Having finished the manuscript for a children’s picture book and sent it to my editor, I’m back to work on The Cup of Agamemnon, a sword-and-planet adventure that I suspect will take me some time to complete This book will be a challenge for me. It involves more large-scale, semi-realistic warfare than I am used to depicting, so I will need some research and assistance to make sure I don’t destroy suspension of disbelief. The world I am describing is supposed to be like a decaying Achaemenid Empire but with Civil War-era weaponry and some science-fiction conceits thrown in. Whether that mishmash is workable remains to be seen.
I confess I’ve been playing around a little with ChatGPT. I fed it some details from this book to see if it could offer any real assistance. So far, it’s sort of like bouncing ideas off a person who is very safe and not particularly creative, though it at least offers a few reminders of things that need to be addressed. I’ll quote some snippets from our “conversation.”
Recently, after I asked ChatGPT about the first time I mentioned the novel, it coyly asked me to “remind” it of what we’d discussed, which indicates that it may not remember past conversations as well as its advertising says it does:
Of course, I’d be happy to help! Please remind me of the key elements of the concept we discussed previously for the novel, and let me know which areas you’d like to refine or develop further.
I then gave a one-sentence reminder to see if it actually remember details. It gave a lengthy answer, none of which suggested that it remembered our previous discussion, but which contained some good, basic advice for a writer. In the midst of it, it asked me to discuss characters, so I described the primary characters of the book:
The characters are 1) The Narrator, who, as his name suggests, is narrating the story. He is a troubadour from a race with highly developed language skills; he can learn languages very quickly and memorize lengthy works, even epics, in order to recite them as he travels the galaxy. 2) Angelica, a human from the future who has augmented her body with cyborg enhancements; her bionic computer is powered by a miniaturized fusion reactor at the base of her spine, and her main weapon is a segmented superstring in her hand, which can open a portal to the mantle of a neutron star and release tiny amounts of neutron-degenerate matter, which will instantly vaporize enemies. 3) Sam, a large, muscular, furry creature called a Feralax; he carries a large machine gun and quite a lot of ammunition. These three are shipwrecked because of a miscalculation while flying faster than light in their spacecraft. After their shipwreck, they travel through a mountain pass that appears to be a former trade route, but has since been abandoned. They come upon an unconscious native, a so-called Gernian, who appears to have been attacked. They treat his wounds and keep him alive until they reach a Gernian fort.
ChatGPT gave a surprisingly lengthy reply to this, mostly recommending conflicts that could arise from the details given thus far. I won’t bother quoting in full, but it suggested:
Angelica’s futuristic enhancements provide her with a distinct set of skills that can be both advantageous and complex. Her bionic computer and portal-opening weapon are fascinating elements that can drive both action and intrigue. Consider exploring her relationship with technology and how it affects her humanity, as well as how her advanced technology might interact with the moon’s environment.
Not bad, but not more than what one could get from a not-very-interested editor. At most, it amounts to reminders of a few basics that an author could forget in the midst of composing.
I tried to get more useful details, so I focused in on one scene: Early in the book, the stranded spacefarers come upon a besieged fort in a mountain pass. Realizing that the combatants have technology inferior to their own, they decide the break the siege in order to ingratiate themselves to the people in the fort and acquire the two things they lack–food and water. Making sure that this sequence is reasonably realistic is a point of anxiety to me, so I asked ChatGPT to see if it had any insights:
The characters arrive while the fort is under siege by hill-dwelling tribes who have access to cannons, flintlock rifles, and rudimentary bombs, but no more advanced weapons. The defenders in the fort have slightly more advanced rifles and cannons of their own. Describe the kind of logistics it would require to besiege such a fort. Suppose the fort is similar in structure to an Urartian fortification such as existed in ancient Armenia, with a similar environment.
The responses I got for this were okay but not insightful. It mentioned supply lines, which I hoped it would discuss in more detail or at least with some comments I had not thought of myself, but it did not. Most interesting to me is that it did not mention sappers, who played an important part in roughly analogous sieges. I then asked it about sappers specifically, and it responded with answers that were, again, okay but vague. It did, however, include one detail I consider useful:
- Focused Blast: Sappers might aim to create a focused blast pattern that directs the explosive force inward and upward, aiming to break apart the stones and create a breach.
- Overlapping Charges: Multiple charges might be used in close proximity to create a larger breach or to ensure that a single charge doesn’t leave the wall partially intact.
More remarkably, I asked it how the protagonists could deal with the pickets of the besieging army, and it gave specific (though, again, vague) responses for each character, such as:
- Narrator (Troubadour):
- Language Skills: The Narrator’s exceptional ability to learn languages quickly could be used to gather information about the besiegers’ positions, numbers, and patrol schedules. This knowledge would aid in planning an effective evasion strategy.
- Disguise and Deception: The Narrator could use his talents to mimic the language and mannerisms of the besieging tribes, allowing the group to blend in temporarily and gather information without raising suspicion.
- Angelica (Cyborg Augmented Human):
- Technological Abilities: Angelica’s cyborg enhancements could provide valuable advantages. She might use her bionic computer to remotely access and disable any surveillance equipment the tribes might be using, reducing the risk of detection.
- Stealth and Reconnaissance: Angelica’s enhanced senses and physical capabilities could help her scout ahead and assess the picket positions with minimal risk of being detected. Her augmented vision might allow her to spot hidden sentries.
The suggestions here demonstrate the large language model’s difficulty in keeping track of or understanding specific details: The suggestion that Angelica could “remotely access and disable any surveillance equipment” is of course impossible since the invaders have no such equipment.
