Wednesday Update!

Well.  A lot more got done this week than I thought.

Got a rough start because I forgot to focus just on what was needed for the demo.  As seen with the Clash sprites above, I started making some assets that would be in the full game.  Then I realized I didn't NEED those assets just yet, why the heck am I making them?  I also started goofing around with promo stuff (like downloadable wallpapers and keychains).  Again: don't really need that just yet.  Once I refocused, things went better.  Still making those keychains, though.

Now, there's a hot button topic going around right now about AI-generated visuals.  And I am just going to be honest with you lot right now: yes, I'm using some.  If I cannot find a picture I like on Unsplash for the scene/character/prop/whatever, I am generating it.  I cannot draw, you guys, and I cannot spend the time or money to learn how.  I'm in my 30s and working full time, lets all agree that the learn-to-draw ship has sailed for me.  I also can't afford any artists.  So here we are.  That said, I find it interesting how well a lot of the AI-generated works blend in with the stock photo collages.  The kid, for example, is generated (because I did not want to use any photos of existing kids, that just seemed weird).  When put into a scene with Clash or any humans, she blends in and you can't really tell she's not a stock photo.  Clash's scarf was also generated; it looks a little wonky (I don't know why it turns into socks at the tips), but still fits in.  Which I think is the strength of AI-generated visuals; it can help people who do not have the time or resources to draw or hire artists still create visuals to enhance their work.  Help fill in the gaps.  Not replace it.  

This pro-AI viewpoint is rather ironic, considering the villain of the full game is going to be a huge twat of an AI.

Anyway, those are the two main big things I noticed in my first week of working on this project.  Besides all that, I also got a lot of writing done.  I plan to get a LOT more writing done this week, as well.  I should even have time to do actual dev work on Wednesdays this month, seeing how my work schedule is working out.  I kind of would like to finish the writing before going back and working on more visuals.  Then I'll have to add in music/sound (always my least favorite part and I couldn't tell you why) before shipping it.  THEN I need to think about getting it on Steam so that I can launch Clash 2 at the same time both here and there (instead of the unintentional exclusivity I did with Clash 1).

But first, writing focus.