itch.io

Most of my covers are in-game screenshots with text overlaid programmatically. You’re making confident claims about my workflow without knowing how I work. Hundreds of recruitment posts don’t establish availability, fit or scope, and AI training has nothing to do with whether a particular person is a suitable teammate. Now you’re claiming to speak for every talented person, too. I asked a straightforward question about collaborating and got a lecture full of assumptions and insults. I regret asking. I’m done with this discussion.

And since you brought up training data, Shutterstock licenses its image, video and music libraries to OpenAI for exactly that purpose. You’re lecturing me about ignorance while leaving commercially licensed training data out of your argument.

Calling AI work automatically amateur sounds out of touch, especially when you haven’t established how I use it. The double standard is accepting AI assistance for coders while treating its use in your own field as unacceptable. And “just find unpaid artists” ignores availability, fit and scope. I asked whether our workflows were compatible. A professional “no thanks” would have been enough.

Hey Wolfbyte, November-ish works, no rush.

Still early, no set direction yet. Broadly, RTS with Cosmoteer-style missions and warp jumps, captain/ship micro up to large fleet battles. I already have a 500v500 demo running in real time at 140+ FPS.

I also made a space fleet trailer: https://youtu.be/KXwo5NPeYQg Curious what you think of the vibe and whether it sparks any ideas.

I’d love ideas for factions, stories, relationships, characters, quirks or general game ideas. A big part would also be creative writing we can use in-game. I’d build the dialogue system, avatars, animations and surrounding mechanics. You’d develop the characters and write dialogue for faction leaders, trading stations, special characters, etc., then play it and refine it. The writing could also push changes to the systems. We can iron out the details when you’re free.

And honestly, space titans clashing with eldritch horrors sounds fun, probably as the final battle of a story campaign. I’d build the ships and horrors, rig and animate them, give them dynamic weapons and combat AI. Add fitting music, SFX that shatter the void, shaders tearing up spacetime and a planet destruction scene.

That takes time to polish, so I prefer reusable systems. A titanic ship mostly uses systems I already have. For an eldritch boss, I’d probably reuse the work in an organic fleet faction. One-off bosses and big scenes are fine too, just a few where the payoff is worth the work. The spacetime shaders could become warp effects, electronic interference, space phenomena or effects for repeatable missions.

My main hands-on skills are programming and systems. I use AI heavily for code and assets. Music is quick with my tools; good SFX take longer with my current pipeline. Odd Spark shows my sound design and physics work, Supper-Guard my 3D, level design and progression.

Usual flow: you design, I implement, we play and iterate. I’d need room to expand, simplify or reshape ideas into playable systems. We can both cross into each other’s areas too. Whoever picks something up owns getting it working and polished. We’d both need to be comfortable with criticism, reworking or scrapping things, while keeping the main game coherent.

Mostly async on GitHub, at our own pace. Check what’s there, play it, experiment and find things to improve. Discord or Matrix for discussion and nudges, email works too.

• Discord: caffeinecore
• Email: small.loop.works@proton.me
• GitHub: RaresKeY

I might be slow to respond sometimes, like here on itch. I get caught up in experiments and forget to check messages, so feel free to nudge me.

Hey! I’d be interested in chatting about teaming up for a jam. You can try my games here: https://smallloopworks.itch.io/ or browse my devlog for more on how I work: https://rareskey.github.io/devlog/

AI tools are a regular part of my development workflow, and I’ll be using them on projects we work on together. I’m looking for teammates who are comfortable with that. Does that work for you?

Also, are you 20+? I generally look for teammates aged 25+, though 20+ is fine too.

Hi Yldaros! Are you still looking for a programmer? I’d be interested in chatting about teaming up. I primarily use Godot. Are you open to using it for this jam, or are you set on UE5?

You can try my games here: https://smallloopworks.itch.io/ or browse my devlog for more on how I work: https://rareskey.github.io/devlog/

AI tools are a regular part of my development workflow, and I’ll be using them on projects we work on together. I’m looking for teammates who are comfortable with that. Does that work for both you and your artist?

One other practical check: are you both 20+? I generally look for teammates aged 25+, though 20+ is fine too.

Hey Alex, want to try a small hobby project together?

Mainly Godot. My main hands-on skills are programming and systems. I use AI heavily for code and assets, so you’d need to be comfortable with that.

Supper Guard shows my 3D, level design and progression. Farming, cooking and tower defense: https://smallloopworks.itch.io/supper-guard Devlog: https://rareskey.github.io/devlog/

English for communication. Mostly async on GitHub, at our own pace. Check what’s there, play it, experiment and find things to improve. Discord for discussion and nudges.

We can both cross into each other’s areas. Whoever picks something up owns getting it working and polished. Both need to be comfortable with criticism, reworking or scrapping things.

Hobby/unpaid, no fixed schedule or release goal. I’d prefer to open-source it eventually; we can agree on licences beforehand.

Hey sol, still looking for a teammate? I could jump in and help with implementation if you have a GitHub repo.

Mainly Godot, English for communication, mostly async. I use AI heavily for code and assets, so the team would need to be comfortable with that.

Games: https://smallloopworks.itch.io/ Devlog: https://rareskey.github.io/devlog/

What engine are you using? Also, are you both 20+? I generally prefer teammates 25+, though 20+ is fine too.

Hey Wolfbyte, I’m making Conventional Space Fleet, a Godot space fleet prototype. Saw you’re into grand strategy. Want to help with maps, scenarios and worldbuilding? Workable ideas we can try; I handle implementation.

Hobby/unpaid, strictly for fun, no fixed schedule or release goal. I use AI heavily for code and assets, so you’d need to be comfortable with that. I keep final say on direction/release.

Devlog + shield video

Interested? What’s your age range (20+, preferably 25+), and which strategy/building games do you enjoy?

Hey, I’m working on a Conventional Space Fleet game in Godot. Ships, shields, fleet battles and carrier launches. Still an open-ended prototype.

I’m looking for creative people for:

• Game/systems design — interesting decisions and workable game ideas.
• Maps and scenarios — encounters, objectives, places worth fighting over.
• Story and worldbuilding — factions, motives, and a world that makes you want to explore it.

Preferably someone who plays a lot of strategy, simulation or building games. Someone who sees this and has 100 ideas for the world, story and fun, then helps pick a few we can actually try. You don’t need to code; I handle implementation.

I use AI heavily for code and assets, so you need to be comfortable with that.

This is unpaid and strictly for fun, with no fixed release goal or schedule. I keep final say on the game’s direction and release. If it grows into something bigger, that’s a separate discussion later.

20+ please, preferably 25+. If interested, reply with a bit about yourself, your age range, games you enjoy and something you’ve made or designed. Rough maps, writing or tabletop stuff are fine.

Devlog and full shield video

Lyria or Suno

Thank you for playing! The game also included more levels in the game menu if you want a small challenge!

a bit of debugging info: For the browser build the game is using WebGL, so turning that on and/or gpu acceleration should do the trick. You can also launch a stripped down version detects you’re on mobile, it works if you enable the mobile view from browser console as well.

If you do try any solution lmk what works!

Interesting concepts blend of fishing, rhythm and coffee blends, I also really liked the art and music.

I tried it on phone, main issue is control, you should pull back on the ball instead of forward to draw a shot, with a level padding to allow space (like a bg wall), also UI like health and others are not very mobile friendly, they need some polish

For cover I recommend a screenshot from in-game with overlayed polished, 3D, shadow drop arranged text, using your image as reference and letting an llm agent open an offscreen game to select a camera position and screenshot it. This will prob take a bit of setup but once done it is fast, and reproducible: make the llm make a script to generate screenshot in-game and overlay text, that way when you update the game you have the ss cover pipeline ready, this can also be done for in game screenshots and generalized into your other games so I think it’s definitely worth doing.

If you are interested I can share some of my game repos where I do it partially or share a concrete generalized solution for this. Supper Guard is a good example of this you can check, the cover, gif, screenshots, even the trailer used a variant of this method. Send me an email if you’re interested I have contact on my page.

The idea is pretty fun and the gameplay is satisfying, but for the art/visuals the game would probably do better in 3D with planar fix, like Getting Over It. Overall it lacks some technical execution and mainly polish.

For example, what is bad technically and for polish:

• The background is “pixel-bound” to the sprite res so it stutters as it moves a lot
• The camera zoom and feel are very restrictive, there is no clear indication scroll wheel can zooms out, took me a while to figure that out
• The movement is stuttery in places, but technically is too direct
• The reload speed is too fast and/or velocity from bullets is too much and the calculation for gains and movement is too direct, you can “fly” by continuously shooting

How to fix technically without changing the game feel:

If 2D pixel design is a core part important to the game, you guys should superscale the pixel assets to around 1 megapixels, directly as a multiplier to it like 2x, 4x. That would keep the pixel art exact at any scale you later scale it down at, while allowing zooming, panning and smoothing in various forms. That would give camera movement and zoom freedom and remove stutter and ghosting. allowing for more technical depth and polish. Here’s an example on how to do it: https://github.com/RaresKeY/pocket-salvage there’s also a python helper script in there.

For movement change the instant feedback to a system more like Getting over it, and for arcadey part shooting/flying cap the max speed, and apply velocities more indirectly

Sorry for the ramble, overall I liked playing the game and I think it has potential. The core loop checks out.

The core idea and gameplay is super fun! and the use of the genre collision was very creative!

However the presentation really doesn’t do it justice, the cover is not representative of what the game offers, the UI is also way too busy especially at the start, which is important for first impressions. Other than that it’s a great entry!

I really liked the core concept of routing trains, but the execution needs some tightening

The Rhythm felt far too easy (easier than casual QTEs) and didn’t contribute meaningful challenge or flow to the game. Routing UI: Configuring routes was overcomplicated and confusing to navigate, most of the board remained unused. Maybe use colors to bolden the board instead of highlighting selected if a compact board is the goal

There is a solid foundation here

My position is that AI should expand what people can create, not be reserved for those who can already do it manually. Direction, design, and integration are creative contributions too, just as a VTuber can contribute creatively without being able to draw or rig their avatar themselves. None of that means dismissing artists’ rights. Thanks for explaining your perspective, but I disagree with the restriction you’re proposing, and I’m leaving the discussion here.

I get both sides. Training practices vary too. Shutterstock licensed training data to OpenAI. That doesn’t answer every concern about consent or compensation, but it matters when talking about how these models are trained.

I see visual art similarly to programming. Generating an image or some code is one step. You still need direction, consistency, judgment, and the ability to put everything together into something that works. Artists and designers bring those skills, and their value goes beyond fixing AI mistakes.

Some paid work will disappear or change, and I understand why people are worried. But AI covers a lot of different tools, and there’s no single switch to turn it all off. To me, trying to stop it to preserve jobs is like banning cars to preserve work around horse-drawn transport. I’d rather protect people’s rights and help them adapt. The work changing doesn’t make their skills worthless.

Thank you for playing and for sending the VOD! I watched my segment and took notes on how you played, along with your suggestions and impressions. I’d previously tuned the difficulty down, but watching your video helped me see where I’d lost the balance that made the game fun and tense. I need to improve the challenge, especially how the number of customers and the pressure build up.

And yes, the art was AI generated. I don’t see AI creation as inherently bad, though I’d also love to work with an artist on Plug & Prosper or another project. If you know someone interested in collaborating on an unpaid hobby project, send them my way!

I’ve been programming for over ten years, but most of the code in Plug & Prosper was AI generated too. I think it plays well because I understand the systems underneath and can steer the work toward the game I want to make. Maybe that’s the mythical 10× productivity boost without the usual AI slop :P

Thanks again for taking the time to play and share your thoughts!

My entry, Supper Guard, is now playable in browser. Grow ingredients, move supplies with robots and drones, and cook dishes to defend your pantry from hungry foxes.

I’d appreciate feedback on the opening: is it clear how to turn ingredients into working defenses before the first wave?

Play Supper Guard

Hi Meeka, thanks for the thoughtful questions!

1. Direction and narrative: Nothing is set in stone yet. The safest starting point is probably 2D, then exploring the theme when the jam begins, that’s how I approached the previous jams. I’m also exploring pipelines for an actual 3D game with an isometric-style camera. How much story or dialogue we include would depend on the concept we settle on. I’m open to it, but I wouldn’t want to promise a substantial narrative role before we know what the game needs.

2. Tools and workflow: Mainly Godot, various AI tools, and any purpose-built scripts or small test environments we need along the way. For writing, we’d work out how to structure and integrate the content once we know the game’s needs. Contributions would still be managed through GitHub, but we don’t have a specific narrative tool or integration pipeline decided yet.

3. Time commitment: I don’t have one fixed hours-per-week requirement for everyone. We’d agree on each person’s availability and responsibilities before starting. I do expect people to take what they commit to seriously: put real effort into it, communicate, and follow through. Ideally, that effort comes from their own interest in making something good and developing their skills. There’s room to explore ideas, but we’d agree on priorities before spending too much time polishing them, and everyone would need to be comfortable with work being revised or cut—including my own.

4. Open-source plans: Yes, that intention extends beyond code to writing, in-game text, story, tools, and other original work we create for the project and put in the repository. I’m leaning towards an AGPL-like licence for the code, with the creative content also openly licensed, although the exact licences still need to be agreed. It isn’t final, but everyone should join on the understanding that an openly licensed public release of their contributions is a likely outcome. Any third-party material or licensing restrictions would need to be flagged before adding it.

5. Solo and team entries: The current jam rules allow multiple entries as long as they’re significantly different, and welcome both solo developers and teams. That suggests a solo entry alongside a team entry should be fine, but they don’t explicitly address that combination, so I’d confirm with the organiser on Discord.

Hey everyone! I’m putting together a small team to make something more ambitious for this jam.

My game Plug & Prosper won overall in AI Browser Game Jam 4, and White Approach won overall in Micro Jam 64: Mountains in the judges’ vote. I’d like to build on that with people who bring their own skills and ideas.

I’d lead the project, mainly handling game design and overall direction, and step into implementation and performance optimisation where needed. My responsibility would be to keep the scope clear, make decisions, and help everyone’s work fit into one coherent game. More ambitious still needs to mean something we can finish and polish within the jam.

I’m looking for people who are comfortable working independently and owning a part of the game. People who notice problems, raise them, and help solve them without waiting for every task to be assigned. You should know your way around Git and GitHub, or be comfortable using them for the work you contribute.

We’ll move quickly, test ideas, and change direction when something isn’t working. That means being willing to rework or cut things, including my own ideas, while communicating changes so nobody gets left behind. I’d rather agree on a small deliverable and finish it well than promise a lot and leave it half done.

Art, music, sound, code, design, AI workflows: all welcome. What matters is that you can deliver work that fits the game, respond to feedback, and follow through on what you take on. You’ll have room to make decisions within your area.

This is an unpaid hobby collaboration for the jam. I expect a reliable time commitment throughout the jam, based on availability we agree on before starting. If the jam deadline is extended, I’d like us to be open to continuing through that extension and confirm what everyone can commit to.

We’ll build the game in a private GitHub repository on my account, and I’ll add the team as collaborators. My preferred direction is to eventually make the repository and game code open source, so please be comfortable with your code contributions being released under an open-source licence. Treat this as hobby work intended for that direction, and flag any existing code or dependencies with licensing restrictions before adding them. We’ll agree on the specific licence before making the repo public.

If that sounds like your kind of team, reply with something you’ve made, what you’d like to own, and roughly how much time you can give during the jam. A small finished project or a solid prototype is enough. I’d like us to start by comparing our work and finding a direction we’re all excited to build.

You can also reach me at smallloopworks@proton.me.

CLI: Codex CLI linux latest Models: GPT 6 Astra med-max & GPT 5.6 Luna xhigh-max Music: Lyria latest Art: GPT Image 2 Engine: Godot

The concept is fun but the web build is missing quite a few game parts

At first I didn’t quite get it but then I got hooked, very satisfying puzzles to solve, and well thought out!

It’s fun to go around the heli. I also like the retro vibe. it lacks some polish but has a lot of potential in its core loop.

I like this a lot, the gameplay is simple but satisfying and tuned quite well. The big issue I have with it is the jitteriness/shake of the camera, it is quite annoying.

Slicing through the fog is a neat interpretation of the prerequisite! I’d have liked more variety in the timing challenges, different patterns could help develop the mechanic and give the player more to master.

I really like the artillery feel where I have to predict my shots, the game is also on theme, nicely done!

I like the concept a lot, it feels satisfying from the get go. At first I couldn’t tell what I had to do, I attacked my own flags, so maybe a tutorial could be helpful

High score 590, it does get a bit repetitive after a while

One annoying issue: sometimes the sfx are crackling and that takes a lot away from the experience

Thank you for playing and for the feedback, I pushed a patch to address some of the concerns

Hey everyone! White Approach is my small, in-development mountain adventure.

Use a grappling hook and adjustable rope to climb through fog and deep snow, explore dark caves, and discover equipment along the way.

Play in your browser: https://smallloopworks.itch.io/white-approach

Keyboard and mouse required. Windows, Linux, and macOS downloads are also available.

I’d love feedback on how the grappling and rope controls feel, and whether navigating the mountain feels intriguing or just confusing.

Thanks for taking a look!

Punch! Punch! Punch! It’s a fun concept, you have to fight trees, snowman and wolves to survive. Two suggestions: The hitboxes need a bit of work! And music is a bit loud by default, but that might just be my settings.

Thank you for playing! I just finished patching it, the lag was caused by a memory leak. It should play well now!

Thank you for playing, I patched it, the cause was a memory leak with the music

Nice one, well put together

It needs a more coherent and clear setup of menus and scenes, but it’s a satisfying idle with quite a bit of potential!

Fun game, well put together. The core problem is distinct hard hitting player consequence in choices and actions, atm it feels like you can stand there and do nothing and win, kinda like Vampires Survivors once you get a good combinations on easier levels, but the problem here is I don’t feel I earned it.