Brad Wardell's Blog

The AI Prisoner's Dilemma: Why Pausing AI Development Isn't the Answer

Published on Wednesday, March 29, 2023 By Brad Wardell In Artificial Intelligence

A recent open letter signed by tech giants, including Elon Musk, has called for a halt in AI development, citing "profound risks to society and humanity." But could this pause lead to a more dangerous outcome? The AI landscape resembles the classic Prisoner's Dilemma, where cooperation yields the best results, but betrayal tempts players to seek personal gain.

If OpenAI pauses work on ChatGPT, will others follow, or will they capitalize on the opportunity to surpass OpenAI? This is particularly worrisome given the strategic importance of AI in global affairs and the potential for less transparent actors to monopolize AI advancements.

Instead of halting development, OpenAI should continue its work while advocating for responsible and ethical AI practices. By acting as a role model, implementing safety measures, and collaborating with the global AI community to establish ethical guidelines, OpenAI can help ensure that AI technology benefits humanity rather than becoming a tool for exploitation and harm.

The solution to AI's challenges is not a simple halt in research efforts. A nuanced approach involving continued progress, collaboration, and the establishment of ethical and safety protocols is essential to making AI work for everyone.

GalCiv IV: Supernova Dev Journal #5 - The Planets are Liars

Published on Wednesday, March 8, 2023 By Brad Wardell In GalCiv IV Dev Journals

As you know, in GalCiv IV core worlds are the backbone of your civilization. But not all planets are created equal. This is communicated in two ways:

First, by the raw planetary inputs (minerals, tech, food, wealth, culture) and

Second, by the types of tiles that the planet has on it.

Unfortunately, in GalCiv IV, the two don't reflect on each other. They're disconnected. What I mean is that you could have a planet with a high tech raw resource input and have no tiles that promote research related improvements.

Worse, you could have a planet with very little in mineral inputs that has a host of tile perks that give a percentage boost to manufacturing.

This system is frustrating and maddening.

In an upcoming update to GalCiv IV, as part of our work on "GalCiv IV: Supernova," we are revisiting the whole thing.

With our new system, the input resources are tied more closely to the types of tiles that are on a planet. This means that players will have a clearer understanding of the benefits and limitations of each planet, allowing them to make more informed decisions about how to develop them. For example, if a planet has a large number of mineral-rich tiles, then investing in mineral improvements will yield a much greater benefit than investing in research improvements. A planet filled with manufacturing bonus will always have a reasonable number of mineral inputs.

We have also put a great deal of effort into ensuring that the new system is both balanced and nuanced. While we want players to have a clearer understanding of the benefits and limitations of each planet, we also want to ensure that there is still room for creativity and experimentation. This means that while certain improvements will be more effective on certain types of tiles, there will still be opportunities for players to find unique and effective solutions.

Another key benefit of the new system is that it will help to create more distinct and varied planets. With the input resources more closely tied to the types of tiles, each planet will have its own unique strengths and weaknesses. This means that players will need to think carefully about how they develop each planet, rather than simply applying a one-size-fits-all approach.

With any luck, we'll have this change available this spring.

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Galactic Civilizations IV: Supernova Dev Journals

ChatGPT vs. Bing AI: Wine selections

Published on Friday, February 24, 2023 By Brad Wardell In Artificial Intelligence

ChatGPT

Bing AI

I really love red cabernet wine. Please recommend 15 bottles of this priced between $50 and $100 that are very high quality.

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon - This Napa Valley wine is known for its rich flavors of dark fruit, chocolate, and espresso. It is priced around $60 and is highly rated by wine experts.
Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon - This wine is often described as rich and bold, with notes of black cherry, vanilla, and spice. It is priced around $80 and is highly regarded by wine enthusiasts.
Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon - This Napa Valley wine is known for its complex flavor profile, which includes notes of black currant, chocolate, and cedar. It is priced around $60 and is highly rated by wine critics.
Joseph Phelps Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon - This wine is often described as intense and full-bodied, with flavors of blackberry, chocolate, and espresso. It is priced around $80 and has received numerous awards and accolades.
Silver Oak Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon - This wine is highly regarded for its velvety texture and complex flavors, which include blackberry, vanilla, and spice. It is priced around $100 and is consistently highly rated by wine experts.
Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon - This Napa Valley wine is known for its rich, full-bodied flavor and smooth finish. It is priced around $100 and is highly regarded by wine critics.
Dominus Estate Cabernet Sauvignon - This wine is often described as elegant and complex, with notes of black cherry, cassis, and tobacco. It is priced around $100 and is highly rated by wine experts.
Silverado Vineyards Estate Cabernet Sauvignon - This wine is known for its bold, structured flavors of black cherry, mocha, and spice. It is priced around $75 and has received numerous awards and accolades.
Cakebread Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon - This wine is often described as complex and balanced, with flavors of blackberry, cassis, and vanilla. It is priced around $85 and is highly regarded by wine enthusiasts.
Faust Cabernet Sauvignon - This Napa Valley wine is known for its rich, layered flavors of blackberry, dark chocolate, and espresso. It is priced around $50 and has received numerous awards and high ratings.
Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon - This wine is often described as full-bodied and complex, with notes of black currant, mocha, and spice. It is priced around $60 and is highly rated by wine critics.
Jordan Vineyard & Winery Cabernet Sauvignon - This wine is known for its smooth, balanced flavors of blackberry, cherry, and vanilla. It is priced around $60 and is highly regarded by wine enthusiasts.
Rodney Strong Alexander's Crown Cabernet Sauvignon - This wine is often described as rich and intense, with flavors of blackberry, black currant, and dark chocolate. It is priced around $75 and has received numerous awards and high ratings.
Spring Mountain Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon - This Napa Valley wine is known for its complex, layered flavors of blackberry, black cherry, and vanilla. It is priced around $85 and is highly regarded by wine experts.
Trefethen Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon - This wine is often described as elegant and balanced, with notes of black cherry, cassis, and chocolate. It is priced around $60 and has received numerous awards and high ratings.

I really love red cabernet wine. Please recommend 15 bottles of this priced between $50 and $100 that are very high quality.

Frank Family Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 ($49.99): A superb Cabernet from Napa Valley with aromas of black currant, cherries, vanilla, oak, and tobacco. Full-bodied and heady at 14.5% alcohol.²
Château d’Arsac Margaux 2016 ($59.99): A blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon and 28% Merlot from Bordeaux with a rich palate of dark fruits, spices, and cedar. Elegant and balanced with a long finish.³
Mascota Vineyards Unanime 2017 ($24.99): A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Malbec, and 15% Cabernet Franc from Argentina with a deep purple color and aromas of blackberries, plums, chocolate, and mint. Full-bodied and complex with smooth tannins.⁴
Caymus Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 ($89.97): A classic Napa Cabernet with a dark ruby color and aromas of black cherry, cassis, vanilla, and mocha. Rich and velvety on the palate with a long finish.⁵
Penfolds Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 ($69.99): A premium Australian Cabernet with a bright crimson color and aromas of blackcurrant, mint, cedar, and tobacco. Medium to full-bodied with fine tannins and a fresh acidity.⁵
· Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 ($69.99): A Napa Valley Cabernet with aromas of blackberry, plum, cedar, and spice. Full-bodied and structured with a long finish.²
· Château Montrose Saint-Estèphe 2014 ($99.99): A Bordeaux blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot with aromas of blackcurrant, graphite, tobacco, and earth. Medium to full-bodied with firm tannins and a mineral edge.³
· Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 ($79.97): A Californian Cabernet with aromas of black cherry, cassis, vanilla bean, and sage. Smooth and silky on the palate with a long finish.²
· Joseph Phelps Insignia Red Blend 2017 ($299.97): A prestigious Napa Valley blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec, and 2% Cabernet Franc with aromas of blackberry jam, mocha, licorice, and graphite. Full-bodied and powerful with fine tannins and a complex finish.²
· Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore DOC 2017 ($249.99): An Italian blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot ,10% Petit Verdot ,and 9% Cabernet Franc with aromas of dark fruits ,spices ,leather ,and smoke .Full-bodied and balanced with a long finish.²
· Château Léoville Barton Saint-Julien Grand Cru Classé en … ($89.99): A Bordeaux blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon ,13% Merlot ,and 1% Cabernet Franc with aromas of blackcurrant ,cedar ,graphite ,and violet .Medium to full-bodied with fine tannins and a fresh acidity.³
· Jordan Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 ($59.99): A Californian Cabernet with aromas of black cherry ,cassis ,vanilla , and clove .Medium-bodied and elegant with a smooth texture and a long finish.²
· Ridge Monte Bello Santa Cruz Mountains Red Blend … ($199.97): A Californian blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon ,12% Merlot ,10% Petit Verdot , and 6% Cabernet Franc with aromas of blackberry , plum , licorice , and cedar . Full-bodied and complex with firm tannins and a long finish.²
· Penley Estate Phoenix Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon … ($19.99): An Australian Cabernet with aromas of blackcurrant , mint , chocolate , and oak . Medium to full-bodied with soft tannins and a juicy finish.²
· Robert Mondavi Oakville District Napa Valley … ($59.97): A Napa Valley Cabernet with aromas of black cherry, cassis, coffee, and spice. Full-bodied and rich with smooth tannins and a long finish.²

Twitter now limits tweets!

Published on Wednesday, February 8, 2023 By Brad Wardell In Personal Computing

So the new Twitter limits the # of tweets you can make per day. You'd think this might be a big number but it's not. It's something like 10 PER DAY.

UPDATE: This was a temporary bug and is now fixed apparently.

GalCiv Starship Porn

Published on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 By Brad Wardell In GalCiv IV Modding

Use this thread to show off ideas for ship designs.

boba fett’s ship flying through space

schematics for USS Enterprise dungeondraft style

massive scale capital ship for a sequel to the game Sins of a Solar Empire, 3D model, huge scale, 2000m long, 3D model, realistic

really cool new starships for the game Sins of a Solar Empire, 3D models, cruisers

GalCiv Alien Images thread

Published on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 By Brad Wardell In GalCiv IV Modding

Use this thread to post alien images to share with others for modding purposes.

alien species known as the Kaxx

alien species known as the Roboticoids--v 4

alien species known as the Buglots--v 4

AI Desktop Wallpaper 2023

Published on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 By Brad Wardell In Artificial Intelligence

AI can make some fantastic wallpapers on the fly. We've been experimenting adding this to our software. Here's some examples:

Powerpoint texture background for a Bronze age history presentation, subtle,

galaxy map broken up into sectors connected by hyperlanes, screenshot for a video game, gorgeous, beautiful

best desktop wallpaper, Microsoft Windows,

AI Art Thread 2023

Published on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 By Brad Wardell In Artificial Intelligence

The Tech keeps getting better and better.

Here's a few recent AI generated pieces of art.

fantasy wallpaper background for the game, "Gods of Elemental", exotic background, abstract, painterly, whimsical, gorgeous, beauitful

fantasy wallpaper background for the game, "Gods of Elemental", exotic background, abstract, painterly, whimsical, gorgeous, beauitful key art for a fantasy game, gods of Elemental scene of a beautiful Neolithic village in a beautiful world

GalCiv IV - A Brave New Galaxy

Published on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 By Brad Wardell In GalCiv IV AARs

This is a GalCiv IV After Action Report (AAR). The goal here is to play the game thoroughly and then share thoughts on what things we can make better, what AI changes we might want to do and share with players some insider knowledge on how we go about iterating on gameplay.

Part 1: The Setup

For this I'm going to create my own civilization.

And now we begin...

Stay tuned...

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Galactic Civilizations IV Dev Journals

GalCiv IV: Supernova Dev Journal #2 - Updating Visuals

Published on Monday, January 9, 2023 By Brad Wardell In GalCiv IV Dev Journals

One of the things this Winter we're doing is updating the graphics of GalCiv IV in lots of various ways. One upcoming update to GalCiv IV will be a revision to all the planetary improvements.

For example:

[New research building]

With 4K and 1440p becoming more common we really needed to up the game.

We will also be updating some of the minor races.

So for instance, remember this guy?

Pretty grotesque.

He's being updated with this guy:

We plan to do a lot more with minor civs this year which means there will be a lot more of them coming soon.

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Galactic Civilizations IV: Supernova Dev Journals