02 — Devlog

The Game That Plays Itself

Nadia Berg's idle game Moss Empire earns her a living while she sleeps. We sent her our interview link; she answered between prestige resets.

Devlog: You design a game people mostly do not play. What does that do to your idea of game design?
Nadia: It liberates it. I stopped designing moments and started designing anticipation. My players think about Moss Empire at work, on the bus, in bed. The game is a place their mind goes. The screen is almost incidental.
Devlog: What is the hardest number to get right?
Nadia: The offline earnings cap. Too generous and there is no reason to return. Too stingy and it feels like the game resents your life. That one constant took me longer to tune than the entire art style.

Recorded & transcribed with submag interviews

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