i’m interested in checking out the mrwhatsit thing, but i’m wary since it uses AI. i did notice that in your previous screenshots it says the AI was turned off, so i was wondering how you were able to do that????
also i can’t believe barely anyone is talking about this, even non-stranger things fans. like i thought there was a whole online community dedicated to ARG-related things, so i can’t believe that i’ve only seen conformitygaters talking about it (and even then it’s sparse). who even found this game originally???
Ok as to who found it- I HAVE NO IDEAAAA!! It’s wild. Like I’m convinced an insider dropped its existence into conformitygate circles to make sure there was some level of awareness because what would compel someone to check that site address.
As for the AI component of this question- I am admittedly not a tech person but I can sorta explain why I’m still playing the game despite being a staunch AI-critic. The biggest thing to understand is that ‘AI’ is not actually all that new, and not all AI is the new-tech grift that we’ve become bombarded with today.
First off- I have only noticed an AI-toggle with this game when I am speaking to characters (Jenny, Mara, Ray and Mrs Calder). It’s off by default and I’ve not personally turned it on!
As for the rest of the game’s possible AI usage-
Learning about the game ‘Zork’ personally helped me understand a bit better how the text field on Mr.WhatsIt can work without AI (again, tech is not my forte I’m just a good reader).
It uses a parser- which is a set of rules that allows the computer to break apart your sentences and translate them in a way that the computer can understand and respond to.
Zork, which was made in the 80s, was so impressive because it used an engine that could break apart longer, more complex sentences rather than strictly following the verb-noun structure of older systems. We’re 40 years past that, and I think it stands to reason that parsers have gotten even better at analyzing grammar and translating it to computer terms for improved interaction.
So- you input a command. The parser takes it apart and looks to connect it to existing game data and generates a response that matches. If you put in the right key words, you can unlock further progress in the game. And if you’re not writing anything that connects to pre-existing game data, it will try to encourage you closer to the right answer.
For example- the Mr.WhatsIt game has characters/ notes that keep making reference to a shed/ shack. I believe typing ‘investigate the shed’ under the correct circumstances will activate the parser in a way that allows game progression. I have not found those circumstances yet, so that’s speculation on my part.
But, the parser is also designed to spin you in circles a bit (much like Camazotz)- if YOU mention something before the game does, I’ve noticed in the code that the game will remember it and integrate it into its outputs, making it so you’re chasing your own tail rather than making real progress.
You also gotta be careful with names- that is an oddball situation where the game has randomly name-dropped someone without my input, though they SEEM to be a dead-end for any actual progression. Like- there is a ‘Mabel’ that I met, but I don’t think she’s a real game asset- she’s not in the source code anywhere. Some NPCs can also assume a variety of identities. My bet is that ‘names’ are intentionally confounding as part of the whole ‘hivemind’ of it all- overlapping memories make ghosts seem real, kinda. I think the game has a way of flagging things in a way that allows the parser to bring it back in some capacity, becoming self-referential based on the player.
The game also seems to have a programmed response to inputs it doesn’t know what to do with, with some variation for flavor. If the response I get back continues to be about ‘shadows’ and ‘echoes’ and ‘whispers’ I’ve learned to move on, because I think that’s the games default output when you’re poking in a corner that doesn’t actually have anything in it. I keep my eye out for when the game throws in new words (you notice a path, you hear water nearby, etc) to guide towards what I think are worthwhile investigations. ‘Key words’ that will trigger recognition from the parser and push towards new paths.
And, for what it’s worth, I have had several instances where the game seemingly just has no idea what to do with my input and hits me with ‘That doesn’t seem possible right now’ or ‘that doesn’t seem appropriate given the situation’ or something similar. To me that indications a limitation in the games systems and rule sets. Like there is an internal logic system that is very advanced, but not ‘endless’ in its capabilities in the way AI pretends to be.
