Use this worksheet to lock in the vision and constraints before production begins. Each question is designed so you can answer inline (e.g., after the A: marker). Once filled, we can reference it to drive design, tooling, and scheduling decisions.
- Primary fantasy: What promise does the game make to the player?
A:That they will see the number go up, where this number is the $ amount they earn. Smarter play should reward with the number going up faster. - Core pillars (max 3): What guiding principles must every feature support?
A:Every step up in "tech level" e.g. stone tablets -> letters -> horse & cart -> telegraph etc should be better than the last, so each level feels like progress. - Differentiator: How does Telecom Idle stand apart from existing idle games?
A:It doesn't - the purpose here is not to be a breakout game, but for me to learn how to use codex and have a game that I personally will enjoy playing.
- Target audience: Who are you building for (demographics, motivations, idle familiarity)?
A:Me, who is familiar with idle games. - Primary platform(s): Web, mobile, desktop? Why this order?
A:Desktop. - Session expectations: How long/often should players engage actively versus idle?
A:There should mostly be something that could actively be done to speed things up, but waits of a couple of minutes with nothing that can actively speed things up is fine. - Accessibility goals: Any commitments for controls, color, language, or onboarding?
A:No, game is just for me so this is less important.
- Initial launch scope: What is the minimum viable slice (eras, features, achievements)?
A:Minimum viable is just a singular working era with one or two basic features. - Planned content cadence: How often do you expect to add new eras/systems post-launch?
A:As often as you can make them - Live operations: Will you run events, seasonal content, or rolling resets?
A:No - Narrative depth: Light flavor text, episodic stories, or deep lore?
A:Light flavour text
- Business model: Free-to-play with ads/IAP, premium purchase, hybrid?
A:There is no monetization - Fairness philosophy: How do you protect against pay-to-win or paywalls?
A:There is no monetization - Retention incentives: What hooks (daily bonuses, prestige rewards) align with the model?
A:There is no monetization
- Primary interaction loop: Describe the actions players repeat during active play.
A:Buying upgrades, reallocating resources to optimize production, manually clicking to gain bonus production, handling equipment/items/set bonus. - Idle progression model: How will resources accrue while offline? Any caps or decay?
A:No caps, no penalty for closing the game vs leaving it open. - Prestige/reset design: Will prestige exist, and what is the thematic justification?
A:Eventually yes, but not in the first iteration - Era progression rules: What unlocks the next telecom era?
A:Primarily a monetary goal to purchase or research the technology, but i am open to other resources being required. - Economy complexity: How many resources, currencies, or upgrade tracks at launch?
A:Lets have a few, but not too many. Resources like $, people working, electricity etc.
- Game engine/stack choice: Engine, framework, or custom stack? Why?
A:I have no preference - Backend needs: Any online services, syncing, account systems required?
A:No accounts, local data store. - Build & deployment pipeline: How will you package, deploy, and update builds?
A:Whatever the standard is for the engine/framework you choose as best suited - Analytics & telemetry: What data will you collect to tune progression?
A:Technology research times, overall money earnt
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Visual identity: Desired style (retro pixel, flat UI, illustrative)?
A:Relatively simple, but clear -
UI priorities: What information must be surfaced front-and-center?
A:Overall $, $ production rate, other resource count and production rate, overall bonuses -
Audio strategy: Music, SFX, voice? What mood should they set?
A:background on-hold style music -
Branding assets: Logos, key art, marketing imagery requirements?
A:Telephony based
- Roles & responsibilities: Who handles design, code, art, audio, QA?
A:You do - External partners: Any contractors or marketplace assets planned?
A:No - Decision cadence: How often will you review progress and adjust scope?
A:I will manually test frequently - Risk management: Biggest unknowns and mitigation ideas?
A:I don't know how good you are at making a game
- Launch target: Desired release window or event?
A:ASAP - Milestone roadmap: Prototype, alpha, beta dates?
A:Depends how quickly you can code it - Buffer strategy: How much slack do you build into the schedule?
A:N/A
- Community channels: Where will you engage players (Discord, Reddit, etc.)?
A:No community - Marketing beats: Planned announcements, devlogs, or trailers?
A:No - Feedback loops: How will you gather and process player feedback?
A:I will ask myself
Fill in each A: line with your answers. Once complete, share the updated file and we can start translating the decisions into design docs, technical plans, and production tasks.