Stop complaining about the use of AI. You will be banned.

[Dazz]

Hello Everyone,

Unfortunately, we seem to have a group of people who are against AI... 

Not a single person in this hobby has to release anything at all... However, if a person chooses to use AI during their creation process they are free to do so... whether AI is used for code, models, images, or whatever they feel the need for. You don't like it... Who cares.  We don't...  

I can tell you one thing.. AI is here, this hobby uses it... Many of our future releases are direct results from the use of AI.  If you are sooooo deadset against AI, then don't bother downloading anything required for this hobby.  All of our tools, simulators, emulators, and other software all have some kind of AI being used to create it. 

We don't care that you don't like AI. Go find another site to complain on... 

[Harley-Boy]

Je suis entièrement d'accord
moi même j'utilise l'aide de l'IA, mais depuis peut
parce que premièrement, j'ai les tunels carpiens compresser
dans les deux mains, faire du détourage c'est devenue une misère

deuxièment ça aide et accélaire la productivité, et ça encourage de continuer

troisièment parfois c'est vraiment beau

 

Vous savez, quelque tables date de très loin
et il est difficile de trouver de belles images
l'IA peut peut donc donner un coup de pouce

 

J'ai fait environs 364 Wheel voir +
avec mes deux mains enfler et très engourdis

 

Alors je suis ravit de pouvoir m'aider de l'IA maintenant
et n'allez pas pensez que l'IA fait tout le travail a notre place
nous sommes loin de là

 

J'ai fait l'achat de 3 logiciels différents, et là un abonnement pour l'IA pourquoi ?

pour faire des Wheel Diagonal pour mon plaisir
et aussi les partager avec vous tous, qui est ma façons de participer
et de redonner

 

Vous avez le droit de ne pas aimer, mais vous savez aussi
que personne ne vous oblige de télécharger

 

Hé oui il faut de tout pour faire un monde
et la technologie continuera d'avancer
qu'on le veulent ou non

 

Alors je m'accuse LoL

-----------------------------------

I completely agree.
I myself use AI assistance, but only recently.

 

Firstly, because I have severe carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands, and image clipping has become a real pain

Secondly, it helps and speeds up productivity, and it encourages me to keep going

Thirdly, sometimes it's really beautiful

 

You know, some tables are very old, and it's difficult to find good images

AI can therefore give a helping hand

 

I've done around 364 Wheels, maybe more, with both hands swollen and very numb

So I'm delighted to be able to use AI now

 

And don't think that AI does all the work for us; we're far from it

I've bought three different software programs, and now a subscription for AI  Why?

 

To make Wheel Diagonals for my own enjoyment

and also to share them with all of you, which is my way of participating

and giving back

 

You have the right not to like them, but you also know
that nobody is forcing you to download them

 

Yes, it takes all sorts to make a world
and technology will continue to advance
whether we like it or not

 

So I confess, LoL

Edited September 15 by Harley-Boy

[Dazz]

7 hours ago, Harley-Boy said:

Je suis entièrement d'accord
moi même j'utilise l'aide de l'IA, mais depuis peut
parce que premièrement, j'ai les tunels carpiens compresser
dans les deux mains, faire du détourage c'est devenue une misère

deuxièment ça aide et accélaire la productivité, et ça encourage de continuer

troisièment parfois c'est vraiment beau

 

Vous savez, quelque tables date de très loin
et il est difficile de trouver de belles images
l'IA peut peut donc donner un coup de pouce

 

J'ai fait environs 364 Wheel voir +
avec mes deux mains enfler et très engourdis

 

Alors je suis ravit de pouvoir m'aider de l'IA maintenant
et n'allez pas pensez que l'IA fait tout le travail a notre place
nous sommes loin de là

 

J'ai fait l'achat de 3 logiciels différents, et là un abonnement pour l'IA pourquoi ?

pour faire des Wheel Diagonal pour mon plaisir
et aussi les partager avec vous tous, qui est ma façons de participer
et de redonner

 

Vous avez le droit de ne pas aimer, mais vous savez aussi
que personne ne vous oblige de télécharger

 

Hé oui il faut de tout pour faire un monde
et la technologie continuera d'avancer
qu'on le veulent ou non

 

Alors je m'accuse LoL

-----------------------------------

I completely agree.
I myself use AI assistance, but only recently.

 

Firstly, because I have severe carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands, and image clipping has become a real pain

Secondly, it helps and speeds up productivity, and it encourages me to keep going

Thirdly, sometimes it's really beautiful

 

You know, some tables are very old, and it's difficult to find good images

AI can therefore give a helping hand

 

I've done around 364 Wheels, maybe more, with both hands swollen and very numb

So I'm delighted to be able to use AI now

 

And don't think that AI does all the work for us; we're far from it

I've bought three different software programs, and now a subscription for AI  Why?

 

To make Wheel Diagonals for my own enjoyment

and also to share them with all of you, which is my way of participating

and giving back

 

You have the right not to like them, but you also know
that nobody is forcing you to download them

 

Yes, it takes all sorts to make a world
and technology will continue to advance
whether we like it or not

 

So I confess, LoL

@Harley-Boy I feel for you... I recently, almost 4 weeks ago, I had carpal and ulnar surgery on my left wrist and elbow.  I was in a sling/cast for 10 days...  Thankfully not much pain except when pushing myself up and my left hand is very weak. Having to do physical therapy to help re-gain strength.  I need to have my right side done as well, but holding off for 6mo-1yr for that.

As far as AI goes... I too dislike it, but my real job has adopted it and I'm forced to use it. So, naturally it's made it into my real life and hobbies.  

[rkader]

A.I. needs a human to tell it what to do and more often than not, to fix its mistakes. So, there's still actual human work involved and if they are kind enough to share their work with us, it should be appreciated, ALWAYS.

A.I is a tool, that's all. Of course, Agent Smith disagrees "Never send a human to do a machine's job"  But who cares about him  

"I amar prestar aen..".   so "you can change or live like an hermit..." (LotR and GitS fans rejoice )

Edited September 15 by rkader

[Harley-Boy]

Je te comprend à 100% Dazz
moi j'ai ce problème depuis des dizaines d'année
jamais étai opéré pour mes deux mains
en bonus, j'ai 3 vertèbres lombaire qui serait censé me rendre handicaper

je ne peut même plus conduire ma belle Harley-Davidson

 

Quand à l'IA, pour moi c'est un outil nouveau
ce n'est pas parfait, et sans l'humain pour lui dire comment procédé
il ne fait riens de spectaculaire, et bien souvent faut recommencer

 

Mais cela m'aide pour traiter mes images
pour ce magnifique obi que vous nous offrez gratuitement
et j'en profite pour vous dire un gros merci !

 

J'aimerais bien me passer de l'IA
pour continuer mes créations bien modeste
mais les faits étant, que je suis usé

 

Les gens, je débourse mon argent
sur des logiciels de retouches, et de manipulations d'images
qui au final ne comble pas tout les besoins
et qui bien souvent sont trop compliquer
alors depuis peut j'utilise l'IA, dont je paye aussi
et mes deux mains peuvent encore fonctionner avec modération

 

Dites vous ceci, votre auto, téléphone, logiciels etc.
en est probablement équiper, ou bien l'IA a simplement participé
a leur créations, mais je comprend les peurs sur le contrôle
que l'IA puisse un jour avoir, d'ici là ne vous stresser pas trop
je ne ferai riens de dangereux avec la créations de mes Wheel Diagonal.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I totally get where you're coming from, Dazz
I've had this problem for decades myself
I've never had surgery on either of my hands
To top it off, I have three lumbar vertebrae issues that are supposed to be disabling

I can't even ride my beautiful Harley-Davidson anymore

 

As for AI, it's a new tool for me
It's not perfect, and without a human to tell it how to proceed
it doesn't produce anything spectacular

and often, you have to start over

 

But it helps me process my images
for this wonderful hobby you provide to us for free
and I want to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you!

 

I’d really like to do without AI
to carry on with my very modest creations
but the fact is, I’m worn out

 

Folks, I spend my own money
on photo editing and image manipulation software
that, in the end, doesn't meet every need
and is often too complicated

 

So, I've recently started using AI which I also pay for
and my hands can still manage to work, provided I don't overdo it

 

Just consider this: your car, phone, software, etc.,
are likely equipped with it, or AI simply played a part
in their creation, I do understand the fears regarding the control
AI might have one day, but don't stress too much about it for now
I won't be doing anything dangerous while creating my "Wheel Diagonals."

Edited September 15 by Harley-Boy

[Tikimaster]

Many people don't understand how much work goes into getting an AI to do exactly what it's supposed to do, because they've never used an AI for specific creative tasks themselves. 
“Create a background image to use as a desktop image for the table I sent in a screenshot”— doesn’t work.
A creative process that yields good results takes days, sometimes weeks, during which you work out a workflow step by step in a chat. I had many, many failed attempts. My workflow for creating desktop background images took several weeks. Photoshop would have been faster. I wouldn't have thought it was so complex and tricky either - but I learned a lot.
Now, I can upload a desktop screenshot of new tables where the background appears green, like a green screen. (Quickly done in the editor—a few clicks, start the table, take a screenshot.) ChatGPT then generates a background image for me based on the workflow with a short prompt. The Ki only needs to know the exact workflow. Feel free to check out all the details you need to explain to get the right result. 
No guarantee that I’ll like what comes out, though… - feel free to have a look into that text.. 

 

PINBALL-BACKGROUND-WORKFLOW.txt

Edited September 16 by Tikimaster

[Harley-Boy]

C'est très exact Tikimaster
et c'est pareil pour moi, juste pour faire de simple Wheel
3 jours pour tenter de faire mon propre style de Wheel
et 1 fois sur 25 encore, les Wheel sont raté même après
le bon modèle appliquer, ChatGPT apprend de nous
c'est vraiment qu'un outil, et mon forfait (Plus) étant limité
on se retrouve vite à avoir un temps d'attente entre les sessions
j'imagine que c'est pour ne pas abuser, justement des ressource que cela demande

 

Bref, je suis entrain de me construire entièrement 
un jolie thème pour Pinup Popper, et je vous en dis pas plus
car à la vitesse que ChatGPT m'aide ce n'est pas demain 
qu'il sera prêt, car je dois tout retoucher à la main
faire les montages à la main, assembler mes images à la main
tout modifier quoi, donc utiliser mes 3 logiciels différents...

 

@Dazz , je compati avec toi
ne lâche pas, je sais que pour certaines personne
après l'opération ça vas beaucoup mieux

 

Moi je n'ai pas étai en bon terme avec le chirurgien
qui n'écoutais pas mes besoins, alors je me suis jamais fait opéré
et par la suite, perdu mon emploi, ma belle amour, mon logi

 

A tous, je vous souhaite la meilleur des journée
amusez vous, évaccué votre stress de la bonne façons
pas sur nous hein LoL

--------------------------------------

That's absolutely right Tikimaster
It's the same for me, just trying to make simple "Wheel" images
I spent three days trying to create my own Wheel style
and even after applying the right template, the results are still botched about one time in twenty-five
ChatGPT learns from us it really is just a tool and since my plan (Plus) has limits
you quickly end up facing wait times between sessions
I imagine that's to prevent people from abusing the resources it requires

 

Anyway, I'm currently building a nice theme for Pinup Popper from scratch
and I won't say any more than that
because at the speed ChatGPT is helping me, it won't be ready anytime soon
I have to tweak everything by hand, do the editing by hand, assemble my images by hand
modify everything manually, using three different software programs...

 

@Dazz, I really sympathize with you
Hang in there, I know that for some people
things get much better after the surgery

 

I didn't get along well with the surgeon
he wouldn't listen to what I needed, so I never went through with the operation

and subsequently, I lost my job, my lovely partner, and my home

 

I wish you all the best day possible
Have fun and blow off steam the right way
just not on us, okay ? LoL

[Dazz]

33 minutes ago, Harley-Boy said:

@Dazz, I really sympathize with you
Hang in there, I know that for some people
things get much better after the surgery

 

I didn't get along well with the surgeon
he wouldn't listen to what I needed, so I never went through with the operation

and subsequently, I lost my job, my lovely partner, and my home

 

I wish you all the best day possible
Have fun and blow off steam the right way
just not on us, okay ? LoL

Thankfully my surgeon is awesome. Had a couple consultation and he let me know exactly what to expect.  Thankfully, my work had already told us to take 2 weeks off during the Summer to rest and relax, so I planned my surgery around that time off.

[Thalamus]

@Dazz My best wished for you on that mate. I'm very fortunate, still my heath is generally good. 

[citrus333]

First, thank you for everything you’ve done for this hobby. VPU is a big part of why it exists. I’m replying respectfully because I think there’s a middle ground here.
 

I’m one of the people who isn’t a fan of AI in art. I’m not trying to start a fight or tell anyone what to release, but I’d like to explain where I’m coming from, because I don’t think it’s just “complaining.”
 

Where I’m coming from:

- To me, art is valuable partly because a person put time, skill and care into it. The little imperfections, the choices and the effort are what give it soul. When a model generates the image, much of that is gone, even if someone worked hard on the prompts.
 

- Honestly, I also think AI art usually doesn’t look good. The odd textures, melted details, inconsistent lighting and “too smooth” look are easy to spot once you’ve seen enough of it. In a hobby where the artwork is a big part of the experience, that matters to me.  Seeing a table that has a character with extra or missing fingers, melted letters or images just doesn't look good.
 

What I’m not saying:

- I’m not saying anyone who uses AI is a bad person. Harley-Boy’s situation is a good example. If it helps someone keep creating despite carpal tunnel, I completely understand that. Tikimaster’s workflow also shows that it takes real effort to get something usable out of it.  But that is also part of the problem because many people will not spend the effort to get good art and will just use bad images with lots of classic AI errors.
 

- I also think there’s a difference between AI assisting with tedious tasks like cutouts, cleanup and code, and AI generating the finished artwork. Plenty of people dislike the second far more than the first, and lumping them together makes the conversation harder.
 

- “All software uses AI somewhere, so don’t download anything” feels like a bit of a false choice. Being uncomfortable with generated art isn’t the same as rejecting every tool built with machine learning.  A good quote I've heard is "I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so that I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do laundry and dishes."  AI usage for tedious tasks like sorting through data or even help with coding is great, AI usage for something very human and creative like making art, in my opinion, is not good.
 

On the ban itself:

I just don’t think a blanket ban on discussing the downsides of AI is the right call. A community this size is going to have mixed opinions, and shutting down one side tends to push people out quietly, and a lot of them won’t speak up first, which makes me also worried about the long-term effect. If people who build tables without AI feel pushed out, or feel they can’t speak up without being banned, they’ll likely leave, and the site could end up as mostly AI-generated tables. I don’t think anyone wants that, including those who use AI themselves.  I’d rather see clear rules about civility and no attacks on creators, which I fully support, than a rule against holding or voicing a viewpoint at all.  Lastly, “we don’t care that you don’t like AI” is going to push people out of the community and the hobby. I think it’s better to try to understand and sympathize with each other than to write people off completely because they have a different belief or opinion than you.
 

I’m not trying to change anyone’s mind, only to say that a respectful “I’d rather not use or see AI art” shouldn’t be a bannable offense. Thanks for reading and thanks for all you all do for the hobby.  Pinball is amazing.

[Dazz]

5 hours ago, citrus333 said:

First, thank you for everything you’ve done for this hobby. VPU is a big part of why it exists. I’m replying respectfully because I think there’s a middle ground here.
 

I’m one of the people who isn’t a fan of AI in art. I’m not trying to start a fight or tell anyone what to release, but I’d like to explain where I’m coming from, because I don’t think it’s just “complaining.”
 

Where I’m coming from:

- To me, art is valuable partly because a person put time, skill and care into it. The little imperfections, the choices and the effort are what give it soul. When a model generates the image, much of that is gone, even if someone worked hard on the prompts.
 

- Honestly, I also think AI art usually doesn’t look good. The odd textures, melted details, inconsistent lighting and “too smooth” look are easy to spot once you’ve seen enough of it. In a hobby where the artwork is a big part of the experience, that matters to me.  Seeing a table that has a character with extra or missing fingers, melted letters or images just doesn't look good.
 

What I’m not saying:

- I’m not saying anyone who uses AI is a bad person. Harley-Boy’s situation is a good example. If it helps someone keep creating despite carpal tunnel, I completely understand that. Tikimaster’s workflow also shows that it takes real effort to get something usable out of it.  But that is also part of the problem because many people will not spend the effort to get good art and will just use bad images with lots of classic AI errors.
 

- I also think there’s a difference between AI assisting with tedious tasks like cutouts, cleanup and code, and AI generating the finished artwork. Plenty of people dislike the second far more than the first, and lumping them together makes the conversation harder.
 

- “All software uses AI somewhere, so don’t download anything” feels like a bit of a false choice. Being uncomfortable with generated art isn’t the same as rejecting every tool built with machine learning.  A good quote I've heard is "I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so that I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do laundry and dishes."  AI usage for tedious tasks like sorting through data or even help with coding is great, AI usage for something very human and creative like making art, in my opinion, is not good.
 

On the ban itself:

I just don’t think a blanket ban on discussing the downsides of AI is the right call. A community this size is going to have mixed opinions, and shutting down one side tends to push people out quietly, and a lot of them won’t speak up first, which makes me also worried about the long-term effect. If people who build tables without AI feel pushed out, or feel they can’t speak up without being banned, they’ll likely leave, and the site could end up as mostly AI-generated tables. I don’t think anyone wants that, including those who use AI themselves.  I’d rather see clear rules about civility and no attacks on creators, which I fully support, than a rule against holding or voicing a viewpoint at all.  Lastly, “we don’t care that you don’t like AI” is going to push people out of the community and the hobby. I think it’s better to try to understand and sympathize with each other than to write people off completely because they have a different belief or opinion than you.
 

I’m not trying to change anyone’s mind, only to say that a respectful “I’d rather not use or see AI art” shouldn’t be a bannable offense. Thanks for reading and thanks for all you all do for the hobby.  Pinball is amazing.

You can hate it all you want.... I just don't want to see it on every post, every comment, every thread, or anything. The ones that have been banned for it have been those that were warned and consistently continued, and their only posts were about the use of AI.

I'm just telling you... everything is using it now. If it weren't for AI we wouldn't have some of the absolutely amazing things this hobby is about to see.

[xenonph]

Imagine an Admin waking up and signing into site, and finding that someone has reported a file.

They open the report and find out the reason for the report is "Author used A.I."

 

What is the purpose of reporting an A.I. user?

You think an Admin is just going to delete the file because you report  A.I. was used?

Seems more like targeted harassment, than complaining about A.I being used.

 

This really ticked me off, as it probably would any Admin.

 

[foofoorabbit]

On 10/20/2026 at 4:39 PM, Dazz said:

If it weren't for AI we wouldn't have some of the absolutely amazing things this hobby is about to see.

 

This comment intrigues me. Is this inside knowledge of actual things that are about to drop (VPE? new VPW tables?) ? Or just a wish that AI will bring amazing things? 

[Dazz]

27 minutes ago, foofoorabbit said:

 

This comment intrigues me. Is this inside knowledge of actual things that are about to drop (VPE? new VPW tables?) ? Or just a wish that AI will bring amazing things? 

Inside knowledge and projects that I've personally created and/or currently involved with...

[foofoorabbit]

On 10/21/2026 at 8:37 PM, Dazz said:

Inside knowledge and projects that I've personally created and/or currently involved with...

Ok, I think I'm seeing the project you've been working on getting merged into pinmame.  And that will help with the release of other projects you've been involved with. 

Edited Saturday at 07:03 PM by foofoorabbit

[Dazz]

3 hours ago, foofoorabbit said:

Ok, I think I'm seeing the project you've been working on getting merged into pinmame.  And that will help with the release of other projects you've been involved with. 

Nope... that is just a tiny speck of what I've been working on. That one was just a side quest...