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Canovaccio
Cast it, direct it, hear it performed
1 follower
Cast it, direct it, hear it performed
1 follower
You're the director. Put on a show of your own, or take on a Challenge. Your troupe is waiting in the wings: characters you create and legends from history, myth, and literature. Get to know them one-on-one, then hand them a script or a situation, and watch them surprise you. They perform it all out loud, each in their own voice. On the game side, a Challenge sets a famous cast in an interesting situation, with a goal to reach or none at all. Try one on the site, no account needed (US only).
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Hello Product Hunt,
I'm Michael, an engineer, creator, and game industry veteran with a history of making games spanning AAA to mobile and web. My best-known titles are Twisted Metal, Transformers, and Deadpool. Early in my career, I concentrated on character behavior AI, the classic algorithmic type. Today's AI can tell stories, take on prescribed personalities, and generate worlds, and I'm finding it enables much more believable behavior. I see it as a creativity amplifier, and I just had to jump in and explore. The outcome of my effort is a performance sandbox called Canovaccio.
In Canovaccio, you are the director. You have a troupe of actors who improvise the scene out loud, each in their own voice, and you guide them with stage directions whenever you want to influence the unfolding story. The actors are chosen from pre-created famous characters from history, literature, myths, and legends, and you can chat with any of them one-on-one. Alternatively, you can create your own characters and iteratively develop them through auditions. When it comes to stories, you can select from a library of well-known public domain sources or import your own. If you want to keep it simple, you can cast your characters into scenarios, which are quick, loosely defined scenes.
Canovaccio also has a game side for folks who like challenges. In a Quest you steer the scene toward a goal, and a critic reviews your take and, if she deems it up to snuff, may give you a reward. A Vignette is a famous cast in an interesting situation, with no goal: you take it wherever you like.
There is a lot more to Canovaccio, like friends, multiplayer, and content sharing, as I hope to build a community. But I'll leave that for you to discover.
For a taste, you can try the game side on the website without an account: one Quest and one Vignette. I encourage you to go deeper, though, and try the creative side that opens when you sign up for free. Upon signing up, you will get 1,000 soldi (in-game currency), which will be enough for you to direct your first show or play more Quests. No card necessary. It's US only for now, and 18+.
I'd love to hear what you think and what you'd like to see next.
Regards,
Michael