LLM-based questing system

[brynnb]

I want to scrape a bunch of quests off the project1999 wiki, which is based on the old game EverQuest. The original questing structure for the game is actually LUA scripts, but instead of a strictly scripted interaction, I want to use an LLM for a more dynamic text based roleplay. So I need the LLM to stay sort of on script and not allow the user to convince them to give a quest reward when they haven't actually earned it. But structuring this all into a relational database format that integrates with an LLM is a bit complex.

1. Data Model

The main entities are:

• Quests
• NPCs (Non-Player Characters)
• Items
• Dialogue Lines
• Quest Steps/Stages
• Requirements
• Rewards

Entity Tables

1. Quests Table

   Field	Data Type	Description
   QuestID	INT	Primary Key
   Name	VARCHAR	Quest name
   Description	TEXT	Brief description of the quest
   StartNPCID	INT	NPC who gives the quest
   EndNPCID	INT	NPC who completes the quest
   MinimumLevel	INT	Minimum level required to start the quest
   Classes	VARCHAR	Classes that can undertake the quest
   RelatedZones	VARCHAR	Zones involved in the quest

2. NPCs Table

   Field	Data Type	Description
   NPCID	INT	Primary Key
   Name	VARCHAR	NPC name
   Zone	VARCHAR	Zone where the NPC is located
   Location	VARCHAR	Coordinates or description
   Faction	VARCHAR	Faction alignment
   DialogueID	INT	Reference to initial dialogue

3. Items Table

   Field	Data Type	Description
   ItemID	INT	Primary Key
   Name	VARCHAR	Item name
   Description	TEXT	Item description
   QuestID	INT	Associated quest

4. Dialogue Table

   Field	Data Type	Description
   DialogueID	INT	Primary Key
   NPCID	INT	Reference to NPC
   Text	TEXT	Dialogue text
   ResponseType	VARCHAR	Type of response (greeting, question, answer, etc.)
   Conditions	TEXT	Any conditions required for this dialogue

5. QuestSteps Table

   Field	Data Type	Description
   StepID	INT	Primary Key
   QuestID	INT	Reference to the quest
   StepNumber	INT	Order of the step in the quest
   Description	TEXT	What the player needs to do in this step
   NPCID	INT	NPC involved in this step
   RequiredItem	INT	ItemID required to complete this step
   NextStepID	INT	Reference to the next step

6. Requirements Table

   Field	Data Type	Description
   RequirementID	INT	Primary Key
   QuestID	INT	Reference to the quest
   RequirementType	VARCHAR	Type (Item, Level, Faction, etc.)
   Value	VARCHAR	Specific requirement value or threshold

7. Rewards Table

   Field	Data Type	Description
   RewardID	INT	Primary Key
   QuestID	INT	Reference to the quest
   RewardType	VARCHAR	Type of reward (Item, XP, etc.)
   Value	VARCHAR	Specific reward details

2. Parsing and Populating the Database

Need to parse the quest descriptions and extract relevant information to populate the database tables.

• Automated Parsing: Use scripts (e.g., Python with BeautifulSoup) to scrape and parse the wiki content.
• Manual Verification: Due to the complexity and variability of the text, manual verification may be necessary to ensure accuracy.

Example Parsing Steps

• Quest Details: Extract the quest name, start zone, quest giver, minimum level, classes, related zones, NPCs, and rewards.
• Quest Steps: Break down the "Walkthrough" section into individual steps, noting the sequence and requirements.
• NPC Dialogues: Extract any NPC dialogues, including greetings, responses to specific keywords, and conditions under which they are said.
• Items: List all items involved in the quest, categorizing them as required items, rewards, or both.

3. Interacting with the LLM

To ensure the LLM stays on script and doesn't grant rewards prematurely, you need to manage the conversation context and state.

State Management

• User Progress Tracking: Maintain a user-specific state in your application that tracks quest progress, items obtained, and NPCs interacted with.
• Contextual Prompts: When generating responses, provide the LLM with the current state so it can generate appropriate dialogues.

Prompt Engineering

• System Prompts: Use system-level prompts to instruct the LLM to adhere to the quest logic.

  You are [NPC Name], an NPC in a role-playing game. You must strictly follow the quest script and only provide information or items when the player has met the necessary requirements. Do not grant quest rewards unless the player has completed all required steps.

• Dynamic Context: Include relevant information in the prompt about the user's current quest state.

  The player has just provided [Item Name] and is at quest step [Step Number]. Respond accordingly.

Example Interaction Flow

1. Player Initiates Conversation

   • Input to LLM:

     Player says: "Hail, Kalatrina Plossen."
     
     Context: The player is starting the "SoulFire" quest and has not completed any steps.

   • LLM Response:

     Kalatrina Plossen says: "Greetings, traveler. Are you here to serve the will of the Truthbringer?"

2. Player Proceeds

   • Player Input:

     "I serve the will of the Truthbringer."

   • LLM, with updated context:

     Kalatrina Plossen says: "Very well. I have an important task for you. Please deliver this note to Guard Alayle."

   • Update User State: The player has received the note and the quest has progressed to the next step.

3. Preventing Premature Rewards

   • If the player tries to skip steps:

     • Player Input:

     "Can I have the SoulFire sword now?"

     • LLM, guided by context and policies:

     Kalatrina Plossen says: "I'm afraid I cannot help you until you've proven yourself by completing the tasks I've given."

4. Enforcing Quest Logic

To prevent the LLM from being manipulated into giving rewards prematurely:

• Rule-Based Checks: Before sending the prompt to the LLM, check if the player's request is valid based on their current state.
• Response Filtering: Analyze the LLM's response for compliance, and if it attempts to grant a reward improperly, regenerate or modify the response.

5. Integration Workflow

1. User Input Handling

   • Capture the player's input.
   • Update the user's state if they provide items or meet conditions.

2. Contextual Prompt Creation

   • Build a prompt that includes:

     • The NPC's dialogue history with the player.
     • The player's current quest state.
     • Any relevant quest or NPC information.

3. LLM Response Generation

   • Send the prompt to the LLM.
   • Receive the NPC's response.

4. Response Validation

   • Ensure the response aligns with the quest logic.
   • If the response is inappropriate, adjust the prompt or provide corrective feedback to the LLM.

5. Output to Player

   • Present the validated response to the player.

6. Example Database Entries

Quests Table Entry

QuestID	Name	Description	StartNPCID	EndNPCID	MinimumLevel	Classes	RelatedZones
1	SoulFire	A quest to obtain the SoulFire	101	102	1	All (Paladin)	North Freeport, Various others

NPCs Table Entries

NPCID	Name	Zone	Location	Faction	DialogueID
101	Kalatrina Plossen	North Freeport	[Coords]	Knights of Truth	1001
102	Brother Hayle	Splitpaw Lair	[Coords]	Priests of Life	2001

Items Table Entries

ItemID	Name	Description	QuestID
1001	A Sealed Note	A note sealed by Zimel	1
1002	Glowing Sword Hilt	The hilt of SoulFire	1
1003	Brilliant Sword of Faith	A holy sword	1
1004	SoulFire	The legendary sword	1

7. Additional Tips

• Use Transaction Management: Ensure that item exchanges and quest state updates are handled atomically to prevent inconsistencies.
• Logging: Keep logs of interactions for debugging and improving the system.
• User Authentication: Each player should have a unique identifier to track their individual progress.

8. Potential Challenges and Solutions

• LLM Hallucination: The LLM might generate incorrect information.

  • Solution: Keep critical information (like quest rewards) out of the LLM's control by handling them directly in your application logic.

• Complex Quest Logic: Some quests may have branching paths or conditional steps.

  • Solution: Model these conditions explicitly in your database and state management, and use them to inform the LLM's context.

• User Attempts to Bypass Mechanics: Players may try to trick the LLM.

  • Solution: Implement strict state checks and validations outside of the LLM to enforce game rules.

[brynnb]

Example implementation of QuestSteps:

The NPCID and ItemID values are example values

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QuestSteps Table Entries

StepID	QuestID	StepNumber	Description	NPCID	RequiredItemIDs	NextStepID
1	1	1	Obtain Bog Juice: Brew or purchase Bog Juice.	NULL	NULL	2
2	1	2	Obtain Edible Goo: Cook or purchase Edible Goo.	NULL	NULL	3
3	1	3	Collect Drom's Champagne: Buy 4 Drom's Champagne from the bartender in Seafarer's Roost bar in East Freeport.	NULL	NULL	4
4	1	4	Turn in Champagnes: Hand 4 Drom's Champagne to Tykar Renlin in Seafarer's Roost to receive Bunker Cell #1.	102	4 × Drom's Champagne (203)	5
5	1	5	Deliver Items to Prisoner: Give Bog Juice, Edible Goo, and Bunker Cell #1 to a prisoner in West Freeport Arena prison to receive H.K. 102.	103	Bog Juice (201), Edible Goo (202), Bunker Cell #1 (204)	6
6	1	6	Turn in H.K. 102: Hand H.K. 102 to Bank Clerk Jaylin in Highpass Keep bank to receive A Sealed Note.	104	H.K. 102 (205)	7
7	1	7	Obtain Spider Venom Sac: Kill giant spiders to loot a Spider Venom Sac.	NULL	NULL	8
8	1	8	Acquire Cloth Shirt: Purchase a medium-sized Cloth Shirt from a vendor.	NULL	NULL	9
9	1	9	Turn in Cloth Shirt: Give the Cloth Shirt to Altunic Jartin in East Commons to receive the Token of Generosity.	105	Cloth Shirt (208)	10
10	1	10	Turn in Spider Venom Sac: Give the Spider Venom Sac to Merko Quetalis in North Freeport to receive the Token of Bravery.	106	Spider Venom Sac (207)	11
11	1	11	Combine Tokens: Hand both the Token of Generosity and Token of Bravery to Merko Quetalis to spawn Guard Willia.	106	Token of Generosity (209), Token of Bravery (210)	12
12	1	12	Defeat Guard Willia: Kill Guard Willia and loot the Token of Truth.	107	NULL	13
13	1	13	Return Token of Truth: Give the Token of Truth to Merko Quetalis to receive the Testimony.	106	Token of Truth (211)	14
14	1	14	Defeat Xicotl: Kill Xicotl in Mistmoore Castle to loot the Glowing Sword Hilt.	108	NULL	15
15	1	15	Defeat Sir Lucan D'Lere: Kill Sir Lucan D'Lere (both forms) in West Freeport to loot the Testimony of Truth.	109	NULL	16
16	1	16	Improve Faction with Knights of Truth: Achieve high warmly faction with the Knights of Truth.	NULL	NULL	17
17	1	17	Turn in Testimony of Truth: Give the Testimony of Truth to Valeron Dushire in North Freeport to receive the Brilliant Sword of Faith.	110	Testimony of Truth (214)	18
18	1	18	Improve Faction with Priests of Life: Achieve warmly faction with the Priests of Life.	NULL	NULL	19
19	1	19	First Turn-in to Brother Hayle: Give A Sealed Note to Brother Hayle in Splitpaw. He returns an unsealed note.	111	A Sealed Note (206)	20
20	1	20	Final Turn-in to Brother Hayle: Give the Unsealed Note, Testimony, Glowing Sword Hilt, and Brilliant Sword of Faith to Brother Hayle to receive SoulFire.	111	Unsealed Note (206), Testimony (212), Glowing Sword Hilt (213), Brilliant Sword of Faith (215)	NULL

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Explanation of Fields

• StepID: Unique identifier for each quest step.
• QuestID: Reference to the SoulFire quest.
• StepNumber: The sequence order of the quest steps.
• Description: Detailed explanation of the task to be completed.
• NPCID: The ID of the NPC involved in this step (if any).
• RequiredItemIDs: IDs of items required for the step, including quantities if necessary.
• NextStepID: Reference to the next step in the quest sequence.

Notes on Specific Steps

• Step 4: Requires handing in 4 unstacked Drom's Champagne to Tykar Renlin.
• Step 5: The prisoner is simply named "a prisoner", and is found in West Freeport Arena prison.
• Step 11: Handing in the tokens to Merko Quetalis will spawn Guard Willia nearby.
• Step 12: Guard Willia must be killed quickly as she may attempt to flee.
• Step 15 & 16: Ensure you have the required faction levels before proceeding.
• Step 19 & 20: The final turn-ins to Brother Hayle require correct sequencing and faction levels.

NPCs Involved

NPCID	Name	Zone
101	Kalatrina Plossen	North Freeport
102	Tykar Renlin	East Freeport
103	a prisoner	West Freeport
104	Bank Clerk Jaylin	Highpass Keep
105	Altunic Jartin	East Commons
106	Merko Quetalis	North Freeport
107	Guard Willia	North Freeport
108	Xicotl	Mistmoore Castle
109	Sir Lucan D'Lere	West Freeport
110	Valeron Dushire	North Freeport
111	Brother Hayle	Splitpaw Lair

Items Involved

ItemID	Name
201	Bog Juice
202	Edible Goo
203	Drom's Champagne
204	Bunker Cell #1
205	H.K. 102
206	A Sealed Note / Unsealed Note
207	Spider Venom Sac
208	Cloth Shirt
209	Token of Generosity
210	Token of Bravery
211	Token of Truth
212	Testimony
213	Glowing Sword Hilt
214	Testimony of Truth
215	Brilliant Sword of Faith
216	SoulFire

Faction Requirements

• Knights of Truth: High warmly faction required before turning in the Testimony of Truth to Valeron Dushire.
• Priests of Life: Warmly faction required before making the final turn-ins to Brother Hayle.

Special Considerations

• Step 18 & 19: Faction levels are critical. Players should ensure they have the necessary faction standings before proceeding.
• Item Turn-ins: All items must be unstacked and handed in the correct quantities.
• Sequence Enforcement: Players must complete steps in order; attempting to skip steps should be disallowed by the game logic.

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By structuring the quest steps in this way, you can programmatically control the flow of the quest within your application. Each step can be checked for completion before allowing the player to proceed, ensuring that the LLM remains aligned with the quest logic and cannot be manipulated into granting rewards prematurely.

Integration with LLM

When interacting with the player, the LLM should be provided with context about the current quest step. For example:

• Current Quest Step: The player is on Step 9, needing to turn in a Cloth Shirt to Altunic Jartin.

• LLM Prompt Context:

  You are Altunic Jartin in East Commons. The player is here to give you a Cloth Shirt to receive the Token of Generosity. Respond accordingly.

• LLM Response:

  Altunic Jartin says: "Ah, a Cloth Shirt! Thank you for your generosity. Please accept this Token of Generosity as a symbol of your kindness."

By updating the context for each interaction based on the quest steps, the LLM will provide accurate and relevant responses.

State Management

Ensure application keeps track of:

• Player's Current Step: Which step the player is on.
• Items Collected: Items the player has obtained.
• Faction Levels: The player's current faction standings.
• NPC Interactions: Dialogues and turn-ins completed.

[brynnb]

Source of example LUA scripts: https://github.com/EQMacEmu/quests

Example quest walkthrough: https://wiki.project1999.com/Zimel%27s_Blades_(SoulFire)

Would be amazing to get an Alla clone working with its quest database, however the only open source version I can find basically says "go find quests.sql" which doesnt seem available on the internet anywhere. Would be a lot of effort to run an extraction tool myself but might be possible? At minimum they all seem to be here in PHP format:

https://github.com/EQMacEmu/allaclone/tree/master/quests