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Added! There's now a gameplay screenshot in the post. Thanks for the heads up!

v1.1 is live - both of your points addressed! The economy got the full treatment (soil hardness per era, smaller artifact bursts, steeper costs - no more buying everything in ten seconds), and THE CORE now has a real ending screen with your expedition stats and a final-publish moment. Your "almost painful to recommend slowing down a clicker" line made it into the devlog. Would love your verdict on the new pacing.

v1.1 is live! Your diagnosis drove the fix: the structural problem was income multiplying x2.7 per era while costs grew 16% per level. Added soil hardness per era (raw dig power divided by depth resistance) plus steeper costs and smaller artifact bursts - in simulation the full run went from ~2 minutes to many hours across multiple prestiges. Also added a x1/x10/MAX buy toggle. Would genuinely appreciate a second run if you have a few minutes.

Update: v1.1 is live with the rebalance. Deeper strata now have real soil hardness (your dig power fights the earth), artifact finds are bonuses instead of jackpots, and tool costs actually bite. Full details in the devlog. You called it first - thanks for the push. Would love to hear if it feels like a game now.

"Almost painful to recommend slowing down a clicker" - best bug report I have ever gotten :) You are right on both counts. The economy explodes within seconds (era multipliers outrun the cost curve almost instantly) and I am rebalancing it now so progression actually takes effort. And noted on the ending - making sure reaching THE CORE feels like a real finale, not just a stop. Patch coming shortly, would genuinely love to hear if the pacing feels right after.

2 minutes to the end - ouch, that confirms it. You nailed the diagnosis: income per meter scales with the era multiplier way faster than the x1.15 cost curve, so a few meters in you can already afford everything. Rebalancing both curves now (slower coin growth, steeper tool costs) so the first prestige takes a proper session instead of two minutes. Thanks for the precise report - patch coming shortly, would love your take once it lands.

Fair call! Balancing is the thing I am actively tuning right now. What felt most off to you - upgrades scaling too slow, coins piling up with nothing to buy, or prestige at 800m coming too early/late? Genuinely helps to know where it broke for you. Patch coming this week.

Hi! Just launched STRATA: Dig Through Time and looking for feedback from experienced idle game players.

Play here (browser, free, ~3 min to first upgrade): https://tovplay.itch.io/strata-dig-through-time

Specific things I'd love feedback on:

1. Prestige timing — does 800m feel like the right unlock point? Too early / too late?
2. First 3 minutes — can you buy your first tool within ~20 seconds, and does the first era transition feel rewarding?
3. Artifact discovery rate — does finding artifacts feel exciting or just noise?
4. Museum retention — does the collection grid make you want to come back, or does it feel like a chore?

General notes: 11 eras total (Topsoil → Modern → Industrial → Medieval → Roman → Bronze → Stone → Ice Age → Dinosaurs → Primordial → THE CORE). Prestige keeps artifacts, resets everything else. Mobile-friendly single-file HTML with offline progress.

Any feedback appreciated — especially brutal honesty about the pacing!

Just released my first idle game!

STRATA: Dig Through Time is a browser idle game where you excavate an archaeological shaft through 11 historical eras — from Topsoil all the way down to THE CORE.

Play free (no login, no download): https://tovplay.itch.io/strata-dig-through-time

The loop:

• Tap to dig → earn coins per meter
• Hire shovel crews, steam excavators, diamond drills and tunnel borers
• Discover 33 buried artifacts (common / rare / legendary) — each gives +2% earnings forever
• Prestige at 800m ("Publish Expedition") → permanent Fame multiplier, new dig site
• 8-hour offline progress so it grows while you sleep

The game is a single HTML file with zero external requests. Works on mobile and desktop.

Made by TovPlay Studios — feedback welcome in the comments!

Just released my first idle game!

STRATA: Dig Through Time is a browser idle game where you excavate an archaeological shaft through 11 historical eras — from Topsoil all the way down to THE CORE.

Play free (no login, no download): https://tovplay.itch.io/strata-dig-through-time

The loop:

• Tap to dig → earn coins per meter
• Hire shovel crews, steam excavators, diamond drills and tunnel borers
• Discover 33 buried artifacts (common / rare / legendary) — each gives +2% earnings forever
• Prestige at 800m ("Publish Expedition") → permanent Fame multiplier, new dig site
• 8-hour offline progress so it grows while you sleep

The game is a single HTML file with zero external requests. Works on mobile and desktop.

Made by TovPlay Studios — feedback welcome in the comments!