Hello everyone!
First of all, thanks for the discussion on the previous post about turning the shop into an incremental system. I saw that most of you prefer to keep the game simple and cozy, unlike my first impulse. Maybe you just saved the game's concept! Hahaha.
My idea was actually the opposite: even while being incremental, keep it very simple. Where each item could be upgraded several times and arranged in a tree layout where you don't know what it will unlock next. But since most of you are happy with the current system for now, I'll shelve my fantasies for the moment. At least until this incremental games trend passes and I can think more rationally instead of following a trend that's affecting my personal taste.
The problem with Frenzy Mode!
Today I'm bringing up another topic where I'd really like to hear your opinion, because after several years developing the game I no longer have as clear a sense of the game's pulse as the players who play it every day. Frenzy Mode is starting to become a problem (and this includes Livestream Mode, which is based on the same rules). When I designed Frenzy Mode, the idea was for time to be the generator of chaos, delivering burgers fast, clearly setting it apart from the Relaxed and Pomodoro modes, which are much calmer and let you make dishes with more care and love. The problem is that, as I've added more ingredients and orders have become more complex, I've had to keep adjusting the time limits over and over. Right now it's not fair to compare the time it takes to put together a simple burger versus a full one, and that's making me consider dropping the timer altogether. My question is: will Frenzy Mode still feel different and interesting without the time pressure? Or will it just turn into Relaxed Mode with more frequent orders? Because if I stop to think about it, when you play Frenzy Mode, even without a timer, you always want to deliver orders quickly, since that lets you serve another customer sooner and earn more money. I'd like to know what you all think, as the ones actually playing it. 
Scoring
If I remove time as the central factor, I'll also need to change how scoring works. Right now it works like this: you start with 5 stars and each mistake costs you one, where each star equals 2 minutes.
I'm thinking of a fairer formula that would take into account:
- Keeping the 5 stars based on mistakes (like Relaxed Mode does)
- Adding a % of an extra star based on time spent
- Giving more points for bigger or more complex orders (more ingredients)
I'd raise the maximum score to 6 or 7 stars on the scoreboard, averaging the last 50 burgers. Although this could be frustrating if you only get small orders due to bad luck.
If anyone here is a fan of math or scoring systems, I'd love to hear your formula ideas. I'll keep working on a solution on my own, but any clever idea would help a lot.
P.S.: Please try to keep this thread focused on the topic, since lately posts have been getting mixed together a lot, and with everyone posting titles in their native language, it's really hard for me to navigate and organize your feedback 😅
I'll be reading! Thank you so much for all the messages on the "Incremental Shop" post. They've helped steer the game in the right direction.
Update on this. I finally decided to give it a try. Right now, frantic mode scores without factoring in time... until you unlock the leaderboard, which becomes available in the later stages of the game. On top of that, this time-based score breakdown won't show up right away — you'll need to hover your mouse over the score to see the breakdown of mistakes, number of ingredients, and how long the order took you. I'm hoping this softens the learning curve for new players while still keeping that competitive edge for those who are close to finishing the game. Also, since it's a bit hidden, I'm sure it'll be a nice surprise for those of you who stumble upon it naturally. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this! Still reading everything you all post.
