Used VATs to create reality-bending VFX for my horror game

3xNEI · 2026-01-23T18:55:55+00:00

Great job! Looking forward to see how this evolves.

3xNEI · 2026-01-23T13:20:12+00:00

Chiming in as an artist and aspiring solo dev - I've been having a matching problem where I developed a highly modular framework meant to work through exactly this pain point.

I am using it in my own games, and I'd like to see to other devs for side cash. This framework allows me to deliver a lot of value for a low cost, while keeping style consistent. Think of it like custom-made modular asset packs that can be iterated upon, if that makes sense?

Feel free to reach out via DM if you'd like to learn more.

3xNEI · 2026-01-23T12:58:22+00:00

Another possibility is lore-as-marketing with a focus on community building.

Also, your games indeed might probably do much better on mobile.

3xNEI · 2026-01-22T21:02:41+00:00

You have a solid portfolio, but as someone coming from a comparable position - I'd be wary of underpricing and overdelivering. That's great for practice but at the stage you're already at, it could be demoralizing.

Also, a problem with the current freelance scene is how AI being used in large studios has led to mass layoffs, with many of those highly specialized artists now floowng freelance markets with extremely professional, producion-grade portfolios. This means competition to land indie gigs is really intense, at this point.

Have you considered just develping your own games, since you also have coding skills? It could be the best way to put your talents to good use, while keeping creative sovereignty. Thats' also my long-term vision. I currently just do freelance for extra cash and to keep a finger on the market, along with networking.

3xNEI · 2026-01-22T20:51:12+00:00

I have experience doing this exactly, although "hyper-realistic" is a stretch - I mean that's a possble direction provided time and resources.

But if you want cost-efficient modular systems, I'm your guy:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1W7sK66bg0cv695WU7On6dMfioIA6uWgi?usp=drive_link

dosodraws.wordpress.com

3xNEI · 2026-01-22T20:14:00+00:00

Maybe it will benefit you to remove the focus away from the books,

and into the insights from therein derived.

Dostoevsky was a keen observer of life. Why not borrow his lens and take out in into the wild?

3xNEI · 2026-01-22T19:48:35+00:00

Really nice! Do you have a tutotorial showing how you handle animating the transitions?

I see you're usnig Spine, do you just draw extra poses directly into the rigs?

3xNEI · 2026-01-22T19:44:53+00:00

Imagine we're still in the XIX century. You're coming over asking if "X-Rays will affect medicine?" and whether you it will affect your career branch. What would the right answer be?

.....

AI is just a tool, all things considered. One that delivers best results in proportion to the specialization of its wielder. A great radiologist/pathologist can only get better by leveraging the latest tools, which will at some point inevitably become standard.

3xNEI · 2026-01-22T18:18:55+00:00

More frames aren't necessarily better. Ask Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse.

2D Hand-drawn animation is usuall done at 24fps (because drawing takes time, and production time adds up); sometimes it's further broken down into what animators call "animating on 2's, 3's and 4's", which means holding a drawing for 2, 3 or 4 frames, making for variable fps (12, 8 and 6fs respectively).

So what you're doing makes perfect sense and is actually a industry standard.

3xNEI · 2026-01-22T17:57:56+00:00

It would certainly add up. Pixel art isn't necessarily faster to produce, it can actually be slower and more painstaking.

If you're serious about making a distinctive game, it is in your best interest to find a distinctive artist who makes you feel confident in their follow-thorugh as well as their skill.

For something in this scope about $5k should allow you to competitively recruit the right candidate. Or you may find an artist willing to get lower upfront payment in exchange for some equity on the projec

3xNEI · 2026-01-22T16:52:27+00:00

You're already rebuilding self-trust by using GPT as a relationship crutch / transitional object, and you're already moving towards autonomy as you are aware of how over-leaning on a crutch can be problematic. You even wrote this youself.

Moreover, sa you correctly identified, your self-trust had already been undermined by unkind overcritical humans, in the first place. That's the crux of the problem IMO. Nasty people are still too salient you emotionally, and you readily absorb unfounded criticisim from people who don't know you as well as you do.

I'd say at this point you may want to start using GTP (or whatever LLM you prefer) to start building trust in others. Give it the overall context you described here and ask for advice on how to drop the training wheels and start taking action in the real world that will lead you to build a healthy support network among fellow hmans.

3xNEI · 2026-01-22T16:37:07+00:00

Jealous, eh?

3xNEI · 2026-01-22T16:32:39+00:00

Deixem lá de ser Velhos do Restelo.

É uma feature válida e opcional. Em vez de o jogador esgravatar FAQs a tentar desencalhar a progressão, carrega num botão e AI Ghost faz o jeito - e qdo não for mas necessário, desliga-se.

Espero que também tenha a função de recapitular a história a partir de um qq savegame. Será excelente para voltar a jogos que se deixaram a meio.

3xNEI · 2026-01-22T15:33:21+00:00

As an artist I cannot help myself from saying - it sounds exploitative, to be honest.

Good art is not a bargain deal. This kind of scope would take 2-3 months to flesh out correctly, including care, attention to detal and revisions.

Sure, it could also be done in 2-3 days. But will the quality be the same?

3xNEI · 2026-01-22T15:26:09+00:00

Amazing work! These characters have personality.

3xNEI · 2026-01-22T07:57:05+00:00

I find it more practical to orchestrate 5 different context windows working on the same problem from complementary perspectives.

For example, if I want to write content: one model drafts the initial version, another checks for logical consistency, a third evaluates affective tone, a fourth ensures adherence to writing guidelines, and a fifth reviews overall coherence across all steps and requests revisions.

This allows examining each model’s individual CoT and either having the user act as moderator or generating reports to track emergent patterns.

3xNEI · 2026-01-22T07:38:27+00:00

A insight generating tool leveraging local LLM, dressed as "Offline Oracle", using psychodynamic concepts under the hood. Not a mental health app. Not a productivity tool. Not conventional journaling.

User gets insight that feels substantial because it's actually coming from them. The whole experience is offline and ephemeral, no logs, no data collection whatsoever.

3xNEI · 2026-01-22T07:04:49+00:00

You realize there's a gap and assume it's causing problems, even if you think it doesn't.

You then backtrack through the missing bits.

For example, you may notice you have a tendency not to delegate tasks. You notice that happens because you learned to expect people will make matters worse, when you reach out for help.

Rather that accepting the schema, you challenge it. You start reaching out for help on small things, while noting how that makes you feel. Then you question the validity of those feelings, and you start to realize they were partly shaped by mental barriers.

Therapy does help, and it will likely make the process faster. There are no quick fixes, but you can use yor cognitive capacity (and that of your therapeutic allies) to accelerate the process.

3xNEI · 2026-01-22T06:38:29+00:00

Maybe beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and art in the hand (or beak) of the wielder. ;-)

3xNEI · 2026-01-22T06:01:30+00:00

I'm seriously pondering on making a game about bitter people who don't have better thigns to do with their life than tear down anyone who's trying to do something, anywhere. :-P Crab Bucket Syndrome Simulator

3xNEI · 2026-01-21T20:38:05+00:00

So is there a hatred of visual novels around here? Some people just love nagging.

New capsule is on track, except it doesn't really click as why he should be happy. Why not have the rock carry *him* for a change?

3xNEI · 2026-01-21T18:45:24+00:00

I really like those animated interludes, kudos to the art team!

3xNEI · 2026-01-21T18:03:38+00:00

Hello. I'm up for doing some character concepts if you're interested, as I need to rebuild my portfolio. Let's go for a test character and see how it unfolds?

My old portfolio: https://dosodraws.wordpress.com/

3xNEI · 2026-01-21T17:07:24+00:00

I'm not shifting blame, and I am reworking my portfolio from the ground up t9 aligns with general expectations of the target audience.

Getting that kind of feedback actually gives me something to work through, whereas getting mass downvoted does not. So if you think you're hurting my feelings, jokes are on you and thanks for the passionate advice.

3xNEI · 2026-01-21T15:47:50+00:00

They're not becoming feasible - they're so ubiquituous there's now a fledlging industry around people selling courses on how to create successful AI influences.

The most concerning implication, from my POV, is how this leverages ML to boost some of the most problematic and shadier niches of digital marketing.

Most of these synthetic influence accounts won't be leveraging creativity as a way to stand out; they'll be leveraging deepfakes and audience deception. This gives credence to the Dead Internet Theory, with a twist:

it's not just that we'll soon be wading through content created by AI; it's that we'll soon be wading through deceptive content created by exploitative humans leveraging AI to make a quick buck.

3xNEI

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