Before You Start
This tutorial assumes you have already imported Simple Idle Forge into your Unity project. If you have not done that yet, head to the Installation page first — it takes about a minute.
By the end of this tutorial, you will have created:
- 3 resources — Gold, Gems, and Prestige Points
- 2 generators — a Mine that produces Gold and a Jeweler that produces Gems
- 2 upgrades — a production multiplier and an automation trigger
- 1 prestige layer — a Rebirth cycle that resets progress and awards permanent bonuses
- 3 achievements — milestone goals with resource and multiplier rewards
That is a complete idle game loop: earn resources, buy producers, upgrade them, hit a wall, prestige for permanent bonuses, and chase achievements along the way. Every idle game ever made — from Cookie Clicker to Adventure Capitalist to Melvor Idle — is a variation on this exact loop.
Let's build one.
Step 1: Create Your Resources
Every idle game starts with resources. Gold to spend, gems to hoard, prestige points to earn on reset. The Resource Forge is where you define every currency and material in your game.
Open the Resource Forge
Go to Window → Living Failure → Simple Idle Forge → Resource Forge. The wizard opens to Step 1: Setup.
Step 1 of 5: Setup
Name Your Database
In the Database Name field, type MyResources. This determines
the names of every generated file. Watch the preview at the bottom of the step — it
updates live as you type:
| Generated File | Name |
|---|---|
| Enum | MyResourcesType |
| Database | MyResourcesDatabase |
| Editor | MyResourcesDatabaseEditor |
Pick a Template
From the Template dropdown, select Classic Incremental. This pre-fills your property definitions with fields that make sense for a Cookie Clicker style game — resource type categories, display settings, and common flags. You can customize everything later, but the template gives you a solid starting point so you do not have to think about property design on your first run.
Click Next to move to Step 2.
Step 2 of 5: Definitions
The Classic Incremental template has already filled in your property definitions — categories for resource types, flags for visibility and premium status, numerics for display order, and text fields for short names and descriptions. For this tutorial, you do not need to change anything here. The defaults work perfectly for our three resources.
Click Next to move to Step 3.
Step 3 of 5: Build Your Resources
This is where you create the actual resource entries. The builder is a split-panel interface — the list of entries on the left, the detail editor on the right.
Create GOLD
Click the + button in the left panel to add a new resource. In the right panel, set the following:
- Code:
GOLD - Display Name:
Gold - Starting Amount:
0 - Max Cap:
0(zero means no cap — Gold can grow forever) - Cap Mode:
None - Display Format: leave the default (K/M/B/T suffixes)
- Display Color: pick a warm yellow-gold
Gold is your primary currency. Players earn it from generators and spend it on everything. It has no cap because the whole point of an idle game is watching numbers go up without limits.
Create GEMS
Click + again and create a second resource:
- Code:
GEMS - Display Name:
Gems - Starting Amount:
0 - Max Cap:
100 - Cap Mode:
Hard(production stops completely at the cap) - Display Color: pick a bright blue or purple
Gems are your premium currency. The hard cap at 100 means players cannot hoard unlimited gems — they need to spend them or earn upgrades that raise the cap. This is a common design pattern in idle games that creates meaningful spending decisions.
Create PRESTIGE_POINTS
Click + one more time:
- Code:
PRESTIGE_POINTS - Display Name:
Prestige Points - Starting Amount:
0 - Max Cap:
0(no cap) - Cap Mode:
None - Display Color: pick a regal purple or white
Prestige Points are earned when the player resets their progress. They persist across resets and provide permanent bonuses. We will set up the prestige formula in Step 4.
Click Next to move to Step 4.
Step 4 of 5: Settings
This step lets you choose where the generated files will be saved. The defaults work fine — the wizard previews every file it will create, so you can see exactly what is going where. For this tutorial, keep the defaults and click Next.
Step 5 of 5: Generate
Review the summary. You should see 3 resources listed. Click Generate.
The toolkit generates your enum, database, and editor files (Phase 1), Unity recompiles, and then the toolkit automatically creates your data asset and populates it with all three resources (Phase 2). The log panel shows each step as it happens.
Keep the wizard window open during generation. The two-phase process uses a domain reload handler that needs the wizard context to complete Phase 2. Once you see the success message in the log, you are free to close the window.
Your resource database is now generated and ready to use. You can find the .asset file
in your project and inspect it — the custom editor shows all three resources in a searchable,
filterable split-panel view.
Step 2: Create Your Generators
Generators are the buildings, workers, and producers that generate resources over time. A mine that produces gold every second. A jeweler that turns gold into gems. A factory that manufactures goods. This is the engine that makes your idle game run while the player is away.
Open the Generator Forge
Go to Window → Living Failure → Simple Idle Forge → Generator Forge.
Step 1 of 5: Setup
Name and Template
Set the Database Name to MyGenerators and pick the
Classic Incremental template.
Link Your Resource Database
This is the critical step that connects your generators to your resources. In the
Linked Resource Databases section, click the + button to add
a database slot, then drag your MyResourcesDatabase.asset file from the Project
window into the slot. The wizard validates the database and shows the resource count next to it.
Once linked, the Generator Forge knows about GOLD, GEMS, and PRESTIGE_POINTS. Every dropdown that asks "which resource?" will show these three codes.
Click Next to Step 2 (Definitions), keep the template defaults, and click Next again to reach Step 3 (Builder).
Step 3 of 5: Build Your Generators
Create MINE
Click + to add a generator. Set up the following:
- Code:
MINE - Display Name:
Gold Mine
Now configure what it produces and what it costs:
Production: In the Production section, click + to add a production
entry. Select GOLD from the resource dropdown, and set the base rate to 1
per second. This means each Mine produces 1 Gold per second at level 1.
Costs: In the Costs section, click + to add a cost entry.
Select GOLD from the resource dropdown and set the base cost to 10.
For the scaling type, choose Exponential and set the scaling factor to
1.15.
This is the classic Cookie Clicker formula — each Mine costs 15% more than the last. The first Mine costs 10 Gold, the second costs 11.5, the third costs 13.2, and so on. By level 100, a single Mine costs about 11,740 Gold. The interactive preview slider in the wizard shows you the exact cost at any level, so you can tune the factor until the curve feels right.
Create JEWELER
Click + to add a second generator:
- Code:
JEWELER - Display Name:
Jeweler
Production: Add a production entry for GEMS with a base rate
of 0.1 per second. Gems are premium, so they should accumulate slowly.
Costs: Add a cost entry for GOLD with a base cost of
100, scaling type Exponential, and factor 1.20.
The Jeweler is more expensive than the Mine and scales faster — a steeper curve reflects
the higher value of Gems.
Prerequisite: Expand the Prerequisites section and click + to add a condition. Set it to:
- Condition Type:
Generator Level - Target Code:
MINE(select from the dropdown) - Comparison:
>= - Value:
5
This means the Jeweler is locked until the player reaches Mine level 5. The wizard shows a human-readable summary: "Requires: MINE level >= 5". Prerequisites create a natural progression path — the player focuses on Mines first, then unlocks the Jeweler as a reward for reaching a milestone.
Click Next through Step 4 (Settings) keeping the defaults, then click Generate on Step 5. Wait for the two-phase generation to complete.
You do not have to memorize scaling factors. The wizard has preset buttons for common configurations: Gentle (1.07), Standard (1.15), Steep (1.25), and Aggressive (1.50) for exponential scaling, plus presets for Linear, Polynomial, and Logarithmic curves. Click a preset and the factor fills in automatically.
Step 3: Create Your Upgrades
Upgrades are one-time or repeatable purchases that make the player's existing generators more powerful. Double your Mine output. Automate your Jeweler. Grant a flat bonus to all production. Upgrades are what turn a simple clicker into a game with real decisions — do you save up for the big multiplier or buy more generators now?
Open the Upgrade Forge
Go to Window → Living Failure → Simple Idle Forge → Upgrade Forge.
Step 1 of 5: Setup
Name, Template, and Link
Set the Database Name to MyUpgrades and pick the
Classic Incremental template. The Upgrade Forge needs two linked databases:
- Linked Resource Databases: drag in your
MyResourcesDatabase.asset - Linked Generator Databases: drag in your
MyGeneratorsDatabase.asset
Now the wizard knows about your resources (for costs and rewards) and your generators (for targeting effects like "double MINE production" or "automate JEWELER").
Click Next through Step 2 (Definitions) keeping the template defaults, then Next to Step 3 (Builder).
Step 3 of 5: Build Your Upgrades
Create MINE_BOOST
Click + to add an upgrade:
- Code:
MINE_BOOST - Display Name:
Improved Pickaxes - Description:
Double the output of all Gold Mines.
Cost: Add a cost entry for GOLD with a base cost of 500.
Since this is a one-time upgrade, you can leave the scaling at None (constant cost).
If you wanted it to be repeatable with increasing costs, you would pick Exponential.
Effect: This is what makes the upgrade do something. Set the effect fields:
- Target Type:
Generator - Target Code:
MINE - Effect Type:
Multiply - Effect Value:
2
This means: multiply MINE production by 2. The wizard shows a preview: "MINE production ×2.00". If you want to see how it stacks with other upgrades, use the interactive slider in the stacking preview area.
The upgrade builder has preset buttons for the most common effects: Double Production, +50%, +100 Flat, Automate, Unlock, and Grant Resource. Click one and the effect fields fill in automatically. You can then tweak the values.
Create AUTO_MINE
Click + to add a second upgrade:
- Code:
AUTO_MINE - Display Name:
Auto-Miner - Description:
Mines purchase themselves automatically when you can afford them.
Cost: Add a cost entry for GOLD with a base cost of 1000,
no scaling.
Effect:
- Target Type:
Generator - Target Code:
MINE - Effect Type:
Automate - Effect Value:
1(the value does not matter for Automate — any non-zero value enables it)
Automate-type upgrades are special. When the player purchases this upgrade, the runtime auto-purchase system automatically starts buying Mines whenever the player can afford them. No extra code needed. The auto-purchaser picks up Automate upgrades and wires them in on its own.
Click Next through Step 4 (Settings) and Generate on Step 5.
Step 4: Create Your Prestige Layer
Prestige is what gives an idle game its long-term hook. The player reaches a point where progress slows to a crawl, and the game offers a deal: reset everything you have built, but earn permanent bonuses that make the next run faster. The further you pushed before resetting, the bigger the bonus. This creates a "one more run" loop that keeps players engaged for weeks and months.
Open the Prestige Forge
Go to Window → Living Failure → Simple Idle Forge → Prestige Forge.
Step 1 of 5: Setup
Name, Template, and Link All Three
Set the Database Name to MyPrestige and pick the
Classic Incremental template. The Prestige Forge needs three linked databases
because it resets across all of them:
- Linked Resource Databases:
MyResourcesDatabase.asset - Linked Generator Databases:
MyGeneratorsDatabase.asset - Linked Upgrade Databases:
MyUpgradesDatabase.asset
Click Next through Step 2 (Definitions) and into Step 3 (Builder).
Step 3 of 5: Build Your Prestige Layer
Create REBIRTH
Click + to add a prestige layer:
- Code:
REBIRTH - Display Name:
Rebirth - Description:
Reset your progress and earn Prestige Points based on your total Gold.
Prestige Currency:
- Source Resource:
GOLD(the formula reads from your current Gold) - Prestige Currency:
PRESTIGE_POINTS(what the player earns on reset)
Formula:
- Formula Type:
Sqrt - Base Divisor:
1000000(one million)
The Sqrt formula calculates prestige points as the square root of (source amount / base divisor). With a base of 1,000,000, the player needs 1M Gold to earn their first Prestige Point, 4M Gold to earn 2, 9M Gold to earn 3, and so on. The wizard shows a preview slider — drag it to see how many points different Gold amounts yield. This is the most common prestige formula and the one that Cookie Clicker, Adventure Capitalist, and most popular idle games use.
Configure Reset Rules
In the Reset Rules section, add two rules that define what gets wiped on prestige:
- Rule 1: Reset Target =
Generator, Target Code =ALL— this resets every generator back to level 0 - Rule 2: Reset Target =
Upgrade, Target Code =ALL— this removes all purchased upgrades
The wizard has quick presets for common configurations. Click Reset Everything to auto-fill both rules, or Keep Upgrades if you want a softer reset that only wipes generators. For this tutorial, reset everything — that is the classic prestige experience.
Resources reset automatically because generators are reset to level 0 (no production) and the player starts earning from scratch. You could add a resource reset rule for GOLD to explicitly zero it out, but it is not strictly necessary since the player cannot earn Gold without generators. The PRESTIGE_POINTS resource is never reset — it persists across all rebirths by design.
Add a Permanent Bonus
In the Permanent Bonuses section, click + and configure:
- Bonus Type:
Add Percent - Bonus Value:
0.01 - Target:
ALL(applies to all generators)
This grants +1% global production per Prestige Point. After a rebirth that earns 5 Prestige Points, all generators produce 5% more on the next run. After accumulating 100 points across multiple rebirths, all generators produce 100% more — effectively doubling output. The wizard shows a stacking preview so you can see the total bonus at different point amounts.
This is the hook that makes prestige feel rewarding. Each rebirth makes the next run faster, which lets the player push further, which earns more prestige points, which makes the next run even faster. It is the positive feedback loop that turns a 10-minute game into a 10-week game.
Click Next through Step 4 (Settings) and Generate on Step 5.
Step 5: Create Your Achievements
Achievements are the milestones that give players direction. They answer the question "what should I do next?" — earn 1,000 Gold, reach Mine level 50, prestige for the first time. Each one has a condition to check and a reward to grant when completed. They keep players motivated through the slow parts of the game and celebrate their progress through the fast parts.
Open the Achievement Forge
Go to Window → Living Failure → Simple Idle Forge → Achievement Forge.
Step 1 of 5: Setup
Name, Template, and Link All Four
Set the Database Name to MyAchievements and pick the
Classic Incremental template. The Achievement Forge links to all four
existing databases because it can check conditions and grant rewards across all of them:
- Linked Resource Databases:
MyResourcesDatabase.asset - Linked Generator Databases:
MyGeneratorsDatabase.asset - Linked Upgrade Databases:
MyUpgradesDatabase.asset - Linked Prestige Databases:
MyPrestigeDatabase.asset
Click Next through Step 2 (Definitions) and into Step 3 (Builder).
Step 3 of 5: Build Your Achievements
Create EARN_1K_GOLD
Click + to add an achievement:
- Code:
EARN_1K_GOLD - Display Name:
Gold Rush - Description:
Accumulate 1,000 Gold.
Condition:
- Condition Type:
Resource Amount - Target Code:
GOLD - Comparison:
>= - Value:
1000
Reward: Click + in the Rewards section:
- Reward Type:
Resource Grant - Resource Code:
GEMS - Amount:
100
When the player's Gold reaches 1,000, this achievement completes and instantly grants 100 Gems. Since the Gems cap is 100, this one achievement fills the Gems bar completely — a satisfying early-game reward that teaches the player that achievements are worth paying attention to.
Create FIRST_PRESTIGE
Click + for a second achievement:
- Code:
FIRST_PRESTIGE - Display Name:
Born Again - Description:
Perform your first Rebirth.
Condition:
- Condition Type:
Prestige Count - Target Code:
REBIRTH - Comparison:
>= - Value:
1
Reward:
- Reward Type:
Multiply - Target Code:
ALL - Amount:
1.5
The first time the player prestiges, they earn a permanent x1.5 global multiplier on top of whatever prestige bonuses they received. This is a one-time achievement reward that makes the second run feel noticeably faster than the first — positive reinforcement for taking the prestige leap.
Create MINE_MASTER
Click + for a third achievement:
- Code:
MINE_MASTER - Display Name:
Mine Master - Description:
Reach Gold Mine level 50.
Condition:
- Condition Type:
Generator Level - Target Code:
MINE - Comparison:
>= - Value:
50
Reward:
- Reward Type:
Resource Grant - Resource Code:
GOLD - Amount:
500
A long-term goal that rewards dedicated Mine investment with a Gold boost. By the time the player reaches Mine level 50, 500 Gold is a modest reward — but the achievement notification itself is the real reward. Players love seeing progress markers pop up.
Click Next through Step 4 (Settings) and Generate on Step 5.
What You Just Built
Take a step back and look at what you have created in roughly ten minutes, without writing a single line of code:
3 Resources
GOLD — primary currency, uncapped, earned from mines
GEMS — premium currency, hard cap at 100
PRESTIGE_POINTS — meta currency, persists across rebirths
2 Generators
MINE — produces 1 Gold/sec, costs Gold with 1.15x exponential scaling
JEWELER — produces 0.1 Gems/sec, costs Gold with 1.20x scaling, unlocks at Mine level 5
2 Upgrades
MINE_BOOST — doubles Mine production for 500 Gold
AUTO_MINE — enables automatic Mine purchasing for 1,000 Gold
1 Prestige Layer
REBIRTH — resets generators and upgrades, awards Prestige Points based on sqrt(Gold / 1M), +1% permanent production bonus per point
3 Achievements
EARN_1K_GOLD — reach 1K Gold, earn 100 Gems
FIRST_PRESTIGE — prestige once, earn x1.5 global multiplier
MINE_MASTER — reach Mine level 50, earn 500 Gold
5 Generated Databases
Each database has a type-safe enum, a data class with full query API, a custom editor with search and filtering, and an asset file containing all your game data. All linked. All ready to drop into a game.
This is a complete idle game loop. A player starts with nothing, clicks to earn Gold, buys Mines to automate Gold production, unlocks the Jeweler at Mine level 5, purchases upgrades to boost output, earns achievements along the way, hits a wall around the 1M Gold mark, prestiges to earn permanent bonuses, and starts the cycle again with a stronger foundation. Every run goes faster. Every prestige makes the next run more rewarding.
And you built the entire data layer for it without touching a code editor.
What's Next
You have the foundation. Here is where to go from here to turn this proof-of-concept into a real game:
Resource Forge Guide
Learn about the five cap modes (None, Hard, Flat, Curve, Step), display format options, number formatting with K/M/B/T suffixes, and how the resource pool tracks everything at runtime. Your three-resource setup is just the start.
Generator Forge Guide
Learn about multi-resource production, timer-based generators (Adventure Capitalist style progress bars), milestone bonuses at specific levels, two-level properties, and all five cost scaling formulas with interactive previews.
Upgrade Forge Guide
Learn about all six effect types (Multiply, Add Flat, Add Percent, Unlock, Automate, Resource Grant), repeatable upgrades with scaling costs, prerequisites with context-aware dropdowns, and the bonus stacking pipeline.
Prestige Forge Guide
Learn about the four prestige formulas (Sqrt, Linear, Log, Polynomial), stacked prestige layers (the RPG demo has four), selective reset rules that keep specific upgrades across resets, and the inverse formula that tells the player "you need 4.2M more Gold to earn another Prestige Point."
Achievement Forge Guide
Learn about all condition types (resource amounts, generator levels, upgrade purchases, prestige counts, total production, milestone completion), hidden achievements, repeatable daily challenges, and multi-reward milestones.
JSON Content Pipeline
Export your database schema as JSON, generate dozens or hundreds of entries using any external tool, and import them back in seconds. This is how the four demo games were created — each with 10-35 entries per forge, all generated through the JSON pipeline.
Runtime API
Every generated database comes with a clean API for querying data, tracking state, calculating costs, resolving bonuses, computing offline progress, and managing the complete game loop from code. When you are ready to wire your databases into a UI, this is the reference.
Play the Demos
Four complete idle games built with Simple Idle Forge. Study their generated databases, their JSON source files, and their runtime managers to see how everything fits together in a real game. Start with Simple Kingdom (the simplest) and work up to RPG Idle (the most complex).