Post by olistupid in Say Ahh! – a cozy doctor game with local AI patients

Transmedia Jam #1 : Humans versus AI » Community

Viewing post in Say Ahh! – a cozy doctor game with local AI patients

Some quick comments:

It took me more than 15 minutes to download the game. I did have a bit of a slow connection on my side, but please try to keep file sizes as small as possible. I understand that the AI model takes up space: maybe you could consider having only English as the default language in the game and allow the user to download other languages in case it wants to play in another one, or automatically download the language set up as default by the user’s PC.
“Play” button gets stuck at loading when executing the game unless you switch to English and switch to your preferred language again.
When executing the game the buttons for selecting other languages are disabled except the current set language and English.
As a native Spanish speaker, the language is fine. If you are working with an AI I dont think you’ll have an issue with that. However the AI seemed to crop some words out of it sentences to suffice its word limit per message, sometimes making sentences that don’t make sense grammatically. It also uses some quite unnatural language; some of the things it says wouldn’t be said by a casual speaker at all.
Personally, I see the AI function of the game as purely secondary and even cosmetic for the core gameplay. Although I can imagine the goal of this is to have a natural conversation with the fictional patient, all it takes is you to ask “what is wrong with you?”, for you to have all the necessary information for the puzzle, along with observing the character animations and examination actions. The game really doesn’t have difficulty and hence all challenge is lost, along with lost of interest and encouragement to play.
The concept worked with the common diseases of Level 1, but the ones from Level 2 onwards are hard to identify… because I don’t know what these diseases are. The fact that they have weird names makes it worse. The game always assumes you know the diseases you are trying to diagnose. This is fine for the common ones, but not for the rarer ones. Makes me lose motivation imo… No one is actually going to research or search up diseases for this game.

This is why I’m critical with beginners making their games with Claude… It’s a great tool don’t get me wrong, but relying on it completely for making a full game may give you a false sensation of “success”: it does gives a fully presentable product. However, it doesn’t matter if the game’s presentable or has as many impressive features as possible, at the end of it what determines if it’s fun is the game’s foundation.

Learning to do a product by yourself instead of fully relying on AI for making a game is also part of game development. In this project, you aren’t practicing game development exactly; you are practising game design.

This is my full opinion. Let me know what you think 🙂. Good luck on developing you game!

lapinchien7 days ago

Wow, what an incredible, detailed, and insightful feedback @olistupid! This is exactly the kind of deep dive that makes a jam so valuable.

@Prawns Agent, olistupid points out some really crucial Game Design challenges here—especially regarding how to make the local SLM feel like a core gameplay loop rather than just a cosmetic feature, and how to balance the learning curve for rare diseases.

I totally agree with the distinction between tool-assisted output and core game mechanics. Using local AI (like Qwen) is a huge technical feat, but turning those raw generative responses into a challenging, engaging puzzle is where the real game design magic happens!

I'm testing the game on my laptop today as well, but I'd love to hear your thoughts, Prawns Agent, on how you plan to iterate on these prompt limits and UX mechanics!

That being said, I still firmly believe that the high-concept of this project is super original and has an incredible potential in entertainment, education, and serious gaming. I also absolutely love the video on your channel that presents the concept so brilliantly. However, following the feedback from olistupid, I think this shouldn't be viewed as a finished game meant to be distributed or sold directly to hardcore gamers right now. Instead, it should be considered a perfectible prototype—a powerful stepping stone to pitch to publishers and funding sources (like business angels or crowdfunding campaigns) to give such a project the true scale it deserves. In my opinion, setting up a proper company structure with capital and hiring dedicated developers to flesh it out would be an amazing objective for the future!

Prawns Agent7 days ago(+1)

Thanks a lot for taking the time to play the game and write such detailed feedback! 🙂

I actually agree with many of your points.

The download size is definitely something I want to improve. The current AI and language system take up most of the space, but I'm already thinking about making languages optional downloads or only downloading the language that matches the player's system.

Thanks for pointing out the language-switching bugs as well. I'll investigate those and try to fix them in the next update.

Regarding the AI dialogue, I agree that it still needs work. My goal is for the patient to feel more natural and believable, so I'll continue improving the prompts and conversation system.

Your comments about the gameplay are especially interesting. Right now, it's true that players can often get the diagnosis very quickly by asking direct questions. In future versions, I want patients to have more individual personalities and behavior, and not always provide all information immediately. I also want examinations and observations to play a bigger role in reaching a diagnosis.

The point about rare diseases is fair too. As the diseases become less familiar, I probably need to give players better ways to learn about them inside the game instead of assuming prior medical knowledge.

And yes, I used AI extensively during development. For me, this project has been both a game design experiment and a learning experience. I still have a lot to learn, but creating this project taught me a huge amount about designing systems, balancing mechanics, integrating AI, and managing a larger project from start to finish.

lapinchien7 days ago

Thanks for sharing your vision on this, @Prawns Agent! Your open-mindedness and willingness to learn from feedback are truly commendable.
I want to share a broader perspective as an organizer: please don't underrate what you've accomplished here. While it's great that you're using this as a learning experience to polish code and UX, what you have right now is already much more than a simple hobby project. It is a fully functional Proof of Concept (PoC) with massive high-concept potential.

My key piece of advice as you move forward: Don't get stuck in the cycle of treating this solely as a finished indie game meant for immediate gamer distribution.

Instead, view this current build as a powerful prototype. Instead of burning yourself out trying to fix every tiny detail or solo-dev every mechanic, consider using this prototype as a leverage tool to:
Pitch to potential partners, publishers, or funding sources (like business angels, innovation grants, or serious gaming opportunities in education/health).
Build a team and a future startup structure around the project, positioning yourself not just as a solo coder, but as a visionary project lead / founder.
Your participation in the Transmedia Jam is an amazing showcase for what's possible when combining local AI (SLM) with Godot. Keep this prototype active, showcase its core strengths, and use this momentum to dream bigger for the next steps!

Looking forward to seeing where you take this vision!

Prawns Agent7 days ago

Thanks! I'm actually curious about your opinion on something.

If you were in my position, would you focus primarily on improving this game itself (gameplay, diseases, conversations, UX, content, etc.), or would you focus more on the bigger idea of creating a reusable local AI framework that other developers could integrate into their own games?

Long-term I've been thinking about a system where users download a larger AI package once, and multiple smaller games can connect to it instead of bundling everything separately. I'm wondering whether that direction sounds more interesting to you than continuing to expand the doctor simulation itself

lapinchien7 days ago

Hi Prawns Agent,

That is a crucial and strategic question. If I may offer a perspective based on my own entrepreneurial background: your second option (the reusable local AI framework) is by far the most exciting and has true long-term strategic potential.

To be completely frank: stop presenting yourself on Itch.io or social media as just a "vibe-coder" or a solo dev working on a cute doctor sim. You are actually acting as a project lead and future CEO of a tech startup, and you should embrace that positioning!

💡 Why the "Shared Local AI Framework" is a game-changer

Say Ahh! has already fulfilled its role: It’s a brilliant Proof of Concept (PoC) showing that local SLMs (like Qwen) can run inside Godot. You don't need to spend months polishing a single game's content to prove your point.
Mutualization & Infrastructure: Building a central local AI package that multiple lightweight games can plug into solves a major industry problem (bandwidth, build sizes, offline privacy, cloud costs). That’s a high-concept technological asset.

📜 A quick personal story from my journey

Back in 2001, I co-founded a game studio in France called ACTIPLAY. Right from the start, we chose not to just build one-off games, but to design an innovative, industrialized customization engine. We built a robust back-office that allowed us to quickly white-label game templates (modifying graphics, sounds, level editors, etc.) for various commercial clients, advertisers, and brands.

That "framework/mutualization" approach changed everything for us:

It earned us official Innovation Labels and opened doors to specialized innovation funding and industrial project grants.
It attracted innovation-focused Business Angels and VCs who look for scalable tech rather than single-project risk.
Even though the engine itself evolved over time, that core technological pitch allowed us to scale, hire dozens of developers and artists, and build a recurring client base with major brands and agencies.

🇫🇷 / 🇪🇺 The Ecosystem Advantage

I don't know how the startup ecosystem is currently structured in Germany, but in France (and across Europe), technological innovation and modular infrastructure are heavily valued and funded. Between public innovation grants (like Bpifrance's Aide à la Faisabilité / Deeptech, or the CNC's FAJV for game dev tech), innovation-focused Business Angels, and industrial project funds, a mutualized AI framework has 10x more leverage to secure funding than a standalone indie game. We also have CIR wich is a tax credit for industrial projects.

🚀 Recommendation for the Jam & Beyond

Keep Say Ahh! as your showcase / demo game (the "proof of concept").
Pivot your messaging toward building the underlying framework for the developer community.
Use this Transmedia Jam to document your framework and invite narrative creators, writers, and artists to test how their stories could plug into your engine.

You hold a really strong concept in your hands. Own the founder mindset! 🙌

Prawns Agent7 days ago

Thanks a lot for sharing your perspective and experience!

I can definitely see the appeal of the framework direction, and that's actually the path I'm planning to start exploring very soon.

At the moment, though, I still want to fix a few bugs that players have reported in Say Ahh! and improve the patient behavior so the NPCs feel more natural and believable.

The nice thing is that this work should directly benefit the framework as well, since realistic NPC behavior and conversations are a core part of the larger idea.

As for the startup side of things, I think it's still far too early for me to think about companies, funding, or becoming a CEO 😄. For now, I'd rather focus on building and learning step by step.

Thanks again for the encouragement! 😊

lapinchien7 days ago (1 edit)

That makes total sense, Prawns Agent!

You're completely right that refining NPC behavior in Say Ahh! is direct R&D for the framework. Every fix you make to character believability makes your underlying tech stronger.

One quick friendly piece of advice from my experience: while focusing on step-by-step building is great, don't wait too long to showcase or package the framework layer. In tech, the best way to protect your work and avoid someone else beating you to the punch isn't keeping it secret — it's establishing yourself as the first-mover and the go-to reference in the community!

By the way, if you ever feel like discussing scaling, medical apps, or startup funding down the road, I have a strong network in these fields and would be more than happy to connect you with the right people. No pressure at all for now, but keep it in mind! Feel free to reach out directly at patrick.gomez.ruiz@gmail.com whenever you want to chat.

Good luck with the bug fixes, and can't wait to see the next update! 🚀

Prawns Agent7 days ago

Thanks, Patrick! I really appreciate the encouragement and the thoughtful advice.

My current priority is turning the concepts into something reliable and proven through development of Say Ahh!, but I agree that documenting and presenting the framework properly will become increasingly important as it matures.

I also appreciate your offer to connect me with people in those fields. While I'm not actively looking into that direction yet, it's good to know there are experienced people willing to help.

Thanks again for the support, and I'll hopefully have another update soon!

lapinchien7 days ago

Thanks for the update, Prawns Agent! That sounds like the right call—focusing on Say Ahh! to ground the concepts in a concrete game is definitely the best way forward.

Take your time, and I'm looking forward to reading your next update. Good luck with the dev build! 🚀

olistupid7 days ago

just for clarification (everything here in this thread is getting a little confusing 😅): this counts as a submission for the Transmedia Jam?

lapinchien7 days ago

Hey! Thanks for asking and sorry for the confusion 😅

To clarify: yes, this thread is where Prawns Agent is sharing the devlogs and progress for their jam project (Say Ahh!). As long as the game is submitted via the official Jam page before the deadline, it's fully part of the Transmedia Jam!

And no hidden meta-narrative ARG happening in the thread comments (though to be honest, a transmedia fiction built entirely out of forum discussions would actually make an awesome jam submission!) 😉

By the way, as you're working on a project for the jam too, feel free to open your own dedicated thread to share your progress—it’s always great to see what everyone is building!

olistupid7 days ago

Ooooh!! So we are allowed to work on our games now? The jam page said that submissions started on December 1st. On itch.io jams that usually means that devs aren’t allowed to work on their games until the submission period begins.

lapinchien7 days ago

Ah, good catch! Let me clarify that—and I'm really sorry for the confusion! 😅

This is actually the very first Jam I’m creating and hosting, so I’m still fine-tuning a few details.

Originally, the guidelines stated that pre-existing projects or work started before the official dates were fully allowed. However, because my target audience goes way beyond the usual Itch.io jam community, I ended up rewriting the rules multiple times to make them clearer in english and french... and that crucial rule accidentally got edited out during one of my updates! my bad!

To be 100% clear: You can definitely start working, planning, and building right now! Existing projects or early progress are more than welcome. The December 1st date is simply when the submission button opens on Itch.io to upload your final files.

I'm adding that rule back onto the main page right away, and the rules won't change again.

Thanks a lot for pointing this out, and feel free to start cooking up your game whenever you're ready! 🛠️

olistupid7 days ago

Got it. Thank you :-)