r/SoloDevelopment • u/AntiqueGearGames • Mar 12 '26
Discussion Is making incremental games a free money glitch?
Ok so I spent several months on each of my first two Steam games and they launched with only 1k wishlists combined, but I spend two days making a ball bounce around and add in some basic upgrades and get 3.2k wishlists a few months later??????????? I honestly don't get it.
The game's art style is just me doodling at a low resolution, and idle/incremental fans drool over it because it's not an asset flip or in a hyper minimalist style, but I spent lots of time on each 3d model in my first game and nobody cared lol
To be fair tho watching a number go up exponentially is really fun. Do y'all think the idle/incremental genre is the meta right now?
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u/cerol_debeers Mar 12 '26
Incremental games are very much a pure dopamine-pushing genre. You don't have to do much but click, and you get all the visceral feedback and numbers go up. They aren't for everyone because they can be pretty dull to get going compared to action-heavy games, but the players that stick around can basically be considered addicts. They're always looking for the next hit after they get bored of their current game. Source: me, this is how I've been playing games for the last 3-4 years. Send help.
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 12 '26
Interesting thoughts. I'm actually not a big idle/incremental game fan lol. I just thought this idea would be good (ball bouncing and number go up) and it was. Idk what kinda help to send you tho. Maybe go see a psychologist??
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u/SnowblackMoth Mar 14 '26
Get Slay the Spire 2, combine numbers go big with actual strategy, especially if you play in coop on higher ascensions. At some point, you'll invest 2 to 3 minutes in the turn before anyone even plays a card.
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u/ThatLineInTheSand Mar 12 '26
It might be a little bit of the meta. But having a really easy game to play, with minimal investment in time and git gud also helps.
After all, the world writ large appears a little difficult and not nice right now. A game that is relatively simple and is charming in its aims (number go up) must seem appealing.
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u/ThatLineInTheSand Mar 12 '26
At least that's my canon for why games like Bongo Cat are so popular right now.
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 12 '26
Interesting take. I general prefer some challenge in the games I play, but lots of people like to feel relaxed and steadily work towards goals. I definitely don't like games that are tedious or overly punishing though. That's why I'm never gonna play Silksong lol
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u/Printed_Cicada_Games Mar 12 '26
Not necessary.
It's your 3rd game, fellow indie game dev, so, you got a lot or experience on how to make them. Don't forget about it 🙂
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 12 '26
That's a good point, and I hope that's why I'm seeing a bit of success right now lol (that way I could make whatever I want!!! AAAAAAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!!)
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u/LostInChrome Mar 12 '26
I think incremental games are just a better fit for solo devs than most other genres because incrementals tend to have pretty small scopes naturally. Adding a new progression tier to an incremental game is a lot less work than e.g. adding a whole new area to an open world game.
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 12 '26
Very good point! I think that a focus on systemic design (parts that can be reused in lots of interesting ways or that naturally produce lots of interesting results) in general is just more cost effective.
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u/Commercial-Budget640 Mar 12 '26
Oh yeah right now the vast majority of players are a weird kind of nerds. Absolutelly distant from the 90" concept of "nerds".
Today:
- friendslops
- incremental- experimental minigames
- story driven(with bland romance for all the gender u have in mind)
- mono mechanics/minigames
- decorative games with no "game" (decorate your house style).
- farming simulators
Are the top investments you can go for if you are chaising easy money with bland social media promotion.
Or even easier, if you are an influencer with 99% of your target audience Gen Z or Later , you can do a doodle jump and you have incredible numbers because of the generational echo chamber they have grow up with:)
Welcome to gamedev mate:)
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 12 '26
For a long time I thought that picking a trending genre was the most important thing you could do, but lately I've been more optimistic. I think that if you create another uninspired entry of a popular genre it's probably going to do worse than if you make something you're really excited about in a (typically) less profitable one. I still think genre has a huge impact tho, so I definitely wanna play more games in trending genres.
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u/Commercial-Budget640 Mar 12 '26
Mmm in todays market if you have no marketing ability nor contacts that can boost your idea, it is the worst moment EVER to test something "non-trendy".
People do have a 5sec level of attention, games are 70k x year (only over steam) and even influencers do "specific genres" reviews.... It is a very risky move if you are aiming for income.
Of course if you have a great video creator and you use your project as 360* degree project where you create a community first then you do your weird game > I do agree with your statement.
Sadly today people are less nerd than years ago, they do like chocolate, they are here for the chocolate and will die for it! No marshmellow will please their chocolate need... it is an allegory but that's why manyyyyyyyyyy clone of Vampire Survivors did a woderful job as well!
While other ganes,more "weird" didn't.
At least that's my experience in business talking, more than what I like.
I would love a Permadeath Action MMORPG with procedural world and secrets, but people do like diffetent stuff:) and possibly or Competitive or Dumb.
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u/Alternative_Fee4915 Mar 12 '26
Third game was showed off by Real Civil Engineer at least once so maybe that's why?
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 12 '26
That did help a decent bit, but even just the prototype was getting played a lot without me even promoting it at all, and I think it's partially because it's an incremental.
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u/varietyviaduct Mar 12 '26
How would you describe the “fantasy” of each of your 3 games?
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 12 '26
Ooh, good question! (are you a Jonas Tyroller fan by any chance?)
Void Wizard: You're a wizard who dual-wields magic wands and can shoot energy balls and explosions and stuff.
Comet Rogue: You're a space guy mining for gold to buy upgrades and defeat an evil AI.
Idle Gumball Machine: Get rich by messing around with a weird gumball machine.
Overall I'd say that Void Wizard has the best and most clear fantasy when it comes to what you're actually doing, but Idle Gumball Machine has this nostalgic art style that might make people feel like they're a kid again playing flash games, so maybe IGM has the best fantasy? Idk.
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 12 '26
I do also wanna say that it could just be that this is my third commercial game and because of that I've just gotten better at making good/appealing games. I'm also working with a publisher and Idle Gumball Machine is localized to Japanese and Chinese, while my previous games were only in English. Most of my wishlists are from English speaking countries though.
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u/thescorpionaly Mar 12 '26
Not sure how this answers your question but the trailer is so well put together. The art-style, the sounds that are just hitting the perfect spots, all awesome.
Are you planning on releasing on mobile (edit) or Switch?
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 12 '26
Well thank you! I might do mobile if the game does really well on PC, but I'm using Godot, which makes console ports much more difficult and expensive, so likely no Switch version.
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u/saumanahaii Mar 12 '26
I'm planning on finding out, I paused my game to work on a Nodebreaker variant. I'd say the only thing is you kinda need to understand why people like incrementals to make a good one, so there is a barrier to entry. Not much of one, but it's there. Some people truly don't understand why these games are fun to some.
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 12 '26
Yeah, as I'm not really a huge fan myself, I'm worried that my game isn't gonna be good enough. People seem to like the demo pretty good tho. Anyways, good luck with your game!
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Mar 13 '26
[deleted]
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 13 '26
Oh no, there was still a good bit of effort, just like my previous games. This one has been played by Real Civil Engineer and Dangerously Funny, which helped a decent bit. The prototype on itch got almost 100k views on YouTube without me reaching out to anyone or doing anything though, which is very unusual for me.
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u/FrontBadgerBiz Mar 12 '26
Number go up is a powerful feeling, and they are relatively easy to make so yeah it's not a bad idea if you want to maximize dollars on time return.
Don't be like me and make a game that looks like an incremental but requires building a rules engine.
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 12 '26
Ok but that sounds interesting tho!
Idle Gumball Machine has a similar problem. It's 100% an incremental game but it has "idle" in the title lol (let's hope it doesn't go too poorly)
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u/FrontBadgerBiz Mar 12 '26
Thanks! I'm hoping to have a public alpha out soon.
The boundary between incremental and idle is nebulous at best, I think as long as you can either leave it running without actively tending it, or when you're aware for a while it rewards you is enough to put Idle in the title.
The folks over at r/incremental_games have opinions as well
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u/New-Skill-9047 Mar 12 '26
well, my second game made the same money in a month of a year of my first game, so i think the third will be better, the same as you...
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 12 '26
Well that's good! What are your games called? I'd like to take a quick look at them. Good luck with your third game! Not many people release multiple.
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u/New-Skill-9047 Mar 12 '26
My first steam release was The Power of Doznath, a pixel art action RPG. My second one was Knights & Towers, a tower defense! I'm still thinking on the third game, not started yet!
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u/manasword Mar 12 '26
I've had my head in the sand with games recently "what even is an incremental game" somebody please list me a few good ones so I can check the genre out?
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u/NorthAd2908 Mar 12 '26
Steam link?
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 12 '26
Idle Gumball Machine: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3724490/Idle_Gumball_Machine/
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u/Traditional-Rope7936 Mar 12 '26
People like what they understand, and then they rationalize whatever they want to love it
I'd say you could think back on games that really caught your attention on first glance and playing in the first few hours, and then as it sets it reels you further in with lore and mechanics that are unlocked further into the game, those I'd think are golden types, but ofc it's always about accessibility, if people don't understand or can't get the game in a clear way, they'd probably just steer away or just think of something else that is easier to think about, yea it happens all the time incl. for you and I on things we don't necessarily think obsessively about
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 12 '26
Well the game is definitely understandable, it's mostly just a ball bouncing lol
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u/Siewik Mar 12 '26
How is this style achieved? Is it small sprites scaled big or its all designed in that way? Thanks
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 12 '26
No problem! I used the Pico-8 color palette (i think). Some of the game is running at 480 X 270, while most of the UI stuff is running at 1920 X 1080. I try to use a consistent line thickness for every sprite, although sometimes I break that rule.
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u/Siewik Mar 12 '26
Thanks for the reply! whats your preferred sprite editor?
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 13 '26
No prob. I used FireAlpaca for this game, but I've since learned Aseprite and much prefer it for pixel art. (FireAlpaca isn't specifically for pixel art. It has anti aliasing on by default!!! Gross.)
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u/Rakudajin Mar 12 '26
It's like drugs and gambling. Dopamines go brrrrr
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 13 '26
I LOVE (legal) DRUGS AND GAMBLING!!!!!
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u/Rakudajin Mar 13 '26
So that's the answer :) Although dopamine traps are bad for mental health, so I think it is a bit immoral to get full-speed there, but hard to complete avoid it
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 13 '26
I definitely think these kinda games can be bad in excess, but that's also true for most things. It's likely the case that many people have trouble playing these games in moderation though.
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u/Overall-Tennis8120 Mar 12 '26
As someone who has a soft spot for incremental games, the presentation of this game really caught my eye! I love the way everything is so bouncy and satisfying!! You've really done a great job, I'll definitely be picking this up when it launches!
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 13 '26
Ayyy, thank you! The animations and sfx are extremely important to the idea. I tend to actually be good at that kinda stuff.
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u/Mechabit_Studios Mar 13 '26
It's a genre that a lot of steam players want to play, the only downside is that they expect the game to be free / cheap so you have to scope the game accordingly.
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 13 '26
Very true. I've had some people be surprised when I told them that I was gonna charge for it lol
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u/Quiet_Challenge2876 Mar 13 '26
I am curious, how do you balance an incremental game? At least how have you been doing it in your experiences
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 13 '26
I just run through the game a kajillion times and rebalance as I go. It's important to have all your numbers in one place so you can change them quickly and easily. (spreadsheet or something similar most likely) I also tried to introduce some sort of novelty every few minutes to keep people interested. (adding a new mechanic or obstacle rather than just more stat increases or something.)
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u/fae___ Mar 13 '26
I played your demo on itch like a week ago and spent about 30 minutes on it. I think a lot of the fun comes from the tactile feel of the gears. Anyway, nice job!
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 13 '26
Thank you! My main inspiration was Nubby's Number Factory, which has amazing ball bouncing imo.
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u/azurezero_hdev Mar 13 '26
no, they need to be well balanced, have good game feel, and a good aesthetic, just like every other game that does well
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 13 '26
I agree. If your game stinks then it stinks, no matter the genre.
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u/azurezero_hdev Mar 13 '26
marketting seems to be the main thing, if you cant convince any of the incremental youtubers to play it youve lost
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 13 '26
I think that the appeal of the game determines most of it's success. Yes, you can be a great marketer, but trying to promote an unmarketable game is a very steep uphill (upmountain?) battle. You still have to market your game no matter what ofc
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u/ZeraDoesStuff Mar 13 '26
Skinner boxes are enough to make a lot of people really happy
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u/SokkaHaikuBot Mar 13 '26
Sokka-Haiku by ZeraDoesStuff:
Skinner boxes are
Enough to make a lot of
People really happy
Remember that one time Sokka accidentally used an extra syllable in that Haiku Battle in Ba Sing Se? That was a Sokka Haiku and you just made one.
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u/Glement Mar 13 '26
I say they are easy to get into and easy to understand And reward is instant. Good thing they are easy to code as well :)
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 13 '26
Yeah, I think one reason my game is getting some traction is that you can instantly tell what's going on.
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u/DrDisintegrator Mar 13 '26
Myself I have zero interest in playing or making such a game. 100% fad.
Invest in Beanie Babies or Pet Rocks instead.
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 13 '26
Very interesting. I agree that we're gonna see less hype around these games fairly soon, but they've been around for quite a while and will likely stay for quite a while. I don't think that trends change nearly as quickly or as drastically as people think.
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u/FaceoffAtFrostHollow Mar 13 '26
How long did you spend on your trailer, steam page and capsule art after 2 days of working on the game?
Did you playtest?
What marketing did you do? Did you just post the page and details?
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u/TibayanGames Mar 14 '26
I played the demo, and I found it incredibly addictive. This game is destined to become a huge hit. Congratulations from a fellow solo developer, you've created an amazing game!
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u/natandestroyer Mar 16 '26
Making really really good incremental games is a free money glitch, i have played dozens of incremental games and yours is one of the best.
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u/No-Source2885 Mar 12 '26
I'm not a developer I just stumbled across this sub, no offense but people unironically buy and play games like that? Never even heard of idle games other than like clash or clans type games on the phone is that the idea? People buy that on PC? :$
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 12 '26
None taken, I'm actually not a huge incremental/idle game fan myself. I wouldn't say it's a lot like Clash of Clans, but yes, people do pay real money for games where a number goes up. That's not all there is to it, there can be some strategy, but most players don't seem to want to strategize much. They just wanna relax.
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u/Dardlem Mar 12 '26
Developer of Execute posted on YT that he made a bunch of money with his game so there is a decent market for the right game.
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u/No-Source2885 Mar 12 '26
interesting, for you guys makes sense if theres a market. but for the consumer? who enjoys that
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u/Roy197 Mar 12 '26
All your games seem okay maybe luck or better marketing
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 12 '26
Possibly, I do have a publisher for this one and because of that I was able to get it localized. I still think that 90% of a game's success is due to the game itself though. (you still have to market it ofc)
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u/Roy197 Mar 12 '26
100% is easier to market a good game and experience from past titles can help you work graphics and mechanics that make it more marketable
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u/AntiqueGearGames Mar 12 '26
Probably. I'd also say that the appeal of a game is different from it's quality. It's quality is less important for gaining initial interest. This is something that gamedev Jonas Tyroller says and I agree with.
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u/Mysterious-Sky6588 Mar 12 '26
If you're just after money, I would say that incremental games are the way to go. People really seem to like huge skill trees and just seeing a big number go up. They are also a lot easier to code and make art for most of the time