As said further up, if you could make the code available on cogdemos (it’s in the settings) people could have a look. There are likely many more here who will easily help polish things than breaking them.
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i dont want it! i dont polish! im not here for polishing! its my style! say it’s horrible, say im the worst writer, but if i wanted to change i wouldve 1 year ago. i dont care if it gets bad reviews, hate, but please please please please please it’s not i’ts not no not AI !!!
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Hi Dazial,
I saw your Reddit post and, being nosey, popped into this thread. I don’t know the ins and outs…
Remember, for your project, most things get focused into this one thread, and there’s a bit of a splash into Reddit. AI is a hot-button topic; people jump on it. It might seem overwhelming. But it is not as bad as it seems. You had lots of encouraging comments before the drama unfolded.
Hosted Games are for anyone to make a game. Sometimes people overlook this; we are not all code-savvy. Many people just want to help. The community is, generally, friendly and willing to do this.
BTW, I enjoyed your imagery-focused writing. It is unusual and experimental. An HG game is perfect for this. It will not be everybody’s cup of tea, but then nothing is.
You have completed a project and put some heart and soul into it. I may not be getting the full picture, but I know it hurts when things we make get criticised. By completing a project in your own style, you have done something you can be proud of.
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Idk if I’m doing this right I haven’t dropped a comment in so long but I want you, the author, to know I appreciate your work and no matter how you do it, progress is progress. Stay positive. It’s not personal cup of tea when it comes to choice of games but I feel like the backlash is unwarranted. So from me to you here’s a thumbs up! No bodies work should be dragged down simply because others dislike its quality and ignore someone’s drive to improve.
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I get that, but the pricing, for all we know, is determined by wordcount. So even if you disclose that you had to write the entire thing twice because code acted up, if you have the wordcount for a higher pricing category, it will (again, for all we know how pricing works) likely end up at the higher price. (mods etc please correct me on this)
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I don’t think this conversation is appropriate to have right now while emotions are running as high as they are. @Dazial I’ve responded to your message; let me or another moderator know when you are feeling calmer about the situation and we’ll happily reopen the thread.
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I understand things have been tough for you Dazial, but i hope you dont give up writing.
I quite enjoyed your story, there were a few parts that felt odd but nothing that would lead me to calling it ai. I know things must have been very stressful and upsetting for you but i sincerely hope things feel better for you.
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I remember this WIP. I played the demo in 2024, couldn’t get into it. Didn’t really like the writing style. Crazy how there was this whole witch hunt going on. Felt like it was some writing from a young person who’s inexperienced. That’s it.
Also yeah, I remember in 2024 ai images were floated around all kinds of wips and no one really received any backlash. I feel like you received a lot of undue hate for this. Hope you’re doing okay.
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i remember when i played this and really enjoyed it, hope you’re doing better now buddy
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Hey all, I’m doing good. Seems people believe it’s not AI anymore. Any criticisms feel free to share! Hate as much as you want. Just don’t say it’s AI and take away all my hard work (literal hundreds of hours) 
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oh yeah, so the sequel’s up on patreon.
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I played the demo last year and really liked it. It felt somewhat relatable, and I understand it has writing style is a bit different from the usual, tho’ I was emotionally invested.
I was a bit confused these past few months while trying to find recent updates, did the old thread disappear? But then suddenly I saw it was released on the COG demos.
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the old thread was closed due to inactivity
Hi author,
I’m late here, but I just wanted to say the AI accusations in this thread was just honestly bizarre to read. Your writing has room to improve (don’t we all), but AI was the last thing on my mind reading your demo. The ideas were fresh, the imagery immersive, and overall just fun in a very much un-mechanical way. There is a kind of soul and whimsy in this story that an artificial machine could never dream to imitate.
I do have questions though, and I want to pick your brain on them if that’s fine.
What do you mean when you write comparisons like “Grass as green as aloe vera” and “The wind causes her clothing to flutter like blanket laundry drying out in the sun”? Because they definitely paint a picture, but they feel like they’re trying to evoke a feeling that I’m just not understanding. I feel like (and this might just be the curtains being blue here) the grass field is supposed to be healing for the character, as healing as aloe vera, which fits great with the rest of the section rather beautifully; but like beanstalks in a field, it might need some more material for support as it grows. If you’re open to feedback, I recommend treating metaphors with a tres hermanas approach; work the idea with other literary techniques so that they symbiotically paint a more complete picture. Feed the reader a little, you know?
Metaphors and allusions can be hard to balance between having them go over the reader’s head and beating them on the nose with, so how much “elaboration” you use is up to you (I once had to write an essay for a job resume and I wrote it all in nautical terms, it was atrocious. The job was tech suppport.)
But of course, your writing style is your own. I hope that it develops to your liking, and that your career in writing will be filled with enough joy to drown out the sorrow. The human in you deserves nothing less.
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thanks for the feedback! I’ll consider your advice.
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To add to the metaphor example from above:
This is something that left some people scratching their heads to what you are trying to say. Phrasings as the above can read as oddly redundant, as they can be interpreted as:
‘The grass was green like grass/a green plant’ and ‘The fabric fluttered in the wind like fabric in the wind’.
This isn’t what you meant, but as Entemos said, it needs a bit more to paint a complete picture.
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@Dazial I know you’re hypersensitive over the AI drama, but part of the deal with publishing with HG is that the game needs to be put up for a beta test. And people will tell you if they feel something needs to be improved. If the criticism is constructive, you can edit your game or not, but be aware that criticism once it hits the stores the reviews you will get will probably get nastier and less constructive. (I speak from personal experience). You may wish to consider if your mental health can take that before proceeding with publishing. If you do not wish meltingpenguins to comment further, just advise them this. You do not have to make the additional comments that were made. It stirs up unnecessary drama.
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