Losing Your Artistic Voice to Convenient Asset Packs

orangesky · Oct 22 2025

Hello everyone, I'd like to know your opinion on the widespread use that many developers are making of Megascans (to name one example) and other paid or free asset packs in their one-person or small-team development projects.

It's not just once or twice or three times that I've recognized the same asset pack in different, completely unrelated video games. And honestly, recognizing the same assets in different titles gives me a feeling of a generic game, created in a rush or without real interest in it; games created just for the mere sake of trying to generate the maximum possible profit without investing time in it. And I believe that, precisely, the initial and "poetic" idea of indie games was to convey the opposite idea, to give a feeling of fresh air, originality, and differentiation, bold bets to stand out from the rest.

I don't want to be misunderstood; I don't want to demonize the use of third-party assets in an indie, personal project, or even in larger projects. It's fine to use them; I myself have sold assets. But it's not the same to use those assets straight out of the box as it is to edit them a bit so they adapt to our artistic style or our overall idea without losing the essence and level of quality we want to convey.

And I won't even get into the quality-zero assets generated by AI; that's a separate issue and I'm not going to address it in this post.

I look forward to your musings on the topic.

Cheers

MikeF · Oct 22 2025

I dont like it. Theres an inherent cynicism that comes with a project made entirely of asset packs and tutorials that cheapens the art of game development.
Stock assets are however an incredible tool when used as such, they can give you a starting off point or fill in a gap in your skillset when needed, but it should be done sparingly
The project im working on now uses some stock flat maps and weapons that have been modified/reworked to fit in with the rest of my work, anything more than that and i dont really feel like it would be MY game

Rima · Oct 22 2025

Won't they just look like asset flips?

I'm not talking from experience or whatever here, but I feel like art directors or whatever they call that kind of thing from studio to studio or team to team, are probably very fitting into that phrase about "if you do it right, they won't notice you did anything". If you don't have that, it won't look coherent. Assets, sounds, mechanics, won't look, sound or feel like they belong together. Like anime that use CGI as a shortcut for adding mecha but they don't have someone compositing them properly, so they look completely wrong.

Likewise, I think that a game that's using lots of asset store stuff will probably look and feel wrong to the player because the assets weren't made with union in mind. They might not be able to say why it feels wrong, but they will feel it, and those that have played enough games will be able to name the vibe as "asset flip", and review accordingly. Especially since, if a project is made by people who are leaning heavily on bought assets, they probably also lack the knowledge to know how to best use them to hide that dissonant feeling.

I also think that it'll have the other problem of looking too generic. Realism can be good....But it's realism. There's not that much you can do to put your fingerprints on it if the goal is to be as realistic as possible, right? Because style is making "errors" with intention, and realism doesn't allow for that. Especially with highly realistic stuff; you try to stylise that and you get the Uncanny Valley. So even if they use them well and don't give off asset flip vibes, they're also not going to be making something that's visually distinct from the crowd, and that's going to make it hard to get sales, I think, unless they have some incredible mechanic.

That's how it seems to my pleb brain, at least.

kanga · Oct 22 2025

It's how you use it. If you just lump components together I guess that is what it will look like. I.ve been doing my own kitbash project for a few months and it aint as easy as it looks. Check out the vid below: It's from iziart and the kits are from Vitaly Bulgerov.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCsMfrfpf-M&list=PLlDGMChkrqexornQbcCQIyZRARJJX3Ijr&index=3

zetheros · Oct 23 2025

well, 'losing your artistic voice' is kinda up to the artist.

Personally I like asset packs that are not very unique and granular enough to add to my work; filagree, alphas. If I can't find something that works I'll just make my own tools, just like when I was a blacksmith many years ago. There's a lot of shoddy asset packs on the market that can slow you down or ruin your work, I just don't pay attention to those

Joao Sapiro · Oct 23 2025

it comes down to time saving imo. Why model the same tables, chairs etc, loosing production time that could be better used for other assets\optimization, when theres a pack that fits the art direction and is well made ? Why model the same rocks\cliffs you see everywhere from scratch ? If you have time\budget then go for it ! if you have tight constraints and you need to maintain quality look, then i guess its okay. It depends alot on productions.

At the end of the day, when youre working for a project, you arent beeing hired for your artistic vision 100% , sure it matters when making assets, but youre making someone else reality come to life.

Vexod14 · Oct 24 2025

To me it's more than losing your artistic voice : it's a tradeoff on your knowledge
Alone or as a team, this shortcut rarely goes somewhere sustainable in the long run, one pays to get assets faster in the beginning, but also learns close to nothing and doesn't develops the project's creative core, which will fuel artist's creativity with time and unite them into the same vision, because each one helped building it. Plus you're still stuck with a gap between what you want and what you can achieve (and that can become frustrating, what if suddently you need an asset that doesn't exist ? But can't start to ideate on how to make it...)

I'm only "okay" with that, personally, if the production budget is very tight and makes this decision vital for continuing the dev

Ruz · Oct 24 2025

problem is some of the packs are terrible and you don't get to choose them most of the time

I have had packs where the high res model has a normal map on it for the details ie they have just taken the MD triangulated model in to substance
and detailed it.
so then trrying to match a retopo version becomes really tricky or it's just a scan with terrible uv layout randdom seams and directions etc

iam717 · Oct 27 2025

it's just a scan with terrible uv layout randdom seams and directions etc

^That is why rating system and inputs matter or you get these.^

I once saw "packs", as a means to "edit", said packs "if allowed", and make these things your own for the TITLES they are added to, not to re-sell.. in a pack way....

Is that not a thing that happens?

Even if its a new texture at the very least re-texture the damn things.

Then we can see the asset flips quick b.s. make money only games from the ones that actually give a shit to put effort into and then by that hopefully these morons coming in to fill our area with slop trash can go f-ck themselves somewhere else. ?

Vastra · Oct 29 2025

I’ve never used free 3D assets in my projects, and I hope I never will. For me, the whole point of creating something is that it’s mine, my work, my vision, my identity.

The only exception I make is for textures, since that’s a skill I’m still developing.

Personally, I think using ready-made assets straight out of the box can feel a bit like taking a shortcut. When you do that, the scene stops being entirely your own, you’re essentially assembling someone else’s art.

That said, there’s definitely a gray area. If you take existing assets and modify them heavily, change the materials, reshape them, or integrate them in a way that fits your unique style, then they become part of your creative process rather than just a borrowed piece.

It’s all about identity, really. If your art doesn’t carry your own fingerprint, it loses that personal touch that makes it special.

And of course, you end up learning less that way. Instead of actually learning how to model, say, an old wooden chair, you just grab one for free, which is basically cheating yourself. You’re depriving yourself of the chance to grow and learn how to make it on your own.

HAWK12HT · Oct 29 2025

I get what you mean, I have two views on this, use packs or quixel assets in a way to create something new (kitbash, live boleans etc) and if you are using packs in games to save time / costs that is also ok given you are not claiming it as your own work.
Thing to keep in mind, Quixel assets and asset packs on various market places to make environment art and calling oneself environment artists wont get you the job, if you say you are set dressing artist or level artists / world builder then that is absolutely fine.

There is a range of quality on assets out there and yes it becomes a mess if you bring several asset packs and try to fit in your game universe but that is expected. In construction your raw materials like rebar, concrete usually comes from one or two local sources and what you build out of it is upto you, no one orders a new production of rebar and wait for it and lose production time.
(simplified the consturction thing, but hope it gets the message across)

Learning to model properly will always come in handy even with gen AI image to 3D since you will be well informed on correct topology and will know how to fix it, its same as photogrammetry scan clean up for now.

Losing Your Artistic Voice to Convenient Asset Packs

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