pages/garden/guide-to-incrementals/index.html

62 lines
38 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.Cgs_WczR.css" as="style">
<script type="module" src="/assets/app.Dk7B7LWV.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.DvHfxfnp.js">
<link rel="modulepreload" href="/assets/chunks/theme.BcKnkctR.js">
<link rel="modulepreload" href="/assets/chunks/git.data.Dtx9V2He.js">
<link rel="modulepreload" href="/assets/garden_guide-to-incrementals_index.md.w8V4Lxkj.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="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="/apple-touch-icon.png">
<link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="/favicon-32x32.png">
<link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="16x16" href="/favicon-16x16.png">
<link rel="manifest" href="/site.webmanifest">
<link rel="mask-icon" href="/safari-pinned-tab.svg" color="#3a0839">
<link rel="shortcut icon" href="/favicon.ico">
<meta name="msapplication-TileColor" content="#00FFFF">
<meta name="msapplication-config" content="/browserconfig.xml">
<meta name="theme-color" content="#3B4252">
<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">
<link rel="authorization_endpoint" href="https://indie.incremental.social/auth">
<link rel="token_endpoint" href="https://indie.incremental.social/auth/token">
<link rel="micropub" href="https://indie.incremental.social/micropub">
<link rel="indieauth" href="https://indie.incremental.social/.well-known/oauth-authorization-server">
<script data-goatcounter="https://thepaperpilot.goatcounter.com/count" async src="//gc.zgo.at/count.js"></script>
<script id="check-mac-os">document.documentElement.classList.toggle("mac",/Mac|iPhone|iPod|iPad/i.test(navigator.platform));</script>
<meta name="og:title" content="Guide to Incrementals">
<meta name="og:description" content="">
<meta name="og:image" content="https://www.thepaperpilot.org/paperpilot_thumb.png">
<meta name="og:site_name" content="The Paper Pilot's Digital Garden">
<meta name="og:type" content="article">
<meta name="article:author" content="https://www.thepaperpilot.org/about">
</head>
<body>
<div id="app"><div class="Layout" data-v-1921774a 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
. Last tended to <a href='https://code.incremental.social/thepaperpilot/pages/commit/5ac040e4c90a8c29635aec2017065e2dfd7e5a83' title='Wed Jun 26 09:56:04 2024 -0500'><time class='dt-updated' datetime='Wed Jun 26 09:56:04 2024 -0500'>2024-06-26</time></a>
.</span></p><hr><details><summary>Referenced by:</summary><a href="/garden/my-personal-website/index.md">My Personal Website</a></details><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><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-1921774a><div data-v-1921774a>CC 2024 <a class="h-card" rel="me" href="/about" data-v-1921774a><img src="/me.jpg" alt="" data-v-1921774a>The Paper Pilot</a>. <a rel="license" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" data-v-1921774a>CC BY-NC-SA 4.0</a>.</div><div data-v-1921774a>Any and all opinions listed here are my own and not representative of my employers; future, past and present.</div><div data-v-1921774a><a href="https://resume.incremental.social/thepaperpilot/thepaperpilot" data-v-1921774a>Resume</a> (not actively seeking new opportunities).</div><div data-v-1921774a>Site built from <a href="https://code.incremental.social/thepaperpilot/pages/commit/b8adce418d7491858c516a2408361b6efa9a8658" data-v-1921774a>this commit</a> on <time data-v-1921774a>Wednesday, September 25, 2024 at 09:52:38</time>. <a href="https://www.thepaperpilot.org/licenses.txt" data-v-1921774a>Legal disclaimers</a>.</div></footer><!--]--></div></div>
<script>window.__VP_HASH_MAP__=JSON.parse("{\"garden_art-is-never-complete_index.md\":\"B7u6xEJl\",\"garden_capture-the-citadel_index.md\":\"BrrCL1wl\",\"garden_abolitionism_index.md\":\"HjImmOqX\",\"public_lit_old things_2.0-format-changes.md\":\"BwaKJMKt\",\"garden_anarchism_index.md\":\"CvuRo2_4\",\"garden_direct-democracy_index.md\":\"DTREMFCG\",\"garden_digital-gardens_index.md\":\"ye7rN-4y\",\"garden_dice-armor_index.md\":\"2IOeOiYr\",\"garden_decentralized_index.md\":\"K5mPhW5C\",\"garden_advent-incremental_index.md\":\"CdAF0tdP\",\"garden_chat-glue_index.md\":\"GjRtxZmS\",\"garden_davey-wreden_index.md\":\"BddJZ5s9\",\"garden_consensus-democracy_index.md\":\"C8lkfycK\",\"garden_freeform_index.md\":\"DuuiFcC3\",\"garden_forgejo_index.md\":\"y4Unga4K\",\"garden_game-dev-tree_index.md\":\"DE3agj3d\",\"garden_fedi-v2_index.md\":\"7IZyLMfv\",\"public_kronos_readme.md\":\"zcQPLTsl\",\"garden_commune_index.md\":\"DSUnilqG\",\"garden_this-knowledge-hub_index.md\":\"Bnn_8wyP\",\"garden_fediverse_index.md\":\"BuEqUtTv\",\"garden_guide-to-incrementals_appeal-to-players_index.md\":\"zCSel8sP\",\"garden_v-ecs_index.md\":\"D_X8I8_P\",\"garden_guide-to-incrementals_defining-the-genre_index.md\":\"CXRNYa3i\",\"garden_guide-to-incrementals_index.md\":\"w8V4Lxkj\",\"garden_guide-to-incrementals_navigating-criticism_index.md\":\"DKa5fpPt\",\"public_gamedevtree_docs_updating-tmt.md\":\"Clk0TMnI\",\"garden_wanderstop_index.md\":\"p-xO-HcW\",\"public_gamedevtree_docs_upgrades.md\":\"BspSzPzA\",\"public_gamedevtree_changelog.md\":\"Bp63oq83\",\"index.md\":\"QLSZMHos\",\"public_gamedevtree_docs_!general-info.md\":\"DK2xr3yI\",\"public_kronos_changelog.md\":\"BB6U1JML\",\"guide-to-incrementals_ludology_appeal-developers_index.md\":\"CKWXVsKu\",\"garden_weird_index.md\":\"BlLx7wre\",\"public_kronos_docs_!general-info.md\":\"jKiOCSlr\",\"garden_video-game-monetization_index.md\":\"6V6QGPDQ\",\"public_kronos_old things_2.0-format-changes.md\":\"BM0FXptY\",\"public_kronos_docs_bars.md\":\"DU3nCdnU\",\"garden_webrings_index.md\":\"Dy8f-WPg\",\"garden_premium-currency_index.md\":\"Bo5SfVsH\",\"garden_atproto_index.md\":\"BCtowTOK\",\"garden_guide-to-incrementals_what-is-content_index.md\":\"DU4pH70o\",\"garden_representative-democracy_index.md\":\"DePKpU-m\",\"public_kronos_docs_trees-and-tree-customization.md\":\"bHBppIK5\",\"public_kronos_docs_upgrades.md\":\"D1pH3BI1\",\"garden_profectus_index.md\":\"iOV0eykS\",\"public_lit_readme.md\":\"84-k6GVT\",\"garden_logseq_index.md\":\"B10o7vfo\",\"public_lit_changelog.md\":\"BAnHXxRw\",\"public_lit_docs_infoboxes.md\":\"C0nPRfky\",\"public_lit_docs_!general-info.md\":\"D2rjMfl1\",\"public_lit_docs_main-mod-info.md\":\"CcRWcMdS\",\"public_lit_docs_milestones.md\":\"CGwN80sv\",\"public_lit_docs_subtabs-and-microtabs.md\":\"BQEflp-r\",\"garden_artificial-intelligence_index.md\":\"D8IuV0iE\",\"public_lit_docs_layer-features.md\":\"DF81fjyw\",\"public_lit_docs_clickables.md\":\"CoIWXGHw\",\"public_kronos_docs_achievements.md\":\"CWA5xmwG\",\"public_gamedevtree_docs_custom-tab-layouts.md\":\"DIYFlfWc\",\"public_lit_docs_getting-started.md\":\"BxRLZ8_n\",\"public_kronos_docs_milestones.md\":\"BqiEbWx4\",\"public_gamedevtree_docs_challenges.md\":\"cvYq35wY\",\"public_kronos_docs_particles.md\":\"a4-BPTpH\",\"public_kronos_docs_subtabs-and-microtabs.md\":\"B3i34UtK\",\"guide-to-incrementals_ludology_content_index.md\":\"DeMHSqgv\",\"public_lit_docs_custom-tab-layouts.md\":\"C-TlZHYA\",\"guide-to-incrementals_index.md\":\"B6vgwrS-\",\"public_gamedevtree_readme.md\":\"DVS2_5Qr\",\"garden_chronological_index.md\":\"Dmo7d-SF\",\"garden_activitypub_index.md\":\"Q0CEUTdo\",\"garden_command-palettes_index.md\":\"DPmU3boD\",\"garden_opti-speech_index.md\":\"rImom0Pe\",\"guide-to-incrementals_ludology_definition_index.md\":\"6kz6kK9h\",\"public_kronos_docs_challenges.md\":\"DvQ_P73q\",\"garden_garden-rss_index.md\":\"d-VCQhgl\",\"guide-to-incrementals_design_criticism_index.md\":\"BoCBaeHs\",\"garden_guide-to-incrementals_appeal-to-developers_index.md\":\"CGzOMsX-\",\"garden_the-indieweb_amplification_index.md\
</body>
</html>