Sam Shields
@smshieldsy.bsky.social
PhD candidate at UCSC; Researches game balancing with a focus on procedural methods and games user experience. Product and systems design background. Avid climber, backpacker, and MtG player. Proud dog dad.
I've unfortunately got to cut back on some subscriptions. What do we think is more valuable: LinkedIn Gold or Pokemon Home?
...It's definitely Home, right?
...It's definitely Home, right?
November 24, 2025 at 7:16 PM
I've unfortunately got to cut back on some subscriptions. What do we think is more valuable: LinkedIn Gold or Pokemon Home?
...It's definitely Home, right?
...It's definitely Home, right?
Now that I'm done traveling and have slept the requisite amount - I wanted to share how incredible AIIDE was and how amazing the community is. The amount of kind and brilliant people blew my mind. I've been buzzing for a few days on the ideas shared there and am reinvigorated on my research. (1/5)
November 18, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Now that I'm done traveling and have slept the requisite amount - I wanted to share how incredible AIIDE was and how amazing the community is. The amount of kind and brilliant people blew my mind. I've been buzzing for a few days on the ideas shared there and am reinvigorated on my research. (1/5)
My work concerning the use of LLMs for authoring interactive narrative has just been published in Transactions on Games! We explore if LLMs could produce writing for IDNs, and if we SHOULD use LLMs in this creative writing from perspectives of actual authors. I'll let you explore our findings :)
"[Writers] preferred inspiration outside generated content and did not find the proposed collaborative work with LLMs enjoyable or fulfilling."
ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/112...
ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/112...
Could vs Should: Exploring Prompting Strategies and Writer Perspectives Towards LLM Assistance in Storylet Authoring
Large Language Models (LLMs) and procedural narrative practices have grown significantly over the past few years, but there are many questions about their newfound capabilities. In the context of vide...
ieeexplore.ieee.org
November 12, 2025 at 6:25 PM
My work concerning the use of LLMs for authoring interactive narrative has just been published in Transactions on Games! We explore if LLMs could produce writing for IDNs, and if we SHOULD use LLMs in this creative writing from perspectives of actual authors. I'll let you explore our findings :)
Reposted by Sam Shields
omg I can play standard again
June 30, 2025 at 5:07 PM
omg I can play standard again
Reposted by Sam Shields
Sam Shields @smshieldsy.bsky.social presents Playtrace Arc Search, which essentially acts as a 'heatmap' of playtraces for designers to use for posthoc analysis. Very neat stuff!
November 10, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Sam Shields @smshieldsy.bsky.social presents Playtrace Arc Search, which essentially acts as a 'heatmap' of playtraces for designers to use for posthoc analysis. Very neat stuff!
I started having wrist pain, so I built a new firmware for my Preonic Rev3 keyboard so that I have full mouse controls in my home row, removing the need for me to switch to a mouse/trackpad/trackball, reducing wrist stress. It's on GitHub if you want to check it out! github.com/smshields/qm...
November 3, 2025 at 6:01 PM
I started having wrist pain, so I built a new firmware for my Preonic Rev3 keyboard so that I have full mouse controls in my home row, removing the need for me to switch to a mouse/trackpad/trackball, reducing wrist stress. It's on GitHub if you want to check it out! github.com/smshields/qm...
"Oh, this engine doesn't have native scroll views? No worries, I'll just roll my own"
*several hours pass*
"Scroll views are %@#$ing complicated as hell"
*several hours pass*
"Scroll views are %@#$ing complicated as hell"
October 24, 2025 at 4:48 AM
"Oh, this engine doesn't have native scroll views? No worries, I'll just roll my own"
*several hours pass*
"Scroll views are %@#$ing complicated as hell"
*several hours pass*
"Scroll views are %@#$ing complicated as hell"
I stared into the abyss and like 300 of these little assholes stared back at me
September 25, 2025 at 8:18 PM
I stared into the abyss and like 300 of these little assholes stared back at me
I'm deeply tickled by the Princess Peach and Megaman X homages back-to-back in Silksong
September 9, 2025 at 4:10 PM
I'm deeply tickled by the Princess Peach and Megaman X homages back-to-back in Silksong
What are the health implications of replacing all liquid intake with Dr. Pepper Zero
...Asking for a friend
...Asking for a friend
August 25, 2025 at 1:31 AM
What are the health implications of replacing all liquid intake with Dr. Pepper Zero
...Asking for a friend
...Asking for a friend
I don't know what's turning sketch comedians into visionary horror directors but please please please keep it coming
August 20, 2025 at 6:32 AM
I don't know what's turning sketch comedians into visionary horror directors but please please please keep it coming
My dog's anxiety responses:
Fireworks - chill
Strangers - love 'em
Other Dogs - no worries
Racoons - friend shaped
A gentle summer breeze moving the curtains - the gaping maw of hell itself has opened and is attempting to swallow me whole into the flaming pits of its caustic stomach
Fireworks - chill
Strangers - love 'em
Other Dogs - no worries
Racoons - friend shaped
A gentle summer breeze moving the curtains - the gaping maw of hell itself has opened and is attempting to swallow me whole into the flaming pits of its caustic stomach
August 14, 2025 at 11:47 PM
My dog's anxiety responses:
Fireworks - chill
Strangers - love 'em
Other Dogs - no worries
Racoons - friend shaped
A gentle summer breeze moving the curtains - the gaping maw of hell itself has opened and is attempting to swallow me whole into the flaming pits of its caustic stomach
Fireworks - chill
Strangers - love 'em
Other Dogs - no worries
Racoons - friend shaped
A gentle summer breeze moving the curtains - the gaping maw of hell itself has opened and is attempting to swallow me whole into the flaming pits of its caustic stomach
Reposted by Sam Shields
this is your brain on ChatGPT
August 13, 2025 at 3:46 PM
this is your brain on ChatGPT
My Bluesky discover algorithm has discovered that if there is a video of an owl, I will watch it 5-10 times. I now almost exclusively get owl videos. This is excellent social media design
August 12, 2025 at 8:29 PM
My Bluesky discover algorithm has discovered that if there is a video of an owl, I will watch it 5-10 times. I now almost exclusively get owl videos. This is excellent social media design
Very excited that my work with Oliver Withington and Eddie Melcer ("Designer Difficulties: Visualizing the Possibility Spaces of Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment Systems") was accepted into AIIDE this year! Canada here I come!
August 9, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Very excited that my work with Oliver Withington and Eddie Melcer ("Designer Difficulties: Visualizing the Possibility Spaces of Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment Systems") was accepted into AIIDE this year! Canada here I come!
New MtG Spider-Man set is not nearly Raimi-coded enough for me to be excited about it
August 2, 2025 at 7:41 PM
New MtG Spider-Man set is not nearly Raimi-coded enough for me to be excited about it
Good climbs last weekend.
August 1, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Good climbs last weekend.
A brief history of self-approved PRs
July 24, 2025 at 9:20 PM
A brief history of self-approved PRs
Just finished "Out of Silence, Sound. Out of Nothing, Something" by Susan Griffin. While I read it in an effort to improve my writing, I found nearly every passage in it a deep metaphor for creative work; similar to how "The Inner Game of Tennis" can be used for all performance. I deeply loved it.
July 20, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Just finished "Out of Silence, Sound. Out of Nothing, Something" by Susan Griffin. While I read it in an effort to improve my writing, I found nearly every passage in it a deep metaphor for creative work; similar to how "The Inner Game of Tennis" can be used for all performance. I deeply loved it.
Gameboy Camera filters have quickly become my favorite lens for the world.
July 7, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Gameboy Camera filters have quickly become my favorite lens for the world.
omg I can play standard again
June 30, 2025 at 5:07 PM
omg I can play standard again
Reposted by Sam Shields
Just made this to explain the string section of an orchestral score to gamers. You're welcome.
June 30, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Just made this to explain the string section of an orchestral score to gamers. You're welcome.
Reposted by Sam Shields
this set is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sick
June 20, 2025 at 10:32 PM
this set is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sick