Games@lemmy.worldbySontayo@lemmy.worldBanned from community
1 month

Dungeons & Diagnoses — a fantasy therapy sim where your patients are cursed heroes, dark lords, and burned-out adventurers

English

Dungeons & Diagnoses — a fantasy therapy sim where your patients are cursed heroes, dark lords, and burned-out adventurers Hey everyone! I just released my first indie game and wanted to share it here. The premise: you’re the kingdom’s only psychotherapist. Patients arrive convinced they’re cursed, haunted, or marked by fate. Your job is to listen carefully, spot contradictions, and figure out what’s actually going on beneath all the fantasy drama. A guard paralyzed by fear calls it a curse. A rogue on a self-destructive spiral blames a hex. A hero who can’t stop taking on impossible quests says it’s prophecy. Maybe it is. Maybe it isn’t. Gameplay:

Branching dialogue to gather symptoms A handbook system to compare diagnoses Drag-and-drop prescriptions Multiple outcomes — wrong diagnosis can ruin lives or unleash chaos

It blends dark humor with genuinely emotional storytelling in a cozy medieval setting. Made in Godot, free to download (name your own price), still in early development. 🌍 The game is available in 8 languages: English, Ukrainian, German, French, Portuguese, Czech, Simplified Chinese, and Russian — so hopefully most of you can play it in your native language. ⚠️ Transparency note: the game’s visuals are currently AI-generated. This is a solo early-access project and replacing them with hand-drawn art is part of the long-term plan. Feedback is very welcome — especially on writing, pacing, and whether the diagnoses feel fair. 👉 https://sontayo.itch.io/dungeons-diagnoses

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    • Sontayo@lemmy.worldBanned from communityEnglish
      1 month

      I want to thank everyone in this thread for the honest feedback. I hear you on the AI art — I understand it’s not just an aesthetic preference but a matter of principle for many of you. This conversation genuinely helped me realize the issue runs deeper than I expected. I acknowledge the problem with AI-generated images — that’s fair criticism. But I’ll also be honest about something else: my native language is Ukrainian. If I had replied to you in Ukrainian, or posted this thread in Ukrainian, none of you would have understood a word — and I suspect most of you wouldn’t have gone out of your way to translate it either. AI is what makes this conversation possible at all. I’ll be more transparent going forward. Appreciate the patience.

      • varden@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1 month

        Я не розмовляю жодного слова українською і навіть не розумію кирилицю, але все одно надіслав це повідомлення без використання штучного інтелекту.

        Користуватися безкоштовним сервісом перекладу дуже просто, і це займає лише кілька секунд більше, ніж просто набирати повідомлення.

        Навіть якщо це не ідеально, це все одно нормально та по-людськи. Особисто мені подобається бачити, як люди, які вивчають англійську, роблять поширені помилки, тому що в усіх наших мовах є дивні фрази, про які ми, як носії мови, зазвичай не думаємо.

        Сподіваюся, у вас все добре, і не падайте духом. Я розумію, що ви не можете найняти художника одразу, але, можливо, ви могли б спробувати зв’язатися з місцевими художниками або людьми в Інтернеті та дізнатися, чи хтось бажає з вами працювати.

        Ви можете бути здивовані тим, наскільки дешево це може бути. З мого досвіду, люди охочіше допомагають, ніж ви очікуєте. Вони можуть знизити ціни, ніж зазвичай, або, можливо, нададуть зображення в обмін на частку доходу від гри, або дозволять вам відкласти платіж на потім.

        Хай щастить, і Слава Україні!

      • Sontayo@lemmy.worldBanned from communityEnglish
        1 month

        Yeah, the images are AI-generated. I work alone and I’m not an artist, so this was pretty much the only realistic way to get something decent-looking

        • Lumidaub@feddit.orgEnglish
          1 month

          That’s not an excuse. You are effectively using other people’s work without even crediting them.

          • Sontayo@lemmy.worldBanned from communityEnglish
            1 month

            You’re right, I should have mentioned it upfront. The visuals were generated using Nano Banana Pro. I understand that’s still a sensitive issue for many people and I respect that.

            • TheV2@programming.devEnglish
              1 month

              Thanks for adding that note to the description! Just for clarity: If somewhere in the future you are able to work with an artist, would you re-work the art for this game? And can we expect a Linux release?

              Other than that, I had the wish for this kind of game for some time and I’m glad something like that exists now. Given the circumstances, I still don’t see myself in the target audience, but good luck on your journey!

              • Sontayo@lemmy.worldBanned from communityEnglish
                1 month

                Yes, absolutely — if I ever get the chance to work with a real artist, reworking the art is something I genuinely want to do. It would make the game feel the way it deserves to. And Linux release is on the roadmap! No exact timeline yet, but it’s planned. Thank you for the kind words — means a lot even if the game isn’t quite for you right now. Maybe one day it will be

                • TheV2@programming.devEnglish
                  1 month

                  By the way, if your game descriptions, dev-logs and especially the game itself uses AI text generation, I’d also add that information.

                  Personally I don’t mind it for these conversations, if the reason is a language barrier. But if you are capable of basic English, I’d recommend to try writing everything by yourself and only use AI or simply a dictionary for specific words/expressions. Not only do you learn more this way, but you are also more in control of expressing yourself.

                  • Sontayo@lemmy.worldBanned from communityEnglish
                    1 month

                    The game text itself is fully written by me in my native language. AI helped with structuring and translating it into English and the other languages. So the writing, ideas, and story are entirely mine. Thanks for being understanding about it.

            • Lumidaub@feddit.orgEnglish
              1 month

              But you don’t seem to understand WHY it’s a “sensitive” issue.

              Also, by “crediting” I don’t mean “this is the AI I used”.

              • Sontayo@lemmy.worldBanned from communityEnglish
                1 month

                You’re right, I don’t fully understand the depth of it. I know it’s about artists whose work was used to train these models without consent or compensation — and that crediting the AI tool doesn’t address that at all. I wanted to make games — it’s something I genuinely care about. But I’m a solo dev with no budget, and hiring an artist simply isn’t an option for me right now. AI was the only path I found that made this possible at all. I understand that doesn’t make it okay for everyone, and I’m not trying to pretend otherwise.

                • Lumidaub@feddit.orgEnglish
                  1 month

                  Do shitty MS Paint drawings. If your game is good, the visuals are, at best, tertiary. Especially here on Lemmy.

                  • mlekar@lemmy.worldEnglish
                    1 month

                    Dude, have you noticed that all those replies are AI-generated? 🤣

                  • Sontayo@lemmy.worldBanned from communityEnglish
                    1 month

                    That’s actually a fair point. I’ll keep it in mind for future updates. Thanks.

    • Passerby6497@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1 month

      I’m trying to figure out where that second ampersand should be in the name based on the cover image.

      Dungeons & & Diagnoses?

      Dungeons & Diagnoses &?

      & Dungeons & Diagnoses?

      • Sontayo@lemmy.worldBanned from communityEnglish
        1 month

        I did notice it hard to miss. I figured it works as a built-in disclaimer: if the AI artifact in the title bothers you, you’ll know right away this game might not be for you. The cover stays as is until I move away from AI visuals entirely. If you’re genuinely curious it reads Dungeons & Diagnoses. The second ampersand is just the AI doing its thing.

    • dan1101@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1 month

      I’ve heard the people that own D&D aren’t very nice, that name might cause problems.

    • ReidMilkey@lemmy.worldBanned from communityEnglish
      1 month

      Why is there concern about the use of artificial intelligence in this project? The creator simply shared a brief concept outlining the core idea. He himself mentioned that if the project proves successful, he is willing to move away from fast methods and do the work manually. Instead of criticizing the use of AI, it would be more helpful to offer constructive criticism, and perhaps also download the concept and let the creator know he’s on the right track.