Beyond memory: another way to compare AI GF sites
Although the discussion about memory and character consistency is important, for me there's another issue I don't see discussed much: the site model. How much freedom does it offer the user to create? And more importantly: how much freedom does a user actually want?
As far as I can tell, there are two basic models of AI sites these days:
Character plus scenario
(Examples: Soulkyn, SpicyChat, OurDream)
The character and the situation is pre-defined, and you 'play' it, like an otome game. The original creator has a ton of control over your experience - not that that's a bad thing at all, as I'll discuss later.
Character only
(Examples: Secrets, SecretDesires)
These are more 'open', where you start with a pre-defined character, and you create the relationship yourself. Both the above-mentioned sites offer a ton of control for defining your own adventure, or for simply having a nice conversation, if that's what you want.
To me, these two distinctions make much more of a difference in how I experience a site. Personally, I prefer Character/Scenario sites; I like to play in someone else's sandbox - it's less predictable, and a good creator can do a much better job than me at coming up with a scenario. That said, I also enjoyed Secrets AI for a minute, with it's site-wide AI helper.
Thoughts?