ChatGPT and Scenarios

[kevinkin]

Task: Design a Combat Mission Red Thunder scenario OOB where the Soviets attack the Germans in company strength. Each side has a platoon of tanks. Year is 1944. Weather is Hot. Terrain is rolling hills.

Generic and not perfect but pretty interesting. 

Here is a possible Combat Mission Red Thunder scenario Out of Bounds (OOB) where the Soviets attack the Germans in company strength. The scenario is set in 1944, during the summer, with hot weather and a rolling hills terrain. Each side has a platoon of tanks.

Map:
The scenario is set on a hilly terrain with some wooded areas, fields, and a few small villages. The map should be around 1000x1000 meters.

Forces:
Soviets:
- 1x Company of infantry (around 120 men) equipped with Mosin-Nagant rifles and DP-28 machine guns, with a mix of PTRDs and AT grenades. They also have 1x platoon of T-34/85 tanks (3 tanks) in support.

Germans:
- 1x Company of infantry (around 120 men) equipped with Kar98k rifles and MG42 machine guns, with a mix of Panzerfausts and anti-tank grenades. They also have 1x platoon of Panzer IV H tanks (3 tanks) in support.

Objectives:
The Soviets must attack and capture a key village defended by the Germans. The village is located in the center of the map and offers good cover and concealment for the defenders. The Soviets must capture and hold the village for 30 minutes to win the scenario. The Germans win if they manage to repel the Soviet attack or if they hold the village until the scenario time limit (60 minutes) expires.

Initial Deployment:
The Germans deploy their forces in and around the village, with the infantry occupying buildings and other cover and the tanks positioned on the flanks to provide fire support. The Soviets deploy on one side of the map, with their infantry spread out in a line and the tanks behind them.

Gameplay:
The Soviets must advance towards the village while avoiding the German defenses and suppressing their fire with their own weapons. The tanks should provide support and engage enemy positions, while the infantry clears buildings and other cover. The Soviets can use the cover of the woods and the rolling terrain to their advantage, and the AT weapons to take out the enemy tanks and infantry.

The Germans must defend the village and use their superior defensive position to their advantage. They should use cover and concealment to avoid being spotted and hit by the Soviet tanks and infantry, and use their tanks to engage the Soviet armor and disrupt the Soviet advance. The infantry should hold their positions and use their MG42s and other weapons to suppress and eliminate the enemy infantry.

The scenario should be balanced enough to provide a challenge for both sides, with the Soviets having an advantage in armor and firepower and the Germans having a better defensive position and heavier anti-tank capabilities. The scenario can be modified by adjusting the number and types of units, the map layout, and the victory conditions.

[Simicro]

Impressive!

[Vacillator]

I agree.

Now we just need to get it to actually make the scenario, including multiple AI plans for both sides .

[kevinkin]

Working on that. It's generating lua code for CMO too. Again, need confirm the accuracy and will need some human love and care. 

[Thomm]

I have tried it for myself, and got the following message (after a similar output as yours was generated):

This content may violate our content policy. If you believe this to be in error, please submit your feedback — your input will aid our research in this area.

I did not bother to find out what exactly was the issue.

Not sure what to think about it. I guess that for scenario designers - especially those who are not native speakers - this may be a great help.

[Simicro]

50 minutes ago, Thomm said:

Not sure what to think about it.

Not sure what you asked and what was exactly the output. But that warning might be related to intellectual property.

[Thomm]

6 minutes ago, Simicro said:

Not sure what you asked and what was exactly the output. But that warning might be related to intellectual property.

I copied the first paragraph of the original post into a ChatGPT chat.

I guess you are right about the IP.

[womble]

On 5/6/2023 at 6:07 PM, Simicro said:

Impressive!

I disagree strongly. It's anodyne generic pap. It adds almost nothing to the original premise offered to the engine.

It includes almost nothing (actually I think it's absolutely nothing, but I'll hedge my bets) specific to Combat Mission. It mentions nothing about the relative morale and experience of the two forces, let alone getting into detail about CM 'soft factors'.

It understands nothing about the necessary force ratios to make a hasty attack-to-overrun a "fair fight" for two human players given the single objective. Conversely, it offers no insight about how to make the AI defender work.

It completely neglects to mention any indirect fire assets, even the organic mortars each company will have. Smoke would be invaluable for the Soviets, and if it's offering "Briefing hints", that should be mentioned. The briefing hints it does give are so generic as to amount to "Use your forces and terrain to defeat the enemy," and it mentions "AT weapons" in the Russian half, which don't really exist outside the tanks; AT Rifles have specific limited effects, at this stage of the war; just assuming that because they might have "Anti tank" in their name they can "take out" a PzIVH while on the offense is perhaps dangerously misleading. I'd also expect some Panzerschreck on the German side, as well as Panzerfaust; looks like they got cut  by the "list 4 infantry weapon systems for each side" rule.

There's more, but I really can't be bothered. It'd be impressive if you could ask that question and it posted the scenario file to you. Whether it was a good fight or not, that'd be impressive.

 

[PEB14]

As usual with ChatGPT, the quality of the language is impressive. The content is next to useless. Empty speech under a magnificient varnish cover.

[Simicro]

@womble Of course it cannot (will never?) replace a human, and in this case a CM expert one. But try to type in Google the request as formulated by kevinkin, which was very accurate and specific, obviously you won't get the level of response of ChatGPT.

Edited May 12, 2023 by Simicro

[womble]

37 minutes ago, Simicro said:

@womble Of course it cannot (will never?) replace a human, and in this case a CM expert one. But try to type in Google the request as formulated by kevinkin, which was very accurate and specific, obviously you won't get the level of response of ChatGPT.

So it's better than Google. Yay. And by "better", I mean "chattier". What does it give you, beyond the initial question, that wouldn't naturally arise from taking the initial proposition and opening the scenario editor? I see: dimensions; several villages crammed into too-small a space. What else?

I'll reiterate that nothing  I can see in that response is specific to CM. What am I missing that is? It could equally well be a scenario generator for Flames of War, or any other computer game that works at Company level and lets you make up scenarios. And still it ignores vital elements of the "experience" (force ratios for D v A; ; the difference between H v H and vs AI; mortars). It has just added a lot of useless verbiage to the original proposition.

What about this constitutes "impressive"?

[Simicro]

You win 

[Bulletpoint]

User:

Write a scenario for the computer game Combat Mission: Final Blitzkrieg. Include scenario briefing (500 words) and an OOB for all units, including suggested soft factors. Try to achieve good gameplay balance for a game of two human players.

 

ChatGPT:

Scenario: Battle for Hill 317

Briefing:

Date: February 12, 1945
Location: Ardennes, Belgium
Time: 0800 hours

Situation:
The Battle of the Bulge has reached a critical stage, and both Allied and German forces are locked in a fierce struggle for control of the Ardennes region. The strategic value of Hill 317 cannot be underestimated, as it offers commanding views over the surrounding terrain. The Germans have positioned a well-fortified company of veteran infantry, supported by armor, to hold the hill. The Allies have assembled a combined force to dislodge them and secure the area.

Your Mission:
As the commander of the Allied forces, your mission is to capture and hold Hill 317. The Germans are dug in and highly motivated to defend their position, so expect fierce resistance. Your success will depend on careful planning, effective coordination, and exploiting any weaknesses you can find in their defenses.

Enemy Forces:
The German defenders consist of a reinforced company of battle-hardened infantry, supported by two platoons of tanks and a battery of artillery. They have emplaced machine gun nests, dugouts, and well-constructed trenches on the hill, providing them with excellent defensive positions. The enemy is likely to employ anti-tank weapons and mines to deter your armored units.

Friendly Forces:
You command a mixed force consisting of infantry, tanks, and artillery. Your infantry consists of two reinforced platoons, supported by a heavy machine gun platoon. You have two platoons of Sherman tanks and a battery of field artillery at your disposal. Additionally, you can request off-map artillery support to soften up enemy positions or disrupt their reinforcements.

Objectives:
- Secure Hill 317: Capture and hold the strategic hill. The Germans will put up stiff resistance, so plan your assault carefully.
- Eliminate Enemy Armor: Destroy or neutralize the German tanks to deny them the ability to counterattack effectively.
- Neutralize Artillery Positions: Locate and suppress the enemy artillery to minimize their impact on your forces.
- Preserve Your Forces: Limit casualties and ensure your units maintain combat effectiveness throughout the engagement.

Terrain:
The battle takes place in a hilly and forested area, with open fields surrounding Hill 317. The hill itself is covered in dense vegetation and crisscrossed with trenches and foxholes. The terrain will favor the defender, offering ample opportunities for ambushes and defensive positions. Use the cover wisely and coordinate with your units to overcome these challenges.

Suggested OOB (Order of Battle):

Allied Forces:
- 2 x Infantry Platoon (Reinforced)
- 1 x Heavy Machine Gun Platoon
- 2 x Sherman Tank Platoon
- 1 x Field Artillery Battery

German Forces:
- 1 x Infantry Company (Veteran)
- 2 x Tank Platoon
- 1 x Artillery Battery

Suggested Soft Factors:
Allied Forces:
- Leadership: Average
- Experience: Average
- Morale: Average
- Training: Average

German Forces:
- Leadership: Good
- Experience: Veteran
- Morale: High
- Training: High

Note: The suggested soft factors are for gameplay balance and can be adjusted according to player preferences.

Remember, commander, the Battle for Hill 317 will be a challenging endeavor. Study the terrain, utilize your units effectively, and adapt your tactics to overcome the German defenders. Good luck! Victory on this hill will bring the Allies one step closer to victory in the Ardennes.

[Bulletpoint]

So, apart from getting the balance completely wrong, and casting the Americans as the attackers, I think it did a pretty good job.

Even though it's not the height of creativity, I'm pretty amazed that I can ask a computer to do this stuff, as it has not been trained to know what Combat Mission even is, let alone what a typical scenario writeup looks like.

Actually, looking at it again now, I think the balance might even be quite good for a singleplayer battle. It seems to match with a lot of scenarios I've played.

Edited May 12, 2023 by Bulletpoint

[Thewood1]

On 5/6/2023 at 4:52 PM, kevinkin said:

Working on that. It's generating lua code for CMO too. Again, need confirm the accuracy and will need some human love and care. 

Thats not true at all.  The lua is some very generic code that someone who knows nothing about coding or lua tried to feed into ChatGPT.  The AI is not some miracle of all known info and data.   Without training or access to APIs that are specific to the game/app/whatever, it will always be generic and 99% unusable.  CHatGPT is great at generating in-context text through Large Language, but without access to specific data, it is still very generic in its output.

[kevinkin]

I agree. Just experimenting. 

[Freyberg]

"It is like a dog's walking on his hind legs. It is not that it is done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all.” 

[Artkin]

21 hours ago, womble said:

So it's better than Google. Yay. And by "better", I mean "chattier". What does it give you, beyond the initial question, that wouldn't naturally arise from taking the initial proposition and opening the scenario editor? I see: dimensions; several villages crammed into too-small a space. What else?

I'll reiterate that nothing  I can see in that response is specific to CM. What am I missing that is? It could equally well be a scenario generator for Flames of War, or any other computer game that works at Company level and lets you make up scenarios. And still it ignores vital elements of the "experience" (force ratios for D v A; ; the difference between H v H and vs AI; mortars). It has just added a lot of useless verbiage to the original proposition.

What about this constitutes "impressive"?

There it is. Do you have anything else to complain about? Maybe someone new can pitch in, try it, and stomp out your next post too.

Hahahaha.

[kevinkin]

If I understand the technology correctly, the AI will have to be trained to do something highly specific. That's were the money is. What some are playing with is just a demo of the capabilities. But I read some people are using the demo as is to write documents for work. At least get them started. 

OpenAI is an American artificial intelligence (AI) research laboratory consisting of the non-profit OpenAI Incorporated and its for-profit subsidiary corporation OpenAI Limited Partnership.

Edited May 14, 2023 by kevinkin