AI covers for mods

[IsFridayToday]

I'm not trying to rag on anyone but I didn't see anyone talking about this but I'm kind of confused by how pervasive AI mod covers are given how creative the community is. It feels like 1 in 5 mods are using AI and it just makes me be less willing to trust that the mod itself wasn't made with some sort of vibe coding. Again not trying to put anyone down just something I noticed.

[Vexxvididu]

Yeah, overall the community is pretty anti AI.  ...but I can also see the temptation since AI art is just very EASY and cheap to make.  It's very accessible.  I was very tempted to do it myself for my mod but decided against it.

[Pascaloubicou]

Idk about the content of the mods, but AI art start to look boring and i don't like it anymore, voilà 

[LadyWYT]

Welcome to the forums!

1 hour ago, Vexxvididu said:

...but I can also see the temptation since AI art is just very EASY and cheap to make.  It's very accessible.

This is probably why it gets used a lot. Easy to use, can generate a nice image in minutes, and skips the artist fee. 

For the mod my friend and I made, I drew the cover art but we have an AI image in the description. Eventually it'll get replaced once I get around to drawing up new art, but for now it's being used as a funny placeholder(because AI doesn't understand how candles work).

1 hour ago, Pascaloubicou said:

Idk about the content of the mods, but AI art start to look boring and i don't like it anymore, voilà 

Pretty much why it's not always a good idea to opt for the most convenient route. It's kind of like getting a coffee mug from the bigbox store versus buying one from a pottery studio. The store mug will be much cheaper and good for everyday use, but it's probably not one you're going to care much about. The studio mug will be more expensive, but will come with intention behind the design--that is, it will have little quirks that show the artist's thought process, and there won't be another exactly like it.

Edited March 16 by LadyWYT
Grammar

[Brady_The]

I myself am cautious about mods using anything that implies the usage of AI, to a point where I simply skip them, but I do not judge too harshly.

My personal take: If one has such a massive problem with AI thumbnails that they have to voice their concerns publicly, instead of doing that they should offer the mod authors to create a (better) thumbnail at the same cost. At the end of the day these mods are free of charge. Neither is one forced to use them.

Edited March 16 by Brady_The

[Pascaloubicou]

40 minutes ago, LadyWYT said:

Pretty much why it's not always a good idea to opt for the most convenient route. It's kind of like getting a coffee mug from the bigbox store versus buying one from a pottery studio. The store mug will be much cheaper and good for everyday use, but it's probably not one you're going to care much about. The studio mug will be more expensive, but will come with intention behind the design--that is, it will have little quirks that show the artist's thought process, and there won't be another exactly like it.

I tried to quote only my part , hope it will work.

Maybe i guess the art is so similar and like "slop" bcs there is really not a single art input by the user, idk how generally its used by plp but there is that. I can say to, that i don't feel neutral about it, at this point it could become a negative point to use AI art of that quality compare to nothing. But i understand some plp have a lot of fun using AI art.

[Facethief]

I LOVE MS PAINT! I LOVE FREE IMAGE EDITORS!

[Minty Boi]

Honestly I would much rather a poorly done MS Paint drawing than anything AI. The technology is just too exploitative, and environmentally destructive, for me to be willing to engage with anything made by it. 

[kal_culated]

I won't use a mod with AI art on it. Simple as.

[Calmest_of_lakes]

On 3/16/2026 at 3:49 PM, Brady_The said:

My personal take: If one has such a massive problem with AI thumbnails that they have to voice their concerns publicly, instead of doing that they should offer the mod authors to create a (better) thumbnail at the same cost. At the end of the day these mods are free of charge. Neither is one forced to use them.

Very reminiscent of "if you can't make something better, you can't criticize it."

Anyhow, an AI generated thumbnail is usually a sign of either a lazy developer, or a vibe coder. Making something serviceable in Inkscape/Krita/Paint isn't too hard, and can be done in a reasonable amount of time. Very hard pass.

Edited March 18 by Calmest_of_lakes

[Lollard]

It does boggle the mind when you can just use a screenshot of your mod's content as the cover and it will be less effort, more informative and not reeking of sleaze.

[Teh Pizza Lady]

I get where y'all are coming from with AI "art" feeling bland or generic. Gone are the days of pranking your friends with ChatBot or similar. My sister once fended off a random guy who kept texting her by feeding his text messages into an AI chat and then copying the responses back to him. He eventually got the hint when his advances were getting him nowhere. AI is essentially an approximation of anything ever written from the dumbest of takes to the most eloquently stated thought pieces. As a result, in order to be coherent, it cannot be creative. In order to be creative, it has to produce things that don't make sense. It cannot produce things that are both coherent and creative. This is established fact. Link takes you to a PsyPost article with more information on that subject.

That said, as someone who actually made an in-depth mod from scratch but can't draw, the choice isn't "AI vs handmade art", it's "placeholder until I get an artist to draw something real".

Not everyone has the time, skill, or access to an artist especially for free projects as you all have stated. A lot of us are programmers or designers, not illustrators. Using AI for an image doesn't mean the mod itself was low-effort. It means we needed something so the page wouldn't look like a generic download page from a shady 90's website.

I'd absolutely prefer to use custom art, but until I can, I'd rather have something visual than a jarring lack of anything at all. I think a better standard is judging the mod itself by the comments, the author's engagement and the content of the mod, not just the thumbnail. As the old saying goes, don't judge a book by its cover...

And for what it's worth, I used a local copy of Flux Dev on my PC to create the image so no environmentally exploitative methods were used for it, but I get the concerns. AI is broken and a poor substitute for the real thing and doesn't deserve the attention and funding that it gets. Should I remove the AI image from my mod? Probably. But not until I get something to replace it. I used to be heavy into AI, because I thought it offered me a way to get my creative ideas out of my head. Instead it's only lead me down a path of disappointment of never quite reaching the mark.

[LadyWYT]

4 hours ago, Teh Pizza Lady said:

Not everyone has the time, skill, or access to an artist especially for free projects as you all have stated. A lot of us are programmers or designers, not illustrators. Using AI for an image doesn't mean the mod itself was low-effort. It means we needed something so the page wouldn't look like a generic download page from a shady 90's website.

Just because the cover art might be objectively bad, doesn't mean it won't stand out in a good way, or be beloved by many members of the community. A lot of old Minecraft textures were horrible since, well, they were made by a programmer and not an artist, but that doesn't mean they don't have endearing qualities to the Minecraft community. A lot of older memes are also hideous MS Paint doodles, but absolutely iconic for what they are and just wouldn't pack the same punch if drawn with better style.

In any case, I agree that AI images aren't necessarily the best indication that the mod was low effort. The description, or lack thereof, is usually a better indicator in that regard. I do, however, think that when AI images are seemingly getting used for absolutely everything, then the stuff they advertise starts to feel cheap and stale as a result since AI images are advertising both good and bad stuff. Or in other words, the look becomes the "shady generic website download" look because of the widespread use.

4 hours ago, Teh Pizza Lady said:

I'd absolutely prefer to use custom art, but until I can, I'd rather have something visual than a jarring lack of anything at all. I think a better standard is judging the mod itself by the comments, the author's engagement and the content of the mod, not just the thumbnail. As the old saying goes, don't judge a book by its cover...

I think this is where tools like GIMP, MS Paint, Krita, etc. really shouldn't be underestimated, and neither should one's artistic abilities. When everything is generic AI stuff, what's human-made will stand out much more, even if it's just a silly stickman doodle. Why? Because it will be clear there was thought and care put into the picture. And yes, don't judge books by their covers and all that, but if out of 100 books 99 of them have the same general cover...well, then it's easier for the 1 that does not to stand out and catch my interest. 

 

4 hours ago, Teh Pizza Lady said:

I used to be heavy into AI, because I thought it offered me a way to get my creative ideas out of my head. Instead it's only lead me down a path of disappointment of never quite reaching the mark.

In fairness, that isn't really an AI problem, as much as it is just part of being human. I think it's natural for us to look for shortcuts and easier ways to do things, and while easier methods aren't necessarily bad themselves, always looking for an "easy out" can be a real problem. Speaking from the artist standpoint, when I was a kid, I always wanted the fancy art sets because I thought that the fancy stuff would let me draw and paint better. While material quality does have some effect on the final outcome, it's not what actually determines if a piece is good or bad. Skill is a much bigger factor there, and it only comes with practice and discipline. Needless to say, I was disappointed many, many times when the fancy art supplies didn't improve my art. 

I think this is also where AI has been sorely misunderstood. Much like traditional art supplies, it's just a tool to be used, and not a replacement for actual skill. However, it's been touted as a skill replacer by some, which I think discourages many people from trying to make their own stuff since, well, it takes time and effort, and AI appears to be "better" so what's the point of trying?

Edited March 19 by LadyWYT
Forgot a word

[Grish]

I personally don't mind it at all.Heck the whole mod can be made by AI, as long as its good I'm going to give it a go.

I look at every handcraft as a form of art,metal working,woodworking,leather working etc. It was all overtaken by machines and computers,entire car mfg lines have no humans left on em. I'm not buying handmade shoes,clothes,eating utensils,pots and pans,etc. If I'm not doing that, I have no right to pass judgement on someone using AI for a free mod. That's just me though, to each their own.

[KahvozeinsFang]

I really don't see a problem with using AI to make a mod or art for a mod page. I've used AI to make some of the cover images on mods I've uploaded to NexusMods. I've had people complaining about it, but my opinion is if they don't like it they don't have to use it. Some people get nasty about it and earn themselves a ban from downloading any of my mods. 

 

As for making a whole mod using AI, I've had lots of mod requests and I'd rather someone just use AI to make a mod they want rather than ask me to make it for them. Usually I don't have the time to do it.  

 

Edited March 20 by KahvozeinsFang

[DUCATISLO]

AI images can be pretty meh or just bad but I also hate not having any mod preview images of what it looks like in game 

[Lielac]

On 3/19/2026 at 11:16 AM, LadyWYT said:

Just because the cover art might be objectively bad, doesn't mean it won't stand out in a good way, or be beloved by many members of the community. A lot of old Minecraft textures were horrible since, well, they were made by a programmer and not an artist, but that doesn't mean they don't have endearing qualities to the Minecraft community. A lot of older memes are also hideous MS Paint doodles, but absolutely iconic for what they are and just wouldn't pack the same punch if drawn with better style.

 

On 3/18/2026 at 4:55 AM, Lollard said:

It does boggle the mind when you can just use a screenshot of your mod's content as the cover and it will be less effort, more informative and not reeking of sleaze.

Agreed here on both counts. I haven't modded for VS, but I've modded for Dwarf Fortress: Steam Edition, and I made my own dang cover art for that one mod. And if I hadn't wanted to draw that, I could have taken "before" and "after" screenshots of what my mod did and stuck them together in GIMP. And like. We're not playing Vintage Story because of the breathtakingly phenomenal graphics, here. Goofy programmer art cover images for mods is fully in line with the spirit of the game.

[Bruno Willis]

I personally hate seeing anything AI, it makes me feel sad, uncomfortable and slightly disgusted. That being said, I am currently using a mod which has an AI thumbnail.

I'm a decent artist, and I should probably design them something. I'm sure there are plenty of us out here who can make good images, and it would be a lot easier for me if the mod creator said on their mod "Looking for thumbnail art - please send us something"

[Teh Pizza Lady]

4 hours ago, Bruno Willis said:

I personally hate seeing anything AI, it makes me feel sad, uncomfortable and slightly disgusted. That being said, I am currently using a mod which has an AI thumbnail.

I'm a decent artist, and I should probably design them something. I'm sure there are plenty of us out here who can make good images, and it would be a lot easier for me if the mod creator said on their mod "Looking for thumbnail art - please send us something"

I'm sure the mod author would appreciate that if you approached in a way that didn't make it seem like they did a bad thing but more along the lines of "I love your mod so much I made art for it!" or something. Some people can get pretty defensive about stuff like that.

[Facethief]

10 hours ago, Lielac said:

Goofy programmer art cover images for mods is fully in line with the spirit of the game.

Absolutely. Ms paint mod covers or goofy screenshots are the best!

[DUCATISLO]

On 3/21/2026 at 9:44 PM, Bruno Willis said:

I personally hate seeing anything AI, it makes me feel sad, uncomfortable and slightly disgusted. That being said, I am currently using a mod which has an AI thumbnail.

I'm a decent artist, and I should probably design them something. I'm sure there are plenty of us out here who can make good images, and it would be a lot easier for me if the mod creator said on their mod "Looking for thumbnail art - please send us something"

based

[Tsuyao]

On 3/22/2026 at 1:46 AM, Teh Pizza Lady said:

I'm sure the mod author would appreciate that if you approached in a way that didn't make it seem like they did a bad thing but more along the lines of "I love your mod so much I made art for it!" or something. Some people can get pretty defensive about stuff like that.

If somebody gets defensive over rightfully getting a complaint about lazy AI usage then they need to reevaluate.

 

On 3/21/2026 at 3:26 PM, Lielac said:

Goofy programmer art cover images for mods is fully in line with the spirit of the game

This. So much this. Programmer art is actually endearing.

[Tj Pepler - Critcher]

Just sticking my nose in, I started using the google robot to draw my thumbnails because I really can't draw but it was wildly unpopular for many reasons listed here already.  So I did what I thought was the next best step and I started looking for someone to do art for me and the honest truth is, donations like, never happen OK, like never, and the artist, a real human who needs food charges 100 dollars to do your images for you, very cheap for 5 hours work, but still, the problem is where does the money come from?  So my only remaining option is an ugly screenshot and some text from Gimp. And so that's what I do now.

If someone wanted to make a real difference how about this, maybe some artists or artistically capable people could volunteer their skills for free to the developers that freely make them all their favorite mods.  Maybe we have a whole forum for artists offering their services to modders, modellers too!!! Does that seem fair?

[VibeCenter]

Not a coder, but a mediocre artist here - I live for the programmer art.

I'd rather see something 'shitty' than see an AI thumbnail - it has just such a negative connotation to it now. 

[LadyWYT]

2 hours ago, Tj Pepler - Critcher said:

If someone wanted to make a real difference how about this, maybe some artists or artistically capable people could volunteer their skills for free to the developers that freely make them all their favorite mods.  Maybe we have a whole forum for artists offering their services to modders, modellers too!!! Does that seem fair?

I mean it seems fair to me. Speaking from the artist side of it though, art does take time(both to produce stuff and to acquire the skills necessary to produce said stuff), and artists are more likely to take up work that offers some kind of compensation rather than work for free. It's just business. Unfortunately, it's also not uncommon for some to expect artists to work entirely for free, offering only "But think of the EXPOSURE you'll get!" as compensation. I will note that this isn't most people, and there's not a problem with asking for free art either, but it depends heavily on how one does the asking. There's also the case of, some will catch wind of a generous artist doing free work, and try to take advantage of that generosity. I used to do free character art threads occasionally on a different game forum, and ended up quitting because some were getting rather pushy/rude/way too entitled about it.

It's similar to asking a programmer to do code work for free; coding can be rather difficult and time-consuming. If it's not code they have any kind of personal investment in and they aren't otherwise feeling generous/have time to spare, they'll likely want to be compensated for the work.

2 hours ago, Tj Pepler - Critcher said:

the artist, a real human who needs food charges 100 dollars to do your images for you, very cheap for 5 hours work, but still, the problem is where does the money come from? 

It also depends on the artist. The higher their skill or the more in-demand their work is, the more they're likely to charge for their work. Some undervalue their work and don't charge as much as they maybe should, while others want to charge top-tier prices for mid-low tier work. Ironically, I've heard that AI content has driven up the prices of the real stuff in some cases, in part because the real stuff is harder to produce and in many cases is produced by traditional methods that yield tangible results. Unfortunately, the popularity of AI content also means you need to be careful when looking for artists to commission, as there are some out there that might be advertising themselves as artists but relying entirely on AI production. To be fair though, shady deals are nothing new, nor exclusive to the art world either.