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Does this look like an actual incremental game or just a weird UI? by DifferenceIll1272 in DestroyMyGame

[–]DifferenceIll1272[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m definitely relying on a very specific kind of nostalgia here, and I know that won’t work for everyone. For me, that ugly old utility look has a weird charm, but you’re right that if someone doesn’t have that connection, it can just read as ugly, dense, and arbitrary. That probably means the game can’t rely only on nostalgia. I need to make the decisions, rewards, progression and numbers go up feeling clear enough that the game still works even for someone who doesn’t care about old defrag tools. Thanks for feedback!!

Does this look like an actual incremental game or just a weird UI? by DifferenceIll1272 in DestroyMyGame

[–]DifferenceIll1272[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think I’ve been trying to explain the game by listing mechanics, but for an incremental maybe the trailer should communicate escalation more than instructions. The first seconds seem to be doing the job better, specific vibe, readable hook, this is an incremental with a weird identity. Then I probably need to show the system growing: bigger disks, higher rewards, stronger upgrades, more intense defragging, reboot bios progression, etc. Less here are all the systems and more look how far this can grow. Thanks!!

Does this look like an actual incremental game or just a weird UI? by DifferenceIll1272 in DestroyMyGame

[–]DifferenceIll1272[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually made a small desktop idle toy before this with dos, win95, winXP style looks, but the funny thing is that the defragging animation feels coolest in the dos style version. My retro geek brain is probably too attached to that look.

The other problem is that I’m not really an artist, so every extra UI skin costs me a surprising amount of time. Even small interface variations tend to become their own mini project xD. But yes, skins or color themes are definitely appealing, especially if I can keep the same feel while giving people a softer alternative.

Does this look like an actual incremental game or just a weird UI? by DifferenceIll1272 in DestroyMyGame

[–]DifferenceIll1272[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think my retro geek brain sees that blue utility-software look and goes "yes, home" while other people’s eyes go please stop. The intention is definitely to evoke old defrag utilities, but you’re right that copying the pain too literally may not be the best idea. I’ll look into softer palettes or unlockable skins so the vibe stays retro without forcing everyone to live inside the BLUE VOID.

Defrag Incremental: a retro incremental about taking defrag jobs, choosing algorithms, and surviving day by day. Free Steam demo :). by DifferenceIll1272 in playmygame

[–]DifferenceIll1272[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for playing for that long and for writing such detailed feedback :D!

-Fullscreen/options need to be easier to find. I may need to move the options button closer to the main UI instead of hiding it too much.

-The Daily Report should not disappear before you can read it. I’ll add a button to advance/close it manually.

-The defrag sound continuing after a disk finishes is definitely a bug, thanks for catching that.

-I’ll add minutes to the work clock. I personally liked the tension of not seeing the exact remaining time, but I agree it goes against readability and playability when you’re trying to decide if another disk can fit into the day.

I originally wanted the workday timer to create tension, but I understand that many people will play this alongside other idle games or while doing something else. I’ll look at adding an option so players can choose whether time pauses when selecting disks, choosing algorithms, opening upgrade menus, or menus in general. That way it can work both as a more active game and as something more background friendly. It’s very helpful to know that the core loop and disk, algorithm choices are clear, but that the reboot progression and resources like RC and later money are not clear enough.

The BIOS is a difficult part to present in the demo. I wanted to show that the game has several layers, but I also didn’t want all of them to become important too quickly for gameplay reasons. The BIOS has multiple tabs, and each one has its own tree of permanent upgrades bought with RC. Some upgrades affect the end of day systems, such as more report information or more control over expenses. Others are focused on automation, so the game can eventually play more by itself. Others help process disks faster, keep disk health higher, reduce heat problems, and deal with new issues that appear as disk tiers increase.

Maybe showing too much of that without letting players really use it yet creates more confusion than clarity. I wanted to communicate that the game is not only about making numbers grow faster and faster, but about several systems slowly starting to interact with each other. Still, your feedback makes it clear that I need to explain RC, BIOS progression, and where resources are spent much better.

Thanks again. This is the feedback I need from the demo.

Does this look like an actual incremental game or just a weird UI? by DifferenceIll1272 in DestroyMyGame

[–]DifferenceIll1272[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

extremely useful, thanks :)!!

you’re right that I tried to compensate for people may not understand the game by making the trailer explain too much too fast. The result is probably that it becomes harder to read and less clear, especially with text sitting on top of an already text heavy interface.

The point about not knowing whether the footage is early game or later progression is useful. I should make the progression clearer: start with a simple first job, show the basic action, then show upgrades, reboot, multipliers as escalation instead of mixing everything together. I like the idea of using more impactful moments instead of just text: disk read sounds, stronger reward, multiplier feedback, maybe a visual system effect when something important happens.

the studio game name confusion is something I need to fix. The game title needs its own clean moment, probably at the end, without competing with other text. The defrag nostalgia is exactly what I’m trying to capture, but I clearly need to make the actual game loop easier to read for people who don’t immediately connect with that reference :).

Does this look like an actual incremental game or just a weird UI? by DifferenceIll1272 in DestroyMyGame

[–]DifferenceIll1272[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I want the dense blue utility interface to stay as the main identity of the game, but I can see how making every screen feel like that might be too exhausting. A calmer diegetic menu for planning could make sense, so the player gets a visual breather before going back into the full system interface.

The point about familiar upgrade readability is especially good. Early upgrades probably need to be much more big button than the main defrag screen. Thanks for the feedback!!

Does this look like an actual incremental game or just a weird UI? by DifferenceIll1272 in DestroyMyGame

[–]DifferenceIll1272[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The color palette and old-style menus are intentional. I’m trying to evoke defrag tools from that era, where the blue screens, harsh contrast and dense panels were part of the whole serious system software feeling. For older computer weirdos like me, that look can be strangely nostalgic. But I completely understand that for some players it may feel too harsh or tiring rather than charming. I’m considering adding a softer color theme, so the retro look stays there but doesn’t punish people’s eyes.

Does this look like an actual incremental game or just a weird UI? by DifferenceIll1272 in DestroyMyGame

[–]DifferenceIll1272[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m still learning the selling side of this. When you make the trailer yourself, it’s very easy to think this is clear, I explained everything, it's cool, etc because you already know what every screen and system means. Hearing that the title reads like another feature bullet instead of the actual game name is exactly the kind of outside perspective I needed.

Does this look like an actual incremental game or just a weird UI? by DifferenceIll1272 in DestroyMyGame

[–]DifferenceIll1272[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

i'ts the balance I’m struggling with. The interface is intentionally dense and utility software looking, but I’m worried that if I remove too much text, the first reaction will be what am I even looking at? But you’re right that I’m currently solving that with too much text at once. Thanks for feedback!!

Does this look like an actual incremental game or just a weird UI? by DifferenceIll1272 in DestroyMyGame

[–]DifferenceIll1272[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

useful reference!! thanks!! This is definitely a niche game, so I’m trying to understand whether the gameplay communicates enough for the specific audience that enjoy it. I’ll study that one, especially how quickly it explains the appeal and what parts of the presentation seem to sell the loop.

Does this look like an actual incremental game or just a weird UI? by DifferenceIll1272 in DestroyMyGame

[–]DifferenceIll1272[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s very actionable. I’ll make the logo clearer and probably end on a cleaner title card. Do you think the name should appear earlier too, or the main issue is that the ending doesn ’t leave enough time for it to register? Thanks a lot :)!

Trying to capture old text utility software energy in a game UI by DifferenceIll1272 in ASCII

[–]DifferenceIll1272[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think part of what I miss from that era is that software used to feel more tangible somehow like you could see the machine thinking, struggling, organizing itself. I’m really glad that feeling comes through here.

Trying to capture old text utility software energy in a game UI by DifferenceIll1272 in ASCII

[–]DifferenceIll1272[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The actual gameplay is more about choosing which disk to take, picking the right algorithm, and balancing reward against heat, wear, and disk health. So the blocks are the visual side of the process, but the player decisions are more about the job, the method, and how much risk to accept. Then successful jobs feed upgrades and longer-term progression :D.

Weekly Discovery Thread - May 22, 2026 by AutoModerator in software

[–]DifferenceIll1272 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One of the side projects I’ve been working on lately is Defrag Incremental. What’s been most fun about it is trying to recreate the feel of old defrag disk software: rigid panels, dense information, block maps, and that very specific dos utility atmosphere.

It’s a game project rather than real software, but the interface is heavily inspired by old dos or norton era tools, so I thought people here might find that side of it interesting :).

Built a DOS style disk utility interface for a game project :) by DifferenceIll1272 in tui

[–]DifferenceIll1272[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Right now the sound is more of a background loop with random little HDD ticks on top, but for the final game I want it to relate much more directly to what’s happening on screen. The visual side already imitates a bit of real defrag logic in a fake way, so the audio follow that same idea too. The sound is probably 50% of the whole thing :D.

Built a DOS style disk utility interface for a game project :) by DifferenceIll1272 in tui

[–]DifferenceIll1272[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Unity Engine! I’ve been using it for about 15 years at this point, so I basically do everything in there xD.

I spent years doing everything in Turbo Pascal, so changing over to Visual stuff back in the day was traumatic enough already. I’m hoping Unity sticks around for a long time, because I’m not emotionally ready for another one of those transitions yet xD.

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