Using AI to help you make Video Games (the Easy way) 2024

In the last video, we discussed the best AI tools for game development in 2024 and why it's better to embrace this new and miraculous technology, rather than fear it. Today, I'm going to show you how to use these tools in practice by creating a simple game jam-style game with the help of AI.

Coming Up with the Game Idea

The first step is getting an idea for your game. While many expect an immediate consultation with ChatGPT, this is where human creativity shines. As the game developer, your love for the game idea will reflect in both the making and playing process. After some brainstorming, I decided to create a 3D platformer rage game where all surfaces are frictionless, and the player moves by shooting a shotgun and being pushed by the recoil. After a few levels, the player will also get a grappling gun to swing and build momentum.

Project Setup and Player Movement

I began by creating a new Unity project and setting up our player. Traditional WASD movement was unnecessary due to the frictionless surfaces, but looking around was still crucial. Here, I assigned this task to my digital assistant, ChatGPT. After tweaking its response and pasting it back into Unity, the rotation didn't feel as smooth as expected. ChatGPT made the same common mistake even seasoned professionals like Brackeys have made—multiplying Input.GetAxis by Time.deltaTime, which already accounts for frame rate independently in Unity.

Despite this hiccup, ChatGPT nailed the player's jump mechanism perfectly on the first try.

Modeling the Shotgun

The next task was creating the shotgun. Although 3D modeling can be a significant hurdle if you don't know the tools, I used 3D AI Studio, my preferred tool sponsor, for this task. I generated a cartoony-looking shotgun image and converted it to a 3D model effortlessly.

Shotgun Mechanics and Frustrating Physics

ChatGPT handled the coding for shooting and recoil, and now the player could slide forever using the shotgun. For those who think moving like this is annoying—well, that’s the point. The game is designed to be tough, similar to “Getting Over It” or “Geometry Dash.”

Integrating the Grappling Gun

I turned to 3D AI Studio again to generate images for the grappling gun. After settling on a design, I used their texture AI to slightly modify the textures before importing it into Unity. The coding for the grappling gun was challenging; ChatGPT wasn’t of much help here. I ended up creating a physically accurate rope mechanism through various tutorials, despite most treating the rope like a spring.

Enhancing the Game

With the core mechanics in place, I wanted to give our game a quick touch-up. I created a procedural ice material and used 3D AI Studio to generate an ice chunk. Using Microsoft Co-pilot, I generated a reticle image and particle effects for shooting. To top it off, 11 Labs sound effect generator added realistic shotgun and grappling gun sounds.

Level Design

I created seven increasingly challenging levels manually, as I’ve yet to find a reliable text-to-3D game level generator. This process is better suited to human creativity for meaningful game design.

Adding UI and Final Touches

Using Microsoft Co-pilot again, I generated images and created a level select UI and main menu. Stars were added as achievements in the game, given for various accomplishments within the levels.

Soundtrack with Mix Audio

Finally, I used Mix Audio to generate background music tailored to a fast-paced, ice-themed difficult game. Mix Audio's unique approach ensures that the musicians’ rights are respected, encouraging artist contributions for training.

Conclusion

After integrating the music and ensuring smooth transitions between scenes, the game was complete. You can play it on itch.io through the link in the description. AI can significantly streamline game development, especially for specific tasks like music, sound effects, and 3D modeling.

If you haven't seen the last video yet, it goes over how to use these AI tools and best practices for them. You can watch it here. Thanks for reading—see you soon!

Keywords

AI Game Development
3D Platformer
Unity
ChatGPT
3D AI Studio
11 Labs Sound Effect Generator
Mix Audio
Microsoft Co-pilot
Game Design

FAQ

Q: What AI tools were used in this game development? A: The tools used include ChatGPT for coding, 3D AI Studio for 3D modeling, Microsoft Co-pilot for UI image generation, 11 Labs for sound effects, and Mix Audio for background music.

Q: Why not rely entirely on AI for game design? A: AI might generate random and unplayable levels. Human creativity is still essential for meaningful and enjoyable game design.

Q: What was the biggest challenge in this project? A: The biggest challenge was creating the physically accurate grappling gun mechanics, as ChatGPT struggled to understand the specific requirements.

Q: What makes Mix Audio unique compared to other AI music generators? A: Mix Audio encourages musicians to provide music for training and compensates them, ensuring fair use and support for artists.

Q: Can I try these tools for free? A: Some of these tools offer free trials or limited free usage, such as 11 Labs, which allows about 200 sound effect generations per month before requiring payment.