IVIE: Neuro-symbolic System Generates Coherent Interactive Fiction Worlds
Researchers have developed IVIE, a neuro-symbolic AI system that generates complete, playable interactive fiction worlds by combining large language models with symbolic validation. The system builds on an existing framework called PAYADOR and uses a four-stage pipeline where LLMs handle creative tasks while symbolic rules enforce world consistency. The work addresses a longstanding tension in computational creativity between narrative flexibility and logical coherence.
IVIE (Incremental & Validated Interactive Experiences) is a neuro-symbolic system designed to automatically generate interactive fiction worlds from scratch, to be presented at the International Conference on Computational Creativity in June 2026. The system delegates creative decisions—such as setting design, character creation, and puzzle construction—to large language models, while a symbolic validation layer enforces structural consistency across the generated world. Its four-stage incremental pipeline produces interconnected locations, functional items, non-player characters, and goal-oriented puzzles. Human evaluators found the generated worlds to be immersive, thematically coherent, and engaging. However, the authors acknowledge notable limitations: LLM inconsistencies occasionally allow puzzle constraints to be bypassed, and gaps in the objective validation layer can result in structurally impossible goals being generated. The paper identifies these failure modes as key design considerations for future neuro-symbolic storytelling systems.
What's missing
The paper does not detail the size or demographic composition of the human evaluation panel, the specific metrics or rubrics used to assess immersion and engagement, or how IVIE's output compares quantitatively to baseline systems or prior work. The frequency and severity of the reported failure modes (puzzle constraint bypasses, impossible goals) are not quantified, making it difficult to assess how often they occur in practice.
What different sources said
- arXiv cs.AICenter
IVIE: A Neuro-symbolic Approach to Incremental and Validated Generation of Interactive Fiction Worlds
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