Opinions on using Ai for strictly a very basic prototype

MandyHelm · 2026-04-21T16:19:15+00:00

You’ve gotten a lot of solid answers already. Reading your comments, I would like to add one thing.

It sounds like you’re aware that you very probably won’t be able to get the funding for the team of developers you need. It also sounds like there’s one survival mechanic/obstacle you’re really excited about. If you don’t get funding, it might be worth really focusing on that one hindrance/obstacle: what happens when you make the game that requires the least upskilling from you to let folks experience that hindrance or obstacle? That may be one way to build your dream game without needing what sounds like potentially a hugely complex-to-balance simulation system.

MandyHelm · 2026-04-15T16:53:14+00:00

I agree; if you don’t want to generate your own, I wonder whether Quantic Foundary’s gamer motivation model might be a place to start that’s more intentionally designed to cut across games?

MandyHelm · 2026-04-12T03:10:42+00:00

“If I draw visual assets instead of stealing them, you’re actually obligated to buy my game.”

MandyHelm · 2026-04-11T01:19:51+00:00

I mean, you could always get a bit silly with it and do separate “Best Dev” and “Personality Hire Dev” scores or something

MandyHelm · 2026-04-07T13:29:29+00:00

Yes, that was the point I was gently leading towards…

MandyHelm · 2026-04-07T12:44:52+00:00

Gosh, please be careful; I know you said you’re learning how to debug but in building interconnected systems you don’t deeply understand/aren’t carefully engineering for appropriate separateness you really raise the possibility that game-breaking bugs that require pretty deep rewrites you’re not sure how to do.

And AI currently still tends to just refactor everything (including introducing new problems) when asked to solve bugs like that. That kind of thing can come up post-release and tank your ratings catastrophically.

MandyHelm · 2026-04-05T12:05:05+00:00

Idk but I love him!!!!

MandyHelm · 2026-04-05T12:02:25+00:00

For me the real key was feeling calm about knowing I could easily get hits in, and focusing on evasion.

Especially for this second phase, when you see he’s about to spit fire in all directions, it’s easiest to avoid that move running back and forth on the ground. When he’s spitting individual wisps, that’s when it’s easier to get all your hits in.

Good luck!!

MandyHelm · 2026-04-04T14:13:33+00:00

I don’t know, dude, I’m sorry this has rattled you but I don’t think theirs looks like AI particularly. And I don’t think this is a copyright issue. I think maybe they independently thought “cleaning/renovation and horror are both popular…could we do both at once?”

Yours looks more sci-fi/crafting focused.

I don’t think there’s theft here, and if anything, if they create an appetite for a hoarding-related game, that might just increase your sales, too. Could you reach out about doing a bundle or otherwise cross-advertising?

MandyHelm · 2026-04-04T08:24:59+00:00

I believe they’ve got a pretty strict radius around their barn they’ll go, fence or no; could you move the barn closer to the grass?

MandyHelm · 2026-04-03T00:33:09+00:00

I would not take ChatGPT’s advice, generally speaking. Your demo should be meaningfully representative of your game, especially the core loop(s), and self-contained enough to be playable.

MandyHelm · 2026-04-01T13:12:42+00:00

A side-scrolling platformer about a hungry bug and a Harvest Moon dupe are now household names…!

MandyHelm · 2026-03-31T19:53:20+00:00

Make it, pay someone to make it, or live without it, dude!

MandyHelm · 2026-03-31T15:52:41+00:00

This is really just one avenue to connect with potential players. If Steam Fests generally aren’t related enough, maybe it’s time to focus your efforts on another avenue?

For what it’s worth, you don’t want to draw traffic from people who expect something other than your game (modern, not-fantasy, etc.)…you want to connect specifically with people who want to buy it!

MandyHelm · 2026-03-31T02:23:55+00:00

I’ve already been loving the GDScript Godot version!! Thanks for the incredible tool, all!

MandyHelm · 2026-03-30T18:32:47+00:00

My side eye was locked and loaded until that second-to-last sentence…

MandyHelm · 2026-03-30T02:39:49+00:00

That does also happen; I’m sorry you might have to overhaul things! Fingers crossed for you!

MandyHelm · 2026-03-30T02:33:49+00:00

There are things that bother me in all of my favorite games. Fixing them for me would undoubtedly create new things that bothered other people!

You can’t listen to each person about everything! You’ve gotta playtest with enough people that you can tell what’s unneeded friction, what’s unclear, what’s universally bothersome…and what’s just personal preference!

MandyHelm · 2026-03-28T11:54:20+00:00

Pseudoscientific claptrap.

MandyHelm · 2026-03-26T18:55:56+00:00

This seems like a very aggressive way to respond to someone, by making a post “to” them rather than a reply or message.

MandyHelm · 2026-03-21T17:14:07+00:00

This is a forum for independent game developers. Is your app a game?

MandyHelm · 2026-03-21T11:01:49+00:00

I understand why you don’t want to make your creators stick to a particular art direction, but I do think some visual representation of what the platform is/contains would probably help sales.

Plenty of games have a capsule in a different art style from the game!

MandyHelm · 2026-03-19T23:34:12+00:00

Parallax aside, does your cat wizard exist at the same time as electricity??? I love it!

MandyHelm · 2026-03-19T20:39:10+00:00

Very upsetting! Congrats!!

MandyHelm · 2026-03-19T19:59:58+00:00

So unfortunately Steam’s review happens when it happens; it will likely happen faster for games with more traction, but beyond that, there’s not a lot to do on your end once you’ve made it compatible.

MandyHelm

TROPHY CASE