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Show HN: Lofi Cities – Pixel-art city nights with browser-generated lofi

320 points · 138 comments · safaelmali

thih9 · 1790537048 · focus · HN ↗
The product hunt ad is breaking the immersion for me. I know that most cities have ads but still, I prefer ad free pixel art.
It’s also not realistic, in one landscape the billboard is taller than a 9 story building.
1. trevoragilbert · 1790540517 · focus · HN ↗
  It feels bolted on to an otherwise cool thing. Even angling the board, or smudging, dimming color, localizing language, etc. All would make it feel like it fits.
  1. safaelmali · 1790618508 · focus · HN ↗
    The angle and lighting suggestions help. I’ll take another look at how the billboards sit in each scene so they feel like they belong there.
2. sublinear · 1790541324 · focus · HN ↗
  I know this is going to sound ridiculous, but the way the dithering is used feels very "generated" and chaotic.
  Human pixel art tends to be very deliberate about the exact colors of every pixel and their placement tends to follow idealized (but not necessarily geometric) shapes.
  The last time I saw dithering this sloppy was decades ago when people would scan photos as low color images. It is its own vibe, but it's a cold and rough one. These artifacts feel more "realistic", but it felt like slop back then too.
  1. kromokromo · 1790545343 · focus · HN ↗
    Yes, that’s the tell tale sign of AI generative pixel art. AI can’t be consistent with the pixels. Looks ok sometimes but never pops.
    croes · 1790553994 · focus · HN ↗
    It’s missing the art part
  2. willmeyers · 1790545881 · focus · HN ↗
    > Created with AI-assisted tools, curated and prepared as ready-to-use video loops.
    They are. And they are charging $19 to buy AI generated art (<a href="https://safaelmali.gumroad.com/l/lofi-cities-complete-collection" rel="nofollow">https://safaelmali.gumroad.com/l/lofi-cities-complete-collec...).
    fragmede · 1790546232 · focus · HN ↗
    Bought you a copy!
    oakpond · 1790583226 · focus · HN ↗
    Nooooo. :(
    Turns out part of the appeal for me is that it appears to be handmade.
  3. kryptiskt · 1790547975 · focus · HN ↗
    For an example of just how much of a rabbit hole this is, Lucas Pope's forum post[0] about the dithering in Obra Dinn shows how much time can be spent on getting it right.
    [0]: <a href="https://dukope.com/devlogs/obra-dinn/tig-32/" rel="nofollow">https://dukope.com/devlogs/obra-dinn/tig-32/
    lewispollard · 1790763995 · focus · HN ↗
    To be fair, most of the complication there is because it's dynamically generated in 3D, where moving the camera makes the dithering unstable. In 2D hand-drawn art, it's a skill, but it's not quite the same challenge as described in that post.
  4. safaelmali · 1790618658 · focus · HN ↗
    [dead]
3. safaelmali · 1790546569 · focus · HN ↗
  Would a hide option help, or should the billboard itself blend into the scene better?
  1. prometheus1992 · 1790546608 · focus · HN ↗
    option to hide will be nice.
    safaelmali · 1790618545 · focus · HN ↗
    I’m thinking about an option to hide them completely, or keep just the fictional city signs.
  2. bicx · 1790561347 · focus · HN ↗
    Honestly I’d blend it more. Maybe reduce the contrast a bit and so it’s not the first thing your eye goes to.
    safaelmali · 1790580962 · focus · HN ↗
    That makes sense. I’ll try lowering the contrast and adjusting the lighting so it fits the rest of the scene better.
  3. ajkjk · 1790562597 · focus · HN ↗
    Just delete it :/
    Ads are the worst and they're antithetical to the vibe of something like this
    If it's an actual ad.. You'd get more goodwill (and maybe clicks) out of a tiny 'if you appreciate this maybe check out product hunt to support me' message somewhere. At least it's not manipulative that way.
    sodapopcan · 1790564554 · focus · HN ↗
    Yes, just delete it. Seriously. WTF is that? Loved the general vibe but hit the back button after a visceral to... f*ckin' Product Hunt? Seriously?
    Crazy times, man.
    bicx · 1790565384 · focus · HN ↗
    Not really that crazy. It’s just an ad.
    safaelmali · 1790580916 · focus · HN ↗
    I hear you. If the billboard made you leave, it’s getting in the way of what I wanted the site to feel like. I’ll rethink it.
    safaelmali · 1790580813 · focus · HN ↗
    A small optional support link makes sense. I’ll think about moving the promotion out of the scene so it doesn’t interrupt the atmosphere.
4. rvz · 1790549507 · focus · HN ↗
  Who cares.
  Only on HN there can be a single pixel that is misplaced or off and it causes ONE person to get upset about it.
  This is completely petty. Just stop.
5. pastel8739 · 1790568015 · focus · HN ↗
  Occasionally it switches from product hunt to a "Your Ad Here" ad that links to a popup with the following (slop) text:
  > Put your café, shop, studio or brand on the billboard in Paris: drawn by hand in the same pixel-art style, and glowing in the scene while people study, work and unwind to the music.
  It's clear this is a money-making endeavor, not something created out of passion or goodness of heart. And not art.
  1. safaelmali · 1790578583 · focus · HN ↗
    Thanks! I’ll change it to “drawn in the same pixel-art style.”
    This is a passion project for me. I’m paying to keep it running, and the billboards are meant to help cover those costs. I’ll add an option to hide them.
  2. nekooooo · 1790635431 · focus · HN ↗
    poor quality pixel art with no sense of scale ... but most importantly, no human touch
6. Foobar8568 · 1790574750 · focus · HN ↗
  You won't have this type of billboard in Paris...And it looks so off.
  1. safaelmali · 1790581007 · focus · HN ↗
    I’ll take another look at the Paris billboard and how it fits into the scene.
7. [deleted] · 1790585637 · focus · HN ↗
  [deleted]
8. mnky9800n · 1790601733 · focus · HN ↗
  Maybe you will like <a href="https://rainy-city.com" rel="nofollow">https://rainy-city.com. As mayor I have declared we will never have ads.

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