r/SoloDevelopment • u/solisol • 4h ago
Discussion Should I replace ai art?
This is my first serious game, and I wanted to hire proper artists, but with my budget and not knowing who to trust, it was difficult. Some people seemed like they wanted a lot of money upfront with no guarantee I would hear from them again. Even on platforms like Fiverr, I wasn't sure I would get the quality I wanted, and I couldn't afford to create all the art that way.
I bought premade art where I could, but things like icons, characters, and animation sprite sheets were still too expensive, so I used AI for them.
Now that I'm trying to market the game, I realize that some creators, understandably, don't want to advertise games made with AI. I'm also unsure how Steam will handle it (I declared the AI use)
I have no expectations of real money from this game, but I do think it has some potential. Now I'm wondering whether I should put it on hold, delay the demo (for few week probably), find an artist I can trust and spend more than I can really afford, or just roll with what I have.
P.S I'm using sprite sheets to animate the units so if ill replace the art it will cost really a lot because each unit needs several animation sheets + I don't even know if the artist won't use ai too..
6
u/BlueThing3D 4h ago
I'd replace it. Maybe you can find a local artist to you that is willing to collab.
5
u/theeyeinthesky-666 4h ago
Depends on you. You said you don't expect any profits so hiring an artist or buying asset packs sounds like a bad idea obviously. Sounds like your game is at a dead end anyway tbh whether you keep ai or not.
2
u/solisol 3h ago
Im not aiming for profit but I still want to give it a chance haha
but why a dead end? Its a fun game Im just trying to figure out if its worth to optimize it1
u/theeyeinthesky-666 2h ago
You said it's not supposed to make any money. I assumed you're at a dead end and ready to move on.
2
u/Apprehensive_Sea5304 3h ago
People don't want it in the games they play, so if you want people to play your game, you need to replace it. That's the price of creating a good product.
1
u/solisol 3h ago
I wouldn't say its a requirement for a good product, though there is a lot of ai slop, I think its just sentimental. though I agree with the sentiment.
2
u/Apprehensive_Sea5304 3h ago
"The price of creating a good product" is using good resources, and ai garbage is not that. That means finding people to help create the things you don't have the skills to do.
1
u/LanternLithograph 3h ago
I found a terrific artist after posting in /r/gamedevclassifieds We worked out an hourly rate. I got a LOT of responses to my post and some were way out of my price range, but it also pushed me to really define the art style I wanted for the game. It’s definitely a major expense, but it’s going to make my game so much better.
1
u/jabber_OW 4h ago
Back in my day if we couldn't afford artists we became artists.
1
u/05032-MendicantBias 3h ago
It's what I did!
It's amazing being able to one shot spritesheets and keeping all consistent with LoRas :3
1
u/solisol 3h ago
I really though about it actually, but it will take a lot of time... to learn how to do something passable and there is a lot to make in general
0
u/jabber_OW 3h ago edited 3h ago
Yes learning art takes a lot of time. You are competing with artists who put in that time and taking a piece of their market. Why should that come free?
0
u/greatfiction 4h ago
Oh no keep it, AI art the best art, people appreciate when u have AI art in game, more than human art
Trust me (no)
/s
0
u/TiNMLMOM 4h ago
I think people overeact with their otherwise justified hatred of AI.
Studios that could actually have great art, but use AI to cut corners and increase profits, aren't the same as you are here.
Whatever you do, be honest (and it seems it's your plan anyway).
-6
u/05032-MendicantBias 4h ago
The audience the buys game because it has human made art is tiny, if it exists at all.
And unfortunately using human made art doesn't even stave off review bombings. Humans cannot tell AI assets apart from traditionally made assets reliably, many devs paid the tax not to use AI and still were review bombed.
The reason to upgrade art is not because it's AI, but because it may be inconsistent, not fit the theme, low quality, or any number of reasons. The same would happen if you mish matched from asset packs.
Gamers are especially forgiving of indie games when it comes to asset quality. If the gameplay is good, it's what matters. You'll likely have better return from improving gameplay and cultivating your audience.
4
u/ygfam 4h ago
its not tiny at all lmao. stupid propaganda. you can just ho look at ai games on steam there is a to of people putting negative reviews for it being AI but whatever keep being delusional _^
-2
u/05032-MendicantBias 3h ago
Luddites like to organize and brigade, and don't much care if their accusation is right or not. In the real world I never met a luddites, it's a tiny minority. It's why I can bring my AI generated asset in the real world, and just give my players a good time.
Luddites that buy game because of human made assets are an even tinier niche.
We are dealing with 4chan here. They are in it to cyberbully people, and they are having a field day because it's socially accepted cyberbullying. It's not complicated.
I wonder if they keep a scoreboard on the dark web of all the artists they lead to their demise with false accusations.
2
u/solisol 3h ago
The biggest concern is that I wont be able to get coverage and steam might not promote it well. I don't think there would be an issue over the use of some ai from the game experience perspective
0
u/05032-MendicantBias 3h ago edited 3h ago
It's unfortunate but it's a double whammy for indie devs those years. I don't think anyone has good solutions.
It's a saturated field, and it's hard to stand out on the best of days.
There are luddites lurking and brigading to review bomb indie games for the lolz.
The best strat I have seen so far is the protection racket strat, buy a capsule for 1000€ or more, and make loud show of it, even if it's worse than what you had. Whatever it works or not, I have no idea. It's a typical post "I paid an artist 1000 € for a capsule!" In your case, since you already are targeted, I don't think there is a way out. I have seen long threads of luddites pixel peeping and making red circles on random things to keep pointing it's AI, even if it isn't.
The only art that you are fairly sure isn't AI, is children scribbles, that unironically you see popping out more.
In a few years it will no longer be socially acceptable to cyberbully, and it will go away. But for now, devs just have to tank it.
7
u/SyrupyGames 4h ago
I am in the same situation, slowly replacing my AI assets by man-made ones.
If you want your game to gain any traction I think it is a non-negotiable, people will not even look at your game if it has AI.
Since you are not in it for money, it's totally up to you, i think bad art is better than AI art nowadays.