The Debugger

Home Screen (The Debugger)
Playable Asset (Monty the Python)

Inspiration

We were inspired by modern RPGs that utilize AI to change the story based on the user's choices, contributing to its unpredictability. However, we also wanted to maintain the style of classic/retro-style RPGs that we grew up with.

What it does

"The Debugger" is a video game. The user plays as their chosen character, Monty Python, and interacts with an AI-powered chatbot (Gemini). The diction of their responses influence the game (i.e., the user is more likely to complete the objective if they approach the chatbot in a kindly manner).

How we built it

HTML and CSS serve as the foundation for the visuals.
JavaScript allows the user to interact with the assets, including the chatbot.
Generated APIs were used to implement Gemini AI.
Outside of programming, the sprites for each character were drawn in Piskel (online software).

Challenges we ran into

The biggest challenge we faced was prompting the chatbot to take on an antagonistic persona. Despite our best attempts, Gemini AI had a tendency to repeat itself instead of moving the story forward. Nevertheless, it was interesting to see how we could influence AI to change .

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud of our ability to visualize an RPG with tools that are typically used for web development. Even without a game engine such as Unity, it is still possible to create an interactive video game.

What we learned

Given the time constraints, we learned how to narrow down our ideas and work alongside a powerful AI tool using a simpler programming language (i.e., JavaScript).