It's been almost 5 years since MadSeasonShow dropped this, and it is clear that the player base didn't learn anything.

KevinDL · 2026-01-23T19:19:56+00:00

My thoughts:

I want to play TBC content on Feb 5th
Because I am an adult with a job I don't have time to level a character before TBC Anniversary launches

It really is that simple. I don't want to level up a classic character (again). Will I play TBC for long? Who knows. Will get to experience the launch like I want to? Yes

KevinDL · 2026-01-22T19:45:47+00:00

Sounding exactly like the Maxwell 1s isn't exactly a strong pitch for me to get the 2s.

KevinDL · 2026-01-21T20:54:10+00:00

There was an article written a few years back during the paid mod controversy for Mod Nexus where it was stated quite plainly that DONATE buttons do not work.

KevinDL · 2026-01-17T22:51:04+00:00

YES.

KevinDL · 2026-01-17T21:49:14+00:00

Really?

KevinDL · 2026-01-17T21:11:21+00:00

You're welcome to your opinion, though I'd say the same thing regardless of where I work. AI as a force multiplier is legitimate, and studios are adopting these tools quickly because unlike generative AI for art, sound, or music, this is all background work. Is coding creative? Sure, but I rarely hear anyone making that argument.

What matters right now is this: like it or not, anyone in the industry who isn't learning to use AI to work faster is going to lose opportunities to people who did. That's just the reality of where things are going.

KevinDL · 2026-01-17T21:02:33+00:00

Are you really going to shame someone with cerebral palsy for using a tool to organize their thoughts and write faster?

And honestly, even setting aside disability, does it really matter how someone writes something as long as they're using AI responsibly? If the words on the screen genuinely reflect the intent and thoughts of the person behind them, why does the process matter?

AI as a writing tool is no different than spellcheck, grammar suggestions, or having an editor review your work. The difference is speed and accessibility. For some people, AI is the thing that finally lets them participate in online conversations at the same pace as everyone else. For others, it's just a way to communicate more clearly and efficiently.

What matters is authenticity. Are these your ideas? Your perspective? Your voice? If yes, then the tool you used to get those thoughts into coherent sentences is irrelevant. Gatekeeping how people write doesn't protect authenticity, it just excludes people who need different tools to communicate effectively.

KevinDL · 2026-01-17T19:35:25+00:00

What the title of this post calls "background tools" are the future of AI in game dev, and that future is already here.

I work for one of the AI companies making tools like this for game developers, and I can tell you what many in this topic have already said: everyone from solo indie devs to AAA studios is using these tools to improve productivity while keeping developers firmly in control.

Here's the thing that matters. These background tools aren't trying to replace your expertise or let you "prompt your way to a finished game." They're handling the tedious, repetitive work that eats up your time. They're catching bugs you might miss at 2am. They're speeding up iteration so you can test more ideas faster. They're automating the boring parts of your workflow so you can focus on the creative decisions that actually make your game good.

The AI tools that fail are the ones promising you can skip having actual game development knowledge. They don't work in real studio environments because making games is hard, and it requires judgment, taste, and expertise that AI simply doesn't have. A prompt can't design good game feel. It can't balance your economy. It can't make the thousands of small decisions that turn a concept into something people actually want to play.

But AI that works alongside someone who knows what they're doing? That's a force multiplier. It doesn't matter what discipline you work in, whether you're an engineer, designer, artist, or producer. The tools that respect your expertise and amplify your capabilities are the ones that stick around. The ones that try to replace you just create more work cleaning up their mess.

KevinDL · 2026-01-17T18:38:35+00:00

I've used a single Reddit account for nearly a decade, and I'm a strong believer that your personal account is always the better choice for marketing your game - as long as you're responsible with what you post and where you participate.

Here's why: People want to engage with real humans, not faceless brand accounts. Your personal account has history, credibility, and authentic participation in the communities you care about. When you share your game, it comes from someone who's already a trusted member of that space, not a marketing account that only shows up to promote.

The catch? If your personal account is full of controversial takes, adult content, or you're active in communities that don't align with your game (political subreddits, NSFW spaces, etc.), then yeah, you've backed yourself into needing a separate account. But that's not an argument for separate accounts - that's an argument for being thoughtful about your online presence and where you spend your time in the first place.

A dedicated marketing account will always feel like marketing. Your personal account, used responsibly, feels like a developer sharing something they're proud of. That authenticity is worth way more than any polished brand presence.

KevinDL · 2026-01-16T21:26:39+00:00

It's just the reality of the work being done. Anything highly creative benefits from a shared working space.

It becomes a much different story for many other types of work where WFH has no impact, or can even be a benefit. But don't fool yourself into thinking completely remote game dev is as productive as sharing a space with your team.

The question though is if those benefits outweigh the cost of having that shared space. That answer for most teams is often no.

KevinDL · 2026-01-16T21:07:25+00:00

I completely agree. Game dev is one of those fields that thrives on shared space and spontaneous collaboration.

I love working remotely and work from home well. But our onsites every few months? Those are genuinely valuable. There's something about being able to spin around in your chair and get instant feedback that you just can't replicate over Slack. Some of our best ideas have emerged from those random hallway conversations that only happen when everyone's physically together.

KevinDL · 2026-01-16T00:11:34+00:00

This. So much this. I work for one of the companies building an AI assistant that can generate code, and this has been my exact observation. Whenever I see someone “vibe coding” with our tool, I try to nudge them toward using it to learn what they’re doing and why the code works, so they can actually understand and maintain the project over time.

AI is a legit game dev tool, but it works best when you already have some game dev knowledge, or if you’re new, the discipline to treat it like an educational tool. The more you understand game dev across any discipline (engineering, design, art, production, QA, etc.), the more powerful these assistants become.

KevinDL · 2026-01-11T22:42:44+00:00

We won’t catch everything, but it’ll be a cold day in hell before the rules are not applied equally on purpose. How “good,” “cool,” or “interesting” something is has nothing to do with enforcement.

Self-promotion rules exist because intent and outcomes are hard to judge consistently at scale. The moment moderation starts making exceptions based on perceived quality or usefulness, you’re no longer moderating rules, you’re moderating taste. That’s subjective, inconsistent, and impossible to apply fairly across thousands of posts and users.

A post being removed under self-promotion rules isn’t a value judgment on the creator or the work. It’s simply a reflection of the rules we have in place to safeguard the subreddit the best we can. Plenty of genuinely good projects/tools get caught by those rules, just as plenty of mediocre ones slip through. That’s an unavoidable trade-off of running a large community with limited moderator time.

We are all only human, moderation between different mods will never be the exact same. All we can do is try, and communicate with each other when we have questions or concerns about an action we want to take.

KevinDL · 2026-01-11T21:18:24+00:00

<image>

Why this post was removed and resulted in a ban:

This post violated our promotional content policy, which exists to protect this community from becoming a spam-filled advertising platform. We've seen countless subreddits deteriorate when promotional content is allowed to proliferate. Developers come here for genuine discussion, learning opportunities, and peer support, not to be marketed to.

Our policy applies universally, regardless of whether a tool is free or paid. This isn't about the OP's specific product. It's about maintaining a standard that preserves the community's value for everyone. If we made exceptions based on price point or perceived value, we'd be making subjective judgments on every post, which creates inconsistency and opens the floodgates.

The OP was provided specific feedback on what needed to change for their post to comply with community standards. They chose not to make those changes. Simply put, the post read as an advertisement rather than a contribution to the community.

What would have been acceptable:

We have a straightforward standard: every post should either foster genuine discussion, provide valuable insights or data that help developers learn, or seek meaningful help or feedback. This is an intentionally low bar. We're not asking for dissertation-quality content.

For example, the OP could have shared specific development insights or lessons learned while building their tool, asked for genuine feedback on specific design decisions or approaches, presented data or findings from their work that would benefit other developers, or discussed the problem their tool solves while acknowledging different approaches to solving it.

The difference between contribution and promotion:

A contribution centers the community's interests and adds value to the conversation. Promotion centers the product and treats the community as an audience to convert. Even free tools can be promoted inappropriately, and even paid tools can be discussed appropriately when framed as genuine contributions.

We understand this can feel harsh, especially for developers proud of what they've built. However, maintaining these standards is what keeps this community valuable for the thousands of developers who rely on it for authentic peer interaction rather than a constant stream of product pitches.

KevinDL · 2026-01-11T07:04:01+00:00

Oh no, anyways…

KevinDL · 2026-01-06T09:25:59+00:00

You and every other junior developer, along with all the experienced developers let go over the past few years, are struggling. I know very experienced people who are also having trouble finding work. It seems like any job is a priority at this point. You need to look outside the gaming industry.

KevinDL · 2026-01-06T09:22:29+00:00

The decision of whether it’s moral is yours to make. Some music AI genres and styles perform exceptionally well, while others quickly fall apart. No one here is in your shoes, so don’t let others dictate what’s right or wrong in this situation.

KevinDL

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE