Skip to main content

On Sale: GamesAssetsToolsTabletopComics
Indie game storeFree gamesFun gamesHorror games
Game developmentAssetsComics
SalesBundles
Jobs
TagsGame Engines
(+1)

Ha, so ironically enough my last game jam was an Idle Game themed jam.   I learned a TON developing for that one, so I'll pass on some of my thoughts.

Before I ramble on below, just note that I think this isa great clicker game.  I enjoyed the meta aspect and it was appealing to see the game build up.  For some reason my shop menu was SUPER tiny and hard to read in Chrome.  Could be my system, not sure.  

Anywho:

My submission (made 11th place out of about 80ish entries):
https://wr41thx.itch.io/idlemancy

So I can relate to how surprisingly difficult these are develop.  You'd think "oh just click and numbers and buttons that make numbers go up"....but balancing that is surprisingly hard.  Also my OOP sucks so my button system (which i did manually instead of unity UI system) was spaghetti to the nth degree.   I learned a ton though.

My suggestions if you make an idle game for a jam (and what i learned personally from the idle jam):

1. Make the clicking the emphasis and make it fun.  Make the scale per click higher than something like Cookie Clicker.  Give the player something to do that encourages them to sometimes return their attention to the game outside of the "idle" mechanic.  I did this with the balls that spawn every 50 clicks you have to chase down...and then with the curse mechanic that gave you a timer for a "reward", to keep you thinking about the game.   These were LAST MINUTE ideas though...and I think if I had added more it would have been even better.  

2. Include sound earlier.  I didnt have sound in Idlemancy, because i thought it would be annoying + time constraints.  I placed 11th, but could have possibly made top 5 if I just included sound (i didn't realize it was a category).  

3.  For a jam, try to keep the play time short and have a defined win condition (i haven't met yours yet if you have one).  Idlemancy takes an hour to beat manually if you are paying attention, or only 20 mins if you use an autoclicker.

3. Spruce up the page a bit.....(unless that's some html wizardry you hid later on in the game..if so you are a GOD and i tip my hat to you good sir...maybe you should add a hireable web designer that  spruces up the itch page).  The white is a bit hard on the eyes when the game is already predominantly black and white. 

Just a few things I personally took away from my experiences making a game like this for a Jam.  If you put this in a vacuum outside of this game jam scenario, it's a solid 10 for an idle game.  Excellent work.

(+1)

Thanks so much for your feedback, and your time. Congrats on placing 11th - that is amazing - and a fun game! The mini-game with the ball was a great idea! I'd decided to do an idle game this time since I hadn't done one before and I use game jams as a learning experience. I quickly realized how much my plan of uncovering features wouldn't work for a jam (assuming most reviewers only spend a few minutes playing) and I did over-focus on the systems rather than the juice. All good lessons! I agree - a fully functioning (and visually appealing game) at the start would have improved this - I could have added more juice as I went along. I had fun but would do it differently next time! I always appreciate when fellow game devs share their experience.

(+1)

I'm going to be doing a ton of game jams over the next few months to sharpen my unity skills.  I'm looking to either work for a studio or go independent for a career now that I've finally finished my CS degree.  It's what I've wanted to do for a long time, so I've been really making it my focus to improve and build a portfolio.   (Im older than most people think when they talk to me, lol).

(1 edit)

All the best, mate! I try to do 3-4 jams a year. I need to find a way for them to be less stressful - probably do more planning and proof of concept up-front, since I usually end up with too many features and hit obstacles (I lost a day trying to get vfx to display in front of the canvas, though I'm not sure how I could have avoided that without experience). Building a portfolio is a good idea if you want to work for a studio, especially showing that you can generate ideas and functional games in a short time. Feel free to follow me on Twitter (@PixelShenanigan), I share a lot of Unity tips.