Comment by mrdootdoot | Hacker News Reader

Comment by mrdootdoot | Hacker News Reader

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I've been building an FPS since I realized Opus 4.8 claude had some essence of taste and modeling capability. I have 0 experience in game development. Along the way I learned how hard video game development really is and have a new respect for indie studios. AI will never replace original story telling and artwork - having a firm foundation and building the first models and level myself was key.

Since then, each model advancement has made it easier and easier to delegate and form workflows around each aspect of making my game - to the point that I login once and awhile to sculpt, get visual feedback for textures lighting and level design... I get a level done a week - test it myself, and ship it to beta testers who auto update and can send me anonymous feedback - all thanks to Opus.

I'm one dude - and I think this is a crippling vision to some of what's to come. AAA studios certainly know and will serve you AI generated games instead of paying talented people. I hope those talented people getting displaced can get enabled cause what I've done is pretty amazing.

AAA slop has been going on for years before ai era where slop become a word. It's not about mass production slops, it's about making something that genuinely sells.

Not saying you are producing slops. Just look at what truly sells on steam chart. The game industry is a creative industry just like others. Anyone can bang together some music or videos and upload them, but which ones are really getting popular and making money? That's the real question

When my all in stake is about, oh, say $5k - how can you afford not to try? Making it good is tough, I've been at this for nearly half of a year and I'm only now hitting my stride ( a level per week )

Especially if it's just gratifying to say you released something you're proud of. I have no illusion AAA titles with big budgets/advertising budgets and higher polish will give it a slim chance but,

Its better than a lotto ticket I'd wager.

What are you talking about? Even charitable read of the current FPS scene shows biggest names rehashing the same stories and worrying more about presentation that anything halfway interesting. AAA is over? Good riddance. It is not over but AAA studios will just send slop?

Dude. They are already doing it. The only difference now is that you can too.

Hopefuly, I gave you an idea of what you need to do.

Sure, they've been sending more slop lately but at least there was some aspect of providing a livelihood for game devs. It sounded like that was the comment was expressing anxiety toward, at least how I read it. I guess game devs will just have to shift to something else, but as a (non-game) dev from the before times it's really not clear where to shift that energy. Especially if you used to depend on it to provide all your essentials for life.

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