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Incline Josh Sawyer appreciation station

Lyric Suite

Converting to Islam
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Early in this video he pushes back on the use of AI images for crpg potraits. He believes that use of such images would require credit for every use of any inspiration in the data set used to create it.

That's silly. Human beings compose art based on prior imagery and learned experiences that came from any number of sources. We don't give thanks to those on a constant basis, it is the core component of how we learn and iterate. But AI apparently is fraudulent for building something new based on many, many examples of existing content? The vast majority of the time, no one would be able to discern what an AI image used as a basis point.


AI can't see what human intelligence can see, dofus. AI art isn't art.
 

Artyoan

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Early in this video he pushes back on the use of AI images for crpg potraits. He believes that use of such images would require credit for every use of any inspiration in the data set used to create it.

That's silly. Human beings compose art based on prior imagery and learned experiences that came from any number of sources. We don't give thanks to those on a constant basis, it is the core component of how we learn and iterate. But AI apparently is fraudulent for building something new based on many, many examples of existing content? The vast majority of the time, no one would be able to discern what an AI image used as a basis point.


AI can't see what human intelligence can see, dofus. AI art isn't art.

It is 'art' unless you want to get into BS semantics that will be as fruitless as arguing about a definition for 'rpg'. People just feel threatened by it currently. There will always be a place for human crafting of anything. It is derivative, but that doesn't mean it isn't art.
 

Hace El Oso

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It is 'art' unless you want to get into BS semantics that will be as fruitless as arguing about a definition for 'rpg'. People just feel threatened by it currently. There will always be a place for human crafting of anything. It is derivative, but that doesn't mean it isn't art.

Yes, surely they will always be a place for human craftsmen and artisans (keeping in mind the freedom and independence they require) in the bureaucratic techno-hell of the pod cities and the view of life inherent to them.

Humans didn't need AI to push craftsmanship to the edge of the cliff, but it'll certainly help to throw it over it.
 
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Artyoan

Prophet
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Jan 16, 2017
Messages
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It is 'art' unless you want to get into BS semantics that will be as fruitless as arguing about a definition for 'rpg'. People just feel threatened by it currently. There will always be a place for human crafting of anything. It is derivative, but that doesn't mean it isn't art.

Yes, surely they will always be a place for human craftsmen and artisans (keeping in mind the freedom and independence they require) in the bureaucratic techno-hell of the pod cities and the view of life inherent to them.

Humans didn't need AI to push craftsmanship to the edge of the cliff, but it'll certainly help to throw it over it.
I'm much more optimistic. Instead of going over a cliff I see the little man with the big imagination now having access to tools that can let him rival corporations. Also without being captive to a certain ridiculous ideology centered in California.
 

Hace El Oso

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I'm much more optimistic. Instead of going over a cliff I see the little man with the big imagination now having access to tools that can let him rival corporations. Also without being captive to a certain ridiculous ideology centered in California.

Fair enough, good for you.
It bears mentioning that consolidation and homogenization are deepening and accelerating, not reversing. Anyone off the street has access to the ‘tools’ of, say, UE5 or Unity, but that just means that everyone is using UE5 or Unity and no longer has the capacity to do anything else, no longer making bespoke tools of their own and exactly captive to the whims (ideological and otherwise) of the big corporations as a condition of use.
 
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Atlantico

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Make the Codex Great Again!
I see the little man with the big imagination now having access to tools that can let him rival corporations
Well ok, but we've been down that road before. Now any idiot has the same tools on his laptop as a recording studio had in the XX century.

The little man now has all the tools to match the Beatles. And yet the little man produces only trash or mediocre shit.

It's not about the tools.
 

Artyoan

Prophet
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I'm much more optimistic. Instead of going over a cliff I see the little man with the big imagination now having access to tools that can let him rival corporations. Also without being captive to a certain ridiculous ideology centered in California.

Fair enough, good for you.
It bears mentioning that consolidation and homogenization are deepening and accelerating, not reversing. Anyone off the street has access to the ‘tools’ of, say, UE5 or Unity, but that just means that everyone is using UE5 or Unity and no longer has the capacity to do anything else, no longer making bespoke tools of their own and exactly captive to the whims (ideological and otherwise) of the big corporations as a condition of use.
This will be my last post on this subject since it is in the middle of a Josh Sawyer thread.

Consolidation has resulted in instability/decline in nearly all of forms of entertainment as the has-been companies sell out to the bigger ones and produce nothing good anymore. Not only that but these same companies enforce gatekeeping qualities like ideology and DEi-style hiring as you said. The difference between AI and any other tool is that of speed and quality balance, as well as bypassing a need for competence across many different venues. Instead of knowing how to draw an impressionist painting of a deer in a field, that can be generated in less than a minute by AI, with good quality. I can't draw that, yet now I can generate it.
WLv24H8.jpeg

Long story short: It isn't the same type of tool that requires years of study and practice. It bypasses the process in favor of the end result in very rapid speed. Which is then available to millions of people who can't be gatekept by much of the same hiring policies and ideological mandates of corporations. We'll see if I'm right in about a decade of AI advancement and use.
 

NecroLord

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Early in this video he pushes back on the use of AI images for crpg potraits. He believes that use of such images would require credit for every use of any inspiration in the data set used to create it.

That's silly. Human beings compose art based on prior imagery and learned experiences that came from any number of sources. We don't give thanks to those on a constant basis, it is the core component of how we learn and iterate. But AI apparently is fraudulent for building something new based on many, many examples of existing content? The vast majority of the time, no one would be able to discern what an AI image used as a basis point.


AI can't see what human intelligence can see, dofus. AI art isn't art.

AI also kinda sucks at drawing eyes and ends up drawing cross eyed characters...
 

Diggfinger

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Suur Futuroloogiline Kongress: Josh Sawyer (USA)​



Thursday, May 9 at 18:00 in the conference hall of the University of Tartu library.

Obsidian Entertainment's lead designer and writer known for Icewind Dale, Neverwinter Nights 2, Fallout: New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity, and Pentiment will give a presentation on the future of his persona and creations. The following conversation with game writer Märten Rattasepa (Estonia) and game researcher Paweł Frelik (Poland) discusses the literary nature of video games and the future of literary imagination in video games.
 

Diggfinger

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Josh Sawyer – "Painting on Silicon: Creating the 2022 Historical Video Game Pentiment"​



On the 19th of June 2024, video game developer Josh Sawyer held a talk at Vienna University Library on the creation of “Pentiment.“ After the talk Josh answered questions in an extensive Q&A session. To further explore some of the game’s rich historical references check out Vienna University Library's curated list of "Companion Pieces to Pentiment @UB Wien": https://bibliothek.univie.ac.at/virtu...)Josh Sawyer is a game developer and Studio Design Director at Obsidian Entertainment in Irvine, California. After studying history, he began his career at Black Isle Studios in 1999. Sawyer is renowned for his work on narrative role-playing video games, including titles in the "Icewind Dale" and "Neverwinter Nights" series, and as Project Director of "Pillars of Eternity" and "Fallout: New Vegas." The adventure game "Pentiment" (2022) is set in 1500s Bavaria. At a time when scriptoria are being replaced by printing presses, a captivating whodunit unfolds as book illuminator Andreas Maler takes it upon himself to investigate mysterious murders at Kiersau Abbey and in the surrounding town of Tassing.
 

whydoibother

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I still can't figure out if Pentiment was a success or not, critically or commercially or artistically.
On one side, most people and even media don't seem to care about it at all.
On the other side, it seems to have big crossover success, with media and people outside video games giving it attention.
 

Jazz_

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Josh Sawyer – "Painting on Silicon: Creating the 2022 Historical Video Game Pentiment"​



On the 19th of June 2024, video game developer Josh Sawyer held a talk at Vienna University Library on the creation of “Pentiment.“ After the talk Josh answered questions in an extensive Q&A session. To further explore some of the game’s rich historical references check out Vienna University Library's curated list of "Companion Pieces to Pentiment @UB Wien": https://bibliothek.univie.ac.at/virtu...)Josh Sawyer is a game developer and Studio Design Director at Obsidian Entertainment in Irvine, California. After studying history, he began his career at Black Isle Studios in 1999. Sawyer is renowned for his work on narrative role-playing video games, including titles in the "Icewind Dale" and "Neverwinter Nights" series, and as Project Director of "Pillars of Eternity" and "Fallout: New Vegas." The adventure game "Pentiment" (2022) is set in 1500s Bavaria. At a time when scriptoria are being replaced by printing presses, a captivating whodunit unfolds as book illuminator Andreas Maler takes it upon himself to investigate mysterious murders at Kiersau Abbey and in the surrounding town of Tassing.


I wonder if he regrets getting tattoos now that he's middle aged, they look so stupid
 

Diggfinger

Arcane
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Jan 6, 2014
Messages
1,234
Location
Belgium
I still can't figure out if Pentiment was a success or not, critically or commercially or artistically.
On one side, most people and even media don't seem to care about it at all.
On the other side, it seems to have big crossover success, with media and people outside video games giving it attention.

For a low-budget game this seems pretty OK
Josh seemed to say pretty early on that the game performed above expectation

Quick Stats​

69​

active players (59 min ago)

103​

active players (24h peak)

95.2%​

positive reviews

$2,6m​

gross revenue

180k​

units sold

8,2 hours​

avg play time

3,5 hours​

median play time
Source; https://vginsights.com/game/1205520


$2,903,028
GROSS REVENUE
ADJ. REGIONAL PRICING
$261,272.50
DISCOUNTS
$580,605.55
REFUNDS
$348,363.33
STEAM CUT
$513,835.91
VAT / SALES TAX
$342,557.28
NET REVENUE
$856,393.19

https://steam-revenue-calculator.com/app/1205520/pentiment
 

Butter

Arcane
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Joined
Oct 1, 2018
Messages
8,446
Didn't they have a dozen people working on it for multiple years? If each person makes 30k per year (which is poverty by southern California standards, plus Josh has told us that he makes a lot more than that), that's still at least 720k in payroll over the course of production. I don't see how it can be profitable with 850k net revenue.
 

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