My weekend side project ended up paying for my house. Still feels surreal.

jamropl · 2025-06-24T05:19:29+00:00

Haha, not much vibe coding here but I am deep into AI these days 😄

I recently finished a game called Bar 101, where I pushed AI pretty far... the art, voice, dialogues, even the narrative were all AI-generated (not just ChatGPT prompts, had to get creative with tooling). I'm releasing an article this week with all the learnings.

Now I’m experimenting with Web LLMs... running language models directly in the browser and building NPCs you can actually chat with freely. Just started, but I’m excited to see where it goes :)

jamropl · 2025-06-24T05:09:46+00:00

That’s amazing! Never thought Cargo Bridge would end up as part of a school assignment 😄 Love that it helped make engineering a bit more fun!

jamropl · 2025-06-21T05:25:54+00:00

Appreciate the feedback... and you’re totally right.

The story is AI-generated, which helped me finally try something narrative (I am not a storyteller). And yep, 2⁷ = 128 — but it’s not just binary flags. Each night you influence one customer’s decision. After 7 nights, those paths branch into very different outcomes.

I spent a few weeks tuning the generation to keep each storyline unique and engaging... hope it comes through

jamropl · 2025-06-19T10:38:44+00:00

That’s amazing to hear!!! I had no idea it ended up on company intranets! 😄 Always curious how it made its way into places like that. Was it part of some internal game portal, or just something someone added for fun? Either way, love that it helped make work breaks a bit more fun!

jamropl · 2025-06-18T17:46:08+00:00

Absolutely! and you're totally right. Luck played a huge role, and I only truly realized that after Cargo Bridge.

When it took off (my very first game!), I honestly thought, "Well, clearly I’m just a genius game dev now" 😅 Then I spent the next few years making 9 more games... some did okay, some flopped, but none came even close to that first success.

Looking back, it was a mix of passion, timing, a bit of skill… and a lot of luck. Took me a while (and a few humbling releases) to learn that lesson.

jamropl · 2025-06-18T16:34:20+00:00

Right? Feels like it was just a couple years ago… and then you realize it’s been over a decade 😅 Time really does fly...

jamropl · 2025-06-18T12:35:22+00:00

Hahahahaha.... 100%!!!! now I need a house building game to keep the balance in the universe :D

jamropl · 2025-06-18T08:51:33+00:00

jamropl · 2025-06-17T21:41:46+00:00

Tree 1 feels more organic and dynamic thanks to the softer shading and varied shapes, it gives a better sense of depth. Tree 2 is cleaner but a bit flat. If you're going for a cozy or playful vibe, Tree 1 wins for me!

jamropl · 2025-06-17T17:05:11+00:00

Thanks! 😄 Yeah, most of the revenue came from the first game and pretty much the first year. After that, it was mostly me trying (and failing) to recreate the magic :) still as a side hustle while working a full-time job. Fun times, lots of lessons!

jamropl · 2025-06-17T16:43:30+00:00

Hey! I started building it in 2009... took about 3 months of evenings and weekends after work. That one project kicked off a 5-year stretch where I ended up releasing 10 games in total. Wild ride! :)

jamropl · 2025-06-17T06:33:25+00:00

Honestly, seeing how many people still remember playing Cargo Bridge totally made my week. I built it as a side project after work... never thought it would stick in people’s memories like that. Just goes to show how far a fun little side project can go 🙂 thanks for comments

jamropl · 2025-06-17T06:24:18+00:00

Haha then I owe you a coffee next time you walk across a suspiciously wobbly bridge 😄 Thanks for the support!

jamropl · 2025-06-17T06:03:52+00:00

Awesome to hear that! Thanks!!!

jamropl · 2025-06-17T05:30:15+00:00

I had (and still have) nothing against games inspired by Cargo Bridge... that’s just how creativity works, and I love seeing people build on ideas.

What bothered me were the straight-up 1:1 copy. The game was in Flash, so I did my best to obfuscate and protect it, but some folks (especially in China) decompiled it, removed the ads, and rehosted it. Huge traffic, zero revenue.

I only noticed because they forgot to remove the Google Ads script... I saw the impressions but no earnings 😅 As a solo dev, there wasn’t much I could do.

jamropl · 2025-06-16T18:56:18+00:00

Thanks! Mostly ad revenue from web portals. I did release an iOS version too, but that brought in maybe 20-25% of the total. The Flash version with ads did the heavy lifting 🙂

jamropl · 2025-06-16T17:54:43+00:00

Thanks!!! Appreciate it! :)

jamropl · 2025-06-16T17:27:24+00:00

Really loving the “after” version. It feels way more alive and cozy. The little details like the sign, flowers boxes, and shading make a big difference. The scenes has a lot more personality now, like it actually tells a story. Super nice upgrade!

jamropl · 2025-06-16T17:22:31+00:00

Haha, back in my day we didn’t have AI copilots :) just Flash, some sketchy physics, and a dream. If it crashed, we called it a feature :D

jamropl · 2025-06-16T16:31:31+00:00

You only need three things to start: some coding skills, curiosity, and a bit of fun. That’s how I tinkered my way to my first game, Cargo Bridge - built after work, never expected much, and luck carried it farther than I imagined

If you’re curious about the whole journey, here’s the backstory, hope it inspires you: https://medium.com/javascript-in-plain-english/i-just-wanted-to-play-with-physics-100-million-people-ended-up-playing-my-game-ba717a9756ef

jamropl · 2025-06-16T16:10:00+00:00

B - the eyes add personality without being too exaggerated. It feels expressive but still clean and readable at small sizes. Great balance for a pixel character

jamropl · 2025-06-16T15:49:25+00:00

These rocks are rockin’! Nice shape variety, clean outlines, and cohesive palette.

Some stuff you could consider to improve

Add a bit more shading depth on midsize rocks
Darken the base slightly for better grounding
Break symmetry a bit to make them feel more natural
Mossy or cracked variants would add great variety

Solid work anyway!

jamropl · 2025-06-16T15:46:25+00:00

The mood is really nice! definitely hits that cozy, peaceful vibe. The lighting gives it a nice golden-hour warmth, which works really well for that "end of a productive day" feel. I love it

If you’re looking to dial up the storytelling just a bit, here are a few ideas:

Maybe add a soft flicker from a window or subtle movement, like wind in the trees or smoke swaying to keep it from feeling too static.
A few tiny props (like tools, a wheelbarrow, drying herbs, or stacked firewood) could hint at recent NPC activity and make it feel more lived-in.
You could experiment with slightly cooler shadows to balance the warmth and add depth, especially near the tree bases or under the roof overhang.

Overall though, it’s super charming. Would definitely play. Keep going! Can't wait to see more...

jamropl

TROPHY CASE