Replace AI art with real art and charge for it? Looking for advice.

[junsey]

Option 3) Work out how much art will cost you and use Kickstarter. That's exactly what the platform is designed for.

And don't use AI art.

Thanks for asking!

Hello! Thank you for responding! However, in my country, we do not have access to Kickstarter, and its equivalents are not effective. Furthermore, I am personally against crowdfunding; charging people in advance seems unethical to me. Users should pay for the finished product because they like it and want it, not pay to see what comes out. In that sense, I find it much more ethical to use AI and let those who want it consume it, rather than charging with promises and delivering in the future. That's why I was left with those two options.

 

[junsey]

I think if you are updating the formatting and layout and everything, it would be appropriate to replace the art. Would you keep the free version available, or would a paid version replace it?

Thanks for your reply! Of course, if I go for the option of changing the artwork and making the game paid, I would still keep the free version as a separate version, but those who downloaded the free version would not be updated to the new version; it would be like a new game.

 

[junsey]

I have no idea what this means. They bought a book, they got a book. The obligation ends there, on both sides. You don't owe them stuff for the rest of your life because they bought something off you once. That's not the transaction.

Yes, that's a good point, and you're absolutely right. It's more a question of siding with the public who supported me with the first game when I was more of a novice and who don't get anything else for doing so, but you're also right that they weren't promised anything, they supported me of their own free will, and for me it's reasonable that if I invest money in the new version, I want to charge for it to recoup some of my costs. because that's how I can do more projects.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Yes, that's a good point, and you're absolutely right. It's more a question of siding with the public who supported me with the first game when I was more of a novice and who don't get anything else for doing so, but you're also right that they weren't promised anything, they supported me of their own free will, and for me it's reasonable that if I invest money in the new version, I want to charge for it to recoup some of my costs. because that's how I can do more projects.

I appreciate that you're honestly talking about your experience and trying to do the right thing. As you can see, the use of AI is a fraught topic, and I think people should acknowledge that you are trying to do the right thing by supporting artists.

To answer your question-

I would invest in new art for a new product. As you wrote, you are updating the product in other ways- from art, to formatting, to some of the rules. That makes it ... a new product. The other people received an old product, and either paid (or didn't).

If they want the new product, then they can pay for the new product. If anything, think of the old product as a "beta version" with "placeholder art" and this is your actual, for-sale product.


Now, if you can, and if you are feeling generous, you might want to provide a discount on the new product to people who paid you money for the "beta version." That would be a nice thing to do, but it's certainly not required. The margins in the industry are small, and you probably won't be making money no matter what (right?). In the alternative, maybe you can offer some "bonus" thing- something small, like an extra, to the people who paid for the beta version, as a thank you. But again, you are not obligated to do so, although it would be good customer service and might make them more likely to pay for the new product.

 

[Morrus]

Furthermore, I am personally against crowdfunding; charging people in advance seems unethical to me.

I find it much more ethical to use AI

You may wish to research the topic first, as you are not going to find many here to agree with you, aside from a handful of persistent stans. AI plagiarises artists (and is an environmental disaster to boot). In the TTRPG industry it is almost universally reviled. But that conversation has been done to death in dozens of threads hundreds of posts long, over and over again on these forums, and I truly don't have the energy to have it yet again--so, I guess, do what you want to do. You appear to have already made up your mind.

 

[junsey]

I appreciate that you're honestly talking about your experience and trying to do the right thing. As you can see, the use of AI is a fraught topic, and I think people should acknowledge that you are trying to do the right thing by supporting artists.

To answer your question-

I would invest in new art for a new product. As you wrote, you are updating the product in other ways- from art, to formatting, to some of the rules. That makes it ... a new product. The other people received an old product, and either paid (or didn't).

If they want the new product, then they can pay for the new product. If anything, think of the old product as a "beta version" with "placeholder art" and this is your actual, for-sale product.


Now, if you can, and if you are feeling generous, you might want to provide a discount on the new product to people who paid you money for the "beta version." That would be a nice thing to do, but it's certainly not required. The margins in the industry are small, and you probably won't be making money no matter what (right?). In the alternative, maybe you can offer some "bonus" thing- something small, like an extra, to the people who paid for the beta version, as a thank you. But again, you are not obligated to do so, although it would be good customer service and might make them more likely to pay for the new product.

Thank you very much for your response, and I understand perfectly. I like your idea of making a gesture to those who purchased the first version. Although the margins are small and don't normally cover the investment, I think it would be nice to sacrifice a little to make a gesture. It would also make those who supported the game feel better and encourage them to support more small games. I'm definitely going to go down that route.

 

[junsey]

You may wish to research the topic first, as you are not going to find many here to agree with you, aside from a handful of persistent stans. AI plagiarises artists (and is an environmental disaster to boot). In the TTRPG industry it is almost universally reviled. But that conversation has been done to death in dozens of threads hundreds of posts long, over and over again on these forums, and I truly don't have the energy to have it yet again--so, I guess, do what you want to do. You appear to have already made up your mind.

I didn't make a decision in the sense that you think, and I agree that this is not the place to debate the issue of AI, nor to give our views on it. It's a sensitive issue and, at least personally, I prefer to accept and understand everyone's positions without imposing anything on anyone. I only commented on the topic of crowdfunding, which, personally and based on bad personal experiences, I don't see as very ethical. I believe that a product should first be created before being sold, but that's just my personal opinion, and I greatly respect those who use these mechanisms and those who consume them! I don't want you to misunderstand me on that point.

On the other hand, I would rather invest my money and lose it than charge in advance and not meet expectations. and I was given some very good, constructive points of view that have encouraged me to go for the option of investing in the completely new art, releasing a completely separate new version, leaving the old one as it is so that anyone who wants it can have it, and trying to make a small gesture to those who downloaded the original by giving a small discount (something I will look into later).

I appreciate your comments and those of everyone in the thread; it helped me a lot!