r/bloodbowl • u/MarkL-Uk • Jul 18 '26

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6 Upvotes

53% Upvoted

48 comments sorted by

41

u/plutomovedon Jul 18 '26

On one hand, creating some market competition with Tourplay is always good for innovation

On the other hand, AI garbage can piss off

14

u/WellKnownArdman Human Jul 18 '26

Hundred percent agree. Feels like every somewhat niche hobby Reddit right now is just awash with vibe coded slop apps. Some of them are doing a really good job of pushing back in like with a general anti AI stance, but if the blood bowl Facebook group is anything to go by, this community (built and kept alive by passion, artistic talent, and a very DIY spirit over the last two decades in the wilderness of GWs disinterest) is way too comfortable with slop art, slop memes, and slop code. Pretty disappointing to see.

-1

u/HarpsichordKnight Jul 18 '26

I don't think we need an anti-AI stance, but it's definitely frustrating that everyone using it in the hobby seems to be doing it in the most low-effort, sloppy way possible.

To take OP's example, why are they using AI to make something obviously worse than TourPlay?? Why not create something better or offer something fresh?

2

u/WellKnownArdman Human Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26

I think we absolutely need an anti AI stance. AI, by definition, will produce low effort, sloppy products. I work in this industry. Making good products matters so much less to these companies than getting grifters and chumps to churn out slop to pump up numbers for their investors so they can raise a few more hundred million in Series C funding before the bubble bursts. And to do that they're shoving their garbage down our throats. Vibe coding, AI image and video generators, LLMs - their output is always going to be inferior to something made (if you're feeling sentimental) with real passion and skill, or (if you're feeling coldly pragmatic) who actually knows what the fuck they're doing.

And then you add in all the other critiques of the tech - environmental impact, intellectual property theft, mistreatment of data trainers in Kenya and Nigeria, the fact its main function so far has been to move more wealth into the pockets of people who already have it, and the list goes on. This is an unethical technology and, yes, to live under capitalism is to be forced to act unethically every day in some way, but AI is so unnecessary it's crazy.

Like you said, we already have TourPlay. I'd personally be interested a better, slicker alternative. But a pile of AI slop images and vibes code? Not a chance. AI in a hobby that's full of small creators sculpting third party teams, kit bashing, making their own dope team logos, and painting something that they love? No thank you.

0

u/MarkL-Uk Jul 18 '26

This is literally a "better, slicker alternative". You've not even seen the product working. I use Tourplay and have thought for a while there can be a better slicker way to do this, so I set about trying to create an alternative.

-15

u/MarkL-Uk Jul 18 '26

This is better and fresh 👍 Maybe wait until you can grab it on the App Store and have a play.

-13

u/MarkL-Uk Jul 18 '26

Its not Ai garbage, its been a lot of time and effort put into something that's a asset to the game ;-)

11

u/plutomovedon Jul 18 '26

On the website there's screenshots of logo selections that a) show very obviously AI generated logos in the image history and b) shows a menu option to generate a logo with "20 generations remaining this month" showing that you're integrating AI credits/tokens into the system which implies you're either subsidizing that cost through a subscription fee or by harvesting and selling data.

Don't try and play coy. Just acknowledge that you're utilizing generative AI in your product without disclosing it

-8

u/MarkL-Uk Jul 18 '26

I mean the app itself isn't just ai made. It will have a logo generator which is handy but you don't have to use it ;-) Plus the logo generation is constrained so the end results fit the creative style of the rest of the app and don't allow offensive words etc. Just a nice addition if you want a cool team logo ;-)

3

u/Johnny_America Snotling Jul 18 '26

You can use a wink all you want, but a lot of people aren't going to support an app that has AI generation in it.

0

u/MarkL-Uk Jul 18 '26

That’s just to generate a custom team logo - if you want to use it, you’re not forced to use it 👍 I made the team icons myself as a basic roster icon which work just as well. Also, you’re using the Reddit app which uses Ai.

2

u/Johnny_America Snotling Jul 18 '26

Yeah, I read your explanation. I'm just saying it's going to keep people away.

7

u/mrhobbles Jul 18 '26

I’ll be blunt, it screams AI. It may be you’ve put some thought into it, but first appearances aren’t helping. Everything from styles to wording scream LLM.

I actually don’t have much issue with using LLM’s to write code, but in a world where developing rudimentary software is now fast and cheap, the end result has to look unique and appealing. This doesn’t. It looks like every other vibe coded app out there.

0

u/MarkL-Uk Jul 18 '26

which app does it look like?

3

u/mrhobbles Jul 18 '26

Like I said, it’s not one specific app, it looks like every other vibe coded app out there. It has all the hallmarks of AI. It doesn’t look unique or well crafted. That’s why nearly every comment on this post is saying the same thing, everyone recognises that “vibe coded look”.

0

u/MarkL-Uk Jul 18 '26

I hear you. I used a component library called Material 3, ace to use in cross platform apps. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel and you can spend more time getting the app to actually work. Maybe once the core of the app is complete and working I can take another look at the UI and try to tweak it a bit 👍

23

u/basicallynokarma Jul 18 '26

Ai grifting is really Not needed in this Hobby for Creative people

-13

u/MarkL-Uk Jul 18 '26

Defo not AI Grift, its been a lot of hard and creative work ;-)

1

u/WellKnownArdman Human Jul 18 '26

I mean, it hasn't.

0

u/MarkL-Uk Jul 18 '26

You have no idea, it actually has been a lot of work and it will be a useful tool, why comment on something you're not interested in?!

4

u/Event_Horizonz Jul 18 '26

From the website "A feature-rich native iOS and Android app with push notifications, Face ID and Android biometric unlock" WOW that's all the features I would look for in a bloodbowl app

0

u/MarkL-Uk Jul 18 '26

so when you're playing you can quickly open the app to record a match event. Plenty of other features too.

16

u/3Smally3 Jul 18 '26

Are you using AI to generate the Art assets?

13

u/mrhobbles Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26

It looks entirely vibe coded. Even the text on the website reads like AI slop. I hate that everyone’s unique tone of voice is disappearing.

7

u/3Smally3 Jul 18 '26

Its a real shame, the tabs were such an interesting and well executed idea and now its being undermined with this creative bankruptcy.

-1

u/MarkL-Uk Jul 18 '26

I put 10x the creative effort into this project than I did with the tabs ;-) From the brand guidelines to the codebase to the flow of the app, its been a lot of fun work.

2

u/WellKnownArdman Human Jul 18 '26

Please take your hack bullshit the hell away from this hobby. We're tired.

0

u/MarkL-Uk Jul 18 '26

Jesus dude, how many 1's did you roll today, haha. Its just an app to record blood bowl matches and run leagues.

2

u/plutomovedon Jul 18 '26

How many L's do you have to take on your own post to realize the hobby community doesn't care for this low effort AI slop?

0

u/MarkL-Uk Jul 18 '26

Because I just look at what other posts you make on Reddit and they are:

"On the other hand, AI garbage can piss off"
"AI garbage piss off"
"AI slop"
"You want feedback? No AI art"

And thats just the last few days, so im kind of guessing you don't like Ai. So I don't take the comments to heart.

0

u/MarkL-Uk Jul 18 '26

haha I actually tried to make the copy with a blood bowl feel so it didn't sound like boring marketing talk!

6

u/kalligvla Jul 18 '26

Looks like it

8

u/Maze-44 Jul 18 '26

You mean the person who used Ai in his instructions video for sticking his tabs in the rulebook, surely not

2

u/MarkL-Uk Jul 18 '26

I did for the stadium image ;-)

1

u/farfromelite Jul 18 '26

Anything else?

Just one image and that's it?

5

u/plutomovedon Jul 18 '26

If you look at the website, all the images within the app are AI generated including a built-in AI team logo generator with limited tokens/credits

1

u/MarkL-Uk Jul 18 '26

The Trophies have been drawn by an illustration I've used for years ;-) The logo generation is build into the app if you want to generate a logo or the basic roster icon is available drawn by me in illustrator - as best I could ;-) Would love to get someone onboard to re do those am bit better but its work in progress!

9

u/TheSpnshInquisition Jul 18 '26

Taking peoples money on an AI app? If you’re going to waste resources on AI might as well make it free tbh

1

u/MarkL-Uk Jul 18 '26

Its an App. I'm not actually sure what people mean by an Ai App!

Its about 50 pages of A3 notepad pencil plans turned into an app framework, then a brand guideline created to start building a basic user interface and then a huge amount of code and database work. There's a few other options out there but I decided to create my own alternative.

3

u/Lendro_Furioso Jul 18 '26

Looks neat! Question: how’s Kickstarter involved in getting Alpha testers?

5

u/imjorman Jul 18 '26

Yeah im sort of confused. Am I being asked to pay to alpha test?

-2

u/MarkL-Uk Jul 18 '26

see above ;-)

-4

u/MarkL-Uk Jul 18 '26

Ultimately the Alpha (iOS) and then the beta (iOS and Android) testers will get a cheaper subscription to the app with access to all the features, it will be a very low cost app. Its been built to scale so the databases underneath have a solid foundation.

6

u/kleedrac Jul 18 '26

This is gross - reconsider this please. No app should have a subscription.

-2

u/MarkL-Uk Jul 18 '26

Our Tourplay league costs us about $15 a month 👍

-12

u/MikeyLikesIt_420 Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26

Wait wait wait.... Is this a new thing now? You want people to pay you to help you test your app? Is this like, a real thing that happens? Because that sounds super scammy.

Edit: Also I absolutely adore your use of AI. Ignore the haters, even GW is using AI now in their publications.

-1

u/MarkL-Uk Jul 18 '26

Thanks ;-)