Knux's Misc Writing Pile

[knux400]

THE MINDFORGE - 2021
NO CWS

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Man, this takes a long time to load.
It'll be worth it, you'll see.
So this is some sort of... Game development software?
Something like that, yeah. It's more of a visual art program, really. Although it can be used for way more than that.
I'm... not that much into drawing.
Not drawing necessarily! It can be any kind of visual art. Anything you look at.
So what, painting, sculpting, uh, carving?
...Kind of? It'll be easier to explain when I can just show you.

The two of them stood in a large, empty room. The walls, ceiling, and floor were smooth and white, with no indentations whatsoever. A grid of thin black lines gave the room a tiled appearance, although it was nothing more than just a marking. In each of the four corners on the floor and ceiling, a triangular piece of glass sat at the intersection of the three surfaces, serving to protect the high-tech camera underneath. The room was well-lit to the point of being almost harsh, with powerful lights shining inwards from the edges of the glass. They were wearing grey bodysuits with elaborate hexagonal patterns on them from head to toe. They had black gloves and boots as well as a black helmet with a large visor around their eyes, with wires connecting all these items to a small box on their back.

They didn't see any of it. Their helmets were showing them a completely different room- a cozy sort of lounge area, oddly devoid of furniture. There was a fire crackling in the corner, and windows leading out to a dark forest. In the center was a large, transparent cylinder, slowly flowing to the top with glowing green fluid. Orbiting around it was the word "LOADING..." They could see each other, too- but something else stood in their place instead. Each one saw a brightly colored alien creature standing in the place where their friend was. One was a blue lizardlike creature with an open varsity jacket, a T-shirt with a neon green logo, a set of torn jeans, and running shoes. The other was a thin yellow robot decorated with black hazard symbols and caution stripes.

As the green fluid reached the top of the cylinder, the lights in the lounge dimmed and everything went dark.

Finally.

After a moment, the lights came back on- but the room was different. The walls were dull metal panels, with large rivets holding them in place. Neon blue lines on the floor led the eye inwards to the centerpiece of the otherwise empty room- a silver anvil with a blue holographic control panel hovering at chest height near it. As the two stepped closer to the anvil, they saw a variety of buttons and widgets on the panel, with bold letters at the top reading "MINDFORGE".

...You sure you have the right program? This looks like some kinda sci-fi medieval thing.
No, this is it. Check it out.

The robot touched the panel, swiping through a series of images. There were various objects on the screen- most of them looked like something out of a science fiction setting- engines, power cells, rifles, and other miscellaneous odds and ends. The robot stopped at an image of a sword with a holographic green blade. They tapped it, and the same sword appeared in front of them, hovering in place over the anvil. The robot reached out and took it, showing it to the lizard.

This is the first thing I made with this program. Nothing too special, just a generic laser sword. It's the first thing I thought of.
You... made that?
Yup.
The 3D model, the collision detection, everything?
Yeah. It's got proper hurtboxes and material degradation, too. If I were to import this into a combat sim, it'd slash things just like any other weapon.
It's breakable, too?
The blade deactivates if it's hit too hard, and you have to wait a second before turning it on again. The handle is just normal metal.
How long did that take you?
Well, I wasn't really timing myself, but it couldn't have been more than... I dunno, fifteen minutes?
You're shitting me.
Nope.
Fifteen minutes? The model alone would take days! And the collision... Let me see that.

The robot passed the blade to the lizard, who rubbed a finger along its handle. They felt every groove and indent in the metal, and the curve of the grip.

That's fully detailed collision. Not just a cylinder. You'd have to sculpt an entirely separate model in an entirely separate program to do that.
I mean, you could also just convert the model straight into collision data...
No. Nope. Visual renders are hollow, objects you hold have to have depth. You can't hold something made out of planes and vertexes. I mean, partial conversion is sort of possible nowadays, but it's glitchy as hell. You'd spend so much time fixing things it would be easier just to sculpt it from scratch.
Not with this program. It does both at once.
So it's automated?
Kind of? It's complicated.
And this... This was the first thing you made.
Yeah.
The very first thing, after turning the program on. No tutorials, no nothing.
Well, there was a little piece of paper that came with it. About yay big.

The robot held up their fingers, indicating an object about the size of a playing card.

You're shitting me.
I am not.
No. This is- there's no way. Making something like this, fully functional and everything? That would take a single person weeks, maybe even months working on it full-time. That's why you only see this kind of quality in big-budget, triple-A stuff. It takes an entire team to make this sort of thing. And most companies still skimp out on the finer details. Like, this groove right here? No sane game company would take the time to include that. They'd just copy the general shape of the handle and call it a day.
Try it yourself, then.
I-

As the lizard stood with their jaw agape, the robot dismissed the sword and pushed a button labeled "New File". They stepped back, gesturing for the lizard to take the helm. The lizard stepped forward hesitantly.

Select user... Me, I guess. Wait, what does it need to sync with?
Your visual cortex.
My huh?
The part of your brain that lets you see pictures. Just hit the button, it's nothing too invasive.
If this fries my brain, I'm going to hit you.
Fair enough.

The lizard pressed the "sync" button and their vision suddenly went dark. Before them was a green triangle. It stayed in front of them no matter which way they turned.

What is this?
Focus on the triangle, don't talk to me.

The lizard obliged. After a few moments, the triangle was replaced by a red circle. Then a blue square. Then a rotating cube.

How long does this-
It takes longer the more you distract yourself.
Yeah, yeah, fine.

Several more shapes appeared one by one, some rotating in different directions. The lizard was almost about to speak up again before the final shape disappeared and their vision faded back in.

So what you want to do is think of an object. It can be any object, so long as you've got a clear picture of it in your head.
Oh, uhh... How about a skateboard?
Sure. Picture a skateboard in your mind. Once you think you're ready, hit "generate".

The lizard paused for a moment, then hit the button. A fuzzy, slightly warped skateboard-like lump appeared above the anvil, hovering in place. It seemed almost ethereal, as if the edges of the object were turning to mist. It looked out of focus.

It didn't work.
Well, hang on. There's a reason they call this thing a forge. You have to kind of... mold it into shape.
What, with my hands?
No, no. See, the brain is kind of fuzzy when it comes to picturing finer details, so we can't just make an object all at once. But now that the base is out here, we can look at it and imagine changes to it. If you focus on one part of it at a time, you'll gradually get closer to a complete object.
So- hm. I'm assuming standard rotation controls on this thing?
Pretty much, yeah.

The lizard reached out and made a twisting motion in the air around their work. The skateboard responded, turning to reveal four vaguely cylindrical lumps on the bottom.

Start with basic shapes. Once it's solidified, you can start adding texture and detail.
Right.

They hit the "generate" button again. The wheels suddenly came into focus, their shape becoming more defined.

They paused, rotated the board again, then hit the button. The distinct curved shape of the board came into focus.

They flipped it back onto its belly, then hit the button a third time. The indistinct blobs between the wheels and the board formed the metal connectors.

Good. Just like that.
This is... This is amazing. You can just make whatever's in your brain.
Right?

Now the lizard turned their attention to the top of the board, which was smooth and clean. One more press of the button and the entire top gained the distinct black gripping texture that held one's feet in place when riding it. Bolts appeared near the ends of the board, connecting the wheel hubs to the main body. Flipping the whole thing over again, the lizard created a rubbery texture for the wheels, complete with some light wear along the middle. They added a pattern to the belly, starting with a stripe or two before thinking better of it and replacing the design with a stylized crocodile with a backwards cap and sunglasses. Colored blobs appeared and molded themselves into the shirt, which was a tropical floral design; the shoes, exaggerated and brightly colored; and the jeans, with chains dangling from the belt.

After a few moments of looking it over, the lizard swiped their hand downward, spinning the board in place.

Wow.
Yeah.
And that took me... What, like a few minutes or so?
Well, it's hard to keep track of time when you're doing this, since you're so focused on the object. But yeah, like three or four minutes.
So... It's done? I can just reach out and take it now?
Well, you should save your work first, just to be sure, then hit "solidify". After that... yeah!

A few button presses later and the lizard was holding their new board. They frowned.

The wheels don't turn.
Ah! Yeah, mechanical stuff is a bit more tricky. So once you've got the object solidified, you can refine texture and functionality by using your hands to play with it. It's the same basic process as appearance, but you imagine the tactile sensations instead of the visual ones. So first focus on the fact that the wheels aren't turning at all, then you can make them as rough or as smooth as you need to. And while you're at it, you could probably adjust the grip on them, and on the top of the board as well. See, it just takes a bit of tinkering, and then you can really get the finer details down the way you want them...