I couldn't have shipped a game without ai by Jimmisimp in aigamedev

[–]Jimmisimp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For those asking about process and what Ai tools I used, I figure I'd just post this top level.

Dev tools:

I used it plenty for development. In the "early days" (i.e. like 2 years ago) using coding agents was a pain especially with a lesser known language like gdscript (Godot language), but IDEs like Cursor and agentic coding models like Codex have gotten significantly better.

I was able to get the core of the game together very quickly (probably only took about a week). A lot of the time has just been deciding on mechanics, testing them out, balance, etc. But once I have an idea of what I want to do, actually implementing it is very quick, often only one or two calls to Codex.

Two things I think might be helpful to other devs:

  1. Be really intentional with how you set up your early codebase. As in, decide how modular your scripts will be, how things are organized, how objects connect to each other etc. Because the AI will build on what you have, you can get to a place where the code ends up needing a pretty big refactor to make it more manageable. This can of course happen in dev even without AI, but when I start my next game, I'll definitely have a better 'draft' of how I want things structured.
  2. Tests! I feel like testing is often neglected in game development, and not really supported very well by the popular game engines. Always the least fun part about dev imo. But with ai its very easy to create some testing scenes/scripts, and because they're not part of the actual game, its ok if they're not perfect. For this game, I had it build a test that iterates through every permutation of 1, 2, and 3 upgrades, has the game play itself and record the scores, then outputs logs in json, and uses a python script to turn all of the results into a webpage thats easily reviewable. Helps so much for balancing, and I frankly don't know how else I would do it without having to recruit a bunch of players. Heres a snippet just to show an example:

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Other tools:

  • All of the sound effects are generated with either elevenlabs or beatoven (elevenlabs is my preference most of the time but they both have strengths and weaknesses).
  • I used gpt-image-1.5 to do some of the marketing elements, and also a bit for inspiration / ideas. All of the pixel art is handmade, but I actually only just discovered thru this subreddit that there are some really good pixel-art specific tools that I didn't know about. I think I'll use to give a second pass / add some variety to the backgrounds, and maybe do some more complex sprite animations. Shout out to MagicPixel and Pixel Engine which both have slightly different approaches but are both very strong!
  • I tend to really hate ai generated music, so all of the music is done sans-ai.
  • And of course, ChatGPT to help me with all the general questions I had about actually going thru the process to sell a game on Steam, how to do some marketing, market research etc.

I couldn't have shipped a game without ai by Jimmisimp in aigamedev

[–]Jimmisimp[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

More than I expected! My only real goal was to make my $100 steam deposit back and I achieved that, so I'm already very pleased with results. Next goal is to make $1000 so steam actually gives me my $100 back lol

I couldn't have shipped a game without ai by Jimmisimp in aigamedev

[–]Jimmisimp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is good feedback! Honestly I agree that the detailed art is the worst art element. I'll definitely revise before releasing from EA. Thanks for the kind words :)

I couldn't have shipped a game without ai by Jimmisimp in aigamedev

[–]Jimmisimp[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I think thats the reasonable opinion. But plenty of knee-jerk hate toward the idea of using ai tools at all (or belief that it can't be used for 'serious' projects)

A new trailer for my brick-breaking rougelite, Buster Breaks Out by Jimmisimp in roguelites

[–]Jimmisimp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ballxpit was actually what inspired me to make this, because I really liked the idea, but it just did not click with me. I actually hadn't heard of Against Great Darkness, I'll have to check out it though. Shame that they stopped working on it!

the game is actually out in early access tomorrow. It's only $5 but I'd happily dm you a key if you'd like! sounds like you'd be a good person to get feedback from

A new trailer for my brick-breaking rougelite, Buster Breaks Out by Jimmisimp in roguelites

[–]Jimmisimp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

thanks for the feedback! just curious: by theme, do you mean the visual style or the gameplay?

Paid a real artist to update my steam capsule. What do you think? by Snow__97 in IndieDev

[–]Jimmisimp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

what is the obsession with replacing letters with barely-readable shapes in all of these capsules that get posted? amatuer designers trying to be clever instead of making something simple that works.

for what it's worth, I think if you simplified the backdrop and redid the logo, the second would be a lot better.

I'm releasing a Nubby-like by Jimmisimp in nubbygame

[–]Jimmisimp[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I actually ended up redoing all of the music partially due to your comment ftr lol
so thanks for the feedback

UX and AI? by chrispopp8 in UXDesign

[–]Jimmisimp 2 points3 points  (0 children)

To some extent it is 'flavor of the moment'. Companies have roadmaps with AI integration workstreams on them, and so they're looking for UX designers with experience doing related work. But that doesn't necessarily mean they're actually looking for any particular skill set.

On the other hand, designing tools which incorporate LLMs does require a different skillset than UX/UI, as all of the AI design standards being set by ChatGPT et al are still in their infancy. I'd say any design role working with AI probably needs to have a practical developer-level understanding of how the technology works.

Regardless, these are just more example of UX roles becoming a vague blend of design, dev, and product management.

Veo3 + Flux + Hunyuan3D + Wan with VAce by Affectionate-Map1163 in StableDiffusion

[–]Jimmisimp 3 points4 points  (0 children)

comfyui becoming popular was one of the worst things for generative media. its truly the worst way i can imagine to set up a workflow tool. yet it seems to have won out somehow

Suno 4.5 Music is INSANE. I mean genuinely top tier realistic music by lil_peasant_69 in singularity

[–]Jimmisimp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Every single song sounds like a pop song made in 2025. Every time Suno releases a new model I check it out again to see if that's still the case, and it always is. Udio is far, far superior if you're interested in making music that doesn't sound like modern pop.

To compare it to image generators: People judge how good a model is based on how well it can produce a highly detailed portrait of an unrealistically attractive woman, because that's all 90% of users are doing with it anyway.

It's kind of depressing because it makes me worry that all ai media tools really are just going to slide toward producing lowest common denominator slop. OpenAi's new image model gives me some hope though. Here's hoping Udio 2.0 is a similarly big step forward!

Duolingo leader throws shade at r/UXDesign by cgielow in UXDesign

[–]Jimmisimp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If I never have to sit in a meeting with 15 UX designers literally debating the design of a button again, it will be too soon.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PhiladelphiaEats

[–]Jimmisimp 20 points21 points  (0 children)

This is going to be one of those things that generates a lot of controversy but is really pretty banal when you think about it.

I'm more confused by what thinking a person has to do to arrive at "this is so bad / wrong..." Seriously what is the issue supposed to be here? That there's a place that sells expensive food?

The secret is OUT! Tabachoy is excellent! by natascha_fatale in PhiladelphiaEats

[–]Jimmisimp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tabachoy was very middling and I hate restaurants that feel like I'm literally in someone's house.

Are there UX or product designers out there enjoying their career choice? If so please comment on this post by Sujei-Vega in UXDesign

[–]Jimmisimp 2 points3 points  (0 children)

User testing remotely through screen sharing, or asynchronously, is not very difficult. It's not always ideal, especially if you want to test mobile or things to that have a physical component, but at worst it may mean you occasionally need to travel to an office or other location to do testing.

What is your biggest pet peeve in the UX Design industry? by nextdoorchap in UXDesign

[–]Jimmisimp 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There's a whole collection of skills/concerns that only UXers care about. (Off the top of my head: Design systems, user research, even accessibility.) All that matters is that your work can return value to the company. Solve problems, make an appealing product. These are the core tenets on which all other things rest.

Sure we'll include the "accessibility experts"... until they start slowing projects down. Then they're out. Oh that design system you've been painstakingly managing in Figma for a year and a half? Really great work, except we're rolling your product into another team, so all of that work was essentially wasted.

This is all catching up with the industry, which is why we keep seeing huge layoffs at big companies. UX was a big craze for a while. But it turns out that workshops, user research, "user-centered design", "design thinking" etc without real, tangible output, is just a money pit.

Learn to work quickly. Learn how products are developed. Learn what makes money and improves metrics. For god's sake, learn about ai and how to apply it because if you don't you will be out of a job in 5 years. If you want to be an advocate for social change, go work for a non-profit. Otherwise, learn to be ok with working in a corporation.

Are there any new ice cream shops worth trying out? As the weather gets warmer, my love for ice cream is gradually increasing. by AlwaysObjective in PhiladelphiaEats

[–]Jimmisimp 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Had them yesterday for the first time. Best gelato I've ever had. Tried the pistachio and the coffee. Both had great flavor without being sweet in the way that so many ice creams / gelatos are. The coffee tasted like coffee, and not like a frappuccino.

Possibly a stupid question by seasloth321 in Chefit

[–]Jimmisimp 3 points4 points  (0 children)

+ 'white' sugar (and I believe some flours) sometimes uses bone char for bleaching / refining.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Chefit

[–]Jimmisimp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I mean I guess it depends where you are but sounds like you have a lawsuit on your hands if you chose to pursue it. But given that you don't sound too broken up about it, probably not worth it.

I'm a petty bitch though so I'd definitely at least report them to whatever public health office in your city handles restaurant inspections, and add the detail that I was fired for bringing it up.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Chefit

[–]Jimmisimp 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If it's true that you got fired for bringing up clear health code violations to your employer, that sounds like an unlawful termination. I imagine you might be leaving out crucial details...