Latitude launches Voyage, a platform for making text-based RPGs with AI

In short: Latitude has introduced Voyage, a new platform that lets people create and play custom, text-based role-playing games with AI-generated character interactions.

What happened

Latitude, the company behind AI Dungeon, announced a new product called Voyage. It is a platform where players can design their own role-playing game (RPG) worlds, then share them for others to play.

Voyage is text-based, so you read the story and type what you want to do next. The characters you meet are NPCs, or non-player characters (like the shopkeeper or guard in a game). Latitude says these NPCs are not limited to fixed, pre-written lines, so conversations can go in unexpected directions.

People building a world can describe things like cities, villains, and main quests, and also set rules for how the game works, such as abilities, leveling up, and combat challenges. Latitude said the system can even generate the needed code (the instructions a computer follows, like a recipe) from a description, such as “a fishing village haunted by a sea monster.”

Voyage is in expanded beta testing now, with an open beta planned for later this year. Latitude said early testers have interacted with more than 160,000 unique AI-generated characters.

Latitude also announced a partnership with Google’s AI Futures Fund, and said Voyage uses a mix of its own AI and outside models, including Google tools. Voyage is free to play for now, and Latitude plans subscriptions priced at $15, $30, and $50.

Why it matters

Tools like Voyage could make it easier for regular players to build their own story games without traditional game development skills. It also raises familiar questions about safety and content, and Latitude says Voyage includes safety measures and parental controls, since some user-made experiences can include mature material.

Source: TechCrunch AI