[DoctorEldritch]

@DracoTarot It is actually somewhat interesting for me: literature has been around for thousands of years, movies have been around for over a century, and games have been around for decades, but when the idea crisis hit, it hit all three in pretty much the same way...

That is true, though I am not sure how much of banning these days is automated and how much is done by people. Maybe AI is learning to ban? 🤔

Actually, after I posted this, I read some news that Toadman Interactive closed down last week, they were responsible for supporting Dead Island. So not the people who made it, but rather the people who provided support. Still sad news.

I'd say there are some options out there, but how good they would be to you may depend on how familiar you are with other groups that game satire.

It's somewhat bizarre, mostly anime-style girls replacing the characters, often badly drawn. There is a time and place for everything, and Darkest Dungeon is not it.

[DracoTarot]

@DoctorEldritch It's interesting yes, I think most developers do not have the actual time to come up with new ideas and concepts due to the tight budgets and time constraints. It's easier to fall back on something that works.

Most of the banning seems to be automated. The AI is programmed in a certain way to relieve pressure from the admins but it does not work fairly and has its disadvantages. Some developers even went as far as to let AI duplicate characters of players who are top tier and they use them as bots within a game. It's to enhance the skill levels.

It's sad how many studios are closing their doors. In the end, none of the small companies will survive.

Oh, no! Did they stoop as low as to use anime girls? There is definitely a place and time for everything but it does not fit Darkest Dungeon's theme. I won't bother to have a look.

[DoctorEldritch]

@DracoTarot It is ironic if they do not have the time, seeing how so many games get delayed these days. Why is coming up with a good idea not more prioritised, I wonder, I mean, we see very positive examples of what happens when it's done right, like Baldur's Gate 3, and yet, so often not enough attention is given to ideas...

Ah well, another addition to the whole AI debate, I guess...

They close but they also open, just recently there's been at least two new ones announcing projects.

Yeah, which is why I do not like looking into DD mods. Some of them are very good though, Pitch Black Dungeon changes the base game into an essentially new experience, or Black Reliquary is almost a whole new game and even has a Steam page:

But there are many fanservce character skins out there, too...

[DracoTarot]

@DoctorEldritch Maybe it's because in most industries there will always be differences in opinion. The board decides if the idea or concept will work no matter what the developer has in mind.

I wish more companies would follow Elon Musk's advice and give their employees a little bit more headspace. He creates such profoundly rich creative universes for his employees. He does not stop employees from putting forth an idea or concept and will encourage them to follow through without any hesitation no matter the cost. If it works, it works and if not, he encourages them to continue with another idea and there's no need to ask permission or consult him daily.

AI can be beneficial if put to good use. I feel in this case AI is used as a weapon against players which isn't bad in some circumstances to combat hackers and so forth but the innocent gamers also suffer under it.

At least they haven't closed their doors which is a plus.

Black Reliquary does look cool and is something I would consider downloading.

[DoctorEldritch]

@DracoTarot Hence indie scene is on the rise, unconstrained by board control. At the beginning, at least.

Well, the thing about AI is that it's learning. So chances are it will learn to ban people properly sooner or later.

Oh no, I mean, brand new studios were formed. Those new trailers I shared in the last couple of days are both from new studios. They just opened their doors.

I have not tried Black Reliquary myself, but looks well-made for a fan-made mod indeed. Style is more or less consistent too, if a bit more frivolous.

[DracoTarot]

@DoctorEldritch The question is for how long would the Indie scene be unconstrained by board control.

Hopefully AI will go that route and not turn on us altogether.

That's great. At least new studios open while other close doors.

Going to check out Black Reliquary this weekend.

[DoctorEldritch]

@DracoTarot The Indie scene in general will probably not be controlled at all, by definition. But the individual studios will come and go, as is a natural circle: an indie studio appears, makes a project that succeeds, attracts the attention of investors, and then becomes a regular studio or is bought out. There are exceptions, of course, but in general terms, this is probably how it usually goes. But then again, for every indie studio's success, there are dozens of failures.

Well, that too may happen, if Terminator or 2001: A Space Odyssey taught us anything.

Did you manage to check it?

[DracoTarot]

@DoctorEldritch I guess it will always be a 50/50 like any other business.

The whole concept of AI is already scary to me. I can imagine what the future holds.

I Haven't had a chance to check out Black Reliquary. I was so busy with other things and ended up playing Torchlight 2 after all the hustle and bustle.

[DoctorEldritch]

@DracoTarot At least for now the laws of the market make it so.

It can be scary, but such is the feature of progress. Atomic energy and bombs were scary, and before that electricity was, and before that planes were, and before that guns, and before that lances, and before that fire. There is always something scary about something new. Give it time, AIs will become a part of life and we'll invent something else to be afraid of.

Ah, and how was Torchlight 2?

[DracoTarot]

@DoctorEldritch It needs to stay that way. Laws must benefit both parties in a way and not be one-sided.


The scariest thing about AI is some people use AI to do bad things. Since AI was introduced into our banking sector, fraud and identity theft have doubled in SA. AI created highly personalized phishing attacks, deepfakes, and automated fraud bots, posing unprecedented threats to individuals and organizations. The costs of AI-fueled identity theft go far beyond financial loss.

And guess what? Most of the banks do not want to take any responsibility for the losses. They turn their back on customers and they lose everything.

AI is a wonderful invention and going to change so many things and make people's lives wonderful and easier but it's going to be a thing of good and evil.

I very much enjoy Torchlight. The mechanics are mostly the same as in Diablo and by now you know I am a huge Diablo fan. The most I like about Torchlight is I can run the game at its full potential all on the highest settings. No lags, screen tearing or punishment on my system. With my new Lenovo Thinkvison monitor the game offers eye candy. 😂