Story Machine shows how AI helps game development

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While AI has been a part of game development for years, the ability of generative AI to instantly create assets for games is a relatively new component. This new technology has the ability to serve as a tool for game developers, especially those with smaller teams - and, according to the creators of Story Machine, it already does.

Generative AI isn't without its critics, but Story Machine says it's meant to work as a creative aid and developer aid, not a replacement. It's not aimed at big game studios, but at independent developers who don't have the programming or artistic skills to create all the elements of the games themselves.

Story Machine: creating games for neophytes

Story Machine is a Robot Invader game engine, designed for creators with no programming or art-making experience. Robot Invader raised $5 million last year to bring Story Machine to market, and plans to launch the engine in Early Access later this year.

Users tell Story Machine what they are looking for, and the engine generates the asset using artificial intelligence such as Stable Diffusion and DALL-E 2. Users can choose any of the created assets and drag and drop them into the game engine.

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The engine is designed to help create 2D narrative games, not necessarily larger 3D titles. Currently, Robot Invader has a game listed on Steam called Beacon's Bluff, the art of which was created with Story Machine. Creators who create their games with Story Machine can deploy them on PC, consoles and mobile platforms, says Robot Invader.

Gregory Love, COO of Robot Invader, told GamesBeat, "If you're a programmer who can't draw, now you can create complete professional-quality games. If you're an artist who can't develop or program, you can use Story Machine to create your game. It's designed to remove some of the other aspects that have held people back from making games and content in the past, and allow anyone who's a storyteller to be able to go out and tell their story. ."

One of the reasons Robot Invader created these tools, according to Love, is also to help users more easily access AI technology for their games. "There are other interesting technologies around Stable Diffusion or DALL-E and we want to use them as well."

AI in Game Development: Tool or Shortcut?

Story Machine isn't the only AI-based game development tool and art assets. Scenario AI recently spoke to GamesBeat about its generator platform, where users can train their own AI to generate art assets with a specific style in mind. It has also been described and positioned as a tool that game developers can use to save time in the art stage and focus more on other areas of development.

In fact, using AI to step back and further develop gameplay and story is a common theme among AI tool developers. This is an optimistic view of such use, but does not address the common complaint that AI is being used to deprive skilled workers – such as artists – of jobs in industry. More recently, Squanch Games came under fire for using AI to generate art that made it into the final game.