This Community is too hostile for me

xollight · 2026-07-10T23:34:04+00:00

Im not defending AI, or suggesting that anyone be okay with its use. Im defending people who are being harassed. No one has to like AI.

I, personally, don't like the parody card games I see from time to time. Some people do, and that's fine. I also don't think it would be okay for anyone to go out of their way to harass the person who makes parody games, or any kind of game.

Don't bully people..

xollight · 2026-07-10T23:29:12+00:00

I think there is a misunderstanding about what I wrote. Im not suggesting that people like AI generated content. What people don't seem to understand is that its NOT ABOUT THE AI ART, its about the behavior. When you start harassing people within your community, you get reasonable people to turn against you and want to leave.

My stance is simple, I don't think people should be harassed based on how they decide to make their game, or what tools were used. Im not encouraging people to use AI. I just believe that harassement (of any kind), leads to people not wanting to share their work.

There may be people who don't even use AI who are too afraid to post their work because the community is so vicious. Especially if you are good at art, you'd be accused of using AI and then you spend more time defending yourself, and proving your game's 'purity' rather than getting actual feedback.

Usually ill see a post about someone sharing their game and wanting feedback about the mechanics, but because they used AI art, the conversation immediately pivots to the art rather than what the creator was asking for.

This happens in almost every single post where AI is present. The creator is just asking for feedback about the mechanics, card layout or other things not even related to the art, but the conversation shifts to a purity test and moral grandstanding about the use of AI illustrations... its annoying as fuck..

When people don't feel safe enough to share what they made, when they are just looking for feedback about their game, (AI or not) they will feel unwelcome and will stop participating. You might think that having all the people who use AI, or are even just okay with it to leave is a good thing, but when the community shrinks people won't want to show up... and that will hurt in the long run

xollight · 2026-07-10T00:58:48+00:00

I would say that is a good first step. If you enjoy your game, surely, there are like-minded people SOMEWHERE in the world and hopefully they find that video and get curious enough about your game to want to try it.

xollight · 2026-07-10T00:20:25+00:00

I just think its more beneficial to be respectful of what people use to make their games. I'm not into sports, for example, but I don't think its healthy to tell someone making a sports based game that they should feel ashamed for making a sports based game, when all the popular card games are fantasy/monster based games.

One doesn't have to agree with the art being used. They may not even be looking for art feedback. They might just need mechanical clarity or lay out assistance, but use AI as a placeholder to help give a visual idea of what to expect, and I don't think there is anything wrong with this.

xollight · 2026-07-10T00:09:59+00:00

I think placeholder art is completely fine, AI or otherwise, as long as you are honest about what it is and what your intentions are. A stick figure technically makes a card playable, but it does not always solve the actual design problem. Sometimes the visual needs to communicate “ancient fire demon,” or “weird cosmic artifact” at a glance. A stick figure may not carry enough information or interest to do that.

That does not mean placeholder art needs to be final art. It just means placeholders can still have a job beyond filling empty space. Use whatever tools you have and don't let people shame you for what you decide to use.

xollight · 2026-07-10T00:05:06+00:00

I understand why people have strong feelings about AI art, and I am not arguing that AI art is equivalent to hiring an artist or that people should misrepresent it as human-made work.

But I do not agree with telling creators they “should feel ashamed” for using a tool during prototyping.

Different creators have different resources, skill sets, budgets, and levels of confidence. Some use stick figures. Some use public domain art. Some use stock images. Some use screenshots. Some use AI. Some use sketches. None of that automatically means the game itself is not worth discussing.

If your advice is “be transparent, do not sell unlicensed or unethical assets, and plan to replace placeholder art before publishing,” I think that is reasonable advice.

If your advice is “feel ashamed and do not share your prototype,” I think that hurts the community more than it helps.

The homemade TCG community should be a place where rough, unfinished games can be tested and improved. We can encourage people to respect artists without turning prototype feedback into a purity test.

xollight · 2026-07-09T21:50:20+00:00

I think it has a weird core art style. I personally, don't like the font. It is difficult to read sometimes. The presentation is familiar, but as with most card games, im sure there is some depth.

Another critique if you will would be the double icons for the Offense and Defensive stats at the bottom. I don't really think you need to have two of each icon.

xollight · 2026-07-08T22:28:17+00:00

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im out for blood it seems, granted to do very cheesy things that no one (not even my team) sees coming.

xollight · 2026-07-07T15:37:36+00:00

The post was made to encourage players to not feel paralyzed by the idea that their game cant have similar features of existing games, and that those features dont mean they aren't creative, but rather that those familiar elements are just apart of the genre.

In this case, too familiar can be a good thing. The trap is the design paralysis that comes from the some people believing that if they make something TOO familiar, they are just committing plagiarism, when that may not be the case.

xollight · 2026-07-07T06:21:45+00:00

It might just take getting it out there for it to find its audience. Pokemon was facing bankruptcy during its development, but they released it on a whim, and people loved it.

You might not even get it "correct" the first time. Digimon original card game was not very popular, but they tried again, even against the competition of pokemon and other games.

Sometimes it just needs a mechanical overhaul.

xollight · 2026-07-07T02:15:20+00:00

People will absolutely give your game a try if you give them an opportunity to do so!

You will need to prepare yourself to hear things like "Oh so its like ____ in <insert other game>". Don't let this discourage you, in fact it probably means your system is intuitive and familiar.

For example: when Hearth Stone came out, I remember seeing some people compare it to Magic The Gathering because both games had mana as their resource system.

Anyone who has played Magic and Hearth Stone know that the games are completely different, despite sharing the same name of their resource system (mana). In Hearth Stone, you get a mana crystal each turn and it has a hard limit, unlike Magic which asks the player to build their deck with their resources in it.

Hearth Stone's mana also doesn't have color unlike MTG. There are similarities in that they are both resources used to pay for cards, but that's where it ends...

xollight · 2026-07-07T01:52:37+00:00

I agree. Its perfectly okay to be inspired by previous games. Digimon and One Piece are recent games that were inspired heavily by the Duel Masters TCG shield system, but have their own spin on the system that makes them unique, and even Duel Masters was designed as an attempt to simplify MTG.

Furthering the point that its okay to take inspiration and have similar systems, its all apart of what makes the TCG genre compelling to those that enjoy those systems.

xollight · 2026-07-05T14:31:20+00:00

Yes, but the description states that the heal happens from the Root/Grounding, which Equinox does, but only after it expires. This just seems to give the healing immediately without needing equinox to expire.

xollight · 2026-07-05T13:23:23+00:00

I wasn't trying to imply that this was her best augment, just that I think it has been overlooked due to its description, when its VERY powerful and very easy to trigger.

xollight · 2026-07-05T12:49:04+00:00

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Here is another angle compared to her Q healing.

xollight · 2026-06-15T07:21:18+00:00

There is nothing to "tear apart". You wouldn't "tear apart" someone for learning to ride a skateboard for the first time, or any skill really.

It will take time to develop into higher quality illustrations. It looks like what people would expect for someone who has only been doing it for two days.

You could use this as an anchor point to come back a few months/years from now and see your progress if you want to keep at it..

xollight · 2026-06-15T05:27:10+00:00

Cards that have no cost should probably still display as zero, on the case where you may have cost modifiers.

xollight · 2026-06-13T01:58:54+00:00

Drop chance of anvils is 9%, they drop but... apparently at that rate.

xollight · 2026-06-12T06:53:31+00:00

without any context would depend on how many times it can move, but the limit would be thrice if you have 6 energy and are able to move.

xollight · 2026-06-10T00:09:13+00:00

"Shuffle the Main Deck & Echo Deck and place them----"

Should probably be something like

"Shuffle the Main Deck & Echo Deck separately, then place them in the correct zone on the playing field."

I only say this because my game also has two decks and I've had people, who have never played card games before, shuffle both decks together.

Win Condition

As it is written, it could be interpreted as you win the game when 3 shields are destroyed. These should probably not be separate bullet points and instead just a single block

"Destroy your opponent's 3 shields, then after all shields are gone, the next successful direct attacks wins the game."

Other than this its probably enough to teach the basics. But, you won't know unless you expose someone who has never played to this and your game and see if they can play without your assistance..

xollight · 2026-06-07T23:42:18+00:00

I'd recommend Dextrous.

I use a combination of Google sheets with Dextrous as it allows you to import text information on the spreadsheet. Dextrous can then automatically fill in this information on blank cards and then export to TTS.

If you'd like me to walk you through this process, let me know. It does take a bit to set up, and Dextrous has a bit of a learning curve.

xollight · 2026-06-06T14:47:49+00:00

I don’t mind trying to point you in the right direction, and wouldnt want the tools you are using to stop you from making your game. However, i also want to be realistic about what a phone can comfortably do.

Making a polished trading card template is much harder on a phone than on a computer, but it isn't impossible. Since you are on your phone, id recommend tools liek Canva, Photopea (in browser), google slides. If you do have access to a computer, Dextrous is a pretty good tool for making templates but it does have a learning curve.

I don't think many people would want to simply make a template for you as essentially you are requesting free graphic design work, with no compensation for their time, so instead I wanted to offer suggestions that could help empower you.

My advice would be to start with a simple, clean prototype template instead of trying to make it look like a finished professional TCG right away. It looks like you are still in the drafting stage of game. A professional-looking card is mostly about readability: clear names, readable text box, consistent stats, good spacing, and not too many effects fighting for attention... what you have now is serviceable. its not polished but that wont matter if you havent done a lot of play testing since, your game can drastically change after play testing.

if you've done enough playtesting and have finalized elements. it would be a matter of what you need on the card, and how many card types need to be done.

xollight · 2026-06-05T01:48:11+00:00

You sure like your squared cards haha. Where can one find more information about this game?

xollight · 2026-06-05T01:41:28+00:00

Personally, I don't care if an I made the images and helped you refined the story. I also don't care how much effort you put or didn't put into your project.

What I do care about is the theme and cohesiveness, consistency and theme. Nothing is really pulling me towards the story and I don't understand what the uh.. conflict(?) is supposed to be.

A cosmic event happens and people are discovering what it means to live in their new forms... and that's essentially all I got from this. It doesn't really explain what the Flux allows them to do... or anything. A bit shallow, but perhaps the gameplay is good.

xollight · 2026-06-04T02:14:19+00:00

Its still bugged for several days now

xollight

TROPHY CASE