General Star Trek thread

Spear · 18-05-2023 11:07am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120611506#Comment_120611506

I had to check a few image to confirm you're right about it being Doug Drexler. He's 70 now, but most of the images show him much younger.

breezy1985 · 18-05-2023 11:15am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120611329#Comment_120611329

I was wondering what the lad from Scrubs had to do with Star Trek 🤣

The others are legends though. But I would completely disagree that this season looked or felt anything like older Trek. The ships and sets were 100% Disco from the dark smokey starships, Bladerunner planets all the way down to the pump action phasers.

Evade · 18-05-2023 11:21am

Well, one set did look very much like old Trek...

18-05-2023 12:24pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120611569#Comment_120611569

Exactly. Every inch was perfect.

And the older ships

18-05-2023 12:41pm

It's been out for quite some time now. Can we discuss Picard S3 as a general topic?

Rawr · 18-05-2023 12:56pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120611569#Comment_120611569

I believe they plan to preserve this iteration of the Ent D bridge. Probably realising the folly of scrapping the original sets of what had been one of the most popular TV shows ever made. I think it all got torn down after Generations was shot to make room for the Voyager sets.

It was noticeable that they had only remade the bridge, since we didn’t get a shot of a corridor or any transporter room. Having Geordie down in Main Engineering and doing a roll under a closing blast door would have been a Chef’s Kiss right there. (Bonus Chefs Kiss if he then said “I’m getting too old for this.”)

I now wondering if ST: Legacy will now find excuses to use the saved Ent D bridge set. Will they be finding a couple of Galaxy Class on their voyage? Maybe even some kind of flashbacks to the TNG era using the sets. They put the effort in, might as well use it :)

Evade · 18-05-2023 1:14pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120611975#Comment_120611975

Some of the Voyager sets, like the long curved corridor, were the TNG sets which were originally TMP sets. I'm not sure but I wouldn't be surprised if they were still in use on Enterprise.

TheValeyard · 19-05-2023 3:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120611975#Comment_120611975

Geordie doing a roll under the blast door would have landed him in sickbay for a week with a bad back at his age.

corkie · 20-05-2023 7:10pm

https://gizmodo.com/wga-strike-chatgpt-ai-writing-sci-fi-fantasy-script-1850451111

Just out of curiosity, i asked 'Google Bard': -

'Write me a plot overview for an episode of star trek voyager with a vision quest?'

Sure, here is a plot overview for an episode of Star Trek Voyager with a vision quest:

The Voyager crew is stranded in the Delta Quadrant, and they are running out of options. They have been traveling for years, and they are no closer to finding their way home. In desperation, Chakotay decides to lead the crew on a vision quest. He believes that if they can connect with their inner spirits, they will find the strength to continue their journey.

The crew travels to a remote planet, and they set up camp in a clearing. Chakotay leads them in a series of meditations and rituals, and they begin to open themselves up to the spiritual world. As they do, they begin to have visions. Chakotay sees his ancestors, and they give him guidance. Janeway sees a vision of the future, and she sees that they will eventually find their way home.

The crew returns to Voyager, and they are filled with renewed hope. They know that they will not give up, and they are determined to find their way home.

Here are some additional details that could be added to the plot:

* The vision quest could be a dangerous undertaking, and the crew could face challenges along the way.

* The crew could encounter hostile aliens, or they could be lost in the wilderness.

* The crew could have to overcome their own fears and doubts in order to succeed.

* The vision quest could lead to a personal transformation for each member of the crew.

* The vision quest could help the crew to find a new sense of purpose and direction.

The vision quest could be a powerful and moving episode of Star Trek Voyager. It could explore themes of spirituality, hope, and the human spirit. It could also be a visually stunning episode, with beautiful scenes of the planet and the spiritual realm.

This wasn't the first time, i asked and on previous attempts it had Neelix envolved. As you can see from the question, I didn't prompt it with characters to include.

Rawr · 20-05-2023 7:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120617011#Comment_120617011

I fully imagine him limping away painfully from that roll :P

TaurenDruid · 21-05-2023 8:32pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120621272#Comment_120621272

So, essentially, it took your prompt, and, to all intents and purposes, 'googled'/looked up its language library to ask "What is a vision quest?" and "What is Star Trek Voyager and what do I need to know about it?" and merged the answers together. All it's really done is go "Some of the main characters in VOY have a vision quest", recognised that's really not all that much to build an episode on, and suggested some side-plots. I think Hollywood writers are safe for another few years yet.

(Edit: typo)

ilovesmybrick · 21-05-2023 9:43pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120625081#Comment_120625081

Yeah, in a work context recently I started feeding in very specific information from things that I knew were openly accessible and were harvested already. On basic stuff it was okay, but there's a problem with, I think, noun recognition, and on general essay topics it throwed up results that were decent, but wouldn't really survive a proper read. Again, it's subjective and I was specifically going towards well pubilcised and open access science papers.

On the flip side, it has been abolutely fantastic for filling in those nonses administration and work action forms. That was always nonsense anyway that's rarely read, and it pads out the "Yeah, all good etc" aspects!

TaurenDruid · 21-05-2023 10:55pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120625310#Comment_120625310

Yeah, I've used it once (so far) to generate a "here are some things I want you to know that'll make your life easier" about a work thing. Half of it was useable, and I'll be copying it into a properly written work doc at some point. The rest was really, really basic stuff. As a creative tool, I think AI won't be up to scratch any time soon, as shown by Corkie's example above. It's very "here are the most common things about X, let me paste in the right names" stuff. I've seen examples in the wild, too, where it was really obvious an AI had been used, because the result was just so generic.

I can see it ending up being used "creatively" to generate stuff like TTRPG adventures that will be sold on kickstarter or drivethruRPG ("20 one-shot dungeons you can slot in to any Dungeons & Dragons campaign!" kinda stuff), but for coming up with unique/interesting plotlines for something like Star Trek? Nope, not in the next 10 years, anyway. Though they do say there's really only seven stories, so...

Evade · 21-05-2023 11:30pm

There's already been an episode of TV written in part by an AI, season 26 episode 4 of South Park.

I've used ChatGPT to outline a DnD campaign for me including major NPCs, combat encounters, dungeon settings, and magic items. It was very easy.

TaurenDruid · 22-05-2023 10:06am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120625625#Comment_120625625

Yes, all the stats-based stuff, I have no doubt it will be great at that (with the odd exception where you have to go no, a "Bag of Producing Cats +1" is just silly). The dungeons may need a once over (or more) to see are they logical (not all dungeons necessarily need to be "logical") and balanced.

But how are the motivations of the major NPCs looking? Are they three-dimensional characters, with realistic flaws, desires, etc.? How are the campaign plotlines? Are there decent/surprising/interesting plot hooks, sub-plots, events that happen despite the PCs? I'm open to being corrected, but I'd imagine you still have to do all that important stuff?

I've not watched South Park in years and I may check out that episode, but there's a difference between a 20-minute cartoon where they don't have to worry about continuity (everything resets at the end of every episode) and a 40-minute drama where character and plot development are expected.

Wiki's review of the episode is interesting: "In particular, Gunning stated, "When Stan used ChatGPT to end the episode's story, the resulting scene sounded very familiar since the sequence that was supposedly written by AI sounded like a lazy episode of South Park. From Cartman's insults to Stan's impassioned ending speech to Mr. Mackey's long-forgotten catchphrase, the final scenes of 'Deep Learning' leaned into tropes that South Park has used ad nauseam."" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Learning_(South_Park)#Reception

And Trey Parker is credited as writer, along with ChatGPT...

Evade · 22-05-2023 11:14am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120626208#Comment_120626208

Judge for yourself. This is the overview it created in less than five minutes including my reading and additional prompts. There's obviously work I'd have to do myself but no more than with a lot of the official modules in the last few years.

Evade: Write a dungeons and dragons 5th edition campaign from level 1 to level 10 with demons as the main antagonists

ChatGPT:

Sure! Here is a potential campaign outline:

Campaign name: "Infernal Incursion"

Synopsis: The characters are part of a group of adventurers who are tasked with stopping a group of demons from invading the mortal plane. The demons are being summoned by a cult of evil humans who seek to use the demons' power for their own gain. As the characters progress in levels, they will uncover more about the cult and the true extent of their plans.

Level 1: The characters are drawn into the conflict when they are hired by a member of the local town council to investigate strange occurrences in a nearby abandoned mansion. They soon discover that the mansion is being used as a base of operations for the demon cult and must fight their way through cultists and summoned demons to stop the cult from completing a ritual to summon a powerful demon.

Levels 2-5: The characters continue to track the cult, traveling to various locations and fighting off cultists and summoned demons as they go. They learn more about the cult's plans and the identity of its leader, a powerful sorceress who seeks to use the demons to conquer the land.

Levels 6-8: The characters confront the cult's leader and her inner circle, culminating in a final showdown at the cult's hidden fortress. Here, they must defeat the cult's leader and prevent the summoning of a mighty demon lord.

Levels 9-10: With the cult defeated, the characters must deal with the aftermath of the infernal incursion. This may include hunting down remaining cultists, sealing any portals to the demon plane that were opened, and helping to rebuild any towns or cities that were damaged during the conflict.

That's just one possible campaign outline - there are many other directions this story could go!

Evade: Create appropriate combat encounters for the above campaign

ChatGPT:

Certainly! Here are some potential combat encounters for the "Infernal Incursion" campaign:

Level 1:

The characters must fight their way through a group of cultists and their summoned imps in the abandoned mansion.

The final room of the mansion holds a powerful quasit demon that is aiding the cultists in their ritual.

Levels 2-5:

The characters encounter a group of cultists performing a ritual to summon a vrock demon in a secluded forest clearing. They must disrupt the ritual and defeat the cultists and the summoned vrock.

The characters are ambushed by a group of cultists and their summoned barlgura while traveling through a mountain pass.

The characters must fight off a group of cultists and their summoned marilith while trying to infiltrate the cult's hideout in a underground cave system.

Levels 6-8:

The characters must face off against the cult's leader, a powerful sorceress, and her inner circle of cultists and demons, including a hezrou and a nalfeshnee.

The final confrontation takes place in the cult's hidden fortress, where the characters must battle their way through waves of cultists and demons, including a glabrezu and a balor, to reach the summoning chamber where the demon lord is being summoned.

Levels 9-10:

The characters must hunt down and defeat any remaining cultists who are still attempting to carry out their plans.

The characters may need to confront and seal any portals to the demon plane that were opened during the cult's rituals.

If necessary, the characters may need to defend towns or cities from any demons that were summoned and not yet defeated.

Again, these are just a few examples of the types of combat encounters that could take place in this campaign - there are many other possibilities!

Evade: generate dungeons for the above encounters

ChatGPT:

Here are some potential dungeon layouts for the combat encounters in the "Infernal Incursion" campaign:

Level 1:

The abandoned mansion is a multi-story building with cultists and imps on the lower floors and the quasit demon in the attic. The characters can enter the mansion through the front door or by breaking in through a window.

The layout of the mansion can include hidden passages, traps, and puzzles for the characters to discover and navigate.

Levels 2-5:

The secluded forest clearing where the vrock demon is being summoned is surrounded by trees, with the cultists and their altar at the center. The characters can approach the clearing from any direction, potentially encountering cultists or other dangers along the way.

The mountain pass where the barlgura is summoned is a narrow, rocky path with cliffs on either side. The cultists may be positioned on ledges above the path, using ranged attacks to attack the characters.

The underground cave system where the marilith is summoned is a network of winding tunnels and caverns, potentially with areas of darkness or hazards such as pits or stalactites. The cultists and the marilith may be located in a central chamber or a side tunnel.

Levels 6-8:

The cult's hidden fortress is a large, elaborate structure with multiple floors and chambers. The characters must navigate through traps and cultists to reach the summoning chamber where the demon lord is being summoned.

The fortress can include features such as secret doors, traps, and puzzle elements to challenge the characters.

Levels 9-10:

The dungeons for these levels will depend on the specific tasks the characters need to complete. They could include underground tunnels and caverns, abandoned buildings, or other locations that the cultists or remaining demons may be using as a base of operations.

Again, these are just a few examples of the types of dungeons that could be used in this campaign - there are many other possibilities!

Evade: create a biography of important NPCs for the above campaign

ChatGPT:

Here are some potential biographies for important NPCs in the "Infernal Incursion" campaign:

The cult leader:

Name: Amira

Appearance: Amira is a middle-aged woman with long, curly black hair and piercing green eyes. She is always impeccably dressed in luxurious robes and jewelry, befitting her status as the leader of the demon cult.

Personality: Amira is ambitious and power-hungry, willing to do whatever it takes to achieve her goals. She is highly intelligent and charismatic, able to convince others to follow her even when her plans are clearly dangerous or unethical. She is also cruel and will not hesitate to use violence or manipulation to get what she wants.

Background: Amira was once a successful sorceress in the mortal plane, but became disillusioned with the limitations of her power. She turned to the demon plane in search of greater power, eventually rising to the rank of leader in the demon cult.

The town council member:

Name: Alden

Appearance: Alden is a middle-aged man with graying hair and a well-groomed beard. He is always impeccably dressed in fine suits befitting his status as a wealthy town council member.

Personality: Alden is a practical man who is concerned with the well-being of his town. He is willing to do whatever it takes to protect it, even if it means hiring outsiders to handle dangerous tasks. He is grateful to those who help him and will reward them generously.

Background: Alden is a wealthy merchant who has served on the town council for many years. He is respected by the other council members and has the ear of the town's ruler.

The summoner:

Name: Kael

Appearance: Kael is a young man in his early twenties with short, spiky hair and tattoos covering his arms. He dresses in dark, practical clothing.

Personality: Kael is fanatical in his devotion to the demon cult and will do whatever Amira asks of him. He is skilled in the art of demon summoning and takes pride in his abilities, but is also paranoid and jumpy, always fearing that he will be discovered by the authorities.

Background: Kael was an orphan who was taken in by the cult at a young age and trained in the ways of demon summoning. He has risen through the ranks to become one of Amira's trusted lieutenants.

These are just a few examples of the types of NPCs that could be important in this campaign - there are many other possibilities!

Evade: Create appropriate magic items for the campaign

ChatGPT:

Here are some potential magic items for the "Infernal Incursion" campaign:

Demon-Slaying Sword: This powerful sword is imbued with holy magic that is particularly effective against demons. It deals extra damage to demons and has a chance to banish them back to the demon plane when it hits them.

Demon-Sealing Amulet: This amulet is made of a rare metal that is able to contain and seal demonic energies. When worn, it gives the wearer resistance to demonic attacks and abilities, and can be used to temporarily seal a demon in a state of stasis.

Cultist's Grimoire: This ancient book contains knowledge of dark magic and demon summoning rituals. It is highly sought after by the cult and is rumored to contain the secret to summoning a powerful demon lord.

Portal Key: This small, intricately carved key is able to unlock and activate portals to the demon plane. It is highly coveted by the cult and is closely guarded by its members.

Demon-Binding Chain: This chain is made of a special metal that is able to bind and restrain demons. It can be used to imprison a demon, preventing it from using its powers or escaping.

These are just a few examples of the types of magic items that could be found in this campaign - there are many other possibilities!

Evade: Create stats for the above items

ChatGPT:

Sure! Here are the stats for the magic items listed above:

Demon-Slaying Sword:

Rarity: Rare

Weapon (any sword), +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls

When you hit a demon with this sword, it deals an additional 2d6 radiant damage and has a 10% chance to banish the demon back to the demon plane.

Demon-Sealing Amulet:

Rarity: Rare

Neck slot, requires attunement

While attuned to this amulet, you have resistance to damage from demon attacks and abilities.

As an action, you can use the amulet to seal a demon within 60 feet of you in a state of stasis for 1 minute. The demon must succeed on a Charisma saving throw (DC 15) to resist the effect. The effect ends early if the demon takes any damage. You can use this ability once per day.

Cultist's Grimoire:

Rarity: Very Rare

Book, requires attunement

While attuned to this grimoire, you gain proficiency in the Arcana skill and can cast the summon demon spell as a 4th-level spell once per day.

The grimoire contains knowledge of other dark magic and demon summoning rituals, but attempting to use these without proper training can be dangerous.

Portal Key:

Rarity: Very Rare

Trinket, requires attunement

While attuned to this key, you can use an action to open a portal to the demon plane within 60 feet of you. The portal remains open for 10 minutes, after which it closes and the key becomes unusable for 24 hours.

Demon-Binding Chain:

Rarity: Very Rare

Weapon (chain), +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls

When you hit a demon with this chain, it becomes restrained. The demon can use its action to make a Strength check (DC 15) to break free. The chain can hold up to 2 demons at a time.

I had it do this a little later too

Evade: generate a player character for this campaign

ChatGPT:

Certainly! Here is a player character for the "Infernal Incursion" campaign:

Name: Aria Class: Paladin Level: 1

Ability Scores:

Strength: 16 (+3)

Dexterity: 14 (+2)

Constitution: 14 (+2)

Intelligence: 10 (+0)

Wisdom: 12 (+1)

Charisma: 16 (+3)

Skills: Medicine +3, Persuasion +5, Religion +2

Feats: Defensive Duelist

Equipment: Chain mail, shield, holy symbol, longsword, holy water (5 vials)

Background: Aria was a member of a holy order dedicated to hunting down and defeating demons. When her order was disbanded, she decided to continue her mission on her own, traveling from town to town to root out any demon activity.

I've had players give me less backstory before.

TaurenDruid · 22-05-2023 3:24pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120626455#Comment_120626455

Ok, that's really impressive. I mean, it's nothing revolutionary or original, but it's at least as well structured as some of the official adventures I've bought, and some of those have whole subreddits dedicated to making them workable! In fact, there's quite probably more there than in some drivethruRPG I've paid cash money for. I guess what it's primarily doing is freeing up a lot of your time to add the creative embellishments.

Evade · 22-05-2023 3:56pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120627594#Comment_120627594

The second it does throw out something original or revolutionary might be worrisome.

Evade · 23-05-2023 11:00pm

Dod anyone pick up that Star Trek game? It released with very little fanfare.

Spear · 24-05-2023 8:00am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120633491#Comment_120633491

Resurgence? Apparently it's not terrible. They've botched the PC release by making it an Epics Store exclusive though.

eadrom · 24-05-2023 8:14am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120633491#Comment_120633491

Yes, was just coming here to say — got it yesterday. Took a couple of hours but managed to get it working on the Steam Deck (it’s an Epic Store exclusive on PC unfortunately). Performance isn’t great but it’s ‘good enough’ so far. It’s obviously a poorly optimised PC port so hopefully that’ll improve in time.

Not very far into it anyway. Guess I’m past the intros and just about to start the first mission. I’ll pick it up again this evening.

Like I said, it’s poorly optimised, with stutters and little visual glitches, at least on the ‘Deck although I’ve heard it’s not much better elsewhere, but….

It’s SO GOOD! 😅

Just walking around the station and the ship a bit so far. Chatting to some people. It feels great. Very TNG-era Star Trek. For anyone else I’d recommend waiting for patches but for a Trek fan (particularly TNG, DS9, Voy), on first impressions I’d say go for it. I can’t wait to play more.

Hope it does well enough too. I’d love to see more of this sort of thing.

TheValeyard · 24-05-2023 9:16am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120633932#Comment_120633932

Its getting decent reviews. Im holding off as im not a fan of games with QTE and apparently the game is littered with them.

breezy1985 · 24-05-2023 9:43am

It's the former Telltale lads which is absolutely fine with me for a Star Trek game.

They are always more plot than gameplay which I think suits Star Trek.

Can't wait to give it a go in a few weeks when I get time.

eadrom · 24-05-2023 9:53am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120634133#Comment_120634133

Ah yeah, I'd say it's almost entirely quick-time-events. It's like a modern point-and-click / interactive story type thing. Some freedom to walk around and choose what you interact with, then it's watching a scene unfold and tapping the button at the right time to select a dialogue option or action.

Not always my cup-of-tea either but... when it comes to this ship and this crew, you’re damned right I play ~~it safe~~ the game.

breezy1985 · 24-05-2023 10:03am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120634274#Comment_120634274

Every dialogue option should just have a button called "Shaw"

pixelburp · 24-05-2023 9:55pm

Seems to be reviewing well enough, despite a lot of technical jankiness throughout; seems the story alone is decent. Would be nice if this opened the door to more Trek games, even ones playing with genres not immediately obvious.

https://youtu.be/PUVdu3daiF0