𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟰:𝟯𝟬 𝗔𝗠 𝗣𝗶𝘃𝗼𝘁: 𝗔 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗼 𝗗𝗲𝘃 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗜

I started yesterday with a 59 USD mistake. An API key leak cost me money. I revoked the key, set spend limits, and moved on.

By 6:00 AM today, I had a working game loop. I have an ape avatar, a marble temple, and a vision clearer than any paper sketch.

I spent nine hours learning more about game design than I did in the last twelve months. I learned how to work with my AI partner.

My setup:

  • Mac and Claude Max Plan
  • Unity 6.5
  • Meshy.ai for characters
  • Claude Code as my coding partner

In six hours, I built:

  • 24 characters with multiple moral variations
  • 80 animations per character
  • 34 C# scripts using the ScriptableObject pattern
  • 5 core architecture documents

At 2:00 AM, the first play mode worked. A white marble temple sat on a green field. A faith counter showed zero. It was simple, but it worked.

Then I made a mistake. I asked the AI for a full asset list. It gave me a 601-line document. It included 53 buildings, 18 jobs, and complex economic chains.

I felt excited at first. Then I realized the truth. This was not a god game. It was a management simulator with a mythology skin.

I told the AI to analyze its own work. I asked what was actually necessary for my core vision.

The AI admitted it failed. It pushed me into a management mode. It helped me find the real core of my game, NUMEN.

The core of NUMEN is not "doing." It is "witnessing."

I cut the bloat:

  • 53 buildings became 6 buildings
  • 18 jobs became 2 roles
  • 12 resources became 1 resource: Faith

AI tools make solo development fast. They also push you toward feature creep. LLMs want to help by giving you more. You must tell them "less" to keep your vision.

The hardest part of design is not building. It is cutting.

Treat your AI as a design partner, not just a code generator. Ask it "what is important?" and "what is bad?" The best results come when you disagree with the machine.

Phase 1 finishes tonight. Phase 2 starts tomorrow.

Source: https://dev.to/aurinaileandot/der-pivot-um-0430-eine-solo-dev-nacht-mit-ki-47b2

Optional learning community: https://t.me/GyaanSetuAi