I have been using ChatGPT, Lovart, and Pagepop to create monster graphics and character chips, and I was satisfied with the results. However, while developing my RPG, I wanted to create an event where players explore inside a giant creature, and I tried generating tileset and map assets using AI, but it hasn’t been working well. I would like to create a dungeon similar to Mystery Fresh Pit (reference URL). If you know of any AI tools capable of creating tilesets, or how to use them, or if there are any pre-made dungeon tilesets featuring assets like the inside of a creature’s body, please let me know.
I do use AI, but often I have to do some editing to get it to fit within the right size, etc. Like I might ask GPT for a seamless texture of grass in a certain style, and then take that tile, and fit it into a tileset file in photoshop or something. Or if I want it to make things like alien planets, aliens, monsters.
I’m also using the AI to make highly specialized non-AI tools that are like assembly line for making things like animations or character outfits, etc. There’s a lot of great uses!
You will get the haters being like “ewww AI” no matter how good it is, but that’s another factor.
But I’ve really come to the conclusion that it straight up doesn’t matter if people do any more. The toothpaste isn’t going back in the tube.
That said, you might wanna think about the reputational impact AI use will have on your project, not just the logistical issues in getting the assets you want through the imprecise practice of prompting. Consumers have been pretty vocal about their distaste for AI, so even if we as devs think it’s a worthwhile tool, you’ll be branding yourself pretty indellibly in the eyes of the audience if you do decide to go ahead with generative AI. Look at what happened with Expedition 33, Fortnite, and the Sims in recent years - and the very real discussion of “AI Slop” which dominates basically every storefront currently.
Now, there’s a ton of people on this forum who are great resources for AI and use it to great effect. Sigmasuccour and Psychronic both make heavy use of AI, and Psychronic has already answered above - maybe reach out to them for some specific advice?
While I have not used it for tile sets. I have used it for character portraits in the early stages of development. It has always been replaced later in development in all cases so far though. None of my current projects currently use ai. I learned enough about editing assets that I don’t really need it anymore.
Ai can be great when you have no ability to draw. But truth be told I have found the quality of the ai artwork lacking. It is also a bit ofb a reputation liability currently, but I expect that to fade with time.
The only thing I’ve used AI for as far as game development is music. And even then, it’s just placeholders; I have no intention of using them in the final game, and it’s all been removed by now anyway. Everything is as hand-made as possible.
I don’t agree with using AI to generate images. Not just because of the ethical standing, but because it generally just turns out very sloppy or generic-looking. Most artists and gamers will be able to tell an AI-generated image from a mile away. I’m fine with using AI to learn things for you to do yourself, like coding help, though.
Because I like doing things myself. I like the process. AI straight up takes out the fun of it.
Neither coding. I rather scout forums myself. But nobody asked me.
Now, for your issue at hand, my two cents. What I get from your post is that generative models are good for making isolated graphics. Characters, monsters and so on are single pieces, no borders, sometimes without background. But might struggle with the requirements for tilesets. So I’d assume you have to introduce those requirements into your petition somehow.
Do you have any example of something you tried, something you generated, and that didn’t work? Just to see if we can isolate the problem.
Like, the first problem that comes to mind is if you generate the textures, but they don’t loop right, or are misaligned or otherwise aren’t usable when building up your tileset. You might want to add keywords such as loopable, seamless, grid aligned, etc. Or you can also see if through basic editing you can make it look decent enough.
I’ve tried to use AI but I could not get any consistency that I need for game dev purposes. It makes single images okay… But if you’re already an artist and you do graphics with intent, you get better results from just doing the art yourself. Using an AI is like hitting a “random” button until it spits out something close to what you’re picturing.
That can be true for sure, the way I’ve ended up doing it to keep it consistent is to use it for coding, and then build your art assembly line that reproduces the graphics along common patterns, etc. So you can keep it consistent. But it’s a different way of thinking about it.
I don’t have any issues with AI. It’s technology and will do what technology does.
That said, my latest project is meant to be an homage to RPG Maker in all of its default [graphical] glory. It was supposed to be default engine and everything and that went out the window pretty quickly so I reserve the right to change my mind.
When it comes to commercial endeavors, most people don’t care whether your assets were created with AI or not. They just care whether it looks good. If you’re an artist, you can probably do better. If you’re not, you probably can’t. Same is true for coding, although no one seems to care about that.
I’ve never had much luck making tile sets with AI. I don’t think it’s there yet but maybe someday. That would be a game changer.
I haven’t used it for art, but I have found a lot of success using it to help with coding. Can you post an example or two of what you’ve been able to do as far as battlers? Do you mean like sideview sprite sheets?
Generating floor and wall tiles such as grassy areas and carpets (e.g., Tileset A1–A5) is not working properly. As you pointed out, this is because the loop fails, causing misalignment. Even if we specify the output image size to the AI, the downloaded size often differs, so simply adjusting the size does not resolve the issue—the auto-tile connections still fail and remain misaligned. Additionally, when generating multiple images consecutively, the art style may vary.
Indeed, when indie games feature characters with that mass-produced look, as if stamped out by an AI-generated character seal, it can trigger a sense of rejection…
The tool I’m using to create my game is RPG Maker. However, if AI is used to convert the previously employed pixel art assets into a pixel art style, it might feel out of place and be met with disapproval…
Thanks to Claude, even someone like me with no programming knowledge can now create plugins, which makes me very happy. I think it’s amazing that you can turn your own imagination directly into a plugin and implement it in your self-made games.
