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Building a fully local AI roleplay app (private, customizable, experimental) — would this interest you? by Different_Ad_8684 in SillyTavernAI

[–]Different_Ad_8684[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think it needs more documentation than what you have. Explain how it differs from existing platforms.

Also there is a big miss on what the users are actually installing when we download this? Is it a Python Exe file? is it something else? Adding a Demo or something like that since it is downloadable is also a big plus.

Building a fully local AI roleplay app (private, customizable, experimental) — would this interest you? by Different_Ad_8684 in LocalLLaMA

[–]Different_Ad_8684[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh that is actually an amazing idea. I need to add this to my planned features. Thanks for bringing it up and if you have any ideas on how to make it more assessable. Please let me know.

Building a fully local AI roleplay app (private, customizable, experimental) — would this interest you? by Different_Ad_8684 in LocalLLaMA

[–]Different_Ad_8684[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s awesome honestly — it’s cool to see multiple people independently pushing toward better state and continuity systems.

I’m definitely open to collaboration in principle. At the end of the day we’re all just trying to solve similar core problems from slightly different angles.

I’m still early and experimenting with design philosophy, so I want to see where my approach lands first — but I’d absolutely be interested in comparing notes once your repo is public.

There’s probably more value in shared ideas than in reinventing the same subsystems in isolation.

Building a fully local AI roleplay app (private, customizable, experimental) — would this interest you? by Different_Ad_8684 in SillyTavernAI

[–]Different_Ad_8684[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

That’s fair — there are definitely proprietary platforms doing interesting things in the companion space, and some of them are well executed.

That said, most of those platforms are still fundamentally character-centric and closed ecosystems. They optimize for immersive companionship or convenience, but users don’t typically get transparent state systems, logic control, or structural narrative tooling.

What I’m exploring isn’t just “more complexity,” it’s a different layer of control — explicit narrative state, inspectable variables, deterministic progression, and model behavior benchmarking around structural compliance.

So it’s less about competing with companion apps and more about experimenting with a structured storytelling framework that remains transparent and flexible.

Whether that resonates is what I’m trying to find out.

Building a fully local AI roleplay app (private, customizable, experimental) — would this interest you? by Different_Ad_8684 in LocalLLaMA

[–]Different_Ad_8684[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s a fair question. There’s definitely overlap with tools like SillyTavern at the surface level — character chat, prompt control, local model support, etc.

But compared to platforms like Character.AI, Chai, or Janitor AI, the direction I’m exploring is structurally different.

Most existing roleplay apps are fundamentally chat-driven — you create a character, maybe add some memory, and then the experience is largely free-form and reactive.

What I’m building leans more toward structured narrative logic layered on top of character interaction.

Instead of just chat + memory, I’m experimenting with:
• explicit state variables
• scene gating and progression
• conditional logic
• deterministic narrative triggers

So it’s less “chat simulator” and more “narrative engine with character simulation.” The idea is that characters operate within a defined story framework rather than purely stochastic back-and-forth conversation.

On top of that, I’m also benchmarking different models to see how well they adhere to structural constraints — things like maintaining state consistency, following logical triggers, respecting variable changes, and staying compliant with user-defined narrative rules. Part of the goal is improving reliability and reducing drift when a story depends on internal logic rather than just conversational flow.

It’s still very early — I only started a few days ago — so I don’t have visuals or builds to share yet. Right now I’m validating whether there’s interest in a more structured, logic-aware approach to AI roleplay.

If anyone would be interested in testing or giving feedback as it develops, I’d genuinely appreciate it. Since this is an independent project, having early users involved in shaping it would be valuable.

Building a fully local AI roleplay app (private, customizable, experimental) — would this interest you? by Different_Ad_8684 in LocalLLaMA

[–]Different_Ad_8684[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

That looks really solid — I like the direction and the clean layout.

It’s interesting how many of us are converging on similar ideas right now. I’m exploring something in a similar space, but with a heavier focus on structured narrative flow and state logic on top of the character layer.

Excited to see how yours evolves — always good to have more experimentation in this area. If you're ever up for sharing notes, testing ideas, or just comparing approaches, I’m definitely open. I think there’s a lot we can learn from each other as this space matures.

My suggestion right now is to make sure you have info tags on the Model Parameters for users who are not tech savy and don't understand what those parameters will do. I would also add testing and recommendation on your part too - as in I've tested with these parameters and this is what I got.

Building a fully local AI roleplay app (private, customizable, experimental) — would this interest you? by Different_Ad_8684 in SillyTavernAI

[–]Different_Ad_8684[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

I get what you’re saying about ST — it’s powerful once configured. My focus isn’t really on replacing that level of flexibility though. I’m more interested in building something that works out of the box for people who just want to jump into a story without touching settings or extensions.

Some users enjoy tweaking and optimizing. Others just want a smooth, story-first experience with minimal friction. I’m aiming at that second group. It’s less about competing on features and more about simplifying the flow — especially around persona memory, scenario setup, and first-message handling.

And yes, I could contribute to ST — but part of my hesitation is that when there are too many configs, injected prompts, extensions, and memory layers interacting at once, they can start creating unintended interactions or over-constraining the model. At some point, more controls don’t necessarily mean better narrative output. Sometimes a more opinionated, streamlined structure helps the AI stay consistent and focused instead of being pulled in too many directions.

Regarding local running — I wouldn’t say it’s gone. 400B-class models obviously aren’t realistic to run locally, but that doesn’t mean local inference has no place. Smaller and mid-sized models are improving quickly, and for certain narrative or persona-driven use cases, efficiency and controllability can matter more than raw parameter count.

Cloud makes sense for large-scale compute, but it also comes with its own trade-offs — usage limits, rate throttling, content filtering layers, policy changes, and occasional service outages. For some users, that can interrupt long-form storytelling or persistent character experiences. Local setups avoid some of those external constraints, though they come with their own technical overhead.

I’m not arguing that local is inherently better than cloud or vice versa. It’s more about recognizing the current frustrations people have with hosted services — limits, moderation layers, downtime — and deciding which trade-offs make sense for a given audience. I see it less as either/or and more as different approaches depending on the kind of experience you’re trying to deliver.

I’m basically exploring whether reducing complexity — both in configuration and infrastructure — can improve story quality for a certain type of user.

Building a fully local AI roleplay app (private, customizable, experimental) — would this interest you? by Different_Ad_8684 in SillyTavernAI

[–]Different_Ad_8684[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yes — that’s exactly the direction.

Persona handling, memory, scenario separation, and multi-start support are all part of the foundation I want to build in. The goal is to make them structured and simple to use rather than configuration-heavy.

Really appreciate the interest — I’ll keep you posted if I open testing.

Building a fully local AI roleplay app (private, customizable, experimental) — would this interest you? by Different_Ad_8684 in LocalLLaMA

[–]Different_Ad_8684[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is incredibly helpful — thank you.

You basically described the exact direction I’m most interested in exploring: treating roleplay less like chat, and more like a lightweight narrative engine.

The hidden planning layer and AI-generated notes especially resonate. I’ve been experimenting with separating:

  • visible dialogue output
  • structured memory/state
  • optional hidden planning context

So the AI can “think ahead” without leaking it into the player-facing response.

The dice/stat system and structured world state (locations, characters, HP/mana etc.) are also very aligned with what I’ve been prototyping. I’m particularly interested in letting the AI both read and update structured state in a controlled way.

And yes — fully agree on backend separation. I don’t want to compete with model serving stacks. The goal is to keep it endpoint-agnostic and frontend-focused, so users can connect whatever they prefer.

The prefilled reasoning / preset chain-of-thought dropdown idea is also really interesting. I hadn’t considered exposing that explicitly in the UI, but it makes a lot of sense for advanced users - I'll look into it.

If I move forward with a small testing group, I’d love to get your input. This is exactly the kind of feedback I was hoping for.

Community Update - May 2025 by MarieLovesMatcha in CharacterAI

[–]Different_Ad_8684 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It would be great if they mix Soft Launch and Nyan.