https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/The development diary of Ski Resort Empire, an idle ski resort tycoon game for Android and the browser: design decisions, balancing, art, sound and the business side of a one-person indie game.en https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-11-06-goals-that-never-mattered.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-11-06-goals-that-never-mattered.htmlFri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMTEvery expansion asks for a production rate and a number of one business. The simulation now reports which of the two actually held the player back, and the answer was sobering: the second goal never did, in any phase. Here is how odd-looking numbers like 62 and 68 fixed it. https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-11-03-the-ai-stack-behind-ski-resort-empire.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-11-03-the-ai-stack-behind-ski-resort-empire.htmlTue, 03 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMTHow one developer used multiple AI tools to build a game in just a few months. https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-11-03-project-timing-rework.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-11-03-project-timing-rework.htmlTue, 03 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMTSpecial projects now have long builds that are worth waiting for, with a single speed-up per build. And a lesson from the very first construction – the crystal discovery must come before anything that skips the wait. https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-11-02-early-game-experience.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-11-02-early-game-experience.htmlMon, 02 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMTThe first region got more generous, crystals now enter the game through a small story moment during the first construction, and every dialog after the tutorial was put on a timeline so nothing arrives at once. https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-11-02-cloud-sync-and-analytics.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-11-02-cloud-sync-and-analytics.htmlMon, 02 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMTTwo technical questions – "do you want to save in the cloud?" and "may we collect usage data?" – became story moments that arrive at calm points in the game, with honest wording and no rewards for saying yes. https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-11-01-investors-and-crystals.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-11-01-investors-and-crystals.htmlSun, 01 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMTSnow crystals needed more meaningful uses. Story-driven investments arrive as chances at the right moment, every finished region now ends with its own story card, and the crystal introduction was rebuilt in the same style. https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-31-world-cup-preview.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-31-world-cup-preview.htmlSat, 31 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTThe World Cup used to appear out of nowhere, hours into the game. Now the trophy shows up much earlier and the goal is teased while it is still out of reach. The same day brought bonus events with painted stories, a boost for projects and crystals for watching the offline video. https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-29-winterfest-and-visual-themes.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-29-winterfest-and-visual-themes.htmlThu, 29 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTThe second special project is a winter festival with mulled wine, a Christmas market and a chain of fairy lights. It also introduced visual themes – designs players can unlock with crystals that change the look of the whole game. https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-28-how-far-do-players-get.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-28-how-far-do-players-get.htmlWed, 28 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTA small script that answers the most important question for an idle game – where do players stop? Plus what an AdSense review taught me about forgotten subdomains, and how the web version handles ads while waiting. https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-27-asking-for-feedback-at-the-right-moment.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-27-asking-for-feedback-at-the-right-moment.htmlTue, 27 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTA one-time "Do you like the game?" question that only appears after a genuinely good moment, a different follow-up per platform, anonymous feedback without a login – and an itch.io demo that sells nothing at all. https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-26-selling-on-the-web-with-stripe.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-26-selling-on-the-web-with-stripe.htmlMon, 26 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTA supporter pack and crystal packs for the browser version, with Stripe checkout, a few small cloud functions and server-side entitlements. Also why a browser save can never be trusted, and a splash screen that waits until everything is ready. https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-25-cloud-saves-without-nagging.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-25-cloud-saves-without-nagging.htmlSun, 25 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTSaves can now follow the player between phone and browser through a Google sign-in. The interesting part was not the storage but the rules – never lose progress silently, never pester players to log in. https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-24-going-multilingual.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-24-going-multilingual.htmlSat, 24 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTTwo new languages, type-checked translation keys, a decision about "vous" and "tu", values that never break across lines, and a World Cup start screen painted as an edit of the very first scene. https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-23-the-world-cup-project.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-23-the-world-cup-project.htmlFri, 23 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTSpecial projects add goals that are not just "more of the same". The first is hosting a ski World Cup race. Also: why the staff menu was removed, guests in every icon, and the long fight with a T-bar lift. https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-22-resort-ratings-keep-old-regions-relevant.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-22-resort-ratings-keep-old-regions-relevant.htmlThu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTOnce a new region opens, the old ones used to become irrelevant. Resort rating stars give every finished region a reason to grow – and a full rebalance made later regions deliberately harder instead of accidentally easier. https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-17-one-game-two-platforms.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-17-one-game-two-platforms.htmlSat, 17 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTThe game went public in the browser to reach testers without an install. That raised questions about version numbers, analytics without cookies, a promo video rendered frame by frame – and a lesson about where browsers keep your save. https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-16-offline-progress-and-living-icons.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-16-offline-progress-and-living-icons.htmlFri, 16 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTAndroid does not close an app when you switch away – it freezes it. That broke offline earnings in a subtle way. Also: offline bonuses as percentages, small animations that bring the resort to life, and fair prices in every country. https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-15-sound-design-for-a-cozy-idle-game.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-15-sound-design-for-a-cozy-idle-game.htmlThu, 15 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTAn idle game plays the same few sounds thousands of times. Notes on choosing cozy UI sounds, tuning payout pitches so they sound like a chord, muting the right things at the right time, and turning one hammer hit into a construction sound. https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-14-getting-ready-for-the-play-store.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-14-getting-ready-for-the-play-store.htmlWed, 14 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTA localised logo, realistic snowfall, store graphics rendered from the game itself, crystal packs named by size instead of amount, Google Play Billing, and buttons that grow instead of texts that shrink. https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-12-giving-the-staff-faces.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-12-giving-the-staff-faces.htmlMon, 12 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTThirty-four painted staff portraits, a male and a female version for every profession, regional names and short quotes in four languages. Plus a new app icon and a rule about when not to show the crystal button. https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-11-teaching-the-core-loop.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-11-teaching-the-core-loop.htmlSun, 11 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTThe most important idea in an idle game is automation. The tutorial was rebuilt so the first lift attendant can be hired after exactly the second ride, staff replaced faceless managers, and the prestige system was rethought as reputation. https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-10-balancing-with-a-simulation.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-10-balancing-with-a-simulation.htmlSat, 10 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTYou cannot balance six regions and days of play time by playing them yourself. A small Python bot now plays the whole game in seconds, and its results decide prices, goals and build times. Plus: coin stacks, slimmer cards and a design I threw away. https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-09-region-scenes-and-player-flow.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-09-region-scenes-and-player-flow.htmlFri, 09 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTEach region got a painted panorama for its unlock screen. The bigger lesson was about timing – a celebration that pops up on its own interrupts play, so the screen now waits until the player decides to go and look. https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-08-painting-icons-with-ai.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-08-painting-icons-with-ai.htmlThu, 08 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTHow every business icon in Ski Resort Empire was painted with Google's Gemini image model, why a magenta background and a shared style block matter, and the many ways an AI can misunderstand a ski lift. https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-07-six-regions-and-sepp.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-07-six-regions-and-sepp.htmlWed, 07 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTThe game grew from one resort to six regions across the Alps, Canada and Japan, each with its own specialities in the last expansion phase. Region unlocks depend on production instead of money, and an old lift attendant named Sepp welcomes new players. https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-06-phases-letting-a-resort-grow.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-06-phases-letting-a-resort-grow.htmlTue, 06 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTA list of thirteen businesses is a spreadsheet, not a ski resort. Expansion phases with goals, construction costs and build times turned the list into a resort that visibly grows from a beginner slope into an alpine destination. https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-06-monetization-without-annoyance.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-06-monetization-without-annoyance.htmlTue, 06 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTHow Ski Resort Empire makes money without banners or forced ads – rewarded videos the player chooses, a rare second currency called snow crystals, and the boring but necessary work of consent and privacy. https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-05-from-chat-prototype-to-codebase.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-05-from-chat-prototype-to-codebase.htmlMon, 05 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTSki Resort Empire started as a rough idle-game draft. Day one was about the foundations every idle game needs: a state store that survives sixty updates per second, numbers far beyond what JavaScript can hold, and game data that lives outside the code. https://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-04-building-a-game-with-an-ai-team-of-one.htmlhttps://www.cpu82.com/devlog/posts/2026-10-04-building-a-game-with-an-ai-team-of-one.htmlSun, 04 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTHow an experienced software architect ended up building an indie game with the help of modern AI tools.