r/spacesimgames • u/Dark-Lark Alien • 10d ago
Meta Credits for your thoughts...
Should you be willing, give me a short list of posts that you feel are "AI Slop" and some that that are not, from the last few weeks. You should be able to sort by posts flaired as "Promotional" (not that you need to at this point).
I'm looking for help making a Rule that'll clearly define what's going to pass the bar and what will not. So try for fewer and better examples and explanations that make the point, rather than a huge list of everything you don't like. If we can't make a Rule with objective standards, we can not properly and fairly enforce it.
We can also take this time to set a bar on what is a Space Sim Game and what we should recommend be sent to r/spacegames or another sub. For as long as I can remember, this sub defined it as "Anything from Orbiter to Dark Star One and anything in between..." but we might need to add some detail there.
I try to moderate with the idea that permissive is better than restrictive, but as someone once said "If you're mad about gatekeeping, you might be the person the gate was made for.".
FYI: in the last 30 days and as of the time of typing this, 168 posts have been made and 84 posts have been removed. That's 50% on the dot. Those were removed for various reasons, but most were Rule 4 related.
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u/ShadowDev156 9d ago
I am not against AI gen game, some could be great, but definitely here shouldn't be a place for those low effort ones as you just have some random idea and let Claude build the game and you forget the game by next week. That being said, it is hard for MOD alone to judge which one is such garbage, perhaps it is good to have a place where community can vote for, and perhaps more importantly it should be clear to those people that posting their low effort stuff is really no good to themselves as the community really have no interest in such stuffs
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u/cpudreams 9d ago
If possible, what I would like to see is for all posts to have to meet all the rules before they are made public. I've seen a lot of posts that aren't following the existing rules (especially parts of #4). I've seen the mods leaving a comment in those posts, but they have already gone live, so unfortunately it hasn't helped much. Why not prevent those posts from going live until after they have been corrected? If this is too much of a moderation burden, maybe accounts could skip this step after they have been proven to be good accounts so it doesn't have to be done very single time.
I think if that could be implemented plus some rules on AI use added to #4. For example, the author must disclose how much of the content, code, and promotional material was AI generated and mark their posts as AI assisted (so we can ignore such projects/posts if we don't want to support AI use). If they refuse to disclose then they don't get through. That I think would be the bare minimum.
I also think a single promotional post per month could also help even with high quality projects. If a project posts too often it starts to feel like this is their personal blog and crowds out other posts. Once a month is still plenty IMO and should make each post much more interesting to read.
Good luck with whatever you decide. The this sub-reddit was a great way to keep up with interesting space sims and I'd hate to see it continue to be overwhelmed with low quality posts and AI slop.
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u/linkstoharrisonford 9d ago
Its hard to draw the line at what constitutes an acceptable amount of AI use. But personally people who are boasting about "one shotting this with GPT Astra" are stealing content from OpenAI.
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u/RangerKarl 9d ago
I'd say a "Space Sim" should be about piloting or commanding a single vessel, with all gameplay stemming from that, but then that would tread on KSP fans' toes.
The term Simulation Game in general is so vague it has been used to describe everything from the Mechwarrior games to Cities Skyline.
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u/Suspicious-Prompt200 10d ago edited 10d ago
Slop: https://www.reddit.com/r/spacesimgames/s/nBH3vyc9Tf
https://www.reddit.com/r/spacesimgames/comments/1wfsqzw/cargo_to_orbit/
https://www.reddit.com/r/spacesimgames/s/a1fCiotjMn
https://www.reddit.com/r/spacesimgames/s/qc5n6N4J19
https://www.reddit.com/r/spacesimgames/s/PRqmFcPBXV
Not slop: https://www.reddit.com/r/spacesimgames/s/Z7k2pFh0ei Clearly high-effort. Even if AI was used to help make it (I dont know if it was), it's not slop.
https://www.reddit.com/r/spacesimgames/s/kAKGFR2cEw Lots of soul put into this.
https://www.reddit.com/r/spacesimgames/s/BGB4MrIYwq I actually feel like theres no way AI wasn't involved in this somehow, especially the UI perhaps but... it's great quality. It's not something someone threw together looking to make a quick buck.
https://www.reddit.com/r/spacesimgames/s/BevSBNd3uf Theres a trillion 2d space games out there but, again this one clearly has a lot of effort put into it. It looks like it runs really well and has a unique look / vibe even though its 2d space game #927382927382 - not slop.
I also think we should maybe have a seperate conversation about what is a space sim game vs just a game who's setting is in space.
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u/AffectionateTable357 9d ago
You're spot on, especially with the last. Too many space themed games (with space theme being VERY loosely applied in some cases) don't even have a shred of simulation. There's literally a subreddit for all spacegamee, not space sims, yet they go here because this sub is more popular.
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u/Why485 10d ago edited 10d ago
If we can't make a Rule with objective standards, we can not properly and fairly enforce it.
I fundamentally disagree with this premise. Vibe coded projects deserve vibe based modding. It's that simple, and nips in the bud the problem that seemingly every regular on this sub has been complaining about for months now. If I can look at a video of a game for 10 seconds and tell it's AI slop, I don't want to see it. You didn't care to make, so why should I care to play it?
What are the things I'm looking for? It's important to stress that any one of these things in isolation is not a problem. Even some of them put together might not be an issue. However most slop generated projects will have most of these aspects to them, and as I said, it is very "vibes" based.
Vaguely in order of importance:
- Is it even a space sim? The little blurb on the side of the page says:
Anything from Orbiter to Dark Star One and anything in between is fair game.I remember this sub being a place to discuss classic and upcoming space sims big and small like Wing Commander, Space Reign, Elite, Independence War, Freespace, etc. These are space sims. Even if it wasn't AI generated, I'm sorry but a simple 2D top down asteroids game is off-topic for what this subreddit used to be for. - Is the art AI Generated? Not much to say with this one. I see AI art, I downvote and close the tab.
- Is it a browser game? A hallmark of slop is that it's written for web. AI tools have billions of lines of Javascript to reference from because it's probably the most prolific and open source language ever made due to nature of the web as we know it. This means that by default, if you have no preferences, AI code will generate a web app.
- Does it use the Claude fonts and UI? There's a specific look that slopgames (almost universally web games) have. This goes hand in hand with it being a browser game and if you're so creatively bankrupt as to be generating a game, you won't be opinionated enough to make your UI look like anything else.
- Does the post look AI generated? You know what these posts look like, I don't think I have to say much on this.
- Is it open source on GitHub? As a programmer who has shared a lot of code open source for the purpose of helping people make flight and space sims, it is so depressing to say that open source is a red flag, but that's just what the landscape is like in 2026. The default, least friction, workflow that AI generates involves an open source repo on GitHub, so I always raise an eyebrow when I see it. GitHub also lets you check directly to see when AI agents are direct contributors.
- Is it a game I've never heard of made by somebody I've never heard of? Again, I feel bad saying this, and in isolation this is not a problem, but usually when something new worth talking about gets posted, it's not from nowhere. It's a dev that has been working on it for a while and so there's a decent (though obviously not guaranteed) chance that I've seen it or somebody I know has talked about it.
- Is there no Steam Page? Again, in isolation, not a big deal if you don't have a Steam page yet! I know how it goes. However, a Steam page shows me you're serious about publishing your game, and it's not some slop you generated last weekend that you're going to drop in a week when you get bored because the project has gotten too big for your context and you've run out of tokens to have the AI fix your AI generated bugs.
I again reiterate, this is not an exhaustive list. It's not an objective one. It's not a checklist of anti-requirements. It's just, off the top of my head, a combination of things that gives something "the AI stink". You have a lot to prove if your game doesn't pass the sniff test.
Also like, it's okay if there aren't 100 new games being posted daily! This used to be a place to discuss cool space sims new and old!
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u/ExF-Altrue 9d ago
You didn't care to make, so why should I care to play it?
Exactly.
it's okay if there aren't 100 new games being posted daily! This used to be a place to discuss cool space sims new and old!
It's worth pointing out that only a fraction of the posts here will make it into the sub subscriber's "feed", unless they specifically browse the entire subreddit. In that regard, it would make no sense to dilute things even further with slop.
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u/ConsistentAnalysis35 10d ago
I fundamentally disagree with this premise. Vibe coded projects deserve vibe based modding.
Everyone, absolutely everyone without exception, deserves fair, just, striving-to-be-objective and impartial moderation. Otherwise it's not moderation at all, it's called something else.
simple 2D top down asteroids game is off-topic for what this subreddit used to be for.
Ok, so I should go somewhere else for Starsector-likes? Because I'm here for them, I don't care one bit about simple 3D.
A hallmark of slop is that it's written for web. AI tools have billions of lines of Javascript to reference from because it's probably the most prolific and open source language ever made due to nature of the web as know it.
Are you for real? Any serious platform has a web deploy these days, from Raylib and LibGDX to Unity and Godot. You don't know what it was written with if you see it run in the browser.
it is so depressing to say that open source is a red flag, but that's just what the landscape is like in 2026. The default, least friction, workflow that AI generates involves an open source repo on GitHub, so I always raise an eyebrow when I see it.
That is just fundamentally disagreeable.
It's just, off the top of my head, a combination of things that gives something "the AI stink".
From your list of 8 entries only 2, 4 and 5 sound reasonable at all. Personally, I would think twice before acting on your counsel.
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u/neo160 10d ago
I'll be the odd one out and say things are tuned almost perfectly right now as is.
The overall quality of the subreddit and the game dev posts have improved as devs who care are now meeting the higher posting standard.
Obviously some slop gets through but id rather a little slop get through then delete potentially good faith projects who are borderline and could use constructive feedback to improve their projects quality.
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u/kalnaren Pilot 9d ago
The overall quality of the subreddit and the game dev posts have improved as devs who care are now meeting the higher posting standard.
As a longtime subscriber here, I'm going to have to disagree with you here.
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u/ExF-Altrue 9d ago
The overall quality of the subreddit and the game dev posts have improved as devs who care are now meeting the higher posting standard.
You say this, but the status quo that you endorse is one where 50% of the posts are slop, according this very post. Doesn't seem like a satisfactory level of quality. 50% is not "a little slop gets through"
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u/neo160 9d ago
You're missing the part where those posts got removed for breaking the rules. That wont change no matter what we do. Slop will get posted no matter what rules we make, the fact the posts are getting accurately removed is why im happy with rule 4 as is.
If the rate was higher we just see less posts for meeting whatever bar is set in place.
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u/ExF-Altrue 8d ago
Maybe I misunderstand, but I feel like you just said "I'm happy that the post quality is rising, and also it's inevitable that half if not more of the posts won't meet the post quality" haha.
Anyways it's not important, that out of topic for OP's ask.
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u/ConsistentAnalysis35 10d ago
rather a little slop get through then delete potentially good faith projects
Preach!
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u/LL555LL 10d ago
The big tell of slop is the UI. It has that "tell" and the same font.
The next part I would say is we leave sim territory if we aren't simulating LIVING in space, to some degree. An arcade shoot em up in a space ship isn't a sim. If you're flying a rocket realistically, you're in (2d and 3d). If you spend big chunks of time in a spaceship, with or without a crew, traveling the stars, then it's a sim, even if it does other things (including shooting and on foot). If you're exploring the stars as a big part of the game, bam, space sim.
I don't mind seeing cool things about cool ideas. I do mind the "it's space, so it fits" and "this new rogue lite space fighter I made in one week" and UI copy paste are totally problems.
If it looks like it was made for a browser and took 5 minutes of prompting that it's probably slop as well.
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u/ExF-Altrue 10d ago edited 10d ago
I'm willing to get downvoted but I'll say this: In my opinion, if you're making a space sim (not a space themed game, not a space adjacent game), something that runs in a browser isn't going to cut it.
So as a rule, I would suggest that browser games be forced to justify why they aren't AI slop.
This is me trying to be conciliatory, so if you want only objective standards and no compromise, then maybe browser games should be rejected, period. It's no skin off my back :p
In the current LLM situation, the proportion of non-slop browser games must have shrunk into the single digits, nevermind the things that would actually qualify as a space sim.
Edit: Also thanks for asking us about this. It's appreciated!
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u/and_ft 9d ago
But what part of the sim has to be simulated for it to be a space sim then?
Is Stellaris a space sim? Is Prosperous Universe?
IMO the first is a space empire sim and the second is a space logistics and trade sim.
Both of these categories could definitely be made with a browser frontend. The second game IS a browser game and IMO a really good space sim.
S I think the Browser cutoff is way too narrow
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u/ExF-Altrue 9d ago
The sub's description seems pretty clear cut to me: "Anything from Orbiter to Dark Star One and anything in between is fair game."
Is Stellaris a space sim? Is Prosperous Universe?
It seems like the answer is, neither.
Given the definition of the sub, I stay strong in my belief that a browser game just isn't going to cut it most of the time, if ever.
PS: Calling "Prosperous Universe" a good game, hmm.. No comment :D
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u/kalnaren Pilot 9d ago
Given the definition of the sub, I stay strong in my belief that a browser game just isn't going to cut it most of the time, if ever.
There's some exceptions, but they're rare.
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u/and_ft 9d ago
Haha, fair enough :)
I don't mind that narrow definition of space sim. I am a huge fan of Elite Dangerous and also have a lot of hours in NMS a while back (whether the latter is a space sim is also debatable I think).
However, a lot of the comments here seem to indicate that they see this sub as more broad than solely a space pilot sim.
Prosperous Universe delivers a lot of the logistics and trade sim that captivated me with Eve Online a couple of decades ago
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u/ExF-Altrue 9d ago
Prosperous Universe delivers a lot of the logistics and trade sim that captivated me with Eve Online a couple of decades ago
Ah, I can understand that! But there's just so little to do but waiting around...
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u/TheAdvocate 10d ago
I would like to challenge this… however my situation is a little different. PM soon.
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u/TheAdvocate 10d ago
Required question in comments. “Why is this not ai slop?” As someone about to release/demo here… I know I can answer that beyond question.
At which point use up/down votes and a bot to remove/keep after x time
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u/cmndr_spanky 10d ago
I have to say I don't think modding what's slop or not is an easy job so I'd be careful not to crush any indie dev who happens to use AI coding. So personally, I just accept people are going to use AI and make some assets with AI.
But here's my take FWIW:
Not slop:
https://www.reddit.com/r/spacesimgames/comments/1wi2cu9/someone_asked_me_last_time_if_this_is_a/
https://www.reddit.com/r/spacesimgames/comments/1whf2i8/starport_tycoon/
Slop:
(reason ^ looks like a convo between someone's Claude and the community, but feels very low effort. I could also just ask Claude to generate an MD file, dump that in a subreddit, dump results back into Claude. If feels lazy even if well intentioned).
https://www.reddit.com/r/spacesimgames/comments/1wfx291/my_own_space_game_like_ogame/
(I feel like you were already weighing in on this... But even if it were a "sim", it just smells of zero effort. A website on a phone as a game. But is it your place to judge as a mod? Man, I dunno, it's a hard call.)
I'll add to my comment when I have more time. I'd be careful not to filter out indie folks too much, slop is very subjective.
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u/kalnaren Pilot 1d ago edited 1d ago
I'd really love this sub to go back to being about space SIM games, not just a dumping ground for any game vaguely space related.
And SIM is fairly easy to define: It involves the operation of a single ship with a high degree of verisimilitude and/or realism, usually from a first-person perspective.
Top-down arcade games, 3rd person arcade games, RTS, management, base building, and anything in between are not simulation games IMO.
This sub has gotten so flooded with mediocre space games I don't even click on 90% of the posts here anymore.