This time travel is to the ever vibrant Sydney. The Domestic Controller (DC) wanted to see Opera Australia's production of Westside Story, so we have hopped across the ditch for a long weekend. This is a special outdoor production on a stage the canter-levers out over Sydney Harbour. This is annual event, featuring a different show each year. We had planned to do it in 2020, but that annoying virus got in the way. The venue offers some stunning night views of the city behind the stage.
The relative monotony of the three hour flight was broken by some reading - I did start watching a really awful fantasy film called Napoleon, but couldn’t stomach it beyond the first fifteen minutes. I knew it was going to be bad and wasn't disappointed, but the really sad thing about this film is that there will be a significant number of people that will actually believe that the storyline is true.
The flight was uneventful and as usual the DC had organised the whole trip and booked a hotel near the venue - well I say near but it is still a two kilometre walk from the hotel but it is in Circular Quay, within easy distance of the train and restaurants. The deluxe room she booked turned out to be a suite...far too big for the two of us for two nights...in fact at around 1,000 square feet it us pretty close to half the size of our house, but I have to admit it is nice bit of luxury.
Visiting Sydney always provides an excuse to visit old haunts - like the fabulous The Malaya restaurant that we discovered on our last visit in October last year. I mourn the loss of Napoleon's Military Bookshop and the Tin Soldier shop in York Street (both of which have been gone for many years now, but I still miss them), because now instead of fossicking around their dusty shelves while the DC is off doing her thing I have to wait in those shops that women frequent and sit in that little area with old armchairs set aside for husbands who sit there in a state of embarrassment scrolling through news services on their phones and desperately trying not to make eye contact with each other.
The show was superb and although the few spots of rain after the interval had everyone scrambling to put their put their rain ponchos on, immediately giving most of the audience the appearance of a bunch of CSI specialists, thankfully the rain failed to eventuate and the show was a success.
Write me a scenario for a napoleonic wargame set in 1813 between a French infantry division and an Austrian infantry division
Here is what it returned (unedited) in just over one second...
Napoleonic Wargame Scenario: 1813 French vs Austrian Infantry
The Situation
The year is 1813, and the Napoleonic Wars are raging across Europe. In the aftermath of Napoleon's disastrous campaign in Russia the previous year, the French Empire finds itself facing a growing coalition of enemies, including the Austrian Empire.
In a remote region of central Europe, a French infantry division under the command of Marshal Auguste de Marmont is tasked with securing a vital crossroads town against an advancing Austrian force. The Austrians, led by General Archduke Karl, have dispatched one of their veteran infantry divisions to capture the town and disrupt the French supply lines.
The stage is set for a clash between these two formidable opponents, with the outcome hanging in the balance.
The Battlefield
The town of Schöngrabern sits at the intersection of several key roads, making it a strategically important location. The terrain surrounding the town is a mix of gently rolling hills, scattered woodlands, and open farmland, providing both opportunities and challenges for the opposing armies.
To the north of the town, a series of low ridges offer excellent defensive positions for the French, while to the south, the Austrians can utilize the cover of the wooded areas to maneuver their forces. The town itself is a maze of narrow streets and sturdy stone buildings, which could prove to be a formidable obstacle for either side.
The Forces
French Infantry Division
- Commander: Marshal Auguste de Marmont
- Composition:
- 3 Veteran Line Infantry Regiments
- 1 Elite Grenadier Regiment
- 1 Light Infantry Regiment
- 1 Artillery Battery
- 1 Cavalry Regiment
Austrian Infantry Division
- Commander: Archduke Karl
- Composition:
- 4 Veteran Line Infantry Regiments
- 1 Jäger (Rifle) Regiment
- 1 Artillery Battery
- 1 Cavalry Regiment
The Objective
The French must hold the town of Schöngrabern at all costs, denying the Austrians a vital crossroads and maintaining their supply lines. The Austrians, on the other hand, must capture the town and secure the roads, cutting off the French and potentially opening the way for a larger offensive.
Both sides will need to carefully maneuver their forces, utilize the terrain to their advantage, and employ a mix of infantry, artillery, and cavalry to achieve their objectives. The battle promises to be a hard-fought and decisive engagement that could have far-reaching consequences for the ongoing Napoleonic conflict.
Clearly the more information that goes into the description the better. I can see many hours being dedicated to developing this for future games.
That AI scenario is pretty impressive and looks to be similar in size to the likes of OHW, Mark, a system many bloggers really like. 5 infantry, 1 cavalry and 1 gun per side....bit smaller than the usual fare at Barry's, but would work really well on a 6 x 4 table!
ReplyDeleteI played around some more with multi-player scenarios and it generated what would make for some good games. The more detail you write in the original query the better...this stuff is going to keep me busy for hours in the evening!
DeleteMark, your so-generated scenario is quite good. You even get a generic OB. I have continued playing perplexity too. Some of the results are impressive.
ReplyDeleteIt is fun. I asked it to create some fictional characters with a 1000 word description and it did a remarkable job. There is a need to provide guidance...expect to see more on this subject soon!
DeleteI have never seen anything good or useful produced by AI, so far anyway, and this doesn't change my mind. As Samuel Johnson said long ago in relation to a dog walking on his hind legs. "It is not done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all." This sounds like it's been written by someone who speaks English but doesn't understand the concept of a wargames scenario. Half the information it contains is plain wrong. And I don't see what it has "created" that you didn't put into it.
ReplyDeleteI have a more positive outlook on AI due to exposure to it at work. As useful as it is, it is just a tool and not be all and end all.
DeleteI work in aviation publishing and had the need to find some references within a suite of 20 large manuals. After using some traditional search tools I found around 300-350 references. I was convinced to get my digital colleagues to run an AI query as a proof of concept. They ran a script that identified 631 references from between 12,000 and 15,000 printed pages in less than minute and categorised them as high, medium or low relevance. More importantly it identified 120 of those references as not relevant because they related to outdated legislation or processes, something we hadn't asked for, but the AI had recognised the missing criteria and created it. A human analysis of this depth would have taken months and probably would not have been as accurate. I have used AI for several other similar tasks and the key is how you pose the question.
Given that my simple exercise did the job literally in a second I don't think it has done too bad a job creating the scenario given the brevity of the instruction. I have done another one since with a greater description and it provided a better result.
I'm sorry to be an old curmudgeon of course. When I say I've never seen anything useful out of AI, I mean personally seen. I'm sure it can do useful things in some contexts, as you have found for work purposes. I remain to be convinced it can *create* anything of merit. I particulary dislike AI images, which I find both rubbish-looking and slightly disturbing somehow. I saw a "Napoleonic" one, which had clearly digested some paintings, then come up with men wearing headgear with sort of birds' beaks on the front. I think it had taken in shakos, and taken in bicornes, and mashed them together!
DeleteNo problem John. Strangely when I ran the scenario description again I got a very different result. I am still playing around with this technology, really just to see how it can be used to establish basic concepts that I can dress bp 'by hand'. I really like creating scenarios as a creative exercise, and I love creating a bit of back history, with which AI tool may prove useful.
DeleteI too miss the Tin Soldier and Napoleon's, but in retrospect their demise was almost inevitable. It must have been frustrating for them with customers coming in to view physical product and then ordering off the internet from the manufacturers. I would have walked out of Napoleon after 15 minutes if I hadn't paid for it, and just wish I waited to read a few reviews before seeing it but movies only seem to be on at the cinema for two weeks nowadays. That AI scenario is very impressive, a much better job than that Willy Wonka effort in Glasgow.
ReplyDeleteIn the early 2000s I was in Sydney two or three times a year and always found time to get to those stores. I think AI is not the whole solution but it is a tool to do the heavy lifting. I think there is potential for a bit of fun to be had.
DeleteHey, nice to put a face to the name. I like it when bloggers show themselves once in awhile, just to remind everyone we’re real people. Often good looking people. 😀
ReplyDeleteFun trip. I’ve wound not of thought of using AI for scenarios; could be interesting.
Glad you liked our CSI look...a less kind friend described it as something else! At some point soon I will post some more on AI scenarios. There is quite a trick to writing the initial query to get a useful result.
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