I really liked the interaction of the effectiveness and the instability bars. The push and pull between them gave the game a solid foundation of tension and mastery. It did take me a bit to understand that I needed the effectiveness bar in the green to move the progress at all, but I did end up getting quite good at it. There is a bit of a disconnect where the progress isn't inherently linked to being hit by a laser, as it'll progress even if the laser is off, and effectiveness is where it should be. I also found the upgrades a little too incremental, making them never feel like a viable risk. Even the big asteroids can be mined in like a minute, so it never really felt like I needed them, but I was really strapped for cash. The general power fantasy of mining an asteroid field is inherently satisfying. Especially considering you don't randomly generate a bunch at the end of each day, you let me clean them all up, which I appreciate. I actually quite like the slightly unorthodox movement of the ship and camera placement as well; it gives the ship some weight with very few unintuitive rules. Good work
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Thanks for checking out my game! Glad you found the core mechanic somewhat engaging, I definitely could have done better in communicating their significance. Great point regarding the progress moving even when the laser is off. Perhaps a bit more visual indicators on the asteroid "heating" and persistent laser at "low" power could help create that link. I'll also do some rebalancing on the upgrades to improve the risk-reward ratio.
Really appreciate you sharing the things you liked as well. Gives me good insights on how to move forward, cheers!