Remember when creating a video game required a full studio and millions in funding? Those days may be ending. Filmmaker-turned-developer Ben Saltzman is proving how AI and local computing power are restructuring our approach to creative development.
His project, GLIMMER, imagines a supernatural New York where vampires conduct business in high-rises and mermaids inhabit polluted waterways. On his Dell Precision 7875 workstation, powered by NVIDIA RTX GPUs, Saltzman’s supernatural New York comes alive through AI characters that think, remember, and evolve independently. The project started as a film concept but evolved into something more ambitious when Saltzman realized the potential of local AI processing.
Breaking Down the Traditional Barriers
“I saw the potential to tell any story I wanted to tell today, instead of waiting 20 years to make one feature film,” reflects Saltzman. Just one year ago, he was a filmmaker with no programming experience. Today, he’s running multiple AI models simultaneously on his Dell workstation, creating an interactive world where every character has its own personality and memory.
While many developers rely on cloud-based AI services, Saltzman’s local processing approach offers unique advantages. Dell Pro Max high-performance PCs¹ are designed to handle many concurrent AI models simultaneously – giving creators the flexibility to elevate their workflows. “Running everything locally means I’m not constrained by API costs or usage limits,” Saltzman explains. “I can experiment freely, which is very important when you’re building something this new.”
Making Characters That Remember
Glimmer puts players in the role of an intern at a secret government agency, managing supernatural phenomena across New York City. Your job involves everything from mediating vampire business disputes to filing paperwork for troll tunnel maintenance. The agency operates from an abandoned subway tunnel, balancing the delicate relationship between the natural and supernatural worlds.
In this setting, the AI brings every character to life. NPCs develop real relationships, remember past encounters, and shape the story through their actions. Two vampires might gossip at TJ’s Bazaar about a new werewolf moving into the East Village – and that conversation alone can spawn a new character who shows up later in the game.
The characters often surprise Saltzman himself. “Ask someone to spy on a vampire coven, and they might tell you ‘How dare you – I have better things to do with my life.'” These unscripted interactions create unique storylines for each player, branching far beyond the game’s main narrative.
How Technical Problems Breed Creative Solutions
The power of Dell high-performance PCs is that they are built for peak performance with processing power to handle dozens of AI characters simultaneously. Saltzman pushed the pro-level GPUs to its limits, and rose to the challenge by writing it into the story itself. Leaning forward in his chair, Saltzman outlines a technical challenge of producing Glimmer: “The computer can’t handle a million NPCs, but the game world needed to feel alive and changing.” His solution? Death became a literal character in the game, stalking the digital streets of New York. When NPCs fall idle or unused for too long, Death claims them, archiving their data and freeing up system resources.
But where Death deletes unused NPCs, it still maintains their history. If players or other characters mention an archived NPC in conversation, Fate [another character] might return them to the world, complete with their old memories and relationships. This creates a living city where characters can fade in and out of prominence, while also making the memory of the game manageable for his setup.
The Future of Independent Development
With plans to integrate Unreal Engine for enhanced visuals while maintaining local AI processing, Saltzman’s project represents a new frontier in game development. It demonstrates how individual creators can now tackle projects that once required entire studios.
“The hardware makes a difference,” Saltzman notes. “The Dell Precision workstation’s processing power and NVIDIA’s accelerated computing let me push boundaries I couldn’t have approached a year ago. What’s exciting is that this technology is accessible to individual creators now – you don’t need a studio anymore.”
What This Means for Creators
While Glimmer showcases how local AI processing on a workstation can change your approach to game development, the real value lies in democratizing creative development. Whether you’re a filmmaker, game developer, or digital artist, the combination of AI tools and powerful local setups is making ambitious projects more accessible.
Of course, “AI” can feel like a loaded term these days, conjuring fears of automation replacing creativity or tools that prioritize efficiency over artistry. But Saltzman’s work reminds us that AI doesn’t have to be about erasing the human touch—it can be a tool that enables you to take your creativity further. By leveraging local AI processing, Saltzman’s able to craft characters with more depth, spontaneity, and personality than static pre-scripted models ever could.
As Saltzman puts it, “What used to feel like impossible tasks are now manageable. I can focus more on experimenting with ideas and refining my projects, knowing I have the tools to support me.” Explore this new approach to AI-driven game development here.
Engineered for unmatched performance, Dell Pro Max PCs harness the full potential of professional-grade graphics. To learn more about the benefits of high-performance PCs and NVIDIA RTX GPUs, click here.
1 Dell Pro Max high-performance PCs, previously referred to as Dell Precision workstations
