – I’m waiting for a load of new toys to arrive to write about. I’ve just spent the day at the coast with an ex-Microsoft pal of mine, avoiding crappy weather inland and on my return home tonight, my Bengal cat was deeply involved in something in the garden – I never found out what he was staring at so intently but that triggered me off:
I used to be a fanatic about text adventures like the original Crowther adventure (You are in a forest) and Scott Adams adventures for the Tandy TRS-80 – long before we had anything like decent graphics.
Anyway I decided to try out my new favourite toy – Gemini-CLI (command line version – runs in Powershell etc) which can’t make images but it sure can tell you about them:
I put the image of the cat into a folder that Gemini could access, told it to “describe the scene in the image mycat.jpg and state possible exits and interesting things to look at – in the style of an adventure program.”
Are you ready for this? If I could go back in time I could maybe start a career selling adventure games… (or not)… I’ve not edited this AT ALL!!!
You find yourself in a dimly lit, overgrown patio, the air thick with the scent of damp earth and unseen flora. Before you, a sleek, spotted feline, a creature of the night, is poised atop a low, purple-painted wall, its glowing eyes fixed intently on some unseen quarry to the east. Its powerful form suggests agility and a hunter’s instinct.
Possible Exits:
East: The cat’s unwavering gaze suggests an interesting path or target beyond the dense bamboo-like foliage. What secrets does the darkness hold in that direction?
West: A shadowy, possibly wooden structure is partially obscured by a leafy vine. Could this be a hidden entrance, a forgotten shed, or merely a decorative element? The path here is less clear, but the vine hints at something ancient or untamed.
South: The paved patio stretches out behind you, offering a retreat from the immediate tension, but leading to unknown areas of this nocturnal garden.
Interesting Things to Look At:
The Cat: Observe its intense focus, the intricate patterns of its fur, and the predatory gleam in its eyes. Is it a guardian, a hunter, or merely a curious observer?
The Wall: The low, purple wall with its terracotta-tiled coping provides a clear boundary. What lies beyond its confines? Is it a garden, a wilderness, or something more?
The Foliage: The dense, reedy plants to the east could conceal anything. A hidden path, a small creature, or perhaps a clue.
The Ground: The damp, paved surface beneath your feet and the cat’s hind paws. Are those water puddles, or something else reflecting the dim light?
If anyone is still writing these things – be afraid – be very afraid 🙂
That’s really interesting. I used to play text adventures too and even had a go at writing one using Excel and VBA. Gemini really nailed the style, particularly the description.
I have to tell you, Garry, I am having so much fun with this stuff it’s a good job I’m retired because I wouldn’t have the time to hold down a job and play with all this tech at the same time.
I’m just about to put up a short blog entry on something new I’ve just discovered at random called Wispr Flow. Now I’d really love feedback. Does it look like rubbish? Does it look dangerous? Or is anybody actually going to try this on my recommendation? Which, incidentally, I must clarify I’m not taking responsibility for anyone clicking on a link.
One thing’s for sure: if there is such a thing still as a typing pool, well, guys, your time’s up. When I’m writing these blog entries and replying to people, I make so many mistakes that I spend more time correcting the mistakes than actually writing. So, hopefully, for the first time ever, this response will not have involved any typing at all. Wish me luck.
Peach – No, not perfect, my name is Pete, not Peach 🙂
There was a project that took the output from the original Adventure game as it was being played and created the image in realtime……
Incredible age to be in!
Certainly is…
asked to make it photorealistic, and flipped vertically so cat looks the same way as your photo…
took your description and pasted as is in chatgpt, asking to create an image… here it is…
Yup – good Antonio – but the face does not quite match that of a Bengal cat. Well lit however…. I love the wet floor tiling… all subtle and good…
I also just completed giving Gemini my own description and having it create an image… quite pleased… here’s what I put in…
“Create an image, using a night-time dark garden as a base – and show a Bengal cat staring at something it thinks is mysterious – the image should offer clues as to possible exits out of the garden without being too obvious – and should convey the excitement of a 1980s style adventure while remaining realistic in the image depiction.”
and it’s image it created….
This is SO much fun – if only the world wasn’t full of asses who will abuse this tech. I think I’m going to deliberately start marking any images or text I find useful to make it blatantly clear it’s AI. Someone has to make a start. In the image above I left in the Gemini marker bottom left.
The more I look at that cat above, the more haunting it gets, Antonio. It absolutely looks straight out of an adventure game.