AiBliss (VIDEO)

[beyonder]

Hi! We're almost ready to go into Beta.

Here is a quick video I just threw together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LHHKwk1TDo

You can actually download and run the Alpha version. It's on our site.

Hope you like. Feedback welcomed.

[Shadowsong]

Ok seriously. This is a hard one.

The models and their animations are exceptionally good. In my opionion human beings are the most complicated thing to make look realistic. But your models are quite good. Even the faces and everything.

BUT and here comes a big complaint:
The overall scene looks nothing as good as the models would deserve it.
Like is there any kind of shading or lighting? It really lacks a good lighting model and realtime shadows. I mean come on, that scene is not very complex (except for the models if they have a high poly count). So even using TV's internal lighting and stencil shadows would make it look a hundred times better without decreasing framerate too much.
Then again you have a heavy water shader (Zak's?) going on there so performance can't be the problem.
So please, make the scene look better! Apply lighting and shadows! The girls can not make up for the bad overall appearance of the scene.
Please take this a constructive criticism. This is the only thing you need to improve, but you certainly have to.

Oh and while I really love the little bit of semi-transparency of the bikinis, come on, SUCH big breasts really ruin the realistic look of the models.

Hm... the term "model" really is ambiguous in this situation 

[Lenn]

I agree with Shadowsong. It all looks great but it doesnt make sense that you would not apply any kind of shading to the rest of the small island scene. It would improve the look significantly. Weak flare effect of a sun low on the horizon, orange skies as an option maybe? That would better "set the mood" for statements such as "I would like to be your boyfriend".

 

[beyonder]

Uhhh, yeah forgot to turn shadowns on. You don't have to yell at me. It's a checkbox in options. Didn't think it was that big a deal for a simple showntell.

Posting my work on this forum always makes me feel like crap. 

Ok, thanks anyways.

[Shadowsong]

Posting my work on this forum always makes me feel like crap. 

Hey, I wrote some positive stuff too, don't read it over

[Lenn]

But that's because we think you want constructive criticism! There are lots of other people/places that will tell you how awesome it all looks, the textures are great, the models are awesome, the way the eyes track the camera, the animations of the models are really high quality and fluid, the ai chat seems very interesting, etc etc. Although, I guess people don't post as many positive comments here because dev people in general look for flaws, and keep their other impressions to themselves.  So, well done.

[beyonder]

Ehh... you're all a bunch of backstabbers, especially you programmer robot heads. You need a good class in criticism and encouragement and envy management. Pick up a good book on lojong and tonglen for f*k sake.

[Hypnotron]

Ironic.  You sound like you need the classes more than anyone. 

I wasn't going to comment on your video but I changed my mind.  I don't know what the overall scope of your project is, but that video was not particularly impressive as far as demonstrating what I think should be the most important aspect of your project, the Artificial Intelligence.

Maybe your AI is better than could be gleaned from the video.  If that's true, you need to find a way to show off the AI... and in a way that is not so creepy.  Maybe it's just me, but watching the user ask for the AI girl to be his girlfriend struck me as sad and pathetic in the extreme.  Some of your prospective customers might be too embarrassed to purchase such a product... I imagine like walking into a sex shop and buying a dildo. 

Again, I don't know what the scope or direction of your project is ultimately, but I would suggest it be more of a resident computer AI assistant that can (for v1.0) be an AI interface that responds to spoken language and can listen and then carry out desktop searches, internet searches, message/notes/letters/emails dictation, etc.  Basically the type of female AI that is popular in so much scifi but not completely lacking a personality like the Star Trek computer... more like Jane from "Speaker for the Dead" by Orson Scott Card.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_(Ender%27s_Game)

Anyway, that's obviously not even remotely close to trivial stuff but perhaps you could find a way to incrementally code your way to something that would exceed people's expectations and just keep building.  I think the whole computer assistant with a personality of it's own is something customers could show an interest in without feeling like a degenerate perverted loser during discussions on your message boards. (i.e. people would actually sign up for the message boards)

So in short, my recommendation for what it's worth is to focus more on resident AI Assistant and less on virtual girlfriend. 

But what do i know, maybe there's a decent sized niche market out there for all the Otaku out there.

[beyonder]

Bite me... You're one of the worst when it comes to hollier than thou around here. This whole forum is saturated with unfriendliness that stunt natural warmth. This forum is ice compared to everywhere else.

Oh forget it... you guys aren't even real. My doctor says I have schizophrenia... but I've seen you guys (as in human bodies that walk around) turn their eyes mid-night black and disappear like angel fluff before my eyes. 101 609 555

[Hypnotron]

But i manage to help people every now and again so I'm not all bad.

[RuntimeError101]

Ya know, if nobody cared or saw no potential in your project, it is likely they wouldn't have wasted the time posting their opinions.  You really shouldn't be offended.  People are only kindly sharing their thoughts and knowledge.  And, come on, were you really expecting just a bunch of praise?  This is how we learn from what others think and improve on our work.

No hard feelings   

[Shadowsong]

Ok, come on beyonder. I really have to disagree with you on that point. This forum is NOT unfriendly. This forum is full of people who show much tolerance by helping noobs with dumb questions and/or sharing extremely advanced stuff they could even get paid for, just to rest my case how many times have you seen Zak's ocean shader in even commercial projects? I guess half the people don't even know who actually did the hard work.

I do not want to speak for others, but me personally, I did NOT want to offend you in any way. As said above, if I thought your project was bad, I wouldn't even have commented at all. And I feel bad for making constructive, but maybe a bit too straightforward, and I apologize here, comments. So come on don't be pi**ed off.

Actually, this is the only forum I have ever seen which does not contain constant hate/flame topics.

By the way here in Germany it is 23:34 and I had some beer already. So please excuse any errors and just get the point: be cool, nobody hates you

[beyonder]

Well... it's interesting because their eyes will turn black and they will act as if they have lost something so precious. Here I am actually speaking to the one person perhaps that may not turn. I can't explain it. But... if I breath in the Life force of the world and suck it in like food I can pop rainbows right out of the Sky! It was the most amazing thing the first time I did it. It takes a pretty humid day but usually you can suck them right out from the clouds. My record is a double rainbow (you know two arcs) with a little third just peeping. But yeah... when the reckoning time comes and that 16 cycles, people will turn to beasts. I don't think they survived the big take over. But it's all been bought out... "the foreign investors".

Usually it gets me when I'm alone. Completely ambushes me and just activates the whole series of numerical and XY codes. That's cool. It's the emptiness moment that really gets me though. It just nails you so shunyata and you're pissed because you didn't remember it was a Dream and your Dream so you could of Dreamt it a differnt way. Yeah, that's all changing - lathe of heaven style. I don't know where all those if-dimensions go. But this one keeps getting more nuzzly all the time.

Schizophrenia 101 

[Aki]

.....the video looks nice. Another tip in addition to lighting/shadows is placing grass at random spots on the island, place them at the base of trees.