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« Last post by JG on Today at 09:39:04 am »
Microsoft and SquareEnix are taking opposite directions to arrive at the same non-relevance goal.
A short time back, SquareEnix sold off all their western studios, in part to pay for debt incurred by major flops in Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Balan Wonderworld. This has robbed SquareEnix of any insight into western player's likes and dislikes, and as a result their games have generally gotten worse. They are now so Japan-centric they are making bad management decisions based on a Japan-only sales plan, instead of the actuality of a worldwide sales plan. Dragon Quest X Offline being the prime example: a game designed with intent to sell outside of Japan to complement the Online version only available in Japan but yet hasn't left Japan because they don't want to localize it, even though they'd supposedly had it in the original development budget. As a mainline DQ game, its sales are expected to greatly exceed the localization and distribution costs, so no one really knows what the holdup is, except SquareEnix's own admission that it didn't sell as well in Japan as hoped (and expected by everyone else) and hesitant to pull the trigger on the action that would make them money, on the fear of losing more money because they no longer understand (or listen to) their fans in the west.
Microsoft just shuttered a number of their smaller studios, including their lone Japanese studio, TangoGames. So Microsoft Gaming division now has no presence in Japan. They've always had trouble selling Xboxes there, in part because their games are typically for western audiences and don't always get localized to Japanese, but to pull out entirely seems unwise in the wake of SquareEnix's similar troubles in the reverse direction. Microsoft, if they have any intention of continuing to compete in the hardware space, absolutely has to get their Japan sales problem solved. They can't be running at just 1-2% of market share and expect to get the Japanese third party studios to continue to buy-in to making Xbox ports (and recent trends are showing that they indeed aren't.) This worked in the prior two generations because they had a healthy 30-40% of the worldwide market, but now they're dragging at about 10% and I don't think many studios (Japanese or western) think its a worthwhile investment anymore. The real kicker is that one of the highest rated exclusive games for Xbox in the last year and change, Hi-Fi Rush, came from TangoGames, and it was widely assumed it would be one of the previous-Xbox exclusives coming to Switch this year (having just ported to PS5 in March) and was, until this announcement, a favorite to appear in the upcoming June Nintendo Direct. Why Microsoft would close a studio immediately after it's made a hit game that can potentially port to the most popular console is absolutely bizarre thinking.
It seems SquareEnix doesn't want to care about anything but Japan, and Microsoft Gaming doesn't want to care about anything but the west, to the detriment of fans and shareholders. Maybe, just maybe, if SquareEnix continues to flounder and finally goes into bankruptcy, Microsoft can buy them and together they can figure out a solution to each other's woes. (I personally don't want to see Microsoft buy SquareEnix, but can't deny they would make curious bedfellows.)
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This is nice stuff man. Was just thinking, might be able to do something if we collab, pool our resources together. Create something 3D, including animation if want to take it that far. Currently on a commission atm (next 20-30 days), but if you're interesting in collaborating to be happy to. Primarily make models via Blender/Substance for Virt-A-Mate. (and this isn't a plug for it) See my stuff here if interested. https://hub.virtamate.com/media/users/phantasystarfan.4058/https://hub.virtamate.com/resources/authors/phantasystarfan.4058/Been experimenting doing more stylized stuff, namely Black Widow from the DCAU, which is obviously more Western animation style but should also be applicable to Viper. Although it's called Virt-A-Mate, don't need a VR headset for it, for animations it's fairly easy to use as well. But if want to wholly ignore it and just make 3D models in Z/Blender be down with that.
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« Last post by redhome on Yesterday at 01:20:08 pm »
Sorry I dont really think AI can make u arts imo and many others, I rather just do my own art yes I use programs to make digital art but not AI.
AI dos not make ur "Skills" better or make u be a better arts, just a easy way to make art if ppl plan to call them self arts by making AI art will never be art and ar not arts them self, it the program that did it all.
I do think toos work (Photoshop, etc) to help make digital art. Editing and making drawings and stuff is not the same thing.
My usual way of doing things, is to be open to anything and the most important part: to try it out for myself. That broadens the perspective and is usually the way to go (for me). But I see we both look at this from different sides. It is what it is. 
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« Last post by Saika on May 06, 2024, 11:35:33 pm »
Sorry I dont really think AI can make u arts imo and many others, I rather just do my own art yes I use programs to make digital art but not AI.
AI dos not make ur "Skills" better or make u be a better arts, just a easy way to make art if ppl plan to call them self arts by making AI art will never be art and ar not arts them self, it the program that did it all.
I do think toos work (Photoshop, etc) to help make digital art. Editing and making drawings and stuff is not the same thing.
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« Last post by redhome on May 06, 2024, 06:18:20 am »
I know its a little off topic talking about AI, my feeling are sticking about it specially to just for ppl that think they are arts when there really not. Im a high beliver that anyone can draw and be arts, we improve over time, I havent spend 20+ year drawing just to see other ppl using AI to call them selfs arts. Many ppl specially arts are againts it. AI is super easy to know when its use and I do hope it dosent come a "tool" like u just stated.
Using AI for this type of things I dont fine much of a problem, I cant control u or aint ur mother. I know ur just using AI to "provide" nw stuff and imo restore art I have no problme with how ur using it in this way. Viper already ran its peak and dont think it would come back... and thats a maybe, I really have no idea.
Im a old school arts, paper and pencil and I really dont sell my hand work even tho I do digital I rather not at the moment, I rather improve my own skills even more as well my art style but thats me talk.
As long as ur doing it for the love of the what u like (Sogna) and doing it for good motives and I do think I can hope to see more AI stuff, ppl still do fan art of Sogna characters even tho fue ppl know about the games in general, but ppl still draw some of the popular characters after all.
just do what U wanna do with AI and hope to see some good stuff and well dont benefit and call it ur own art, do hope I make a little sences.
I think I know what you're getting at - and understand your point. The question is: do you think digital art is art? Or is "pen and paper" art - everything else is "easy", because of low effort. You see, digital art in itself (see Photoshop, Krita, Affinity etc.) are also tools that support the artist - or allow others to create art (not sure, if there is just one definition of art - or if art is the process of creating something that wasn't there in the first place?). In any case the world turns. Which means there are people who love art that was created (and mastered) in real life. Others do the same with art that was solely created with digital tools (see above). AI art is also art - and believe me when I say that you can spend countless hours to perfect "AI art", because the AI output is not always what you want, but something that was created by your "prompt" - but doesn't match your imagination. That gets me back to the "tool" - AI (in the sense of AI image generators) are tools you can use to perfect your own art. But it's not limited to that and that's the beauty of that technology. People who just enter "Big titty goth woman sitting on a chair, style of Leonardo Davinci" and then print that on mugs and sell it, is very low effort. But AI can do so much more. And that's why I think (personal opinion) that it will become much, much more in the future. I suggest looking a bit at the Krita Diffusion plugin I mentioned in my first post. It's really magical - and if anything AI can help with shifting the perspective and then do it by hand. This doesn't invalidate any real artists effort to do it "by hand" or get better at her/his craft. But the world is not black and white, I think that is what I am trying to say.
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« Last post by Saika on May 06, 2024, 05:46:17 am »
Wanted to take up 3D sculpting,
its gonna be a while until a get good, though. I need more practice.
A WIP Cala sculpt, and a WIP Maranello sculpt.
Practices makes perfect, only way to get better is doing it over and over again. HOPPING SUCCESS and wish u all the power of good luck and wating for it.
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« Last post by Saika on May 06, 2024, 05:44:40 am »
As I said, it's a controversial topic. I am with you on the "selling part". This thing for me is very problematic, too. The part where it's about a tool that supports the artist - and let's be real, in a few years AI will be standard in most tools we're using on a day to day basis - I am fully pro AI. It should be a technology that helps, but everything that helps can also be used for "other purposes". Hence the selling part (of artwork from other people).
For me the VIPER series is something that I used to know (a lot better) a few years ago and just got back too, because of nostalgia. I also collect old stuff from the Nintendo (NES, SNES - Famicom) era. There too is something called "new retro". Which is basically stuff from the old days, but new. This includes certain art styles (in games or cover artwork, which wouldn't be created nowdays anymore, because there is no big market for it - see "Limited Run" (and others)).
To me this is more of an experiment and maybe for showing what's possible. Without looking too much on the positive or negative side.
I know its a little off topic talking about AI, my feeling are sticking about it specially to just for ppl that think they are arts when there really not. Im a high beliver that anyone can draw and be arts, we improve over time, I havent spend 20+ year drawing just to see other ppl using AI to call them selfs arts. Many ppl specially arts are againts it. AI is super easy to know when its use and I do hope it dosent come a "tool" like u just stated. Using AI for this type of things I dont fine much of a problem, I cant control u or aint ur mother. I know ur just using AI to "provide" nw stuff and imo restore art I have no problme with how ur using it in this way. Viper already ran its peak and dont think it would come back... and thats a maybe, I really have no idea. Im a old school arts, paper and pencil and I really dont sell my hand work even tho I do digital I rather not at the moment, I rather improve my own skills even more as well my art style but thats me talk. As long as ur doing it for the love of the what u like (Sogna) and doing it for good motives and I do think I can hope to see more AI stuff, ppl still do fan art of Sogna characters even tho fue ppl know about the games in general, but ppl still draw some of the popular characters after all. just do what U wanna do with AI and hope to see some good stuff and well dont benefit and call it ur own art, do hope I make a little sences.
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« Last post by redhome on May 06, 2024, 05:19:42 am »
As I said, it's a controversial topic. I am with you on the "selling part". This thing for me is very problematic, too. The part where it's about a tool that supports the artist - and let's be real, in a few years AI will be standard in most tools we're using on a day to day basis - I am fully pro AI. It should be a technology that helps, but everything that helps can also be used for "other purposes". Hence the selling part (of artwork from other people).
For me the VIPER series is something that I used to know (a lot better) a few years ago and just got back too, because of nostalgia. I also collect old stuff from the Nintendo (NES, SNES - Famicom) era. There too is something called "new retro". Which is basically stuff from the old days, but new. This includes certain art styles (in games or cover artwork, which wouldn't be created nowdays anymore, because there is no big market for it - see "Limited Run" (and others)).
To me this is more of an experiment and maybe for showing what's possible. Without looking too much on the positive or negative side.
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« Last post by Saika on May 05, 2024, 04:36:57 pm »
As long as ppl are not selling AI...
Same, This is why I'm so annoyed by people selling Viper AI art on the Yahoo Auctions
That stuff should be mocked and reported imo, like I hate Konami (example) cus greed but, I dont go out and buy bootleg playmats. Reason Y I buy original playmats not only cus its original art from the arts but I can get more money out of em IF I need to sell em. Also u suport the orginal thing ur play/Fan off.
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« Last post by 黒い灯影 on May 05, 2024, 02:11:07 am »
As long as ppl are not selling AI...
Same, This is why I'm so annoyed by people selling Viper AI art on the Yahoo Auctions
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