pages/guide-to-incrementals/index.html

44 lines
35 KiB
HTML
Raw Normal View History

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en-US" dir="ltr">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1">
<title>Guide to Incrementals | The Paper Pilot</title>
<meta name="description" content="The Paper Pilot's Digital Garden">
<meta name="generator" content="VitePress v1.2.2">
<link rel="preload stylesheet" href="/assets/style.EyOdsjxW.css" as="style">
<script type="module" src="/assets/app.MlBStdJU.js"></script>
<link rel="preload" href="/assets/inter-roman-latin.Di8DUHzh.woff2" as="font" type="font/woff2" crossorigin="">
<link rel="modulepreload" href="/assets/chunks/framework.BIC8H_hJ.js">
<link rel="modulepreload" href="/assets/chunks/theme.D128A_cj.js">
<link rel="modulepreload" href="/assets/chunks/git.data.CyBiH_4j.js">
<link rel="modulepreload" href="/assets/guide-to-incrementals_index.md.DindWN65.lean.js">
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Itim&amp;family=Roboto+Mono:ital,wght@0,400;0,600;1,400&amp;display=block">
<link rel="manifest" href="/site.webmanifest">
<link rel="alternate" type="text/mf2+html" href="/changelog">
<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Changelog" href="/changelog/rss">
<link rel="alternate" type="application/atom+xml" title="Changelog" href="/changelog/atom">
<link rel="alternate" type="application/json+xml" title="Changelog" href="/changelog/json">
<link rel="me" href="mailto:thepaperpilot@incremental.social">
<link rel="me" href="https://incremental.social/u/thepaperpilot">
<link rel="me" href="https://matrix.to/#/@thepaperpilot:incremental.social">
<link rel="me" href="https://code.incremental.social/thepaperpilot">
<link rel="me" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-lawn/">
<link rel="me" href="https://mastodon.gamedev.place/@thepaperpilot">
<link rel="me" href="https://beehaw.org/u/thepaperpilot">
<link rel="me" href="https://www.reddit.com/user/ThePaperPilot/">
<link rel="me" href="https://github.com/thepaperpilot">
<link rel="me" href="https://twitter.com/ThePaperPilot">
<meta name="og:description" content="The Paper Pilot's Digital Garden">
<script id="check-mac-os">document.documentElement.classList.toggle("mac",/Mac|iPhone|iPod|iPad/i.test(navigator.platform));</script>
</head>
<body>
<div id="app"><div class="Layout" data-v-9be2b461 data-v-5d98c3a5><!--[--><!--[--><!--]--><!--]--><!--[--><span tabindex="-1" data-v-0f60ec36></span><a href="#VPContent" class="VPSkipLink visually-hidden" data-v-0f60ec36> Skip to content </a><!--]--><!----><header class="VPNav" data-v-5d98c3a5 data-v-ae24b3ad><div class="VPNavBar has-sidebar top" data-v-ae24b3ad data-v-ccf7ddec><div class="wrapper" data-v-ccf7ddec><div class="container" data-v-ccf7ddec><div class="title" data-v-ccf7ddec><div class="VPNavBarTitle has-sidebar" data-v-ccf7ddec data-v-ab179fa1><a class="title" href="/" data-v-ab179fa1><!--[--><!--]--><!----><span data-v-ab179fa1>The Paper Pilot</span><!--[--><!--]--></a></div></div><div class="content" data-v-ccf7ddec><div class="content-body" data-v-ccf7ddec><!--[--><!--]--><div class="VPNavBarSearch search" data-v-ccf7ddec><!--[--><!----><div id="local-search"><button type="button" class="DocSearch DocSearch-Button" aria-label="Search"><span class="DocSearch-Button-Container"><span class="vp-icon DocSearch-Search-Icon"></span><span class="DocSearch-Button-Placeholder">Search</span></span><span class="DocSearch-Button-Keys"><kbd class="DocSearch-Button-Key"></kbd><kbd class="DocSearch-Button-Key">K</kbd></span></button></div><!--]--></div><nav aria-labelledby="main-nav-aria-label" class="VPNavBarMenu menu" data-v-ccf7ddec data-v-7f418b0f><span id="main-nav-aria-label" class="visually-hidden" data-v-7f418b0f>Main Navigation</span><!--[--><!--[--><a class="VPLink link vp-external-link-icon VPNavBarMenuLink" href="https://moddingtree.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" tabindex="0" data-v-7f418b0f data-v-9c663999><!--[--><span data-v-9c663999>Profectus</span><!--]--></a><!--]--><!--[--><a class="VPLink link vp-external-link-icon VPNavBarMenuLink" href="https://incremental.social" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" tabindex="0" data-v-7f418b0f data-v-9c663999><!--[--><span data-v-9c663999>Incremental Social</span><!--]--></a><!--]--><!--]--></nav><!----><!----><div class="VPSocialLinks VPNavBarSocialLinks social-links" data-v-ccf7ddec data-v-0394ad82 data-v-7bc22406><!--[--><a class="VPSocialLink no-icon" href="https://code.incremental.social/thepaperpilot" aria-label target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-v-7bc22406 data-v-eee4e7cb><svg role="img" viewBox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><title>Forgejo</title><path d="M16.7773 0c1.6018 0 2.9004 1.2986 2.9004 2.9005s-1.2986 2.9004-2.9004 2.9004c-1.0854 0-2.0315-.596-2.5288-1.4787H12.91c-2.3322 0-4.2272 1.8718-4.2649 4.195l-.0007 2.1175a7.0759 7.0759 0 0 1 4.148-1.4205l.1176-.001 1.3385.0002c.4973-.8827 1.4434-1.4788 2.5288-1.4788 1.6018 0 2.9004 1.2986 2.9004 2.9005s-1.2986 2.9004-2.9004 2.9004c-1.0854 0-2.0315-.596-2.5288-1.4787H12.91c-2.3322 0-4.2272 1.8718-4.2649 4.195l-.0007 2.319c.8827.4973 1.4788 1.4434 1.4788 2.5287 0 1.602-1.2986 2.9005-2.9005 2.9005-1.6018 0-2.9004-1.2986-2.9004-2.9005 0-1.0853.596-2.0314 1.4788-2.5287l-.0002-9.9831c0-3.887 3.1195-7.0453 6.9915-7.108l.1176-.001h1.3385C14.7458.5962 15.692 0 16.7773 0ZM7.2227 19.9052c-.6596 0-1.1943.5347-1.1943 1.1943s.5347 1.1943 1.1943 1.1943 1.1944-.5347 1.1944-1.1943-.5348-1.1943-1.1944-1.1943Zm9.5546-10.4644c-.6596 0-1.1944.5347-1.1944 1.1943s.5348 1.1943 1.1944 1.1943c.6596 0 1.1943-.5347 1.1943-1.1943s-.5347-1.1943-1.1943-1.1943Zm0-7.7346c-.6596 0-1.1944.5347-1.1944 1.1943s.5348 1.1943 1.1944 1.1943c.6596 0 1.1943-.5347 1.1943-1.1943s-.5347-1.1943-1.1943-1.1943Z"/></svg></a><a class="VPSocialLink no-icon" href="https://matrix.to/#/@thepaperpilot:incremental.social" aria-label target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-v-7bc22406 data-v-eee4e7cb><svg role="img" viewBox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><title>Matrix</title><path d="M.632.55v22.9H2.28V24H0V0h2.28v.55zm7.043 7.26v1.157h.033c.309-.443.683-.784 1.117-1.024.433-.245.936-.365 1.5-.365.54 0 1.033.107 1.481.314.448.208.785.582 1.02 1.108.254-.374.6-.706 1.034-.992.434-.287.95-.43 1.546-.43.453 0 .872.056 1.26.167.388.11.716.286.993.53.276.245.489.559.646.951.152.392.23.863.23 1.417v5.728h-2.349V11.52c0-.286-.01-.559-.
. Last tended to <a href='https://code.incremental.social/thepaperpilot/pages/commit/14a570c17b9fb881c611ae5e1aad8e4200ca8b30' title='Tue Jun 18 02:32:30 2024 -0500'><time class='dt-updated' datetime='Tue Jun 18 02:32:30 2024 -0500'>2024-06-18</time></a>
.</span></p><hr><p>This is a comprehensive guide to Incremental Games, a genre of video games. It will explore defining the genre, why it&#39;s appealing, and how to design and build your own incremental game. Along the way will be <s>interactive examples</s>, snippets from other creators, and relevant material to contextualize everything.</p><blockquote><p>Note: This is an incomplete document. I want to keep adding opinions and opposing views from other incremental games developers, and add interactive examples to illustrate various points regarding game design and balancing. Consider this a living document - and see the changelog at the end.</p></blockquote><blockquote><p>Note: This was made before my switch to a digital garden, and is written as prose. Hope you don&#39;t mind!</p></blockquote><h2 id="why-am-i-making-this" tabindex="-1">Why am I making this? <a class="header-anchor" href="#why-am-i-making-this" aria-label="Permalink to &quot;Why am I making this?&quot;"></a></h2><p>That&#39;s a good question! What authority do I have to be making this guide? I haven&#39;t made the best incremental games, nor the most incremental games, certainly not the most popular ones either. But I do have some formal education in game development, know a lot of incremental game devs (as well as other game devs), and have a passionate interest in ludology, classifying genres, etc. I&#39;ve also made <a href="/garden/my-projects/">a couple of incremental games</a>) myself.</p><p>If you have any additional questions about my credentials or anything on this site, feel free to reach out!</p><h2 id="ludology" tabindex="-1">Ludology <a class="header-anchor" href="#ludology" aria-label="Permalink to &quot;Ludology&quot;"></a></h2><ul><li><a href="/garden/guide-to-incrementals/defining-the-genre/">Guide to Incrementals/Defining the Genre</a></li><li><a href="/garden/guide-to-incrementals/appeal-to-players/">Guide to Incrementals/Appeal to Players</a></li><li><a href="/garden/guide-to-incrementals/appeal-to-developers/">Guide to Incrementals/Appeal to Developers</a></li><li><a href="/garden/guide-to-incrementals/what-is-content/">Guide to Incrementals/What is Content?</a></li></ul><h2 id="making-an-incremental" tabindex="-1">Making an Incremental <a class="header-anchor" href="#making-an-incremental" aria-label="Permalink to &quot;Making an Incremental&quot;"></a></h2><ul><li><a href="/garden/guide-to-incrementals/navigating-criticism/">Guide to Incrementals/Navigating Criticism</a></li></ul></div></div></main><!----><!--[--><!--]--></div></div></div><!--[--><!--]--></div></div><!----><!--[--><footer class="vp-doc" data-v-9be2b461><div data-v-9be2b461>CC 2024 <a class="h-card" rel="me" href="/about" data-v-9be2b461><img src="/me.jpg" alt="" data-v-9be2b461>The Paper Pilot</a>. <a rel="license" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" data-v-9be2b461>CC BY-NC-SA 4.0</a>.</div><div data-v-9be2b461>Any and all opinions listed here are my own and not representative of my employers; future, past and present.</div><div data-v-9be2b461><a href="https://resume.incremental.social/thepaperpilot/thepaperpilot" data-v-9be2b461>Resume</a> (not actively seeking new opportunities).</div><div data-v-9be2b461>Site built from <a href="https://code.incremental.social/thepaperpilot/pages/commit/27c6c23dfc3ab7e10cf3817bc9fe680fbfaf0190" data-v-9be2b461>this commit</a> on <time data-v-9be2b461>Tuesday, June 18, 2024 at 19:07:48</time>.</div></footer><!--]--></div></div>
<script>window.__VP_HASH_MAP__=JSON.parse("{\"garden_fedi-v2_index.md\":\"CbH0Icbw\",\"garden_fediverse_index.md\":\"wup7DFUP\",\"garden_freeform_index.md\":\"pInKdBMW\",\"garden_freeform-vs-chronological-dichotomy_index.md\":\"CnBt21Gv\",\"garden_garden-rss_index.md\":\"DNabJiFS\",\"garden_guide-to-incrementals_appeal-to-developers_index.md\":\"BTxU4tZF\",\"garden_forgejo_index.md\":\"DuspREZy\",\"garden_game-dev-tree_index.md\":\"CqK59AXb\",\"garden_guide-to-incrementals_navigating-criticism_index.md\":\"DZayBKvJ\",\"garden_incremental-social_index.md\":\"Ci5B6zNg\",\"garden_activitypub_index.md\":\"xXb3KYxg\",\"garden_cinny_index.md\":\"PesSZHlk\",\"garden_digital-gardens_index.md\":\"DXcsBqlU\",\"garden_artificial-intelligence_index.md\":\"DCAk7A6T\",\"garden_chat-glue_index.md\":\"Ct8hR47l\",\"garden_guide-to-incrementals_what-is-content_index.md\":\"BMH-94jG\",\"garden_advent-incremental_index.md\":\"CjWOOmdy\",\"garden_atproto_index.md\":\"Bf4CcRl9\",\"garden_dice-armor_index.md\":\"DF7VFbui\",\"public_gamedevtree_docs_basic-layer-breakdown.md\":\"B9R3rct9\",\"garden_v-ecs_index.md\":\"Ct-Rvfyx\",\"guide-to-incrementals_ludology_definition_index.md\":\"jfYqtxyx\",\"garden_command-palettes_index.md\":\"LToXmYxG\",\"garden_webrings_index.md\":\"Dvj4THMC\",\"garden_ivy-road_index.md\":\"Bo0rj56a\",\"garden_decentralized_index.md\":\"BNrKx4xJ\",\"garden_babble-buds_index.md\":\"DHYFB3uo\",\"changelog_index.md\":\"Jut0LxqM\",\"garden_guide-to-incrementals_defining-the-genre_index.md\":\"KHo4YLaV\",\"garden_guide-to-incrementals_index.md\":\"Cmakbc4a\",\"about_index.md\":\"DjSStWqg\",\"garden_the-small-web_index.md\":\"DO1eNNcI\",\"garden_profectus_index.md\":\"DNDwVhYD\",\"garden_social-media_index.md\":\"C-EtjrwC\",\"garden_synapse_index.md\":\"BgoRUW7Y\",\"garden_the-beginner-s-guide_index.md\":\"Ua8nldhQ\",\"garden_premium-currency_index.md\":\"DkiPaMt_\",\"public_gamedevtree_changelog.md\":\"BEzzFifp\",\"public_gamedevtree_docs_!general-info.md\":\"BEe1QWpT\",\"garden_davey-wreden_index.md\":\"CgXPBk_2\",\"garden_federated-identity_index.md\":\"MK2Pksig\",\"garden_logseq_index.md\":\"CPRdRSM5\",\"garden_matrix_index.md\":\"DlO__w7G\",\"public_gamedevtree_docs_clickables.md\":\"Dm3kZIsz\",\"public_kronos_old things_2.0-format-changes.md\":\"BtPYjwI8\",\"public_kronos_readme.md\":\"DYr6QcoT\",\"garden_planar-pioneers_index.md\":\"ODGu0wpW\",\"garden_open-source_index.md\":\"DFaw4jk6\",\"public_gamedevtree_docs_achievements.md\":\"Dws6AERf\",\"public_gamedevtree_docs_buyables.md\":\"VV-nsBv-\",\"garden_opti-speech_index.md\":\"jHvJF1fg\",\"public_gamedevtree_docs_bars.md\":\"CH1CktIT\",\"public_lit_docs_milestones.md\":\"BuFl4guY\",\"garden_mbin_index.md\":\"C_7HYqMn\",\"public_kronos_docs_!general-info.md\":\"5rkaQMOp\",\"public_lit_docs_subtabs-and-microtabs.md\":\"C4r4aVZy\",\"public_gamedevtree_docs_milestones.md\":\"D0RVnIvR\",\"public_lit_docs_main-mod-info.md\":\"DINWj5SN\",\"garden_chronological_index.md\":\"C4i2P9BR\",\"public_lit_docs_trees-and-tree-customization.md\":\"xH_hxECk\",\"public_lit_docs_updating-tmt.md\":\"5Wwn7JmT\",\"public_lit_docs_upgrades.md\":\"D5WUVAIu\",\"garden_kronos_index.md\":\"r66f1AZV\",\"public_kronos_docs_achievements.md\":\"DrCW15Xk\",\"garden_life-is-strange_index.md\":\"BhIQG6tl\",\"public_gamedevtree_docs_custom-tab-layouts.md\":\"Cb49LWxc\",\"public_gamedevtree_docs_upgrades.md\":\"D8Eo_Cnp\",\"public_gamedevtree_docs_updating-tmt.md\":\"BeVNV-Mx\",\"public_gamedevtree_docs_subtabs-and-microtabs.md\":\"CILgz0_s\",\"public_gamedevtree_docs_infoboxes.md\":\"DnPfTXHt\",\"public_gamedevtree_docs_main-mod-info.md\":\"bkhR0WSc\",\"public_gamedevtree_docs_getting-started.md\":\"CKgytkrs\",\"public_gamedevtree_docs_challenges.md\":\"DVS5W4rR\",\"public_kronos_docs_bars.md\":\"BvYvqoBs\",\"public_kronos_docs_basic-layer-breakdown.md\":\"DGppoFrI\",\"garden_mtx_index.md\":\"miGiVj1t\",\"garden_nostr_index.md\":\"BzYZ3tFO\",\"garden_my-personal-website_index.md\":\"Dyb2N-cK\",\"garden_my-projects_index.md\":\"DcibZ0jU\",\"public_gamedevtree_docs_layer-features.md\":\"BPBdbh-z\",\"g
</body>
</html>