Write the prompt around a playable rule
The prompt connects an active timing action to a resource and two different upgrades. That gives players a choice between speed and forgiveness. Show what each upgrade changes in plain terms, and avoid adding prestige or long-term systems until the heat-and-strike loop is satisfying. If the game includes waiting, make the reason and duration visible.
Original concept prompt: “Create a tiny blacksmithing game. Hold to heat a blade, then release when the marker enters the bright strike zone to earn coins. Spend coins between orders on a bellows that heats faster or an anvil that widens the strike zone. Show each upgrade’s effect before purchase and make the next order slightly harder.” This is a recipe for an idea, not a claim that this exact game is already playable.
Play, observe and refine one thing at a time
Complete several orders without buying anything, then purchase each upgrade in turn. Check whether the improvement is noticeable and whether the player can make a meaningful choice with the displayed information. If the strike window feels too narrow, test the anvil upgrade; if the action drags, test the bellows. Watch for coin rewards that arrive without a clear cause.
Ask for a modest early purchase that changes the next attempt, not a large menu of tiny modifiers. If upgrading removes all timing decisions, keep some order variation or add a clear quality target. Retest with and without the purchase to judge its effect. Be precise about progression behavior and avoid promising background earnings the prototype does not demonstrate.
An upgrade list is not a game loop on its own. Make the active action rewarding before adding more currencies. If upgrades feel interchangeable, give each one a plainly different effect; if the player cannot decide between them, show the change in the same unit they already understand, such as strike width or heat rate.
Playable reference for this prompt: Spark Forge. Hold to pump the bellows and heat the blade, release to strike inside the glowing sweet spot, and finish each order before its clock runs out; coins between runs buy bellows, anvil, apprentice and metal upgrades that transform the forge, then rebirth in the stars. Use this example to compare the proposed rules with a game you can try now.
Questions about idle game prompt ideas
Is this prototype fully idle?
The proposed forge still asks players to heat and strike. Its upgrade choices borrow from incremental games; the prompt does not establish offline earnings or unattended progress.
How do I make upgrades feel different?
Give each upgrade a visible consequence: one changes heating speed and another changes the strike window. Test whether players can notice the difference after purchase.