Designing the game

My definition of an idle clicker game (or “incremental” game) is one that has at least three features:

• It should have at least one way to generate a resource
• It should have at least one way to spend that resource
• It should have at least one way to automate the generation of resources

A follow-on to this template can expand the game with researchable items, unlockable items, and event-based narration updates. For now, the goal is to keep it simple: a foundation you finish and then get to tinkering with.

# Designing the game

We’re building a foundation from which to build our clicker game ideas, so it makes sense to think about what a “foundational” clicker game might be so we can figure out what needs to be built.

Every clicker game starts out with some thing to click. Clicking the thing generates some kind of resource, and a resource is something that can be exchanged for other things and/or resources. Additionally, there will be some kind of way to automate resource generation, sometimes called “auto-clickers”, for one or more resources.

The game we’re building will consist of these basic elements of an incremental game: a primary resource generated per click (energy), a way to increase how much resource is generated per click (capacitors), and a way to auto-generate the primary resource (circuits).

Here’s the general outline of what the game will consist of:

1. You generate energy. The core resource is Energy; you’ll click a Create Energy button to create Energy.

2. Capacitors increase energy per click. You can spend energy to purchase (just another word for generate, if you think about it) capacitors. Each capacitor increases the amount of energy you generate per click.

3. Circuits auto-generate Energy. You can spend energy and capacitors on circuits. Each circuit automatically clicks the button that creates energy once per second. This allows players to generate energy even when they’re not actively clicking the button (e.g., while they have your game running in a browser tab somewhere in the background).

When finished, we’ll have a working prototype that is playable ad infinitum, with just enough scaffolding to start customizing and implementing functionality unique to the experience you want to create. It’s a foundation for a game moreso than a working game demo per se; it’s meant for you to finish this and then get to tinkering.

With the design in mind, let’s set up the project.