I forgot to say at the time but I've always been fascinated by the great work in trying to apply machine learning to procedural content generation. Because PCG is often logic-driven systems that manifest from the thoughtspace of the designer. Where tacit knowledge feeds into algorithmic design.

Just finished @mtrc.bsky.social's book Next Level about #procgen and it is awesome. Don't expect technical details about various clever algorithms, but rather an accessible, informed, and loving account of the creativity and ingenuity behind games like Minecraft and Caves of Cud. 5/5 stars! Easily!

"The underlying intelligence of a language model isn’t a function of its architecture, its parameter count, or the volume of compute thrown at its training. It's a function of the social complexity of the civilization whose language it digested." Compelling arg that AI is a tragedy of commons.

Having fun introducing a classic Unexplored 1 & 2 enemy into Bane: Screaming Skulls. Nasty little flame spirits that took possession of a skull. It was a bit of a puzzle to figure out how their screaming lunge attack would work in turn-based combat. But I think this will work! #gamedev #indiedev

Just because every self-respecting fantasy #rpg should have flaming blades in their arsenal, doesn't mean the technology has to be flawless, right? Introducing a 'solflare' dagger in Bane. Activate at your own peril, and don't try this at home, kids! #indiedev #gamedev

Knowing that the enemy is coming and allowing you to prepare for combat is such a powerful moment in #ttrpgs. Making noises could already draw enemies in Bane, but now you know this is happening so you can act before the few precious turns you have before they arrive. #screenshotsaturday #indiedev

Unexplored 1 came out almost a decade ago. But this week I still got some fan mail with this awesome home-printed and hand-painted 3D model of the avatar: #gamedev #indiedev

This is an important milestone for Bane. Moobak is an elusive, recurring figure from the lore of Unexplored 1 and 2 that now also haunts our new game. #saturdayscreenshot #indiedev #gamedev

The Deer Knight and the Demon's Cave

Look at me dodging all those magical discharges! Transposing 'myst' from Unexplored 1 & 2 to Bane. Myst is a magical gas that can violently discharge when hit by an arcane bolt causing a chain reaction. Instead of it being real time, Bane's Danger Mode handles the 'bullet time'. #gamedev #indiedev

De Game Dev Heroes awards zijn in het Verenigd Koninkrijk een begrip. In samenwerking met Control komt er dit jaar voor het eerst een Benelux editie. #gamedev #gamebiz #indiedev #gameawards

This week I've been focusing on expanding 'mundane' interactions. One new cool feature is the ability to bury and dig up stuff. I mean, we have been calling Bane a 'sandbox rpg' so we had to have this, right?! What other cool actions do you expect to see in a game like this? #gamedev #indiedev

I've written a book! Next Level: Making Games That Make Themselves is the story of procedural generation - the tech behind games like Minecraft and Dwarf Fortress. It's about how it works, the games that use it, and the art and magic behind it. Out May 7th, in bookshops: linktr.ee/next_level 🎲🔮

Been recycling features from Unexplored 1 and 2. Here's me getting obliterated trying to harvest some Pink Varo. The art is placeholder. The deadly plants fire vicious, quarrel-like seeds at you. For that reason I named it quarrellaurel, but I am open to better suggestions! #gamedev #indiedev

New speaker announcement📣: Tom Rethaller A practical deep dive into how we generated procedural terrain for Dune: Spice Wars with a team of 2 over less than 2 years. This talk covers the challenge of creating diverse desert landscapes with constrained and precise art direction. #gamedev#EPC2026

Today I am adding an auto map to Bane. #screenshotsaturday #gamedev #indiedev

A big thanks to all the players who tried out Bane: Dawn of the Lost during NextFest! The demo will remain available. In fact you can expect there to be updates as we are expanding the features and content on our way to Early Access. store.steampowered.com/app/3194460/ #gamedev #indiedev

The secretive company filling video game sites with gambling and AI aftermath.site/gameshub-click...

First review for the demo of Bane is on Youtube! It is in German, but the auto dub feature seems to work well enough. Fajeth is clearly having fun and has good grasp of the way the games systems interact. #gamedev #indiedev www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxfW...

#NextFest is about to start. Obviously Bane is participating. Grab the demo on Steam and let us know what you think! store.steampowered.com/app/3194460/ #indiedev #gamedev

Do we have some screenshots for #screenshotsaturday ? Hell, yeah! Bane's demo released on Steam yesterday so we have screenshots aplenty! If you didn't know: Bane is a turn-based, generative, sandbox rpg. Single-player for now. But soon you can play with friends online, too! #gamedev #indiedev

Now that the demo for Bane is finally done, I found some time to write about the OSR philosophy behind the game. If you want to nerd out with me and read my riposte to Shigeru Miyamoto's critique of RPGs. Follow this link: www.ludomotion.com/blogs/bane-p... #gamedev #indiedev #rpg

I pressed a green button today, and now the demo for Bane is available on Steam! If you are interested in party-based, procedurally generated, turn-based adventuring give it a go! Single-player for now, but that'll change soon! store.steampowered.com/app/3194460/... #indiedev #gamedev #procgen

OK game, I was already dodging with disadvantage. But having me roll two natural 1s is a little too much don't ya think? #gamedev #indiedev #rpg

Today I have been working on traps. Here's some possible things that might happen when you open a trapped chest depending how how the dice land, or what you choose to do. #gamedev #indiedev #rpg

Of ik de geschiedenis van games in de eerste 25 jaar van de 21ste eeuw wilde beschrijven in een groot stuk. "Erm", zei ik, "Dat is zo'n beetje de helft van de hele levensspanne van m'n medium." Zoek maar wat hoofdlijnen en kies scherp, was het antwoord. Bij deze. www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2026/...

New personal ice swimming record today: by our measurement the water of the Amstel river was 0.5 degrees celsius... We lasted 2.5-3 minutes. Last year and the year before the temperature never dropped below 1.5.

The menu in Bane where you can manage your party, recruit new members, and do some shopping now appears as the village square. #gamedev #indiedev

I haven't been posting many updates on my #indiedev project Bane recently. That doesn't mean that there hasn't been any. Far from it. This is the new menu where you can plan and prepare for new adventures. #gamedev

Falling into the rabbit hole of researching West Marches campaigns... Both because it seems like a very good template to handle multiplayer in Bane, but also because I now desperately want to run one myself!

Had a lot of fun drafting #ttrpg adventures the last couple of days. Did a full write up and even made a dungeon map using pastels. Will be play testing this one with Shadowdark at the library in Amsterdam this Wednesday. I'll probably seek to publish it somehow if it works well enough.

It's been ages since I last posted something, but we are still making good progress... #indiedev #gamedev

The creature is called a Remnant Herald and it is going to feature in the upcoming demo of Bane. #gamedev #indiedev Wishlist on Steam to stay updated!

Sersa Victory posted a free, small, simple dungeon crawling game that will have you exploring like it is 1981. Pencils and graph paper not included... #indiedev sersavictory.itch.io/catacombs-of...

Sometimes bugs are hilarious. I added 'slug meat', and edible item to the inventory of a big slug so they would drop it when you defeat them. This one decided to have a nibble during the fight and it "Tasted much better then you expected." lol

Today I fell into the rabbit hole of making the rumor system. More control over enemies gives you better opportunities to provide rumors even before the levels are generated. Here's me doing a bit of adventure crafting and learning finding out about those levels. #gamedev #procgen #indiedev

I am always looking for ways to improve my #procgen. Bane is no exception. Today I found myself rethinking enemy placement. Previously I using enemies mostly as hazards: a room needs content, a specific type of enemy is present so the generator is allowed to place them there. #gamedev #indiedev 1/8

Expanding Bane's enemy roster. This is a naga... #gamedev #indiedev

So we've finally settled on the first draft for the core mechanics for Bane. The system is going to be very simple: you have 3 core stats: Resolve, Sleight, and Insight. Their values are added a D20 roll when make a skill check. (1/4) #gamedev #indiedev

Well look at that! I did manage to finish the whole thing. Now I'm itching to find a moment to run it. Might be doable as a one-shot in a lean #ttrpg system. A few details still only exist in my head, though. Such as the chasm is filled with ice cold water that somehow always reflects the nightsky.

Not completely finished yet. But made good progress in creating this adventure I called 'The Hall of Midnight'. The cards really helped fleshing things out and generating ideas. So I am pretty happy with that! But now I have to rest my poor hand. Not used to draw this much. #ttrpg #gamedev

Printed myself a set of adventure idea cards based on videos by The Red Quills. Gonna use them to flesh out an idea for a #ttrpg adventure set in the Hall of Midnight that I rolled up earlier using my offline generator 'Places of Adventure' If it looks like something I'll share some pics tomorrow!

Do I know somebody nearby that owns a 8bitdo Ultimate controller that I can borrow for an afternoon?

Introducing Bane's version of snap root trees. A staple from Unexplored 2. The challenge was to translate UE2's real-time mechanics to fit the turn-based systems. This could work? Especially when the trees are combined with with other hazards you don't want to stumble into. #gamedev #indiedev

Today I started on cave levels for Bane. I quickly discovered that a minimalist approach works best. The walls are mostly suggested by the few details that light up from you torch. #gamedev #indiedev #procgen You can wishlist Bane on Steam or discuss its development on our discord server!

Our outside lighting was very flat, especially compared to underground areas lit by multiple dynamic light sources. So I have tweaked the ambient settings a little to create more atmosphere and more depth. #indiedev #gamedev #godot

So I updated the whole menu flow to accommodate for the new Dungeon Crafting mechanics. Turns out that I only needed to disable 2 buttons and prevent 1 refresh to support multiplayer as well! You cannot imagine how rare it is for the required multiplayer changes to be this easy! #gamedev #indiedev

Hidden Folks is this week's ✨ Free Game ✨ on the Epic Games Store! It's a beautiful & silly game I'm very proud of! You search for hidden folks in hand-drawn, interactive, miniature landscapes. store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/hidd... For Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS (!!) (in the EU).

In our game Bane you'll be able 'craft dungeons' using maps and leads you found during previous adventures. Combine them to generate new quests. Behind the scenes the game spices things up with 'grudges' which you were also secretly 'awarded'. #procgen #indiedev #gamedev Wishlist Bane on Steam now!

what if caves of qud was on nintendo switch no but for real can you imagine