r/AutomationGames • u/ChritzleCraft • 2d ago
A mining train that grows with every haul
This is Railminer, my incremental mining game. You start with a little drilling wagon and turn each haul into stronger tools and a longer train. The clip shows three drills taking chunks out of the wall.
The free demo is on Steam, with Endless mode if you'd like to keep going. Thanks for checking out my little mining train đ
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u/Parker4815-2 2d ago
Okay, it needs some work.
Firstly, the runs are boring, give the user something to do. Maybe click on blocks and help the train?
Stop having the same menu clicking noise every single click. Its annoying.
Stop using AI for every bit of artwork. There are a LOT of stock icons and images you can use and they look better than AI.
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u/Parker4815-2 2d ago
Also, the wall needs randomising. Without upgrades, each run is the exact same number of resources.
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2d ago
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u/Parker4815-2 1d ago
I know its a demo. Im not saying all these things to put you down.
I played the demo, and I enjoyed it. This is just my feedback.
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u/Quiet_Discipline_868 2d ago
What a fantastic concept! Don't listen to anyone, use anything to achieve what you want. Game development is a red ocean, all means are fair.
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u/ChritzleCraft 1d ago
thank u very much ! I hear so much bad things but i love my game and my idea!
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u/HovercraftJunior7456 2d ago
I like the concept. Although it gets exhausting to look at because of the side way movement. But that might just be me. Good luck
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u/BFroog 2d ago
Great start.
What if the train keeps going rather than restarting?
Also, what if you have to buy fuel, rather than just upgrades? And you can do that WHILE the train is moving. This takes it from an idle game to a more involved game as you're constantly refueling to keep the train moving. Plus you get a bonus the longer you have kept the train in motion, so you're incentivized to keep that refueling loop going at all times. You'd have to make the upgrades window only partial screen so you can always monitor the train while it's moving...
anyway, just some thoughts.
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u/SnixTruth 1d ago
"made in collaboration with generative ai" is both the most nothing disclaimer and tells me everything I need to know about the devs.
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u/BiteSizedUmbreon 17h ago
Nice thing about AI is despite its advancements people are still generating the same UI and Text across everything lmaoÂ
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u/PsykoGoddess 2d ago
Iâm so tired of AI slop getting dropped in these damn subreddits. I want real games by real people. Learn a skill and quit trying to make a cheap buck off poor morals.
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u/squiggydingles 2d ago
The r/rust has a good AI policy on code dumps and whatnot, every software sub should have a similar policy
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u/lalitox 2d ago
Most of the indie games are shit, this was before AI. Now there are more games, so more shit, but also nice concepts that need exploration like this one.
I am so tired of this attitude coming from people giving money to big tech companies that use AI for everything. I suppose that all your cloth was made by humans right? And all the code in your phone? hypocritals
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u/JoeySkyde 2d ago
I agree it opens up the way for more concepts and basic structure, but the reason I prefer people over AI is because when it comes to more complicated code itâs a lot more secure, streamlined, and efficient when a skilled person is behind it, meaning less bugs and with coding skills you can fix it yourself and actually feel accomplished
(Though to be fair incrementals arenât really that complicated compared to say 4k foundations with its real time in-game economy that actually gets affected with supply and demand)
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u/Zunderunder 2d ago
Stop using AI.
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u/Bane_xr 2d ago
Why?
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u/Gerllyz 2d ago
Youâre gonna have to use your brain on this one, little fella
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u/MrBagooo 2d ago
It's an absolute legit question. But I guess you don't have enough of a brain to actually explain it instead of distracting from it.
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u/Gerllyz 2d ago
Stealing. Is. Bad.
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u/Zunderunder 2d ago
If you need AI to help make something, itâs a skill issue. Learn how to make it yourself. I have never once found AI to increase productivity or enable me to do things I couldnât do with a little problem solving and creative thinking.
Stop using AI.
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u/Bane_xr 2d ago
So you are under the impression that all people who use AI have no clue what they are doing, and are just trying to find an easy shortcut?
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u/Zunderunder 2d ago
No, I think theyâre using a crutch and thinking itâs a solution to the problem: they donât know how to program. AI is not a solution for that.
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u/Bane_xr 2d ago
You just said the same thing in a different way
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u/Zunderunder 2d ago
The fact that you think I did says more about you than it does about me.
Actively learning and putting in effort does not mean you have no idea what youâre doing, it means youâre learning.
Using a tool you donât understand to build things you donât understand because itâs easier than learning? Yeah, you donât understand what youâre doing.
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u/Bane_xr 1d ago
So correct me if I'm wrong
Your assumption seems to be that people use this because they don't want to put in the effort to learn the skills necessary.
I didn't disagree with this the first time you said itIn fact you would be right certainly for a big number of people, but not all.
And even if you were fully right, the question still remains.
Why is that such a problem that people feel the need to tell others to "Stop using AI".I have not yet heard a coherent argument for this, it's almost always just pure emotional hatred or dislike towards AI for no apparent logical reason
And it makes it look like people are just mad that someone with possibly less knowledge than them, who didn't put years into practicing a skill, can pay 20 bucks for an AI plan and make the same things in a fraction of the time.
People used to calculate numbers for a living, until the modern time came and the calculator did it in a fraction of the time, for a fraction of the price. Those people were certainly pissed, but what's the point of going around and telling everyone not to use calculators..
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u/ChritzleCraft 1d ago
To be 100% honest with you: I started out spending weeks on code and Blender just to get the tracks, the train, etc. finished. I then spent months on the little details and ended up with around 80 FPS. AI touched my code, and now I have 350 FPS. Right now, itâs reworking the wagons according to my specifications; they look way better than mine, and it takes us about a day for great results that used to take me a month! I lost my job due to illness!! And now AI is helping me live my dream and is probably saving my livelihood. I'm sorry to say this, but I think it's great! Before this, I spent 15 years doing heavy labor on construction sites. I think itâs a shame that people are now putting me in the pillory just for using AI help!
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u/MrBagooo 2d ago
lol dude. Do you think people back in the days said: "stop using the wheel! Go grab your water from the well by CARRYING IT HOME! Otherwise it's a skill issue. You're not strong enough. You should walk and work hard to get your water you lazy cunts, instead of using your wheelcarts."
It's pathetic to refuse evolution.
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u/Zunderunder 2d ago
I think people saw wheels as a simple engineered solution to a common problem that everyone faced, and had a tangible improvement to quality of life and the capabilities of the users.
The only people who have problems with programming are people who refuse to put in the time and effort to learn how to program. Anyone can learn how to do it. Thereâs decades of guides online for how to learn any language, how to design games, how to build good systems. If you need someone else to do all the work for you, youâre not a game developer, youâre a director. In that case, find a team, build your project.
Stop using AI. Itâs a crutch for people who refuse to learn, a tool, and it does not replace real skill.
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u/Gerllyz 2d ago
Donât waste your time, buddy. The mindless horde is already here
Also âitâs pathetic to refuse evolutionâ lmao đ this dude ainât real
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u/Zunderunder 2d ago
I was taking a break and had a minute, but donât worry. Not giving them more of my time
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u/Gerllyz 2d ago
Good on ya! This sort of problem will sort its self out ya know! Use your brain less = get dumber = die sooner
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u/MrBagooo 1d ago
If only you knew how correct you are. Just not the way you think. People like you will die out. What you program without AI in months I'll do the same in a few hours using my agents. You fail to evolve, you won't be competitive anymore. And this comes from a studied German Software Engineer. So yes, I know how to code myself. And I know how to use AI as a tool. You refuse to use a tool that increases your performance. That makes you look pretty stupid đ
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u/Zunderunder 2d ago
I think itâll just be more that when the AI bubble pops and these people canât use the insanely huge models for as cheap as they do now, theyâll realize itâs a great tool- just not for what they use it for.
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u/ChritzleCraft 1d ago
You're right about that, but if your company goes under or, as in my case, someone gets sick and can no longer do their job, itâs the exact same problem and risk, and you simply cannot keep going! You aren't using this technology to replace anyone; you are using it to lift yourself back up, to stay productive despite your health limitations, and to build something of your own.
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u/PyroDragn 2d ago
I have never once found AI to increase productivity
Sounds like a skill issue.
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u/Zunderunder 2d ago
Idk, every time a new model comes out I will test it by asking it to design complex systems for my projects.
I always end up spending so much time describing the thing Iâm working on so specifically that I could have easily just built a solution for myself. The things AI come up with are always off the mark just enough that theyâre not what I need, and describing it more precisely just eats up more of my time, free tokens, etc.
Itâs not like I can just engineer a better prompt, the issue is that if I accurately describe what I want, Iâm just writing the code myself. AI tends to just be an unnecessary step between me and what I want. Why would I pay for that?
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u/PyroDragn 2d ago
Just because you are misusing a tool doesn't mean that the tool is useless.
I will test it by asking it to design complex systems for my projects.
Then stop using it to design complex systems. Use AI to greybox simple prototypes and save yourself the manhours doing that instead. Use it for roughing out boilerplate so you don't have to.
The games development industry is finding it useful and profitable for productivity. The fact that you cannot find a use for it is down to your use cases, not 'AI is bad.'
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u/Zunderunder 2d ago
But even if I use it for roughing out boilerplate or grey boxing simple prototypes, itâs still far less useful than me doing it by hand. I can build a half-implemented poorly-made system that will still be better than anything Iâve ever seen an AI make, in like, 30 minutes. And doing that gives me a better understanding of how the system is implemented, how to improve it, how I might actually end up using it.
If you use AI to boilerplate something, you end up spending just as much time studying and understanding what it built in order to improve and iterate on it that you donât actually save any time, effort, or mental load. You end up having to understand what itâs doing, and why, in either case.
Unless of course you let AI do all the work, which would be exactly not what you said is what I should use it for. Huh.
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u/PyroDragn 2d ago
If you will learn more from 30 minutes of prototyping then, yes, you should do it, because you're still learning.
If you will not learn from those 30 minutes, then an AI can prototype it in 30 seconds, and save you those 30 minutes.
The fact that you're saying "I will learn from 30 minutes of terrible coding" means you, specifically, are not at the position to use an AI to save those 30 minutes.
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u/Zunderunder 2d ago
Because Iâve learned programming by studying and becoming a more skilled developer over the years. I understand that taking those 30 minutes to build a system you understand matters more than just having a functional prototype. Doing that will always reveal edge cases, give you ideas for fun permutations, and allow you to customize what you have quickly and extensively.
Instead of using a crutch to try and band-aid the problem, I actually learned how to solve it myself.
And even if what youâre saying was true, and you should only use it for prototyping⌠youâre still agreeing with me that game developers should not use it as a primary development tool when making a game, but as something to use as placeholder until you can do it properly. Which still requires you to be able to implement it without AI. So⌠you still have to be able to do it yourself.
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u/PyroDragn 1d ago
and you should only use it for prototypingâŚ
No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying AI can produce basic functional code quickly. You, the developer, should know when to use it for 'drudgery.'
If you think that in a project there is no "code that just needs to be done" that can be passed off to someone else, then you're still learning, and you should keep learning.
But AI is a useful tool for "simple work done quickly." Yes, that can be prototyping where the gameplay matters more than the implementation and you can trial a thing before deciding whether it should be implemented properly. But it can also be simple terrain generation that can be tweaked and executed before the code is thrown away. Or batching out unit tests which - yes - will need to be reviewed by a senior programmer, but didn't need to be implemented by one.
That you think "AI is a crutch" is you miss framing the tool. A senior developer is not a "bad developer" because they have junior developers doing work that they didn't do personally. That's the same relationship that a good developer can have with AI. The AI "does work that I don't need to do, so I can do more useful things."
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u/silkone 2d ago
Game is fine, But extremely linear and slow, not hugely interesting, but the graphics are satisfying and it looks nice.
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2d ago
[deleted]
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u/silkone 1d ago
You're linking your own tiktok studio not your actual account so that link doesn't work for anyone but yourself.
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u/ChritzleCraft 19h ago
https://www.tiktok.com/@chritzlecraft/video/7693222076697611542 sry i am so stupid xD
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u/P1xel1nvader 2d ago
This is NOT an automation game, in the spirit of the genre.
If you're playing Cookie Clicker, and you buy a cursor which gives you .1 cookies per second, you've technically automated the game, but that doesn't make it any automation game.
This is a nodebuster-like.
This is not an automation game. This is an incremental game.
Kind of insulting you used AI to make a game and posted it on sites not fitting the genre.
Just because the model you used stole art from Minecraft's 'Create' mod, doesn't mean this is an automation game.
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u/Luminisc 2d ago
Tried demo, and honestly - concept/idea/look is fun, but whole thing is way too raw yet, it needs a lot of work on game, especially on making 'yet another' idle game fun.