Starting a sandbox visual novel project have given me more respect for game devs

[User_name42069]

I am adept at AI art, somewhat adept at coding.

Started throwing together some sprites etc. and suddenly spent a couple hours on a simple introduction scene lol.

Sidenote, Imo AI is probably the future for most these types of games, and the problem currently is just lazy character design work.

Making unique and consistent characters with in consistent artstyles with PDXL by utilizing different models and loras, if needed combining them, or making your own, isn't very difficult, as opposed to making a complex game with quests, random events, skills, etc.

That said i am going to give this a couple hours every week for a few months and see where it takes me.

 

[AlternateDreams]

Welcome to hell, enjoy the suffering
On a more serious note, feel free to share your progress here or in Programming, Development & Art, it may help to get feedback and suggestions.

 

[McFuckyy96]

I am adept at AI art, somewhat adept at coding.


Sidenote, Imo AI is probably the future for most these types of games, and the problem currently is just lazy character design work.

That said i am going to give this a couple hours every week for a few months and see where it takes me.

Its the future for certain type of games and for devs that don't have the talent to do art or the money to hire a artist, I used to be completely against Ai art being a artist myself, but I've seen some projects that made me sway to not being a complete hater, that said, most games that use Ai art are still bottom of the barrel to me.

 

[User_name42069]

that said, most games that use Ai art are still bottom of the barrel to me.

Getting things coherent with AI is quite a lot of work while requiring some technical knowhow, i have never tried an AI game that i thought was good.

I believe if you are a good artist, learning to use AI can multiply your output without sacrificing quality.
If you use loras based on your own art for outfits/style/expression/character coherency and control net for poses, and then do touch-ups on a tablet&photoshop, you can get around a lot of the most time consuming stuff.

 

[McFuckyy96]

Well it depends what you use your art for, if you're trying to use your art for some kind of business or as a product then I can see how Ai can streamline the process, because the end goal is money. But if you're doing something like a passion project or something with higher sentimental value then I think using Ai would be sort of an insult to your work. You're not really after something tangible like money in that case but moreso a dream or pride. It really depends on what you are after.

But anyway, as you said you have never tried an Ai game that you thought was any good, what would make your game different from them or what would make your game good?

 

[User_name42069]

But anyway, as you said you have never tried an Ai game that you thought was any good, what would make your game different from them or what would make your game good?

This first project probably wont be "good", mostly just learning atm.

I do however believe i can create something that doesn't look or feel like AI, mainly just from making coherent character's with coherent outfits, faces, styles, coherent worldbuilding/style.

Dating sim set in Sprawlston, which is a suburb of Megapolis BC WC

I am aiming for a jovial and colorful western comic style artstyle, versions of female characters i like from video games/comics/cartoons, but slightly altered.

Lastly, not going to toot my own horn, but i have a lot of xp with dating irl, and i want the interactions to be silly, which is cool and fun and part of the reason for this media imo, but not completely nonsensical/retarded, which is often the case in these types of games.

To expand on that, i guess i was kind of a looser when i was in my late teens, and completely retarded around girls, if i am playing a dating sim now however, i would want to act like the calculated 30 yo me as an 18 year old, and have the situations/girl reactions to at least be plausible. In most games, the MC is completely retarded, and the female characters react nonsensically as well.

An example is this temp teacher we had for half a year in Junior High, looking back i am 70% certain i would have been able to sleep with her then knowing what i do now, i mean it would have been illegal for her so luckily it didn't happen and i wont put illegal situations in the game and sorry for being long winded but that's kind of my motivation behind trying to make a dating sim.

To write the interactions as i believe they should happen and to prove that you can make coherent characters with AI.

Kind of tempting to do AI voices as well, at least for the female characters.