discussion Why do you dislike AI art in games?

[kryskyse]

Really outdated post, but after 2 years AI art in these games are so bad, that there are still no realism in them, and really boring. The realistic stuff (or trying to be realistic) is the worst one, the drawn 2d stuff is better, but still no "feelings" in the images that the AI can replicate, it lacks vision and realism of feelings for me right now. I prefer 3D model over AI stuff, because humans simply still better at feeling expressions that an AI. Swapping real drawn pieces with AI is just slop and not authentic.

 

[hobolos]

I would say even without inconsistencies or disliking it stealing some peoples art, my main problem is that it is too generic. The lack of personality or passion in the models/poses throws me off, its too stiff. Also idk if this would be included with 'good' AI but I hate the almost rubbery look that they commonly seem to have.

I think there is a way to make it work well if you put alot of effort into having a unique style and natural poses but I find AI games tend to be more lazy in general.

 

[hugh mungus]

I dislike it for being lazy, uncanny, and generally less. AI games are always less in every tangible and intangible way

 

[protons]

I honestly do like AI games. I think it helps move the process along quicker. Problem is that its not used in the greatest way or maybe the capability is not there yet.

 

[Darkshade]

1-1) If the AI art was good (consistent, no artifacts and weird stuff like odd fingers and skin and eyes, thematically-appropriate skin tones and features, no weird disconnect between subject and environment), and the art style could be whatever type you preferred (hyperrealism, 3D anime like, cartoonish, or whatever), would you be ok with it being used to make games?

I would say, at least for me personaly, it heavyly depends on the Artstyle used. If its thee "AI Slop" Look, than a NO. But if its a good Art stlye, closer to a good drawn art oder a good 3D art, why not.
AI art CAN be really good, but its not as easy as most ppl think to get really good art.

1-2) Would you prefer "good" AI to asset swap art? (Asset swap is when you pick a 2D or 3D hair and snap it to a base model. RPG Maker is an example of asset swaps for sprite creation. Some WebGL games use asset swap libraries for 3D characters.)

Same as above. I really wouldn't be supprised if thats already used in many modern RPG Maker Games/3D Model based Games, without ppl knowing that they are part AI Made. I mean there are even Big Game Studios who use AI assets like this and ppl don't know it.

1-3) Would you prefer "good" AI to porn inserts of real people?

No. I think, thats a line nobody should cross. But yeah probably most would want it.

1-4) Would you prefer "good" AI to DAZ 3D models?
I never worked with DAZ, so i can't say much about this.

1-5) Would you prefer "good" AI to hand-drawn art?

That heavily depends on the Model and trained Data thats used. I know there are Models out there, which can create really good looking Art. If ppl take the time and create a good looking, consistent and theme fitting art, without "AI Slop" look, sure why not?

2) Have you tried making AI art yourself?

Yes. And my oppinion is, most ppl think AI art is easy and fast. Thats not true. To create a few single images without need of consistency or theme fitting, thats tue. They are easy. But try to make a whole game with, lets say 500 Images/Assets. Than its not this easy anymore. First of all, it heavily depends on the Model u use. Than you need to refinine this Model with fitting LoRa. And probabaly you need to create many of the LoRa urself. And thats the Part where it really gets complicated. Ppl who already trainded Own LoRa probably know what i mean.


So yeah, AI Art can be good and usefull, but that requires a deep understanding of how the AI works, how it learns, and ofc how to Prompt it. Most models out there are TAG based, not clear text, wich makes it not an easy task to get what u want and need. I mean, to compare that, everyone (and i mean EVERYONE) can use a pen and draw things on a piece of paper. But if its art or just bad scribble, thats where time to learn and talent comes into play. Same you can say about AI art.


Now ppl can hate me if they want, but thats my oppinion

 

[suplul]

It all starts to look the same. The people using it in adult games are all taking it from like one or two different models, and that's super obvious.

Bigger than that, though, is that a lot of people using AI for images in games are kind of bad at making the images. They end up with weird artifacts or looking in a super strange style.

 

[baxterJ]

I find that I don't mind AI games and images when they're refined, like I just played a game that was made using AI and I didn't know until I check the tags on the game after I finished, the biggest problem though is most people will just pump out really crappy content and it's pumped out at such an extreme rate that it gets really annoying since everywhere just seems to suddenly be flooded with garbage. Now that doesn't mean my takeaway is just "AI bad" it's that I wish it would be used in a better way then it is right now.

 

[Derelicthouse]

Really outdated post, but after 2 years AI art in these games are so bad, that there are still no realism in them, and really boring. The realistic stuff (or trying to be realistic) is the worst one, the drawn 2d stuff is better, but still no "feelings" in the images that the AI can replicate, it lacks vision and realism of feelings for me right now. I prefer 3D model over AI stuff, because humans simply still better at feeling expressions that an AI. Swapping real drawn pieces with AI is just slop and not authentic.

Really? I can understand that on its own AI art might no evoke anything from you. But like in a game, with a good background theme, good dialogue, sound effect, and story. You still cannot find yourself enjoying the AI art at all? Or at least feeling some enjoyment out of the scenes that would otherwise might be text getting depicted? I'm not sure how familiar with the different LORA's and generation models. But is there any style at all that you prefer over the others?

 

[solaris22222]

I dislike AI art in games because it's just used so the developers don't have to hire/pay actual artists for assets.

 

[Doll13]

I honestly do like AI games. I think it helps move the process along quicker. Problem is that its not used in the greatest way or maybe the capability is not there yet.

I thing it will help us somehow to get the kinky shit we are here for.

 

[blueballs0007]

there are plenty of very talented, very real, living artists out there whose work i would so much rather see and relate to than a machine's interpretation of an algorithmic compilation of these artists' works.

 

[koyoshinokuchi]

Simply put, if a game dev can't even be bothered to doodle some art themselves (even if it's really ugly) then why would I invest my time in their game.

 

[putquid]

Honestly, AI is just not the same. It has be implemented well into games without standing out too much or people will notice it immediately. It's hard to have a good balance with that so I hope devs figure it out in the future.

 

[Tommax16]

Ai makes me feel weird, that said IF it was implemented properly there is no shame in using it, especially for non profit but each to their own honestly!
Right now though there is too much inconsistency going on, two pictures never look the same and it can be uncanny, that last part happens alot in 3d aswell tbh

 

[Darkrift411]

A lot of posts I have read on the site say they don't like AI art in games. I am curious about the reasons why.


Edit on Nov 24 at 4pm British Time: Most of the answers so far are mostly saying the dislike is because of bad experiences with games that do a poor job with it. I am skeptical of games made with RenPy because a lot of RenPy games are trash in my opinion (easy to make with low effort), but I don't dislike RenPy because of that.

So I am curious about a few other things. The answers won't change the way that I made things (I usually don't make games or mods with character images at all anyway). I am just curious.

1-1) If the AI art was good (consistent, no artifacts and weird stuff like odd fingers and skin and eyes, thematically-appropriate skin tones and features, no weird disconnect between subject and environment), and the art style could be whatever type you preferred (hyperrealism, 3D anime like, cartoonish, or whatever), would you be ok with it being used to make games?

1-2) Would you prefer "good" AI to asset swap art? (Asset swap is when you pick a 2D or 3D hair and snap it to a base model. RPG Maker is an example of asset swaps for sprite creation. Some WebGL games use asset swap libraries for 3D characters.)

1-3) Would you prefer "good" AI to porn inserts of real people?

1-4) Would you prefer "good" AI to DAZ 3D models?

1-5) Would you prefer "good" AI to hand-drawn art?

2) Have you tried making AI art yourself?


This purpose of this thread wasn't to ask about DAZ models but so many people on this site seem to prefer them that I am also curious about

3-1) If you prefer 3D models, is it because they are more likely to be animated?

3-2) If "good" AI was animated just as often, would you still prefer DAZ assets?

4-1) If you prefer 3D models, is it because you associate them with a less-anime look?

4-2) If AI art looked more realistic instead of having an anime look, would you still prefer 3D models?

I LOVE the idea of AI images in these games because it would allow a TON of devs with good ideas but no graphics skills or money to pay someone to make more games for us.
I HATE 99.999% of AI images I see in games.


1-1: Yes. This would be great.
1-2: Yes. If you are talking the "sprite" shit that tons of games use... I hate that. But as long as it's done well, I kinda just put up with it since I understand the reasoning.
1-3: Yes. I explicitly exclude "real-porn" because that shit is fucking stupid.
1-4: Um... Not sure. "good" might not be better than daz. If it is, then yes.
1-5: Probably. Again, depends on what "good" actually is.
2: Yes.
3-1: That, and they just look better (most of the time).
3-2: Again... you can't really just toss out "good" and have it be a measurable thing. You might think what is out there already is good. I don't. If you ask "If AI that is better than DAZ was animated just as often, would you still prefer DAZ assets?", then the answer is no. If the AI art was as good or better, I would prefer it.
4-1: No. Just more realistic looking. And most of the hand-drawn stuff I don't feel is all that good. And with stuff like KKS, their faces annoy me. They have this weird bulge shit under the eye area around the cheeks that makes their faces look sunken in in some angles. And HS have other issues. Main one is that most male characters in HS look like a female model dressed as a male, sometimes with what looks like a drawn on (with marker) beard.
4-2: Odd question. Because AI art looks like whatever the fuck you tell it to look like. It only has an anime look if you told it to use a style that is anime-ish.


HS and VAM just look... odd. DAZ feels more realistic to me. HS has oddities that just bother me. Such as fingers and toes. They have these weird gaps between them, and odd shapes. And while the HS animations can be really good (and from what ive heard, 100x easier than DAZ animations), they have their oddities too. Stuff that when I see it my brain just says "NOPE". VAM is getting a lot better, but it has this 1970s film look that I cant explain. I don't know if its colors, or if its grainy or what. And VAM hair is always stringy. DAZ has a lot of issues too. One that I hate in sex games is how there are no collisions, so when bent in certain ways, skin merges, creating odd looking intersections. Or sometimes there are weird seems. Look around the belly/hips in most sex scenes and you will either see an odd lump, or a depression. Stuff like that ruins what little immersion I get from these games. But AI art is just as bad or worse still. I can spot AI art like 98% of the time. And the other 2% I would still feel this "something's not right" feeling, just wouldnt immediately think AI. I would start searching the image for what is wrong, again, breaking immersion.

But for porn games, the big thing that makes me ignore AI content is the "consistency" you spoke of. And I don't think it has changed much sine this post was created. You can have a single scene with a single character in it. In ever render, they will look slightly different. Pocket in one, not in the other. Buttons on other side. Different color shirt. Pattern on clothing suddenly changes. ETC. That stuff bothers me because I notice it and it draws my attention to it, breaking immersion. I now have to look at it, and find what is different. What is "wrong" with it. Probably some OCD related disorder because I've talked to a lot of people that say it isn't that bad for them.

And for the NO on principal people. I would be on your side (or the devs side) if I hadn't seen such a pile of shitbag devs. Devs that get you into their game, collect a big following and then go away for 4 years still collecting milk money. Devs that get you invested in their game, then decide it is too hard and drop it. That and I see so many "could be good" games with art so bad... I just can't ignore it. And these devs are greedy, so they want it all to themselves. They wont partner up and put their writing skills with a dev who has none but can make good art because then they would have to share.

 

[S7aard]

Because the AI Datacenters are one of the things wasting so many resources that Canada is on fire.
But even without that, AI "art" is soulless and ugly and has no place anywhere in artistic fields. This, among other things, is why you see so many actual artists who are against it in art communities.
I've seen various excuses for using it but the fact is, AI "artists" do nothing but write a stupid prompt for it to be gargled out by a bot who steals from real artists which is even more pathetic than claiming you made a dish after ordering pepperoni and extra cheese at a Pizza Hut because at least you have to talk to a human to order food from a fast food place.

The absolute best AI can ever do is still worse than the absolute worst real artists can do, there's just no competition.

 

[Darkrift411]

Because the AI Datacenters are one of the things wasting so many resources that Canada is on fire.
But even without that, AI "art" is soulless and ugly and has no place anywhere in artistic fields. This, among other things, is why you see so many actual artists who are against it in art communities.
I've seen various excuses for using it but the fact is, AI "artists" do nothing but write a stupid prompt for it to be gargled out by a bot who steals from real artists which is even more pathetic than claiming you made a dish after ordering pepperoni and extra cheese at a Pizza Hut because at least you have to talk to a human to order food from a fast food place.

The absolute best AI can ever do is still worse than the absolute worst real artists can do, there's just no competition.

By your logic, someone who claims to have cooked beef stew would be lying, since someone else came up with the idea and you just copied it with your own ingredients. I get your point, but you take it a bit far. Everyone copies something. Nobody painting these days is doing something 100% original, they're all putting their own twist on existing stuff. AI is literally just intended to copy what it's been trained on. Its "twist" comes from the input it's given or the mixture it uses.

Also, calling the work a dev does in DAZ "art"... pushing it. I know. I did it. And I have -50% art talent. I'm not saying what I did was great, but it's at least equal to or better than some of the shit some devs are getting paid to create. If I can pull it off, it's not "art." So if you want to argue with AI painting, fine. I'll step aside and let you have your fun. But saying AI-generated images are evil in porn games... I call bullshit.

 

[S7aard]

By your logic, someone who claims to have cooked beef stew would be lying, since someone else came up with the idea and you just copied it with your own ingredients. I get your point, but you take it a bit far. Everyone copies something. Nobody painting these days is doing something 100% original, they're all putting their own twist on existing stuff. AI is literally just intended to copy what it's been trained on. Its "twist" comes from the input it's given or the mixture it uses.

Also, calling the work a dev does in DAZ "art"... pushing it. I know. I did it. And I have -50% art talent. I'm not saying what I did was great, but it's at least equal to or better than some of the shit some devs are getting paid to create. If I can pull it off, it's not "art." So if you want to argue with AI painting, fine. I'll step aside and let you have your fun. But saying AI-generated images are evil in porn games... I call bullshit.

They don't just copy. AI takes people's work, ruins it and uses an inordinate amount of water to do it. People take inspiration from others, nobody just takes credit for the work of others unless they're an asshat. The only reason copying is okay with real artists is so they can develop and refine their own artstyle. AI bots can't do that, they need to use the artstyles of others but all AI "art" looks hideous anyway because they can't "make" anything without ruining it because ofc something shitty requires a preposterous amount of valuable resources. So it goes from the dawn of humankind.

Daz artists are 1000000000x more artists than regurgitators of AI Slop are. Again, no competition. I'd rather pay for a game that will be abandoned and remain incomplete forever than play or worse, support a GenAI game.

If you're unable to make real art for whatever reasons, you can learn. If you need something that looks like real art before you're able to learn, you can commission a real artist. Heck, some of them might help you for free

 

[Darkrift411]

They don't just copy. AI takes people's work, ruins it and uses an inordinate amount of water to do it. People take inspiration from others, nobody just takes credit for the work of others unless they're an asshat. The only reason copying is okay with real artists is so they can develop and refine their own artstyle. AI bots can't do that, they need to use the artstyles of others but all AI "art" looks hideous anyway because they can't "make" anything without ruining it because ofc something shitty requires a preposterous amount of valuable resources. So it goes from the dawn of humankind.

Daz artists are 1000000000x more artists than regurgitators of AI Slop are. Again, no competition. I'd rather pay for a game that will be abandoned and remain incomplete forever than play or worse, support a GenAI game.

If you're unable to make real art for whatever reasons, you can learn. If you need something that looks like real art before you're able to learn, you can commission a real artist. Heck, some of them might help you for free

They are not "taking". They are copying. They are just MUCH MUCH MUCH better at it than humans. Also, there are probably millions of small changes in that "exact copy" that you cant see because your eyes cant tell the difference. It looks identical to you, but quite different to the AI. They were literally written to copy. When they talk to you, they are not talking to you, they are using values to determine what the most likely response would be based on other responses they know of. Also, stop treading AI like it is a person stealing soemthing. Sure, the company that runs it might have fed it info they shouldnt have, but that is the human, not the AI. AI is just spitting out what it is asked for. Guns spit out bullets when you ask for it with a firmly squeezed finger. Guns dont kill people, people kill people.

Back to my prev response about DAZ, which is the most popular porn game "art" tool Ive seen, have you ever used it or seen it used? It is literally copying. Dev downloads a model and uses it. Thats a copy of something someone else made. And the dev prob didnt even buy it, because they are expensive for a poor dev, so it was pirated. Then... the "artist" that made the model. Do you think they just imagined that body/face? No, they copied from someone they saw. Just not as perfect as AI would do it. And half the time, the really good skins are actually scans of a human person. So those freckles are real, etc. Some girl stood in a full body scanner and had her entire nude body scanned and they sliced that up into the skin and sold it. So the model creator didnt even create it, he just copied shit onto it and maybe moved a few sliders to make slight visual changes. Most humans will never create shit, except maybe kids, but most probably shouldnt do that either. Most just copy something they were taught or saw. So getting so angry about AI copying art just seems like a massive waste of energy.

I remember a skin I wanted that I couldnt find in pirate sites, so I bought it. Then I found some bugs in it, and emailed the dev. He told me to wait a few days and he would release an updated version. He said he messed up something cutting the scan raw image into the pieces and when I was confused, he replied to me with a picture of the naked woman, and the skin... kinda burst my bubble. I had imagined he was some really awesome artist that could make that shit from scratch. Nope, just paid some girl to get naked and then copied it to a different format.

Oh, and I used Daz for about 2.5 years hours and hours a day and NEVER got good at the "art" parts. I could do the tech parts, but... it didnt look good. Its not always something you can learn. And if it is, there are limits to how far learning can go.

Also, AI isnt trying to take credit for the art. The human that told the AI to make it is. Again, blame the humans, not the computer.

 

[yuancang21]

Ai just looks so cheap