Do you think polycount a dying platform?

pixelpatron · Oct 25 2025

I don't visit as often as I used to, where did everyone go? Why is no one posting? Is there a platform that is thriving you'd recommend?

Neox · Oct 25 2025

Dying is pretty relative isnt it? Social media reddit discord killed a lot of places over the past decade, its all without value tho. Information got lost a lot or hidden behind stupid pay walls. Polycount is still around.
Is it the same place it used to be 10, 15, 20 years ago? Obviously not, for better or worse.

If you feel like there isnt enough interaction, that issue starts with you or anyone like you not using it

Use it, so people see its alive and also are more likely to join in/back

MikeF · Oct 25 2025

I hope not, im not the most active member but its the last place on the internet i feel like interacting with these days

kanga · Oct 25 2025

Nah,.... It's just fine. Sure, it's not the same as it was, but none of us are. Still here, still a great place with great members.

sacboi · Oct 25 2025

"Is there a platform that is thriving you'd recommend?"

Only forum can think of that's been around from a similar CG art perspective - vintage is BA?! but these days noticed imo a shift toward some sort of acrimonious 'vibe' creeping in there, just via few recent incidents I'd experienced so hardly visit other than occasionally off-topic section.

As for PC do recall how things were back 18yrs or so (...site was under a different name then?) when a clueless noob lurker, I didn't even begin to imagine posting stuff without being fragged as a Blender user in those days...lolz

However times change for better or worse who knows either people move on or indeed life throws a particular curve ball...etc, albeit personally main reasoning why becoming a member after CGS had shut down is kick-ass art made by senior artists I still follow nowadays plus may as well toss in those on-line socials which are an absolute PITA noise factory best to be avoided at all costs!

Otherwise this forum has long established credence for all things game dev, generally alongside civil helpful community so can't think of another place I'd rather be part of.

Celosia · Oct 26 2025

I wouldn't say dying, but it certainly became niche. Most forums are as quiet now.

I suspect the kids are at Discord, but the entire model - from not being easily browseable because it's a friggin messenger service to being walled off from the internet - is just not conductive to knowledge exchange and in my opinion, off-putting. I don't like the idea of such dramatic concentration of knowledge under a single corporation. You see the same happening to other areas like arts, game dev, writing: Forums being killed off, then replaced by Discord channels.

iam717 · Oct 27 2025

Yes what Celosia & others have said,

Its being "Pay-walled", "they" are taking users & making "convenience", as a "come here its better", cause you get "responses" quicker situation.

The goal of these things is always control under the guise of its "less time consuming", it seems & now the "new" thing, adding these libraries.

Its probably a multi-folded situation where they get getting $ by interaction & logging everything, how people think, all the processes we use to get the results we get.

All these types of things, then "claiming it as theirs", via their scripts called Generative _ _ and profiting off of what everyone else is doing for "free". Ain't that something.

I am all for making our processes easier and less time-consuming but its also at the cost of us as a whole, becoming more and more "replaceable" for the convenience sake of it all.

Felt like this also (title of the thread) suppose it just comes down to our time management, when we want to come to the forums we do, also the processes with "hand-painted", and skillfull geo editing where much easier on "us" i believe than this "new" longer process of doing things. Sadly which i was never happy with since i was just getting better at the hand-painted stuff.

Now its all make mesh, slap the pre-made materials on it call it a day. Which i am seeing as more & more of a meh, situation.

I.e. used to be impressive but knowing and learning the "tricks", to things like "magic-tricks", in general take away the : Pa-zzaz out of viewing a design in awe of, how da f-ck did they do this thing! - I like it! -

Then we get the "You are elitist", baby cry .b.s things cause "we" do not divulge the trick, & we can't "win", either way.

Them good 'ol days, i remember, Pepperidge Farm Remembers.

If it is "dying", i want to get away with saying we f-cki'n ol betch.

Edit:

& perhaps chiming in on peoples work in the pimping instead of only visiting the WAYWOT might help liven up the forums a bit more, i try to do this occasionally. I also try to NOT post only videos with solutions. i think some people want people to be people and "chat" with them.

zetheros · Oct 27 2025

I think the industry as a whole is shrinking. Only die-hard juniors are considering game art as a career path, and also it's simply not wise to have a social media presence if you're working in corporate or have corporate clientele, which is what a lot of game development has become these days - so you have a lot of more experienced artists with their heads down in work.

Ashervisalis · Oct 27 2025

Frequently, if I spend a decent chunk of time giving feedback in the 3D Showcase, I get no response back. Makes it so I don't really leave a lot of feedback on the forums like I use to. I still enjoy perusing the art though. I still check the rest of the forums here and there to see what you crazy kids are chatting about these days.

TBH I kind of like smaller communities. Everyone who posts here, I recognize them. Its sort of comforting. You're all like my dysfunctional family who gets to tell me why my art is bad.

Melomad · Oct 27 2025

I don't post often because frankly, I don't feel knowledgeable enough to bring something of value to most of the conversations. But I quite enjoy the forum being slow- I can actually keep up with what is being said, also people are generally more agreable here than on discord.

This forum is one of the only place where I got proper feedbacks. Bigger, 'thriving' places, my shit get glossed over. As one of the die-hard juniors, this place is a goldmine, even when the older folks tends to be fatalists.

Lamont · Oct 27 2025

I would not say dying. Just changing (evolving). As mentioned people gravitate towards Discord and that sucks. Info just goes into a black hole that can't be searched.

As for me, my lifestyle has changed a lot. Back in the day I was pretty active because I only had me to worry about. Come home, play games and make stuff, learn stuff and post on PolyCount and GameArtisans. Now I have wife, house, kids and other responsibilities. I just don't poke my head in as much.

Also as mentioned, it's up to us to keep it active and in turn that brings the boys/girls to the yard.

poopipe · 1:27AM

Ashervisalis said:

You're all like my dysfunctional family who gets to tell me why my art is bad.

we're supposed to say why?

this place is still more useful than any discord server - primarily cos you can follow a thread and search it properly.

Do you think polycount a dying platform?

Replies