AI Dungeon developer Latitude has unveiled Voyage, a platform for creating AI-powered RPGs

If you’ve ever played a role-playing game (RPG), you know how fun it is to create your character in any way you choose and embark on epic journeys. Now, picture an AI-driven, text-based RPG where every interaction with a non-player character (NPC) is completely unscripted.

LatitudeThe startup known for its open source games with “infinite stories” created by AI, recently unveiled its new platform that allows users to join the role of game developers.

This AI-driven RPG, called A journeyhelps players create their own game world with the help of AI. Players can customize their settings, including details such as regions, cities, locations, major leagues, and players. They can also implement game mechanics such as skills, control systems, and combat challenges.

For example, if you want to create a fishing village with a sea monster, the AI ​​will generate the code needed to bring the idea to life. You can customize your world in advance before sharing it with others to play.

For players, the Voyage platform offers experiences in a variety of genres, from fun games to intense competitions. Since it is a script, players read along with the story (with audio) and write how they want their character to act.

Unlike traditional RPGs, if a person is faced with a goblin problem, instead of ways to run, fight, or hide, players can choose special activities such as being a goblin therapist, helping the creatures with their stories instead of violence.

When players enter a target, the AI ​​explains the results, including how the NPCs respond. Because there is no set script, interactions can go in unexpected directions, often leading to surprising and surprising conversations. For example, when we were tested, one soldier who gave us courage started to talk about his family problems.

Personality development, meanwhile, depends on a person’s skill and a little bit of luck, like rolling the dice in a classic game. Each character can also unlock special abilities when defeating bosses or completing levels, such as using “Counterspell” to prevent an enemy from using magic. (A number of skills in Voyage draw inspiration from the classic Dungeons & Dragons style, which is fun!)

And, if players find themselves stuck, there’s a chatbot that can give suggestions on what to do or jump to different parts of the story.

At the heart of the Voyage is Latitude’s World Engine, an engine that took the company five years to develop. The engine uses a number of AI systems that can describe events, manage gameplay, track characters and objects, and remember past events and relationships, ensuring the continuity of the game. So, instead of the usual NPCs with repetitive plot lines, players encounter characters who remember past events. For example, if you betray someone’s trust, they may choose to avoid you or become competitors in future meetings.

“Behavior isn’t just based on how you act, it has its own personality, which happens to you in ways that feel real, and that’s part of the magic of the engine,” Latitude CEO and co-founder Nick Walton told TechCrunch.

Latitude started making waves in the AI ​​gaming industry with the launch of the AI Dungeon in 2019, which attracted millions of players.

“It blew up on the Internet as one of the first times people interacted with AI output,” Walton said. “It confirmed the original promise of what could happen if we had games and worlds that weren’t defined in advance, that weren’t scripted… Adventure takes a basic idea and shoots it 10x farther from a single type of AI to an explosive world that has determined behaviors, challenges, progress, and perseverance, and overcomes all the challenges that I can overcome alone.”

Voyage is currently undergoing beta testing, with an open beta scheduled for later this year. The platform has seen early testers interact with more than 160,000 AI-generated characters, each with a distinct personality. The average player has made about 3,000 game decisions.

Along with the launch announcement, Latitude announced a partnership with Google’s AI Futures Fund. The platform integrates its own brands with third-party brands such as Google’s Gemini Flash for image creation and Gemma for audio, video, and audio.

In addition, Roblox’s former Chief Business Officer Craig Donato joined as an investor and board member. Other notable investors include Album VC, Griffin Gaming Partners, Midjourney, and NFX.

Journey is free to play but will soon offer subscription plans for $15, $30, and $50. These plans will provide a high level of AI and remove the limits on how much players can do.

It is also important to note that, although the platform is suitable for all ages, some activities include mature content, which Walton says is similar to what you can find on Steam. He added that Voyage uses security measures and parental controls to help users filter inappropriate content.