u/Vickie184

A little while back I made a post here about how Meshy's 3D model gen had taken my work to a new level. A bunch of you were cool about it, so I figured I owed you the reveal:

I'm building a 3D chess game - online multiplayer and single-player against an AI - except it's not just a board floating in a void. Every match happens inside a fully realized 3D scene with atmosphere, lighting, fog, music, the works. And on top of the chess, there's going to be a full RPG storyline you can play through. A chess game you can also adventure in.

It's all set in Funkatron.

So what's Funkatron?

Funkatron is the world/IP I've been growing for a while now. Think of it as the universe everything I make lives inside - its own factions, its own characters, its own lore. The chess game is yet another doorway into it, but the long-term vision is bigger: multiple games sharing one world. Chess first. More to come.

It will firstly be a 3d chess game, browser based. The RPG/lore aspect will be secondary for players who want to explore more. This Chess game will also give me an opportunity to introduce Funkatron and the lore that comes with it, which is where my true passion lies.

The factions are where Meshy has been carrying me. Each side you can play as is its own army of characters I generated and refined:

TC Poole's Falconeers

The Brangus Legion

The Orcs of Mon Ghey Ku

The Goob Gobs

…and that list is going to keep growing. Every pawn, knight, bishop, rook, king and queen for these sets started in Meshy. Being able to spin up a whole themed army, six unique pieces, consistent style, game-ready without a full sculpting pipeline is the only reason a solo creator like me can even attempt something this size. I'd genuinely still be on the first faction if I were doing this the old way.

What's done and what I'm currently working oN:

The chess part is done. We could sit down and play a full game right now, single-player against the engine, or online against a friend with real chess rules (castling, en passant, promotion, check/checkmate, time controls, the lot). You pick your faction, you pick your time control, you play. That whole core works.

What I'm building now are the various locations/levels. The grand map of Funkatron is dotted with locations, and each one is a place you can actually travel to and play at.

I'll keep posting as the locations come together. Massive thanks to this community and to Meshy for being the thing that makes a one-person world-build like this actually feasible. More soon. If ya'll have any suggestions, throw 'em out there.

- TC Poole

I’m TC Poole. I’ve spent the last 5 years building one strange, giant, connected world called Funkatron.

This is a 3 minute compilation of a lot of what that has turned into: VR worlds, browser-based 3D tools, interactive maps, fake newspapers, lore systems, music, weird characters, planets, ships, fantasy towns, live community map tools, and a pile of experiments that all feed back into the same universe.

I’m also a musician with 18 human-performed albums, so a lot of this started from music, performance and a lifetime of being a fantasy/sci fi super nerd; before it turned into dev work, games, VRChat worlds, and web-based 3D tools.

I build from a foundational standpoint that differs from lots of other devs I've encountered. They build from an angle of "what games are popular?" "what does the audience want to see?" - which is the WAYYYYY more lucrative method of dev'ing.

I, a crazy man, build from an axiom that's completely the opposite. I always stop myself whenever I find myself building for the audience and putting them first as the cliche goes, for I want my work to be truly an Artistic Expression. It's all an outward expression of creativity. I want Funkatron to be different and stand out, and this comes with a price I'll gladly pay.

That being said, Meshy's ability to let me create custom, unique 3d models that BELONG to Funkatron has been incredible. I don't use Meshy to prototype or to demo, I use Meshy and put it straight into my tools/projects that somehow have managed to accumulate thousands of monthly users. Many think you can only use Meshy to prototype, but I'm proof that you don't necessarily have to go that route.

Also, Meshy's discord is full of nice, creative people. I highly suggest joining if you are a creative and anywhere near interested in this. It's a refreshing oasis in a desert of "AI Hate".

Ask me anything about the video. Everything in it was created by one person. What wildly fortunate time to be alive and to create.

Much love.

The pandemic was a weird time for us all. Couldn't play anywhere or with anyone. Went a little crazy. What a wild time. This was a live performace during a stream. I use to trigger all the visual myself with that homemade chest keyboard thing. What he hell was I thinking?

Old Friend - Allman Brothers.