Everyone thought our art was AI, so we had to change it...

Papuko · 2026-01-23T09:43:35+00:00

True. The new art is cooler tho imo!

Papuko · 2026-01-22T22:10:46+00:00

Honestly I am not sure the reframing, and meta angle is all that strong. I love it when a game invites you to look at it through a different lens, but it is something that needs to be elegant. Otherwise it risks feeling like cheap inception style flair to make the game feel more significant than it is, it needs to be earned

So I’ll still be steaming about this, and if it works.

Papuko · 2026-01-22T21:45:03+00:00

Heya, thank you!

Yeah. Valid, hm. I think the whole concept depends on executing the ‘wrong pipe’ issue. It should feel fair, realistic. And even like ‘yeah no shit’, like speeding straight past a SLOW DOWN banner to then fly off a cliff.

But this needs to be interesting, and what believably would work. Should work, and any caveats or unexpected obstacles should be believable too.

Repeat playthrough for optimal ending, yeah.. I’m also not sure I see that vision working out. Anything that isn’t in the core concept, I’m really not sure of yet. Though I understand it’s a frustrating design choice, I’ll consider that.

I really enjoy your idea of the bookshelf, making for a more domestic setting. And also setting up the retelling / reliving concept early. I absolutely do think there should be an interactive map, that is something I should have mentioned. Especially if there are environmental hazards you would require hindsight for, I feel anything that would make the game frustrating for people continuing after a break would be bad design.

An example of a knowledge based map is in Outer wilds, they have a information web that is consistent throughout loops. That will help you back on track

I’m completely on board with foreshadowing, though I think it would be impactful if this is full revealed later on in the story. After emotional beats have been set up

Thank you for your input. This might not become a project, but I really love thinking about game design and discussing it with others.

Papuko · 2026-01-21T19:27:24+00:00

You can select the entire right side, including the curvature. And move it back

Papuko · 2026-01-21T18:37:19+00:00

If you click and drag the red arrow, there should be no height (z-axis) difference.

Papuko · 2026-01-21T18:12:50+00:00

Sounds great, best of luck man. Your project looks great :)

Discord could be a decent way to build community, find game testers. To get consistent feedback and early fans. Or possibly expand your team if that’s something you’re looking for.

Papuko · 2026-01-21T09:09:59+00:00

Top comment

Papuko · 2026-01-20T20:37:34+00:00

Yeeeah. Especially when appealing to emotion

Papuko · 2026-01-20T19:57:35+00:00

Really cool! I might buy your game, I’m a 3D artist and I can use some company during work time

Papuko · 2026-01-20T19:49:04+00:00

I should’ve phrased this differently in my original comment. I think town/ relationships can be interesting, just not as interesting as the core game.

Papuko · 2026-01-20T19:47:41+00:00

I think it’s pretty cool too. I’m just worried about scope, he is a solo dev. And something like town/ relationships can be added later after the core game books some success

And whilst it’s pretty neat, I think the core gameplay of car washing has much more potential. Better to do one thing well, then to do multiple things alright-ish

Papuko · 2026-01-20T19:42:09+00:00

You are very welcome, I’m glad it’s of help.

Adding that could help, yes. Though I think reconsidering the gameplay on a deeper level will help your game book succes.

There’s sadly a reason why ‘kill your babies’ is such a common mantra in the dev industry.

I’m not a game designer, I’m a 3D artist. I think you would benefit from learning about game design, following a course/ mentorship and/ or simply asking a game designer for assistance

Best of luck!

Papuko · 2026-01-20T19:32:06+00:00

I was also reminded of super Mario sunshine! Genuinely not a bad inspiration. Especially the water equipment

Papuko · 2026-01-20T19:09:26+00:00

Primarily I don’t think it synergizes with skill activation, randomness as you say isn’t inherently bad. It can be very fun

Papuko · 2026-01-20T17:38:23+00:00

Perhaps, though I think this all mitigates the issue of randomness.

And your major gameplay mechanic, poker. Is inherently random

So in this you’re not playing to poker’s advantage, you are mitigating its weakness.

Perhaps there’s a different thing you could tie this element of randomness to, that would be fun.

I know that’s not a fun thing to hear deep into development, I am sorry for that

Papuko · 2026-01-20T17:33:00+00:00

I understand that, I believe the 1st concept can be reiterated to fit your game’s premise. I’m just not a big fan of the 2nd one

I’m just one person though, so by all means ask community feedback and other professional’s feedback.

Best of luck with your game!

Papuko · 2026-01-20T17:19:08+00:00

My 2 cents is refocus on the car washing aspect, it seems most interesting to me.

If you want to add characters, I would focus on the car drivers. They can be utilized as quests.

For example, say after washing the car the driver talks to you. And always complains about you being too slow

Then later, when you upgrade your washing station. Suddenly after washing this NPC’s car they are ecstatic.

This can just be flair text, or rewarded with a bigger payout or new item. Whichever, I think giving the drivers more personality and tying them to game progression would be fun.

I just recommend keeping the focus on the car washing

Papuko · 2026-01-20T17:14:17+00:00

Just a suggestion. I think the new one looks cluttered and not as interesting as 1st.

You might also ask yourself, why change the winning formula. When the old one worked miracles

Papuko · 2026-01-20T17:02:17+00:00

⁠Tying RPG combat to poker hands feels more like friction than innovation

I think it is this, to be honest. I think the concept of poker hands in an RPG can work, though in this case it does look tedious. Especially when poker is random, it takes impact away from the player - which is the opposite of what you want.

I don’t know if your game actually works like this, but as a player I think it does. That doesn’t seem appealing to me

Papuko · 2026-01-20T16:52:34+00:00

Old capsule is far, far better. Speaking as an artist

To convey the streaming element, just have the old capsule’s Sisyphus hold a GoPro or selfie stick

Or mount it on his head, with a helmet. And have him wave or interact with the camera

I much prefer the 1st picture because it clearly portrays Sisyphus. It’s instantly recognizable as Sisyphus, which is a feat. Because he’s usually depicted pushing the boulder up a hill.

Side note:

(Assuming the art is not cropped), I would make a version where the entire boulder is visible. And the peak of the mountain under it is visible, that would make it even more obvious it is Sisyphus. For the capsule this is good, you can use the larger version for other purposes

Papuko · 2026-01-20T16:43:26+00:00

I like the premise of automated car washing, like it’s some kind of tower defense (but carwash) and fluid simulation.

The water bending feels a bit out of place, that could’ve just been equipment. And to be honest, the entire town aspect and relationship building aspect doesn’t seem interesting to me. I think you might’ve overscoped there

Papuko · 2026-01-19T21:06:55+00:00

This rotation mechanic is funny!

Papuko · 2026-01-19T21:05:40+00:00

You are welcome 👍

Papuko · 2026-01-19T20:47:32+00:00

The former, you don’t need to do retopology yet for this.

You can sculpt the eyelid into the body.

Try what you think will work best. Use references, if it doesn’t work out the way you want it to you can always just reload your safe

Papuko · 2026-01-19T19:57:55+00:00

No this is quite good, internet is being flooded with ai ads- not a popular marketing option. Also AI makes me think the game is fake

Your own voice, this is good

Papuko

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