The guiding principle
We will build this game with AI — as much as humanly possible
Embers of Olympus is an experiment as much as a game: one developer, and AI as the rest of the team. The goal is to lean on AI for everything it can genuinely do well, be honest about the parts it can't, and see how far a solo maker can get.
Why do it this way
A 3D action RPG is normally a studio's work. On our own, the only way it's possible is to treat AI as a force multiplier — not a gimmick bolted on, but the way the work actually gets done. So that's the rule we set: use AI wherever it makes the game better or faster, and keep a human exactly where a human is still required.
Where AI does the work
Writing the code
AI is the engine-room programmer — movement, combat, the data-driven loot and skill systems, saves, UI logic. One system at a time, in plan order.
2D art & concept
Concept art, textures, item icons, UI, and promo images. This is where image models are genuinely strong — and a real cost-saver.
Designing the game
The plan, the act structure, the skill trees, the boss design — drafted and pressure-tested with AI as a design partner.
The writing
Quest text, dialogue, item flavour, and the companion fiction — drafted with AI and shaped to the world's canon.
Static 3D props
Columns, urns, crates and set dressing — AI-generated, then cleaned up in Blender before they go in the world.
This website
The page you're reading — its code, layout and copy — was built with AI too. It felt only right.
Where a human stays in the loop
Being honest about the limits is part of the point.
Judging what's fun
AI can't feel the game. Every "is this fun?" gate is answered by a person actually playing it — the one call that can't be delegated.
Rigged, animated characters
AI 3D isn't rig-and-animation ready yet. Playable characters and monsters come from asset packs plus Mixamo — bought, not generated.
Hands in the engine
Installing Unity, wiring prefabs, placing the world, mixing audio — the editor work is done by a human directing the whole thing.
An experiment, told in the open
How far can AI take a solo game project? Embers of Olympus is our attempt at an answer — and the roadmap shows exactly how we get there.