Talk to Me Human

Games

social persuasion game

SHOW HN2024

144points
52comments
#589of 3,515 in 2024
Top 17%of 2024 by points

How HN took it

MixedNo clear lean

15 positive, 9 neutral or asking, 8 mixed, 8 critical, out of 40 comments about the project. Thread score +0.16.

Design: 5 for, 1 againstIdea: 3 for, 3 againstExecution: 0 for, 2 againstPrivacy: 0 for, 2 against

The thread, comment by comment

Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.

positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker

What HN said

What people liked

  • Fresh, unique concept using voice and LLMs for gameplay

    From 4 comments
    • I played an earlier version of this game and I found it super compelling. Very different play experience from every other game I've seen. Fantastic application of LLMs.
      ddrcoder on HN
    • Fascinating game that is unlike anything I've played. Nice work!
      astroalex on HN
    • This really feels like a glimpse at where video games are going, I felt like I could really enter into the character's role because what I said actually affected the dialog. That…
      oakashes on HN
    • Really enjoyed this game. Well done!
      althea_tx on HN
  • Useful for practicing social anxiety or exposure therapy

    From 2 comments
    • I think this has a TON of potential. Situations like these are very non-obvious and anxiety-inducing for lots of people, so if you can make this a way for people to gain…
      bturtel on HN
    • This was great, I felt social anxiety and found myself getting flustered just like talking to cable company support. Could really see the potential as use in exposure therapy to…
      celestialcheese on HN
  • Speech input feels natural and the NPCs respond well

    From 2 comments
    • I had a really good time interacting with this, from the standpoint of feeling like I was being heard without putting in special effort (I just spoke like I would meeting a new…
      hecanjog on HN
    • The mic wouldn't setup on Safari or Brave, but after trying Chrome... this is great! Nicely done, thoroughly enjoyed playing.
      nbgoodall on HN

Objections

  • Speech recognition fails on single words and some browsers or phones

    From 4 comments
    • This had the same issue duolingo's speech recognition gives me: single-syllable single-word audio is almost never picked up. The game starts with a yes/no question, locking…
      ted_bunny on HN
    • This really feels like a glimpse at where video games are going, I felt like I could really enter into the character's role because what I said actually affected the dialog. That…
      oakashes on HN
    • The mic wouldn't setup on Safari or Brave, but after trying Chrome... this is great! Nicely done, thoroughly enjoyed playing.
      nbgoodall on HN
    • I like how it tells users that firefox doesn't support speech recognition.
      spacesanjeet on HN
  • Slow start with too much setup before the first challenge

    From 2 comments
    • I think this has a TON of potential. Situations like these are very non-obvious and anxiety-inducing for lots of people, so if you can make this a way for people to gain…
      bturtel on HN
    • This is so cool! What a wonderful project. The art was great and the audio too! Feedback: I played through the cat scene and initially thought it was okay to wait 7 minutes…
      nousernamegiven on HN
  • Dialogue and art feel plain or unappealing

    From 2 comments
    • The dialog in the game is incredibly plain. There's almost no emotion to any of the spoken dialog. The art is very off putting and lacks any cohesion. The "talk back" mechanic…
      krainboltgreene on HN
    • Incredibly cool. I enjoyed playing it for a bit but was not huge on some of the characters or art. It'd be cool if you added a level editor so we can add our own scenarios
      Epitaque on HN
  • Timer causes stress and the game feels uncomfortable to play

    From 3 comments
    • I found it exceedingly frustrating. It seems to be well made, but a simulation of doing things I hate. Good job, I guess?
      Y_Y on HN
    • The timer is what gets me anxious. I've never felt quite like that playing a video game, this is a whole new experience. I'm not sure I'd even call it a game. Well done.
      cbdhsjshs on HN
    • I think it's a great idea, but I felt a bit uncomfortable being asked to "say anything" to persuade people. In the first two scenes, I would have just been honest in real life.
      dash2 on HN

Requests

  • Allow speaking at any time rather than only during the speak segment

    From 1 comment
    • First impressions: - Having to wait until the “say” segment starts in order for one’s speech to be recognized makes things unnatural. I can’t speak when I would intuitively…
      layer8 on HN
  • Add a level editor for custom scenarios

    From 1 comment
    • Incredibly cool. I enjoyed playing it for a bit but was not huge on some of the characters or art. It'd be cool if you added a level editor so we can add our own scenarios
      Epitaque on HN
  • Support more languages than English

    From 1 comment
    • Cool! Do you plan to release other languages other than English?
      graso on HN
  • Skip setup screens and drop players straight into the first challenge

    From 1 comment
    • Yea, I think so - I could imagine this being really streamlined by just dropped me immediately into a conversation, with maybe the goal just written on a screen somewhere - no…
      bturtel on HN

Questions

  • How is the answer judged as passing or failing

    From 1 comment
    • Maybe on mobile it could allow slightly more time to type? Otherwise it's pretty accurate, it's impressive. What's the model behind and how does it qualify or not an answer to be…
      satellite2 on HN
  • Is there plot branching

    From 1 comment
    • Fun demo, nicely done! The visual and play style reminds me of "Eliza". I've got two questions, just out of curiosity: 1. On the frontend, did you basically write your own engine…
      noduerme on HN
  • How are paying users identified without login

    From 1 comment
    • Well done! Love to see innovation in Web games. Biz model also interesting. I didn’t see a login button. how do you identify paying users and store progress?
      dmarcos on HN

Alternatives named

  • Eliza

    From 1 comment
    • Fun demo, nicely done! The visual and play style reminds me of "Eliza". I've got two questions, just out of curiosity: 1. On the frontend, did you basically write your own engine…
      noduerme on HN
  • JOBifAI

    From 1 comment
    • Interesting! I released JOBifAI which has as main gameplay challenge to persuade a boss in a job interview. I struggled to describe this aspect in my different pitches for the…
      woolion on HN
  • Sirius Cybernetics elevator experiment

    From 1 comment
    • I made a similar experiment using the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy theme. Have you ever argued with a neurotic elevator? Try convincing this Sirius Cybernetics Happy Vertical…
      thomashop on HN

Category, keywords, summaries and labels on this page were made by AI (Thread Reader v2) and not checked by hand. Each point links to the comments it came from.

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