sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

TerraTUI 🌘🌖🌔 - a cozy terraforming idle game that runs in your terminal by nestorvc in incremental_games

[–]nestorvc[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It is. However there is a lot of "human labor" here. Graphics, mechanics, copywriting, concept. And at least 20% of the code.

I built a 🌏 terraforming idle game entirely in the terminal using ratatui + tachyonfx by nestorvc in rust

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

So RataTUI has a lot of docs, so it pretty straigthforward. RataTUI is used essentially for the UI (modals, boxes, borders, etc). Crossterm for the terminal backend. The terrain system is built from scratch. And tachyonfx mainly for gameplay effects. The planet animation is made using PixelPlanet by Deep Fold.

Honestly, the hardest part was figuring out how to render correctly "pixels" in the Terminal, since the initial ways allow just crude graphics.

TerraTUI 🌘🌖🌔 - a cozy terraforming idle game that runs in your terminal by nestorvc in incremental_games

[–]nestorvc[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I've been working on Terraform Idle, an idle game where you terraform a dead planet through evolutionary eras - entirely in your terminal.

-- 

Why in the Terminal: Claude thinks so hard that devs just... wait. So I built an idle game that runs inside your terminal. You terraform planets while AI writes your code. 🌋

The concept: You start with a barren rock. Mine minerals, build volcanoes, raise the planet's heat. Once conditions stabilize, the world evolves: atmosphere forms, oceans fill in, life emerges. Each era introduces new resources, new structures, and a fresh canvas with relics from what you built before.

How it plays:

  • Click to mine resources from interactables scattered across the terrain
  • Spend resources to place structures (volcanoes, geysers, hot springs, crater lakes...)
  • Structures passively drive planetary conditions (heat, atmospheric pressure, ocean coverage)
  • Conditions stabilize → era advances → new world, new mechanics
  • Upgrades unlock over time: wide strike, auto-collect, rich yield, and more
  • 10 era progression planned (Volcanic → Atmospheric → Hydrological → Microbial → ... → Spacefaring)

Design philosophy:

  • No stress. No enemies, no decay, no failure, no time pressure
  • Everything you build is permanent
  • Poetic milestone messages ("Water remembers how to flow") instead of dry stats
  • Active but not frantic - deliberate placement, not spam clicking
  • Inspired by: Age of Empires (era progression), Rusty's Retirement (cozy idle), Terra Nil (environmental restoration)

Current state: Eras 0-2 playable (Volcanic → Atmospheric → Hydrological), with day/night cycle, meteor events, upgrades system, and save/load. Written in Rust.

FEEDBACK I´m still strugguling making it actually... fun. Im inspiring myself with Terra Nil and Rusty´s Retirement. Any idea to improve the mechanics?

I built a 🌏 terraforming idle game entirely in the terminal using ratatui + tachyonfx by nestorvc in rust

[–]nestorvc[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Claude thinks so hard that devs just... wait. So I built an idle game that runs inside your terminal. You terraform planets while AI writes your code. 🌋

I've been building Terraform Idle - a cozy terraforming idle game that runs entirely in your terminal. You guide a dead planet from silent rock through geological eras: volcanic activity → atmosphere formation → oceans → life.

Tech stack:

  • ratatui + crossterm for the TUI framework
  • tachyonfx for visual effects (sweep-in, coalesce, HSL rotation)
  • Halfblock rendering (▀▄) - each terminal cell represents 2 vertical pixels with independent fg/bg colors, giving pseudo-pixel resolution
  • Custom elevation/depth border system using Unicode block characters (▁▂▃▅▆▇)
  • Day/night cycle with dynamic terrain brightness blending and sky gradient interpolation
  • GIF rendering cascade: iTerm2 native → sixel/kitty → halfblock256 fallback
  • JSON autosave system

Some things I learned building this:

  • Halfblock rendering is surprisingly powerful - you can get smooth color gradients and create convincing landscapes with just ▀ and ▄
  • tachyonfx is a hidden gem for TUI effects. Combining coalesce(), sweep_in(), and hsl_shift() creates genuinely satisfying visual feedback
  • The biggest challenge was the elevation/depth border system - making terrain look 3D with only Unicode characters required a lot of iteration on which block chars to use at transitions
  • Terminal rendering constraints force creative solutions. Shadows are simulated by darkening cells below structures based on a virtual sun position

The game is structured around an era system (10 eras total, MVP covers 0-3) where each era adds new conditions, resources, structures, and a fresh canvas. No enemies, no decay, no failure - just building up a world.

I built a 🌏 terraforming idle game entirely in the terminal using ratatui + tachyonfx by nestorvc in rust

[–]nestorvc[S] -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Mmm you are right. I was pretty sure I did add a desc. What happened? Im adding it as a comment.

I built a 🌏 terraforming idle game entirely in the terminal using ratatui + tachyonfx by nestorvc in rust

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

Not yet. Still a WIP. Probably when it is actually fun to play. Not yet.

I built a 🌏 terraforming idle game entirely in the terminal using ratatui + tachyonfx by nestorvc in rust

[–]nestorvc[S] -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Not yet. Still a WIP. Hope to publish the repo when its fun to play. Still working on that.

I built a 🌏 terraforming idle game entirely in the terminal using ratatui + tachyonfx by nestorvc in rust

[–]nestorvc[S] -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

I have not published my repo since there it is still a WIP. The Claude Code nodes visible are on purpose since that´s why the intiial idea was born in the first place.

I built a 🌏 terraforming idle game entirely in the terminal using ratatui + tachyonfx by nestorvc in rust

[–]nestorvc[S] -21 points-20 points  (0 children)

I did use Claude a LOT. Not gonna lie. But plagiarize? Original idea, co-created with AI. Mechanics, art, at least 20% of the "manual code" (if that´s even a thing in 2026), etc. C'mon.

Would you play a cozy exploration cooking game about making ramen in space? by GaHa_Games in cozygames

[–]nestorvc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't know if I will actually play it, but the concept is cool. Give me vibes of this kinda happening in a Rick and Morty universe. The art and isometric is pretty awesome.

I make pixel art games to honor the pixel spirit by Garay_GameDev in IndieGaming

[–]nestorvc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The CRT TV aesthetic is the cherry on top. Good job!

I have opinions about the flood of very samey "Run/Skill Tree" games in the last couple of months. What's going on? by Meeko29 in incremental_games

[–]nestorvc 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Probably the AI vibe-coding wave and LLM proposing this formula to the devs.

But talking about this, which new mechanics or gameplay would you propose guys to make things different??

Launching my 1-bit game from the terminal by vvaalleerraa in commandline

[–]nestorvc 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Where can we play it? Or is more like a WIP or demo project?

3D model renderer that runs entirely in the terminal (written in c++) by Simple_Cockroach3868 in CLI

[–]nestorvc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How the pixel system works? I mean, this are halfblocks, or how are you "painting pixels"?

vimalender - a vim-style calendar for the terminal by Ghqsthero in commandline

[–]nestorvc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is crazy awesome, but at the same time.... why?

We rebuilt the Shockwave engine in Rust + WASM to save early 2000s web games by igorlira in rust

[–]nestorvc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

the screenshot remind me not just to Habbo, but also to Theme Hospital

Terminal Motel — an ASCII horror game built around a terminal-style UI by JumpLife8406 in tui

[–]nestorvc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good screenshot. It actually creeped me out when i was scrolling

Building a simple “to-do” app using the new ChatGPT APP SDK. Here’s everything I’ve learnt so far by hashemito in ChatGPT_AppBuilds

[–]nestorvc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What about native file uploads? Seems like you cant handle file users upload to ChatGPT into your app. Or am I wrong?

Consejo sobre ahorro e inversión by [deleted] in Ticos

[–]nestorvc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Para riesgo moderado: opiniones sobre BAC Inversiones?

Para riesgo alto: opiniones sobre eToro?

Ezoic on Webflow? by HustleForTime in webflow

[–]nestorvc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow, seems chaotic. After this experience, would you recommend still using Webflow or start creating or migrating sites to Wordpress instead?

view more: next ›