itch.io

Hello. I'm Sirius. I like writing visual novels, stories, and making simple games. Visual Novels are my favorite of course, and if you like them too and make them yourself please let me know. I'm looking to meet more people who like that genre and I look forward to writing and publishing more projects on this site.

Ho ho ho. Quite crafty OP. I will check out the game.

This short little mini-game is quite addicting. It kept me playing to fulfill my curiosity of the different enemy types and spells that are available. The gameplay is quick and repetitive allowing for a quick bounce-back after death. The movement is very responsive and feels quick and fast-paced. I think it's a very neat little experience and I will keep playing for a bit because I'm curious on certain things and want to experiment.

I.E - (What happens if I place lava tiles on all the enemy tiles? What happens if I convert them all to blue tiles? What happens if I hide behind rocks the entire game? Etc etc)

Wait that's cool. I'll play it. I hope you realize that using AI might be a way to create easy experiences but the people who genuinely love reading and playing games will always choose a human crafted one over an AI one.

I understand it seems you really like using AI. Such passion and desperation for it I have genuinely never seen before so good on you I guess.

I'm going to try and convince you to stop doing that, but if you want to continue then skip this paragraph and read the solution under it instead. I don't really know what type of games you make so I'll just be broad here. I propose a solution for you: If you can't draw? Then don't. There are many character creation templates online that artists make and allow for the free use of. I could recommend some but I'll just keep it simple b/c I'm not sure if you will even read this or not. If you can't make music? Then don't. Free stock libraries exist all over the internet. If you can't code? Well, you probably should be able to if you want to make games. I'm not  really sure how to help you there but since you're low on funds keep things simple. If you need assets for your game, 2D or 3D, it can be done. Free assets are so useful I've  found so many just messing around. Old forums tend to have links to ones that actually look decent instead of the stock ones found in most game engines of course. And if you want GOOD art, GOOD music, GOOD assets? Well you have to work up to that. I used stock photos for my most recent game because I haven't learned to draw the characters yet, and I even managed to incorporate that into the aesthetic of the experience. Start small. And work up. It's never too late to learn anything unless you genuinely don't want to.

If you skipped the above paragraph here we go:

My recommendation is to go somewhere else. Find an AI support community where you guys can share your stuff or something. Me personally I don't respect the use of AI in art and game design but you shouldn't be harassed over it or anything. I think nobody deserves to starve that sounds horrible.

AI isn't going anywhere unfortunately. So while most artists are trying to make a living and share their projects using their own skills, I think there should be a separate community for people who want to use the new tools to, uh, do whatever. Perhaps even share money for said 'art'. Again I'm not going to concede and admit "AI IS ART TOO" or anything but I understand there will always be a community of people who believe this so try to work that into your favor. I know this post is quite old so I don't know the update on where you are but as I said just try to separate your content from the ones made traditionally.

I'm usually very harsh on AI creators because they're- well to put it frankly they're scammers who have zero passion in their craft. But you seem different. I'm not going to go as hard because you're desperate and as I said I haven't seen that before. Just please try to remember that it's the SOUL that goes into art. It's the hard work. This sounds almost paradoxical but as much as you use AI try to remember that it's humans that make games fun. It's humans that make art thought-provoking. A project relying on AI more than the individual will always be apparent and it will always miss that personal touch that others so often have. Just think about that. I guess.

Is this your first visual novel without AI?

I think a lot of people grab some books and watch some tutorials and they try to go it alone. There's nothing wrong with this and many of them even succeed with the effort of their own grit, but in my personal opinion I think having a teacher is the best possible resource you can have.

Someone to go back and forth with, someone to question, someone to explore and explain your ideas to who can better help you realize them. I'm suggesting find someone online, could be a friend, a mutual, or maybe go into development servers and try to find someone. Start small but build rapport. It's very useful to have someone who truly understands game design, and coding itself, in your corner. I can say with confidence that it helped me so I think it might help you too. Also if you're still in school see if they offer any classes in computer sciences.

Oh man what a topic. First and foremost, I would say the "perfect" game is VERY subjective. I mean, games these days are so varied from each other can you even compare them? Take a game like Baldur's Gate 3 with its (what feels like infinite) possible story and character combinations allows it to be pretty perfectly tailored to the player's experience, and then compare it to something like that first Five Night's at Freddy's. I would say both games are fantastic and I don't have any complaints for either but you can obviously tell that I haven't taken into consideration the scale of each game. The problem is that you can make a near perfectly executed smaller game, and as long as it excels in what it set out to do it will rival even bigger triple A titles.

I'm of the opinion that a perfect game should be one that takes advantage of every aspect of it's game design and narrative. For me, a game I like to look to for inspiration is Deltarune. That game masterfully blends the lines between the gameplay and the story. And both aspects are used interchangeably to further the experience. It's the type of experience that would be good as a standalone novel, and would be good in terms of it's gameplay alone. But specifically the way the creator merges aspects of the battle system with the thematic elements of the world, and how the encounters allow for in depth explorations of character really speak to me.

I personally believe that a game should have just as much plot as gameplay, of course I know many who would disagree and that's my take as a writer and coder. But even then I know someone who would be able to confidently defend a battle royal type or an open world exploration as 'the perfect game' and I can't argue that much because a lot of the deciding factors are opinions. For me a competitive experience isn't what I come to seek but I understand that it's similar in nature to sporting and that there's a high demand for those types of experiences.

TLDR: I think it's very very difficult to make or even conceive of a 'perfect' game because it's like trying to come up with a 'perfect' food or a 'perfect' human personality type. And My message to any readers is to not try and get lost on making a game perfect. As a developer your Magnum Opus will be perfect to you, because it's the combined effort of your experiences, biases, and passions. So while it is fun to propose ideas like I did earlier don't let it bring you down if your game isn't a cult following or held in high praise because out there lies a game for everyone.

I wouldn't call Itch.io a sanctuary but I find your mental state admirable and I agree with the fact that, through creation, a mental zen state is attainable. Having complete joy and control in your works is a very powerful state of mind. I'm very happy for you and I think that a good piece of advice for game developers and writers out there is to stop taking things so seriously. Of course you shouldn't be dicking around the entire time but if you don't stop and smell the roses along the way then you have missed out on a very big part of creating. It's about the finished product, sure, but I'd argue it's just as much about the process of creating that work than the end result. The reward is the creation itself and in an ideal world us creatives wouldn't need to rely on finances to make our dreams come true. I hope all of you passionate can reach that point.

And to the OP: Keep making things. I hope this state has only furthered your fuel for creativity and not made you go soft or anything haha 

Figured I'd reply. Trying to build rapport on this site. I'm no game developer extra-ordinaire but I'm a writer who happens to code stuff on the side.

1: Just me. Depends on the project. Sometime's it's me and a close friend but for my projects on this account it's just me.

2: Yeah as I said in No. 1. I don't know anyone personally who is using AI and I don't think anyone SHOULD be using AI for their development. Period.

3: Well if it's me and a friend we split it 50/50. We don't have an LLC or anything (which is a good idea and you should do that but we're jackasses) so if it ever got any profit I assume we'd split the earnings evenly.

4: If it's me and a friend we would usually refuse to get anywhere until we agree. But we usually follow the same mental wavelength so we avoid tough problems like this. My advice to anyone trying to lead a project with someone else is to ALWAYS be close friends with that person. If you both understand each other you understand the ideas, and you understand their thought processes. It's easier for them to make compromises because you trust each other. And it can save time by avoiding arguments and creative differences.

This game was very well done and brought a fresh perspective onto mysteries with it's surreal nature and dreamlike atmosphere. The tension from start to finish kept me invested the entire time and the ending leaves much to think about. The characters, although simple, play their parts well in setting up, what I believe to be a fun twist at the end of it all. It tugs at the strings of the mystery genre and makes the reader think about what it means to question what you cannot explain.

I very much admire this little game and your larger works as a whole. After playing this I have become invested in your writings and have read quite a few as of posting this comment. I love your unique approach to the mystery genre and the twists you put upon your works. You prove that not every plot needs to follow the traditional rules and structures that I was so used to seeing and I admire your inventive nature to storytelling.

I must admit I have taken inspiration from your works and I would like to thank you for writing not just this game but the many other stories you've made. I only hope you are able to make many more.

I'm unfamiliar with your content just commenting as a player and dev myself, I for one do not have any problem with weekly, monthly, or even yearly releases of a game. I think splitting into different releases has benefits; allows you to start small and get a proper hang on the mechanics and code, keeping players invested, giving you more time to work on it, allowing for more accurate feedback via existing chapters. However consistency is important and be sure to update your players when you intend to release future installments. And try to keep the plot and mechanics similar between chapters or players will feel alienated.

My opinion: By all means go for it.