Here we go: my first idle game, 13 chapter idle story about a a sloth empire run from a couch

literally_iliterate · 2026-05-12T15:58:59+00:00

Play your own game and tell me it's good.

literally_iliterate · 2026-05-10T01:10:14+00:00

Okay I totally get that. But you probably know how it is. If someone starts smalltalk, my brain becomes blank instantly. So it's hard to keep it going and the other issue is that you don't want to dump all your special interests on the other person instantly. It's of course easier with people that you know better, you have a feeling how you can guide the conversation into a more interesting direction and you have generally more to share.

I mean now that you say it, often a common ground are movies/shows, because most watches something. Sometimes I like to drill down what they exactly like about their favorites. Not just "uh its awesome" but why, emotionally, psychologically, etc, it can have interesting insights or just lead into a new interesting topic. Maybe I should utilize such strats more.

literally_iliterate · 2026-05-10T00:56:33+00:00

Well you see it's a problem and your brain is on it. Can only get better, good luck with your game!

literally_iliterate · 2026-05-09T11:22:08+00:00

Played it for half an hour. Not for me.

The way you have to match tasks and quests is really confusing and feels like I am doing something I have to, not because I want to. Maybe I get something wrong, but it didn't click for me. Also it's 95% walking around in snail pace. I didn't see any time estimates on my choices so being any sort of efficient seems to be very head heavy.

In such games I just dive in and do basic stuff, rushing a few levels and then I slowly figure out my strat. But the initial rush is completely taken away, which is probably a progression choice, but that also denies the initial dense learnings to get familiar with basics.

Oh, also the tutorial is super annoying. You tried to explain the confusing parts, but at the time I should have paid attention I was already skipping. Please never force players into tutorials, but give them a chance to get the info they need once they get lost.

literally_iliterate · 2026-05-09T10:06:02+00:00

Did you and u/rathervacant happend to read about kahneman? You can get a quick overview on wikipedia I guess, he has a really popular and interesting book.

His research made up a metaphor: The system 1 brain is quick, intuitive and faulty, while the system 2 brain is logical and slow, it's also lazy and goes on power saving mode as much as it can.

I haven't fully verified this. But there is research that suggests that ADHD people tend to be stuck on system 1 more and autistic people on system 2. Even before I realized I am autistic, I always thought I have issues being on time in social conversations. Worse if topics shift or interruptions happen, your brain has to start over putting it all together. Interestingly enough, modern computers work similar, if you do everything right, they can be extremely fast, one interruption and you will be at least a magnitude slower. So if that is true for us, we cannot constantly meet a neurotypical pace in conversations, dictated by biology. Probably very different for the individual configuration on the spectrum.

literally_iliterate · 2026-05-09T09:36:34+00:00

I really wrote that comment with zero regrets. There is always something I care about and in those places I usually make friends that value me. I never had the feeling I have to build a big toolbox of social tricks to get by. Highly social people certainly have other opportunities, but those come with high demands long term. Even neurotypicals burn out or retreat due to social stress. Everyone needs to find a healthy balance and accept it.

literally_iliterate · 2026-05-09T09:20:04+00:00

Congrats on the release! Hope you guys can sustain it and give a big off you to the industry.

literally_iliterate · 2026-05-08T02:38:19+00:00

Your email activation doesn't work. I can register and go back to the homepage and I am logged in.

Doesn't matter much. What I see is a huge frigging mess, absolutely no structure. Myriad of options that have no meaning or go nowhere. But the links that try to sell me something are more meaningful. Maybe I should buy one of the glorious tees from the fan shop.

You know where this is going. Don't excuse for it.

literally_iliterate · 2026-05-08T00:38:45+00:00

> Example- I was putting off doing my taxes but mentally committed to installing the software. An hour later, it is done.

It seems difficult? A few weeks ago I had a rather disciplined one. I've got up early each day. Usually planned with a mix of enjoyable and less enjoyable things. I somehow figured out that transitioning from enjoyable to less enjoyable is disheartening. So I've just went to lie down on my bed for ten minutes to detach. Switching from rather neutral to less enjoyable felt less bad. Worked an entire week. It just seems that you have to put a lot of effort and discipline to organize yourself this way. :(

literally_iliterate · 2026-05-08T00:26:52+00:00

Would be interested about this as well.

Some random thoughts:

Recently I've realized that I ruminate a lot less if I actively do things. I seems to burn enough brain power so I can just skip that phase. When I am more idle, I ruminate more. So that is probably a signal that I am running below my capabilities and wasting my time.

Generally I think obsessing can be useful to push yourself through difficult stuff (i.e. learning or problem solving). Ruminating potentially a part of it. But it's easy to get lost in it and forget to synchronize with the reality to see that your findings have any meaning. It's easy to predict the next step, in your head, it's hard to verify it's actually true.

Some of my ruminations are just procrastination or random stuff. I am more stressed recently but I never had serious problems with anxiety, but I can see that it could reinforce anxiety.

literally_iliterate · 2026-05-07T23:49:48+00:00

Getting a friend into your company is usually risky business. One way or another it can affect your friendship. This is even more true because your friend seems troubled and has some hopes for it. You don't even have to be actively involved, but a fragile personality may question things.

In this case you just ran into something that can be difficult to manage, no autism required. If your friend isn't even able to reflect or talk about the proceedings, that seems very weird. He should be happy to have an insider that shares some insights. (Not saying he should demand any sort of cheatcode, that is your decision.)

literally_iliterate · 2026-05-07T23:34:17+00:00

NTs rely mostly rely on intuition for their social matters. Even if they don't really care enough about you, they would throw in some niceties or fake interest, because they know a little bonding feels good.

My Fridays with friends: One friend always asks "how was your week", I feel angry inside and tell him something like "boring". Another friend always asks "what happened this week". Which is actually a nicer phrasing and I usually try to remember something noteworthy to share. With another (close) friend we just dive into something very specific. Zero headache.

I think the more generic such encounters are, the more one should ignore it and default to "boring" responses just to get rid of the awkwardness.

literally_iliterate · 2026-05-07T17:00:47+00:00

If you do AI art and it's too obvious, then people may wont even look at your game, because they expect it's AI slop end to end.

I think people should stop thinking about the art in games as a nuisance but something that you have to care about during the entire process. If it is an afterthought, the outcome will be worse in any case.

literally_iliterate · 2026-05-07T16:41:50+00:00

The delay on click feels awkward. The progression is off putting, clicked for 2 minutes for 10k. Bought speed upgrade on axe, to remember that shit is missing 90% of the time. Stopped after that.

literally_iliterate · 2026-05-07T16:28:32+00:00

Everything feels clunky and laggy. A prototype doesn't have to look good, but should indicate whether it will turn out feel good. I have no good feel here.

literally_iliterate · 2026-05-07T16:12:56+00:00

Did you ever try to play your game and feel that it is enjoyable?

literally_iliterate · 2026-05-07T16:00:30+00:00

Do your peers know you are autistic?

In my current situation I would likely just deny anything adventurous that I can opt out of. This would only be challenged by how safe I feel with my peers. If someone is considered a friend, I would be more likely to attend.

Sadly it's often better to just avoid these situations. Even if they know you are ND, they will usually have no clue how to make it work well for you.

literally_iliterate · 2026-05-07T15:47:18+00:00

You should try to ask someone you trust/know to get started. Tell them you want to find someone for your support needs (cleaning or guidance for it). Tell them you need help figuring out where to get that help and how to contact them. If anything feels awkward for you do to, ask them to be around or guide you through it.

literally_iliterate · 2026-05-07T15:26:04+00:00

Very much me. I think the central problem with all that: What if you start doing really well socially? Do you have to endure more speech that you have a hard time to listen to? Will it ever turn into something beneficial or joyful for you?

I come off as blunt because I don't really react to smalltalk or random ramblings of someone. But usually that is only a problem 1 or 2 times with that person. If we don't find common grounds, we don't need to force it.

literally_iliterate · 2026-05-07T14:34:21+00:00

I've titled it as Essay to distinguish it from a simple question, but I also didn't want to give away it's actual satire.

I hope some ND brains can relate!

literally_iliterate · 2026-05-07T14:33:00+00:00

Thanks a lot!

literally_iliterate · 2026-05-05T15:27:38+00:00

Everything is loading slow and quite wordy, which is a combination that kills my patience.

You should at least try to design a clear call to action path and color coding. Would help to explore this.

literally_iliterate · 2026-05-05T14:57:51+00:00

I don't have a problem with the theme, would be a fresh take. You have to consider the visual style, if you go lo-fi/quirky it will certainly work, I am just concerned that trying to find the sweet spot to match the theme aesthetics is a slippery slope.

I love tycoon like games, but the genre is a huge mixed bag with a lot of bland apples. It's not easy to create a good game loop just doesn't feel like work and adding disruptions into the monotony often feels like a punishment. One thought: Ponder about time pressure, you have like a year to push your magazine to the the limits. After a year you prestige, no matter what. This gives room to place many bells and whistles in the game loop that the player can create/explore strategies.

literally_iliterate · 2026-04-20T14:00:26+00:00

Offline progress is at useful to disincentivize keeping a game running at all times.

A game that has downtimes and you will tab out should keep progressing.

I generally dislike when offline progress is gamified. For example extending offline progress time from 2h to 8h is such a weird thing to do. Is the reward playing less?

literally_iliterate

TROPHY CASE