My name is Ivan Sergeevich. I am a web developer from Moscow with 20 years of experience — and the author of “Rails & Guns”.
20 years in web development
Programming has been my profession for 20 years. Over that time I have built many online services and websites and done a huge amount of work: from design and the first lines of code to launch, support and growth of projects over many years.
- Turnkey online services — from idea and architecture to launch.
- The full stack — server and client sides, databases, integrations with external systems.
- Long-lived projects — support, new features, growth and development for years.
It was this experience that mattered most. Breaking a big task into parts, thinking through how a system works, setting a precise task and checking the result carefully — without that, neural networks would never have become a working tool.
My first game
But I had never had anything to do with game development and had no idea how games are made. I had no experience, no studio, no team of artists and no budget.
And yet the game exists and you can play it. That became possible thanks to neural networks: they took on what I would otherwise have had to learn for years. On my side — the idea, all the decisions and many hours of testing.
The game is made with neural networks — and I don’t hide it
There is nothing to hide here, so I’ll say it plainly:
- Programming. An AI assistant helped write the code. I set the tasks, worked through the results, tested and decided what stays in the game.
- All the graphics. Art, the splash screen, the campaign map, mission sketches, icons and the interface were drawn by a neural network.
- 3D models. Locomotives, cars, enemies, bosses and stations were turned from drawings into 3D by a neural network.
The game idea, the rules, the missions, the balance and the final decisions are mine. A neural network is a tool, like a code editor or a graphics tablet. To get a good result, you have to know how to use it.
“Rails & Guns” is proof that with the right approach you can make quality games with neural networks.
Why the game is free
That is why the game is not sold and will always be free. It is not a commercial project but an honest experiment: to show what neural networks can do in game development when you approach it wisely.
For the same reason the game is deliberately not published on Steam, VK Play or other stores. You can download it for free on this website — and that’s it.
My principles
- Free forever. I don’t sell the game and won’t sell it — neither now nor after release.
- No stores. I deliberately don’t publish the game on Steam, VK Play or other stores. You can download it only from this website.
- Honest about neural networks. I don’t hide that the game is made with neural networks, and I explain exactly how.
What’s next
All ten campaign missions are ready — together with two bosses, the King Crab and the raiders’ armored train. Right now I’m polishing the balance and preparing version 1.0, and new bosses are planned next: an airship, a land battleship and a drilling mole. Follow the news in the “News”, and ask a question or suggest an idea on the forum.
If you like the game and want to support it, visit the “Support the game”.
