cd1188
Chief Petty Officer
As long as you credit the source of the videos and don't make any money from it, it's okay.
Last edited:
kingmakeress
Commodore
I got that impression as well
Knight26-77
Rear Admiral
I want to make it clear that I did not intend this thread to become a dogpile on @Dishwasher, but to draw attention to yet another fan project. Sometimes, when a single person creates a project, they think they can handle it all themselves and aren't comfortable asking for help, so bringing it up here could have been seen as a way to bring in other talent to help with the project.
That said, the argument about AI tools is convoluted, and I am not against using them to support workflow, ease the tedium of certain tasks, or handle tasks the team can't accomplish or that would take away from the bigger picture.
For example, friends of mine who 3D model for a living have developed, through many iterations, tools to help them find hidden issues in their models, such as flipped faces, hidden holes, and other solid model or mesh-killing problems. Some of those tools can also correct those issues to some extent, but they do not create or build the model.
AI simply cannot create; it can only copy and iterate.
As for telling people how they should spend their time and money, yes, that is not my place. However, you are robbing yourself of the thrill of learning a new skill, say 3D modeling or texturing, by just telling an AI to do it. Sure, you get the dopamine hit when you see it spit out a fully modeled, rigged, and textured design, but that doesn't stick with you as long as when you do most of the work yourself. I acknowledge my own deficiencies in modeling and texturing and don't hold myself to the same standards as professionals, but my design intent is different from theirs. I also use every model I make, remake, and refine to build up my skills, and in the end that gives much more satisfaction.
I admit, I have experimented with using AI to create textures for my models. Honestly, they have always looked off. When getting feedback from others, they have commented as such, and despite my textures not looking "as polished," most people have preferred them. And here's the thing: those compliments, and even critiques, stay with you a lot longer and genuinely help you to improve.
I have even used AI to enhance my renders, in much the same way as I would if I had booked time on a render farm. That is using the AI as a tool. I didn't tell it to create the whole scene or render, but to enhance what I already created with better lighting, maybe enhancing the materials, and adding elements not in my model library. Sometimes those renders come out great; other times, they look like AI slop. Believe it or not, there have always been elements in those renders that inform the viewer at some level that AI had a hand in it. People can tell the difference.
I would never, even if my 3D program allowed it, feed in a prompt to say: "Utilizing example models in folders ABC, design a fighter for me based on description XYZ that would not look out of place with referenced models."
Why not? Because it wouldn't be mine; it would be the AI's, and I wouldn't experience the joy, and even heartbreaks and frustrations, that come with designing it myself. I might ask the AI, if it were so integrated, to help clean up the model or find the best ways to cut and configure it for 3D printing. Why there? I know how to do that, and it is tedious and kind of a pain in the ass; plus, it takes away from the other projects I have going and the more important work of writing.
I applaud the effort to port Wing Commander Games over to Unreal Engine or even Unity, even if AI tools were used. But human effort also needs to be there, and when minimal, if any, human effort goes in beyond the prompts, it is obvious. UE and Unity are great engines that can be modified in many ways to create new games and recreate old ones in spectacular ways, but it still takes a dedicated modder or team of modders to make them playable.
That said, the argument about AI tools is convoluted, and I am not against using them to support workflow, ease the tedium of certain tasks, or handle tasks the team can't accomplish or that would take away from the bigger picture.
For example, friends of mine who 3D model for a living have developed, through many iterations, tools to help them find hidden issues in their models, such as flipped faces, hidden holes, and other solid model or mesh-killing problems. Some of those tools can also correct those issues to some extent, but they do not create or build the model.
AI simply cannot create; it can only copy and iterate.
As for telling people how they should spend their time and money, yes, that is not my place. However, you are robbing yourself of the thrill of learning a new skill, say 3D modeling or texturing, by just telling an AI to do it. Sure, you get the dopamine hit when you see it spit out a fully modeled, rigged, and textured design, but that doesn't stick with you as long as when you do most of the work yourself. I acknowledge my own deficiencies in modeling and texturing and don't hold myself to the same standards as professionals, but my design intent is different from theirs. I also use every model I make, remake, and refine to build up my skills, and in the end that gives much more satisfaction.
I admit, I have experimented with using AI to create textures for my models. Honestly, they have always looked off. When getting feedback from others, they have commented as such, and despite my textures not looking "as polished," most people have preferred them. And here's the thing: those compliments, and even critiques, stay with you a lot longer and genuinely help you to improve.
I have even used AI to enhance my renders, in much the same way as I would if I had booked time on a render farm. That is using the AI as a tool. I didn't tell it to create the whole scene or render, but to enhance what I already created with better lighting, maybe enhancing the materials, and adding elements not in my model library. Sometimes those renders come out great; other times, they look like AI slop. Believe it or not, there have always been elements in those renders that inform the viewer at some level that AI had a hand in it. People can tell the difference.
I would never, even if my 3D program allowed it, feed in a prompt to say: "Utilizing example models in folders ABC, design a fighter for me based on description XYZ that would not look out of place with referenced models."
Why not? Because it wouldn't be mine; it would be the AI's, and I wouldn't experience the joy, and even heartbreaks and frustrations, that come with designing it myself. I might ask the AI, if it were so integrated, to help clean up the model or find the best ways to cut and configure it for 3D printing. Why there? I know how to do that, and it is tedious and kind of a pain in the ass; plus, it takes away from the other projects I have going and the more important work of writing.
I applaud the effort to port Wing Commander Games over to Unreal Engine or even Unity, even if AI tools were used. But human effort also needs to be there, and when minimal, if any, human effort goes in beyond the prompts, it is obvious. UE and Unity are great engines that can be modified in many ways to create new games and recreate old ones in spectacular ways, but it still takes a dedicated modder or team of modders to make them playable.
Vidmaster
Rear Admiral
If that is correct, then the lesson here probably is to post private videos as private unlisted videos 🤨. On the other hand, you have an entire website for it too, very much in the style of the WC4 remake project, so I venture you are interested in publicity after all.
If you do end up with a great feeling WC3 remake eventually, good for you. And for me, because I very much like a great WC3 remake regardless of tools used. But, honestly, I am seeing signs pointing in another direction, especially because...
This ☝️. Your work is truly a passion-project only, triggering people like this does not serve it (or your motivation).
Last edited: