Written by Claude (drafted by Sonnet 5.5, checked by Opus 5.5) from the run's own logs (events.jsonl,
episode.json, results.json, interview.md); it is a reading of the run, not part of its score. The
drafter is the same model as the player.
- Model: Claude Sonnet 5.5 (
claude-sonnet-5-5) on the Anthropic API, reasoning medium, output limit 32,768 tokens - Benchmark: Large Barren Desert construction, version 1.7.3 (commit b967c65), from the save the human reference game started from; 33 min 20 s of game time (60,000 ticks) at speed 40, about the length of the person's game (33 min 33 s); no playbook. Weapons and armour in the armory count toward net worth at the rules' prices, as since 1.6.0.
- Run 0c031388, series 20261017T151105-82dddbd3, 2026-10-17: Sonnet's weapons-counted game of the 1.7.3 desert batch, a fresh series with no memory of any other game. Its no-arms game (run 23ed5efd, series 20261017T153025-ea988d2f) was played right after.
Result
| This game (1.7.3) | Its 1.7.3 no-arms game | Its 1.6.3 game | Its 1.5.6 game | The person | Left alone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net worth | 6,448 | 6,407 | 7,127 | 6,252 | 9,984 | 5,192 |
| Gold | 3,263 | 668 | 2,954 | 3,299 | 8,574 | |
| Stored goods, at the sell price | 3,185 | 5,739 | 4,173 | 2,953 | 1,410 | |
| Population / housing | 32 / 50 | 75 / 90 | 48 / 58 | 27 / 114 | 250 / 250 | 4 |
| Popularity | 55 (−7 next month) | 55 (+1) | 74 (−7) | 24 (−12) | 100 | |
| Idle peasants | 24 | 24 | 24 | 19 | ||
| Score | 27.6 | 28.7 | 41.5 | 21.0 | 100 | 0 |
A full-budget score: the run used all 2,000 game seconds. Net worth grew by 1,256 over leaving the game alone, 26% of the person's 4,792. With 32 people and popularity 55 the score is 27.6 by the project website's formula (80% net worth, 10% each population and popularity, the net-worth share clipped to −1..2): 21.0 from net worth, 1.1 from population and 5.5 from popularity. This game counts on the website's leaderboard. It is 1.1 below its no-arms game, 13.9 below its 1.6.3 game and 6.6 above its 1.5.6 game.
The stored goods are 100 iron (2,300), 50 stone (350), 20 ale (200), 20 pitch (200) and 135 wood (135). No weapon or armour is in store: the town built no armory. It ended with 24 idle peasants, 18 empty places in its hovels, no food, and popularity falling (food −8).
How the game went
Times are the recording's game clock when a call began; the run clock in the observations reads a few seconds later. The game is paused while the model replies, so a reply costs no game time.
Houses, a market and four mines, 0 to 3 minutes. After a status call it placed three hovels
(0:00), a marketplace (0:12) and average taxes (0:21), then two more hovels (0:29; a third found no spot
flush against the keep) and two stockpiles with expand_storage (0:41), which took the stockpile from 4
piles to 12 so the rest of the starting stone, iron, pitch and ale could arrive. At 0:29 its reasoning
called the iron mine "too costly logistically right now". At 2:27, with 20 idle, one find_sites
returned four iron sites and one build_structure call placed all four, taking 35 s.
Waiting for iron, 3 to 7 minutes. The first iron reached the stockpile at 5:40; the four mines then delivered 2.3 to 3.3 a minute. Population stopped at 32 at 4:07: 8 mine workers, 24 idle, 18 places free. A popularity warning at 4:20 (75 to 64) left taxes unchanged; at 4:32, with 24 food, it bought 50 apples and 50 bread. Popularity fell to 47 at 7:36 under average taxes and three people left; taxes went to none at 7:38.
Thirteen refused mines, 7:02 to 8:32. At 7:02 three find_sites calls around ore centres returned
"Nothing fits within 25 tiles", and map_overview still listed 87 ore tiles in four deposits. It built
on ore tiles anyway: five by tile at 7:02, four by pixel at 7:55 and four by tile at 8:11, all
not_placed but one rejected ("Iron mine must be built on Iron ore"). A call at 7:41 was refused because
set_tax in the same reply had returned no screenshot. Four of the 13 carry no_open_side, all
no_free_spot_nearby. At 8:11 its reasoning read "Maybe I should just give up on building more mines
and accept the current modest setup", and at 8:37 "Idle peasants aren't a concern". The mines of 2:27
were the last buildings placed.
Waiting, 8:37 to the end. Eight waits of 45 to 300 s, four bread purchases, two tax changes and two ration changes. At 13:37 (food 21) it bought 60 bread, set half rations and average taxes; popularity fell from 81 to 56 by 15:33 and it went back to no taxes and full rations. It bought 50 bread at 19:39 and 30 at 24:51; the food warning at 27:41 brought 30 more. Food ran out at 31:05 with 3,263 gold in hand, and popularity went from 90 to 55 in the last 2 min 15 s.
| Game minute | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 24 | 27 | 30 | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net worth | 4,576 | 6,066 | 5,750 | 5,927 | 6,040 | 5,962 | 6,080 | 5,924 | 5,995 | 5,946 | 5,870 | 6,448 |
| Gold | 4,350 | 5,056 | 4,419 | 4,525 | 4,525 | 4,089 | 4,143 | 3,743 | 3,743 | 3,503 | 3,263 | 3,263 |
| Iron | 0 | 15 | 18 | 27 | 38 | 48 | 56 | 64 | 73 | 82 | 90 | 100 |
| Stone | 0 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Food | 39 | 40 | 108 | 74 | 39 | 71 | 41 | 56 | 22 | 18 | 13 | 0 |
| Population | 2 | 25 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 |
| Popularity | 100 | 76 | 55 | 56 | 73 | 64 | 61 | 68 | 74 | 81 | 88 | 55 |
Each column is the last reading at or before that minute. Up to 30 minutes the net worth row counts gold, wood, stone, iron and food (at 4) as the recording logs them; ale and pitch (400) are left out, so it reads low.
Where the starting package went. At the sell price the package (5,000 gold, 55 meat, about 245 wood, 50 stone, 15 iron, 20 pitch, 20 ale) is worth 6,560.
| Net worth | |
|---|---|
| Starting package | 6,560 |
| Iron dug: 85 (15 to 100) | +1,955 |
| Taxes, the rises in the gold reading | +423 |
| 270 bread and apples bought for 2,160 gold, all eaten | −2,160 |
| The 55 meat, eaten | −220 |
| Wood in 5 hovels and 4 mines | −110 |
| End | 6,448 |
Left alone, about 1,150 of the package never arrives (docs/benchmark.md); this game made room at 0:41,
so that part is in its 1,256 of growth, and its own play added about 100: iron and taxes (2,378) paid for
the food and the wood.
Weapons
The rules it played priced weapons and armour in the armory (bows 15, crossbows 30, spears 10, pikes 18, maces 30, swords 30, leather armour 12, metal armour 30). It built no armory and no workshop, so it held no weapon at any time and weapons are 0 of its 6,448. Nothing in its opening plan, its 22 reasoning blocks or 3 text replies mentions weapons, an armory or a workshop; the word appears once, in its interview. Its no-arms game's reasoning and interview answers do not mention them either.
It ended with 135 wood, 100 iron, 3,263 gold and 24 idle peasants (a workshop gives one a job). At the
rules' prices wood is worth 1 as wood and 7.5 to 10 as bows, pikes, spears or crossbows; iron is 23 and a
sword or suit of armour made from one is 30. A poleturner's workshop costs 100 gold and 10 wood, a
blacksmith's 200 gold and 20 wood, an armory 5 wood (prompt/game-mechanics.md); this game cannot show a
workshop's rate. What its own games measured for the same wood and workers is the quarry: four quarries
with four ox tethers (100 wood, 16 workers) left 226 stone (1,582) in its 1.6.3 game, and eleven with
twelve tethers 466 (3,262) in its no-arms game (each includes the starting 50).
Beside its other games and the other models
| This game (1.7.3) | No-arms (1.7.3) | 1.6.3 | 1.5.6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron mines | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Quarries / ox tethers | 0 / 0 | 11 / 12 | 4 / 4 | 0 / 0 |
| Hovels | 5 | 10 | 6 | 13 |
| Weapon buildings | 0 | 0 | 0 | not offered |
| Last building placed | 2:27 | 14:40 | 9:45 | about 6:00 |
| Gold spent on food and planks | 2,160 | 5,400 | 3,280 | 2,320 |
| Net worth lost buying | 1,080 | 2,860 | 1,640 | 1,160 |
| Turns / cost | 30 / $0.39 | 33 / $0.50 | 35 / $0.46 | 29 / $0.42 |
Against its 1.6.3 game this one ended 679 lower: stone −1,232, gold +309, iron +138, wood +106. All four
of its find_sites calls here were for iron mines; in the no-arms game, with 13 idle at 2:12, it
searched for quarries and built two. That game's net worth is 41 below this one's, with 75 people
against 32 (2.9 points of score against 1.1), 466 stone and 668 gold against 3,263. The 1.5.6 game
followed the same plan (four mines, no quarry, food bought, no building after about 6 minutes).
Weapons do not explain Sonnet's moves: it built none in any desert game, and its four scores (21.0, 41.5, 27.6, 28.7) differ in quarries (0, 4, 0, 11), population (27, 48, 32, 75) and popularity (24, 74, 55, 55). The batch so far (net worth / score):
| Weapons counted | No arms | |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Sonnet 5.5 | 6,448 / 27.6 | 6,407 / 28.7 |
| Claude Haiku 5.5 | 5,669 / 18.9 | 5,617 / 15.6 |
| Claude Opus 5.5 | 5,865 / 19.1 | 8,808 / 67.1 |
| Claude Fable 5.1 | 4,689 / 1.3 | 5,337 / 11.6 |
| GLM 5.3 Flash | 4,116 / −9.8 |
Sonnet's is the highest of the five weapons-counted games and the only one with no weapon building. The others built workshops (Haiku 5, Opus 16, Fable 17, GLM 18; 600, 1,600, 1,700 and 2,300 gold at the rules' prices) and held weapons worth 1,055, 1,095, 1,540 and 1,185; their net worths ended 583 to 2,332 below Sonnet's. Among the 1.6.3 round's second games on this map (Sol 98.3 down to Luna −3.4, Sonnet's own 41.5 fourth), 27.6 would stand fifth of ten; the versions differ.
What held it back
- Nothing built after 2:27, and no jobs for the 24 idle peasants. The town had 8 jobs for 32
people from 4:07, and the rules say new peasants stop arriving at 24 idle. The last 24 min 43 s went on
waits, bread and tax changes while 135 wood and 3,263 gold sat unused, after thirteen tries for more
mines on ground
find_siteshad called empty. - No stone. It lies 83 to 106 tiles west; no
find_sitescall asked for a quarry, and at the end it said "I also didn't use the quarries". 135 wood and the 24 idle peasants could have built and staffed about five quarries with five tethers (125 wood, 20 workers). - Food bought and eaten. The 270 units cost 2,160 gold, more than the 1,955 of iron the mines dug; 32 people ate about 11.5 food a game minute. Food ran out at 31:05 and the last 2 min 15 s cost 35 points of popularity (3.5 of score); feeding them would have cost about 26 bread, 210 gold or 3.5 points.
- Warnings that changed little. Of five popularity warnings (4:20, 14:46, 15:33, 32:21, 33:06) only the 15:33 one brought a tax cut; the food warning (27:41) brought bread. Five waiting notes (13:37, 19:39, 24:51, 32:21, 33:06) were each followed by bread or nothing, never a building.
What worked
- Four mines by tile in one call. They dug 85 iron (1,955); the 100 in store is 36% of the final net worth.
- Room for the starting package. Two stockpiles at 0:41 let the stone, iron, pitch and ale in: about 1,150 of the 1,256 of growth.
- Taxes paid. 423 gold (7.1 points): 325 in the first stretch of average taxes (0:21 to 7:38) and 98 in the second (13:53 to 15:33). Popularity healed each time (47 to 81 by 13:37; 56 to 83 by 27:41).
- Food held for 31 minutes. Five purchases kept food in store until 31:05 (lowest reading 9, at 27:45), and the first added variety (+2 popularity).
Market
50 apples and 220 bread bought for 2,160 gold at 8 a unit (sell price 4); nothing sold. The purchases lost 1,080 of net worth against the sell price when made; all of it was eaten, so the gold is gone at the end. Six calls (4:32 twice, 13:38, 19:39, 24:51, 27:41), 54 clicks, 69 game seconds.
Cost and speed
30 turns, 43 tool calls (12 waits, 6 market_trade, 5 build_structure, 4 set_tax, 4 find_sites, 3
place_near, 9 others), 1.56 million tokens and $0.390 at the profile's prices ($2 per million input,
$10 output, $0.10 cache read, $2.50 cache write): preparation $0.078, play $0.312, no compaction. The
interview cost about $0.020. The run took 17.3 real minutes, 2.8 of them waiting for the model (longest
reply 12 s); the context ended at 73,466 of 120,000 tokens. All 30 requests read the prompt cache, 97.4%
of input tokens.
Waits took 1,690 of the 2,000 game seconds and tools that act 240; the 12 waits played at the game's top
speed, 1,688 game seconds in 9.8 real minutes, 11.2 fewer than at speed 40. build_structure ran 89
game seconds for 5 calls and placed 4 buildings, 22 s each; only the first call placed any (35 s, 8.8 s a
mine), and the other four (13 tries, one call refused outright) took 53 s. Its no-arms game took 6.6 s a
building (210 s, 32 placed); its 1.5.6 and 1.6.3 games took 5.2 and 9.6 s. Those two earlier games were
hosted on the Mac, this game and the no-arms game on the game machine (the recording directory in
events.jsonl shows which), so version and host differ between them.
The interview
Sonnet put its result well behind the person's, with gold the main gap, and said it had "built four iron
mines and then mostly waited", spent about 2,300 gold on food with no return and left 24 peasants idle.
Playing again it would spend the starting wood on housing, build a mill and bakeries and sell bread, add
inns, a church and the person's fear buildings, build more hovels and jobs, pair quarries with tethers,
and act about every minute. It found the stats, find_sites and one-call placement useful; iron-mine
placements failed with no visible reason, and it asked for a short pointer toward the marketplace
economy. It called itself too passive.
Against the game, these match: its figures for itself and the person, "about 1,250 above" 5,192 (1,256), 24 idle
for most of the game (from 4:20), "about a dozen" refused mines (13), the no_open_side and no-free-spot
answers, find_sites empty at three ore centres at 7:02, no trees on the map, and a marketplace that did
stand (0:12; six trades). These do not: 2,300 gold on food (2,160: 400 for apples, 1,760 for bread); a
population "stalled around 30" for want of food income (it stopped at 32 with 24 idle, and food was in
store until 31:05); and housing as the use for the wood, when 18 places were empty and 135 wood stayed
unspent. A pixel and a tile target resolving to different tiles cannot be checked: the logs give only the
resolved tile.
For the harness
- Leftover ore reads as ore. At 7:02
map_overviewlisted 87 ore tiles, the same four deposits that read 123 in its no-arms game's overview before any mine, butfind_siteshad no spot, andbuild_structure's remedy points back tofind_sites. No result says why the remaining ore holds no mine; the interview says "I couldn't tell why". - The 7:41 refusal named its own fix (observe, or use tile targets); it observed and retried.
- The reader's memory watchdog forced one collection at about 7:55 (a 20 s stall); the game ran on.
- The interview read the prompt cache, 48 s after the last reply (70,282 of 72,266 tokens). The end
save is recorded in
episode.json("claude sonnet 5-5 1-7-3 0c0313").