Research on Incremental Games - brandoncimino/fortune-fountain-g GitHub Wiki
An attempt to document key mechanics of popular incremental games, as well as personal pros and cons of mechanics and execution
Polynomial Incremental Game with unboxing elements and Multi-Layer prestige system
Synopsis: 1st Generator produces currency, further generators produce earlier generators, creating a polynomial curve(?) in currency. Prestige currency used to speed up/automate process, with several layers (ie, gaining enough prestige currency allows you to meta-prestige, resetting all progress and earning a meta-prestige currency)
Pros: Great sense of progression (a “run” going from over a day long down to less than a second) Very large numbers (ie, 2*10^48000) Elective challenges to earn bonuses (ex, disable specific multiplier, reach a target currency, improve said multiplier in all future runs) Cons: Long intro before automation is possible New elements “unboxing” is very slow (days)
Multiple Currency with slight unboxing elements
Synopsis: Balance the production of Metal, Wood, and Gems to purchase buildings, increasing production of Science and Fuel to unlock more resources to manage.
Pros: Very early sense of progression, quickly unlock several other currencies (<10 minutes) once proving mastery of base mechanics.
Cons: Progression is largely restricted by storage space for currencies, meaning all progress stops after <5 minutes of inactivity Combined with no cap on research, means that overnight you will unlock several mechanics at once, leading to being potentially overwhelmed or overlooking important mechanics. Note: Have not experienced all of the game, have only prestigated once, have not been able to look into next tier of mechanics in “Interstellar” after ~1 week of play
Single-Currency “Strategy” Incremental game with Multi-Layer Prestige System
Synopsis: Cookie-Clicker-esque, but aligning with factions to gain specific benefits. “Spells” as a replacement for clicking as active play. Later on, enable specific number of upgrades from 7 different trees to maximize synergy.
Pros: Most upgrades need to be unlocked first through gameplay. (ex, align with the Druids, then cast certain spells) Each mechanic interacts with each other, enabling parts to further options for the player to explore. Prestige system also allows testing without fear of wasting too much time. Cons: Game Designer adds new content onto end of current game timeline, creating massive “dead zones” where very little progress is made for days-weeks Game appears too similar to Cookie Clicker (ie, dull) for too long at the beginning, reducing retention However, Research system can lead to Analysis Paralysis (selecting 6 upgrades from ~25, for each of 6 research categories, some options are disabled due to who you aligned with earlier in the run, etc) Note: Due to Con point #1, have only progressed to Reincarnation 60 after several weeks. Changelogs have content unlocking all the way up at Reincarnation 175.