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Ed Lu

@chaosed0.bsky.social
232 followers 412 following 15 posts

Game Developer at Mega Crit. Previously worked on Wizard With a Gun and Breakpoint. Website: straypixels.net

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Reposted by Ed Lu
Makkon @makkon.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I'm immensely proud to announce that my texture library that's been in the making for nearly a decade is now available on my itchio store for indie devs to purchase commercial licenses. makkon.itch.io
screenshot of my itchio store, showing several texture packs available for purchse
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N a i t e l v e n i @naitelveni.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The start map for Quake Rooftops is ready soon! Ty for your patience! 💜
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daryl "rupert pumpkin" b 🏳️‍⚧️ @hypercubexl.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
GDT's reddit AMA spitting fire www.reddit.com/r/movies/com...
reddit comment: 

Hello! Did you intend the ending of Pan’s labyrinth to be real or in Ofelia’s mind?

Guillermo Del Toro's reply: 

My interpretation, and it's exclusively mine, is that it's real.

Because there's two things. One is what people call “The Shining Question.” The Shining Question is, Who opens the door for Jack to get out of the fridge? And Ofelia is in an attic with a guard outside her door, and she draws the door with the magic chalk, and she shows up in the labyrinth. So, the only way she could have gone into the labyrinth is the magic chalk. And the flower is real at the end. The flower that blooms in the dead tree. And the reason I think it’s real is because—and this is why I'm in favor of the human factor in art—I think that art does transform the world. You know?

Think about it for a second. One of the goals, with all this movement, is to make you believe that art is vulgar. That art is nothing special, and anybody can do art. That is like me telling you that I'm faster at running than Usain Bolt but I “run” in my motorcycle. Well, that's not the same. That’s not the same at all.

Art is important, and they want you to believe it isn't. It's part of the idea of control. The goal is not to have artificial intelligence. The goal is to foster natural stupidity. The goal is to foster you not looking for answers, and to trust yourself entirely to an engine. Look at the way we are dipping our toes into these things. We are starting to ask the machine, Is this true? For now, there's a correlation between reality and what the answers of the machine are. For now. But soon, we won't even investigate further. We will be told it's true. And if the machine is in the hands of somebody who should not be trusted, then your reality has been completely and utterly fucked. Because your intelligence ends at the question. You don't seek the answer. It's given to you.Q: You recently mentioned that AI creates 'semi-compelling screensavers' and that you'd 'rather die' than use it. As a filmmaker who relies heavily on practical effects and creature design, what do you think is the biggest thing lost when a computer generates an image instead of a human hand?

GDT:

The three quarters of the process that gave you the chance to think of the idea that people don't think about without that process. Meaning, AI can get you to the middle really fast, but there's a dialectic with the process that gets you to that top 10%. I'll give you an example with the Pale Man.

We sculpted it as an old man, with a face. And then I said, Let's take out the face. This happened because I saw a photo of a manta ray and the poster for Don Coscarelli’s Phantasm. That combination, which happened at two different times during a week or a month, are not permutations that are chemically part of an equation. They are alchemy. And then I said, Take out the face, and then I said, Let's put the eyes on the hands. This triangulation happens because I spent a month or two months living with the idea of this creature. And it's not linear.

AI is like a super-fast engine that makes semi-sentient permutations of things that are already done. Creation is things that have never been done. Coming to exist.

And the second thing is the loss of the apprenticeship that one has as an artist. You're never a master; you're always an apprentice. This is a kinship I have with, for example, Chris Nolan. When he showed me The Odyssey, there’s a scene when Matt Damon is floating in the stormy ocean and I asked him—because we were talking about practical effects, and how great it is and that we both always use a maquette or a model—and I asked him, How did you do it? He said, “We put him in a storm in the ocean.”

And you're gonna find that 30% of a great image occurs accidentally. You know, either a drop of water hits the lens, or the camera shakes. I remember when in 1993, '94, Jim…
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Brett Codes @brettcodes.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
I wrote an essay about why I'm done using AI for coding, even if it costs me my job and career: brettcodes.com/im-done-usin... The basic gist is: AI made me a worse, apathetic programmer. I think it's bad for humanity, the planet, and the craft of software engineering. And I'm done using it.
brettcodes.com
I'm done using AI
Why I'm stopping using AI for coding (and anything else) after using it earnestly for a year and coming to understand the harms it causes on personal, societal, and environmental levels.
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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 22/06/2026
Well, dang. The free Total Annihilation-like RTS Beyond All Reason is going commercial. And Hooded Horse are publishing. Apparently the current multiplayer-focused version will remain free while the paid version will have the solo campaign and other co-op stuff.
beyondallreason.info
Beyond All Reason and Hooded Horse: a new chapter ⇀ News ★ Beyond All Reason RTS
After almost seven years of development, BAR is going professional and teaming up with one of the most respected publishers in the strategy space to bring the game to a full Steam release.
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Jose Pacio (Wishlist Draftula on Steam 🧛) @josepacio.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
I’m excited to announce I’ve been working on a full release of Draftula! A rougelike twist on the classic tetris formula. Build your castle by strategically placing rooms, and see how high you can get before the hero knocks it down. link in the comments #gamedev #GodotEngine #godot #indiedev
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Freya Holmér @freya.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
there are uses for AI that I'm fine with, but the tech feels so fundamentally rotten, not to mention responsible for cancerous growths all over our creative spaces and communication channels, that I feel gross even using it for innocuous things
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Christian Sparks @hippowombat.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
ky.fyi/posts/ai-bur...
ky.fyi
Do I belong in tech anymore?
On quitting, the spread of AI, and the loss of an ideal.
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Doc Vivi Leandra【 VTC 】- Real-Life Scientist VTuber 🧬🖥️ @docvivileandra.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Since I'm posting about applying real-world agronomy to worldbuilding, here's another thread: How video games have probably misled you as to how crops work!
A picture of a farm field
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Portland Indie Game Squad @pigsquad.com · 05/04/2026
Heya, Will here! Been hearing "oh submissions close next week????" lately and I think I needed to work harder on spreading the word about due date. We're gonna extend submissions through April 13th! Stoked to see yours, and excited by the massive response we have so far 🤩 pigcon.pigsquad.com
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Ian McQue @ianmcque.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
Old Town malarkey
Digital sketch, caricature of the Writers’ Museum in Edinburgh
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Alice Bottino @bottino.games · 25/03/2026
Did you know you can test Steamworks Networking on single machine? Because I FUCKING DIDN'T!!!!!! Shoutout to @tsfreddie.bsky.social for the absolutely life saving article that I just happened to find. tsdo.in/blog/test-st...
tsdo.in
How to Test or Debug Steam Networking
I have worked at several companies who develop multiplayer video game projects. Anyone who’s been through the process of developing multiplayer games probably shares the pain of juggling multiple runn...
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Seth Rosen @sirrosen.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Today is the 2 year anniversary of Pacific Drive's release. I'm also in the thick of refining my GDC talk about it, which I was meant to give last year before I needed emergency surgery, so it's been on my mind a lot lately. Here's a long 🧵. If you'll be at GDC: schedule.gdconf.com/session/paci...
A promotional image for Pacific Drive
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Ed Lu @chaosed0.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
I can finally reveal that I worked on the multiplayer implementation for STS2!
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Ed Lu @chaosed0.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
I found this jigsaw puzzle among a deceased friend's things, but it almost looks like we're missing some pieces. I think it's @riotgames.com internal because of the names in the image. Does anyone have info on "wombat 2021"? Maybe @jaideng123.bsky.social ?
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 01/02/2026
A note from our editors:
Note from the editors:

ProPublica is publishing the names of the two federal immigration agents involved in the fatal shooting of Minnesota protester Alex Pretti. We believe there are few investigations that deserve more sunlight and public scrutiny than this one, in which two masked agents fired 10 shots at Pretti as he lay on the ground after being pepper-sprayed. 

The Department of Justice said it is investigating the incident, but the names of the two agents have been withheld from Congress and from state and local law enforcement.

The policy of shielding officers’ identities, particularly after a public shooting, is a stark departure from standard law enforcement protocols, according to lawmakers, state attorneys general and former federal officials. Such secrecy, in our view, deprives the public of the most fundamental tool for accountability.
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Dr. Emily Price @emilyprice.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Angeline Era is like a dream: random, transcendent, frustrating. That feeling made it one of my favorite games of 2025. My review: unwinnable.com/2026/01/29/a...
unwinnable.com
Angeline Era vs Videogames - Unwinnable
In Angeline Era, discursive difficulty leads to meaningful experiences.
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Makkon @makkon.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
QBJ3 has been updated! lots of map fixes and updates, and weapon tweaks. go grab it! www.slipseer.com/index.php?re...
huge grey tower structure under a dim grey overcast sky, next to text reading "Quake Brutalist Jam III"
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barinky @barinky.net · 19/01/2026
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Tom Francis @pentadact.com · 08/01/2026
I've been running an indie games studio for 15 years now, and it felt like a good time to boil down what I've learned into 4 pieces of advice: www.pentadact.com/2026-01-08-1... I hope it's of use, not least because goddamn I forgot how long blog posts take to write.
A timeline visually representing the advice from my post, emphasising how dramatically and reliably having more time, with a testable build, converts to your game being better and your studio being safer.
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Kotaku @kotaku.com · 08/01/2026
Not every game company is hopping onboard the AI hype train. Manor Lords publisher Hooded Horse bans gen AI art in its contracts. "If I sound frustrated, it's because, like, honestly, all this thing has done is made our... kotaku.com/hooded-horse-gen-ai-art-…
kotaku.com
One Game Publisher Is Pushing Back Against AI Art With Contracts That Ban It: 'It's Cancerous' - Kotaku
Hooded Horse won't work with developers that use gen AI
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Makkon @makkon.bsky.social · 04/01/2026
had to wait until the servers weren't so overloaded, but I'm proud to announce that Quake Brutalist Jam 3 is out now! there's a standalone version that works like a game for those who don't own quake too! www.slipseer.com/index.php?re... this was a tremendous group effort, I couldn't be happier!
slipseer.com
Jam - Quake Brutalist Jam III
Quake Brutalist Jam III is a megalithic community project more than a year in the making. It features an entirely new arsenal, a set of new monsters, new powerups, and a complete visual overhaul of Qu...
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Dominic Tarason @dominictarason.com · 04/01/2026
The third Quake Brutalism Jam - launched last night. Largest community project of its kind. The biggest surprise: It's available both as a mod or as a FULLY STANDALONE FREE GAME. 77 one-shot Quake adventures using a whole new set of weapons, enemies and a whole lot of concrete. qbj3.slipseer.com
youtube.com
QUAKE BRUTALIST JAM III - Release Trailer
YouTube video by Fairweather
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Arvy @arvy.bsky.social · 04/01/2026
Quake Brutalist Jam 3 is breathtakingly gorgeous and cleverly constructed. Incredible work by the team and in my opinion - worthy of joining the modding pantheon with Arcane Dimensions And it's free, you can go play a standalone version, even if you don't own Quake: www.slipseer.com/index.php?re...
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carrie carrarium 🏕️ @carrarium.bsky.social · 30/12/2025
HYPERBEAT ON GDQ IS REAL!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited to show off one of the best games from this year! Get ready for some absolute BANGERS! 🎵🎶
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Dan DiIorio @trampolinetales.com · 18/12/2025
Please do not purchase Luck be a Landlord on Xbox. I will be making a $10,000 donation to The Palestine Children's Relief Fund to (hopefully) help offset the revenue the game has generated for Microsoft.
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Polly, Transfeminist Killjoy @crosspollytaupe.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
Over on tumblr someone posted this in response to the same observation.
A photo of a Christmas pillow with the Grinch and “‘Maybe Christmas’ he thought, ‘doesn’t come from a store.’” being sold in a store.
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Ed Lu @chaosed0.bsky.social · 21/12/2025
I made a map for Quake 1 in 2025! Here's my writeup on what went well & lessons learned. straypixels.net/qbj3-retrosp...
straypixels.net
Quake Brutalist Jam 3 Retrospective
The lessons I learned while creating a Quake 1 map.
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Freya Holmér @freya.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
"save systems should dynamically handle object IDs and automatically populate the serialized data of every object that requires save states, and then for dialogue progression it needs to-" team cherry: WRONG. 1400 hardcoded fields in PlayerData.cs
a bunch of very specifically named hardcoded boolean fields in a single script representing the entire save state of the game
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anoxicart 🍤 @anoxicart.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
consider my feedback: i loved working at @larianstudios.com until AI. reconsider and change your direction, like, yesterday. show your employees some respect. they are world-class & do not need AI assistance to come up with amazing ideas.
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Mega Crit - Slay the Spire 2 Out Now! ⚔️ @megacrit.com · 13/12/2025
Ed / @chaosed0.bsky.social's pick: Quake 1 🔫 "I played it for the first time this year. While the game itself can feel dated, the modding community is incredibly vibrant, breathing new life into an old engine. Shoutout to the QBJ3 team!"
"Best Game That Came Out Like 30 Years Ago: Quake 1"
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Ed Lu @chaosed0.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Threw together some quick timelapses of my map for Quake Brutalist Jam 3. Full retrospective coming soon.
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king ned ludd 🇨🇦 @grumble.social · 24/10/2025
still thinking about this article today. so many societal ills are caused by people white-washing what actually happens. it's awful to see games do it too. can't wait for cozy domestic violence simulator or cozy kkk simulator
blog.giovanh.com
a wholesome plane has hit the second cozy tower
more like no thoughts to declare
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nullifie @nullifie.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
ICE abducted Leticia Jacobo and tried to deport her, she is Native American. Polk County Sheriff’s Office, which held her for ICE, admitted that it was a ‘clerical error’. Her family fought through layers of bureaucracy to stop her from being disappeared. www.iowapublicradio.org/ipr-news/202...
iowapublicradio.org
Native American woman nearly deported after Polk County Jail issues ICE detainer by mistake
A Native American woman from Arizona was nearly deported by federal immigration officials after a clerical error at the Polk County Jail. The woman's family had to scramble to prove she was Indigenous...
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Starbucks Workers United @sbworkersunited.org · 13/11/2025
As of this morning, Starbucks workers across the country are officially ON STRIKE. And we're prepared for this to become the biggest and longest ULP strike in Starbucks history. Say #NoContractNoCoffee with us: DON'T BUY STARBUCKS for the duration of our open-ended ULP strike! $SBUX
Don't Buy Starbucks! At any location, today and beyond, while workers are on ULP strike!
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Seattle Community Network @seattlecommunitynetwork.org · 04/11/2025
On Nov. 1 and 2, 8 SCN volunteers set up WiFi at Rosie's LIHI Tiny House Village. With heavy rain all day, they spent day 1 running cable across the property to 6 WAP locations to blanket the whole village with a consistent signal, and day 2 setup 5G modems and PoE fundraiser.seattlecn.org #seattle
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davemakes🔶 @mixolumia.com · 27/10/2025
HYPERBEAT is essentially the sickest shit imaginable store.steampowered.com/app/2263360/...
low poly character hanging out in cool neon space
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Alice Bottino @bottino.games · 22/10/2025
HYPERBEAT is OUT NOW!
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🐔 Brian Bucklew 🐔 ₑͤ>∿<ₑͤ ∞🌮 @unormal.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
i just make video games man you can just make them you dont have to get up on stage and say dumb shit instead of making a video game
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Alice Bottino @bottino.games · 16/10/2025
We are very excited to announce: HYPERBEAT releases October 22nd!
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🐔 Brian Bucklew 🐔 ₑͤ>∿<ₑͤ ∞🌮 @unormal.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
dont forget, together we are vastly stronger than all the billoonaires, a fact they spend a lot of money and blood trying to suppress
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James Youngman @jyoungman.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
I don't get how people don't realize that a technology that replaces junior and entry level positions in a field destroys that field. There's no skipping steps. You have to be a junior before you can be a senior, and if you don't have senior people, you don't have a field.
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Tom Warren @tomwarren.co.uk · 19/08/2025
Microsoft employees occupy headquarters in protest of Israel contracts. The protest encampment started today, and it’s the biggest escalation of the protests at Microsoft so far www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
theverge.com
Microsoft employees occupy headquarters in protest of Israel contracts
It’s the biggest escalation yet of the protests at Microsoft.
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Jeff (Hot Type) Jarvis @jeffjarvis.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
Remarkable account of the people who can't wait to join the American Gestapo and inflict pain ... and travel the world deporting poor people. Two Days Talking to People Looking for Jobs at ICE www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...
nplusonemag.com
Two Days Talking to People Looking for Jobs at ICE | Yanis Varoufuckice
This is a disgusting country, I thought, irredeemable visually, psychically, morally, and ethically, and whatever is likable about our people’s warm patter does not in any way forgive what we have don...
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autumn wright 🍂 @autumn-wright.com · 01/07/2025
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese now also names Microsoft among 48 corps aiding the genocide. Based on the reporting from earlier this year but perhaps lends credence beyond BDS's (and my own) claim that Microsoft is complicit.
ohchr.org
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Alistair Kitchen @alistairkitchen.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
Hi everyone I was denied entry, detained, and deported from the USA over the last 48 hours because of my reporting on the Columbia student protests I arrived back in Melbourne hours ago and had my phone handed back to me upon landing
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AmericanTruckSongs10 @ethangach.bsky.social · 07/06/2025
Yoooo @nathangrayson.bsky.social
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Jason @envinyon.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
OH MY FUCKING GOOOODDDDDDDDD MATSUNO YOU ARE THE ETERNAL GOAT
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Dan Floyd @danfloydplus.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
Can confirm: 5calls.org makes this very quick and easy! The most immediate thing we cis folks in the U.S. can do to help our trans siblings right now is call our representatives, and this site makes that process extremely simple. 5calls.org/issue/medica...
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