OpenStory

Inspiration

We are people who enjoy reading stories and playing narrative games. We asked: What would happen if we combined the infinite creativity of AI with real gameplay? What if your story was truly unique every time you play?

What it does

OpenStory generates interactive stories in real-time using AI. Players choose a genre, make decisions through dialogue options, and watch as AI continues writing the story based on their choices. The game includes a stamina system that makes each decision meaningful. No two playthroughs are the same.

How we built it

The frontend uses React with a custom 8-bit UI. The backend uses Python with Flask and stores stories in MongoDB. AI is used to generate the story. We designed prompts to maintain coherence, implemented context management for long stories, and optimized with response streaming and caching to keep costs at a reasonable level.

Challenges we ran into

AI consistency was a major challenge. GPT forgot character names, ignored context, and consumed many tokens. We solved this by designing strict prompts, summarizing context, and validating responses. API costs were initially very high. We reduced them by 90% through prompt optimization and by using GPT instead of more expensive models like Olama or Claude.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We built an entertainment product. Through the game, players can explore ideas generated by AI. The game is designed with a professional-looking 8-bit interface.

What we learned

Prompt engineering requires learning how to write effective prompts so AI can generate desired results such as coherent and continuous storylines while saving tokens and cost. UI design is very important even for AI applications, as it provides a better user experience. Teamwork and collaboration are essential.

What's next for OpenStory

-Short term: Launch a beta with 100 users. Test a freemium model at $4.99/month. -Long term: Continue developing and improving the product, and test with a larger user base. -Ultimate goal: Attract investors and achieve certain accomplishments in the field of programming.