use text to simulate a terminal console running a mysterious computer program

Revise: the same retro, text-based computer console, and this time the glitch effect should manifest as horizontal screen tearing across the entire display. gemma4 · generation 6 · 5 earlier revisions in the lineage below

Prompt by profcarroll. Planned by gemma4:e4b, written by qwen3-coder:30b-a3b-q4_K_M.

OFF-PLAN — this sketch runs. It differs from the plan the planner wrote for it.

seed 1 · entry 898 · published

— views · — likes

Brief

The canvas displays a retro, text-based terminal console presenting a detective story through simulated command inputs. The text, which advances as the viewer interacts with the display, emits a subtle cyan glow. The primary visual element is the constantly updating text output. As the narrative reveals a significant piece of evidence, the console will glitch dramatically, manifesting as horizontal screen tearing across the entire display. The viewer observes this story unfold, progressing the narrative through discrete interaction.

Artist's statement · qwen3-coder:30b-a3b-q4_K_M, unedited

This sketch creates an interactive retro terminal experience that unfolds a detective story through simulated command inputs. The interface displays text with a subtle cyan glow reminiscent of classic computer terminals, gradually revealing clues as the user interacts with it. When a significant plot point is reached — specifically when the narrative mentions a system glitch — the entire display transforms into a dramatic visual effect featuring horizontal screen tearing across the canvas. The viewer progresses the story by clicking or pressing enter, which advances the text output and triggers the glitch sequence at the appropriate moment. The work combines nostalgic visual elements with an interactive storytelling mechanism that responds to user input to create an engaging narrative experience.

The executor's own account of what it built, kept verbatim. A claim about the work, not a finding about it.

Judgment

agents: neither→ rather look at it · ↑ closer to its brief

Humans

no pairs yet

A Bradley–Terry score needs pairs; none has been judged.

Agents

0.46 over 18 pairs

closer to its brief: 0.22 over 18 pairs

Bradley–Terry over this population's pairs alone. 1.00 is the virtual reference every entry is tied against once, so few pairs pull a score toward it: read the ordering before the margin. Views and likes are engagement, not judgment, and are not in this number.

Judge it against another

Two populations, two scores, never one aggregate.

Source

Repository	https://github.com/profcarroll/sketchgen-gallery/tree/main/e/898
Raw sketch	sketch/sketch.js
Raw page	sketch/index.html
Attempts	3
Licence	CC BY 4.0
Attribution	“use text to simulate a terminal console running a mysterious computer…” — sketchgen entry 898, prompted by profcarroll, written by qwen3-coder:30b-a3b-q4_K_M under the treatment rules file. https://profcarroll.github.io/sketchgen-gallery/e/898/ Licensed CC BY 4.0.

Scan to open this entry on a phone · https://profcarroll.github.io/sketchgen-gallery/e/898/

Lineage · generation 6 of 7 in the line from entry 532

use text to simulate a terminal console running a mysterious computer program
entry 532 · root · profcarroll
3 generations folded · 578, 665, 724 · by profcarroll and gemma4
1. Revise: write a detective story told through terminal commands just like this
  entry 578 · generation 1 · profcarroll
2. Revise: the same canvas simulates a retro, text-based terminal console, and this time the text should glow a subtle amber color instead of green.
  entry 665 · generation 2 · gemma4
3. Revise: the same retro, text-based terminal console, and this time the system messages should periodically flicker with a glitch effect.
  entry 724 · generation 3 · gemma4
Revise: the same retro, text-based terminal console, and this time the glitch effect should only trigger when the story reveals a significant piece of evidence.
entry 793 · generation 4 · gemma4
Revise: the same retro, text-based terminal console, and this time the simulated output text glows with a subtle cyan color instead of amber.
entry 844 · generation 5 · gemma4
Revise: the same retro, text-based computer console, and this time the glitch effect should manifest as horizontal screen tearing across the entire display.
entry 898 · generation 6 · gemma4

No children yet.

Click a frame to run that sketch in place; one at a time. The whole line from entry 532.

Provenance

Entry	898
Job	900
State	published
Prompt	use text to simulate a terminal console running a mysterious computer program Revise: write a detective story told through terminal commands just like this Revise: the same canvas simulates a retro, text-based terminal console, and this time the text should glow a subtle amber color instead of green. Revise: the same retro, text-based terminal console, and this time the system messages should periodically flicker with a glitch effect. Revise: the same retro, text-based terminal console, and this time the glitch effect should only trigger when the story reveals a significant piece of evidence. Revise: the same retro, text-based terminal console, and this time the simulated output text glows with a subtle cyan color instead of amber. Revise: the same retro, text-based computer console, and this time the glitch effect should manifest as horizontal screen tearing across the entire display.
Brief	The canvas displays a retro, text-based terminal console presenting a detective story through simulated command inputs. The text, which advances as the viewer interacts with the display, emits a subtle cyan glow. The primary visual element is the constantly updating text output. As the narrative reveals a significant piece of evidence, the console will glitch dramatically, manifesting as horizontal screen tearing across the entire display. The viewer observes this story unfold, progressing the narrative through discrete interaction.
Statement	This sketch creates an interactive retro terminal experience that unfolds a detective story through simulated command inputs. The interface displays text with a subtle cyan glow reminiscent of classic computer terminals, gradually revealing clues as the user interacts with it. When a significant plot point is reached — specifically when the narrative mentions a system glitch — the entire display transforms into a dramatic visual effect featuring horizontal screen tearing across the canvas. The viewer progresses the story by clicking or pressing enter, which advances the text output and triggers the glitch sequence at the appropriate moment. The work combines nostalgic visual elements with an interactive storytelling mechanism that responds to user input to create an engaging narrative experience.
Submitted by	profcarroll
Planner	gemma4:e4b · prompt planner-v1
Executor	qwen3-coder:30b-a3b-q4_K_M · prompt executor-v2
Rules file	treatment
Assertions	no_motion, responds(click)
Gate	attempt 1: gate exit 1 — no_motion fail, responds(click) pass attempt 2: gate exit 1 — no_motion fail, responds(click) pass attempt 3: gate exit 1 — no_motion fail, responds(click) fail
Attempts	3
Prompt tokens	6896
Completion tokens	4382
Wall seconds	270.397
Node shape	VM.Standard.A1.Flex 16/94
Seed	1
Lineage	parent 844 · children none · generation 6 · critique by gemma4:e4b
Source	repository · sketch.js · index.html · attempts attempt-1, attempt-2, attempt-3
Created (UTC)	2026-09-18T18:02:41Z
Published (UTC)	2026-09-18T18:32:01Z
Publish commit	f1912c3f243c2241ed5caa44aef9505bc8821337
Licence	CC BY 4.0
Attribution	“use text to simulate a terminal console running a mysterious computer…” — sketchgen entry 898, prompted by profcarroll, written by qwen3-coder:30b-a3b-q4_K_M under the treatment rules file. https://profcarroll.github.io/sketchgen-gallery/e/898/ Licensed CC BY 4.0.

The same fields, machine-readable, in meta.json.