Rusty Knight Games

Update: Earlier today, I accidentally uploaded a version with Debug Mode enabled. Whoops!

I've just patched it back to the non-debug version.

Idle Exotics Patch 0.1.3 and DevLog (February 2026) Well, for a slightly short month, I got some things done. Let's see what's new. There really wasn't much, if anything, I added in terms of code, outside of what was necessary for visual updates. So...

A new patch is out with some aesthetic updates I've been posting about on other Saturdays. No new screenshots this week, though.

Check out the Development Blog and new version, live now!

rustyknightgames.itch.io/idle-exotics...

#GameDev #IndieDev #SoloDev #IndieGame

#ScreenshotSaturday

This week, I added a new animated sprite for the "Bonus" button and some sparkle effects. I had to compress the GIF down to make it easier to share. But, hopefully everyone can still see everything just fine.

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New icons? New icons.

#ScreenshotSaturday

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Somehow I forgot to publish the blog before posting the link. It should be visible now.

A new patch for my game is live!

TL:DR:

- Assorted Bug Fixes
- Assorted UI Art Asset Updates
- Added the Wyvern Gecko into the game

Full Patch Notes: rustyknightgames.itch.io/idle-exotics...

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#ScreenshotSaturday

I finished implementing the Wyvern Gecko I shared last week into the game, and it will be there next patch. The base did look a little plain, so I made things a little more exciting with a few additions.

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#ScreenshotSaturday

Not technically a screenshot of the game itself, but I finished the base for a new species. I still have lots of work to do with it before it's completely ready, though.

Hopefully, the assets will be fully finished by next week.

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Patch notes TL:DR:

- Assorted Bug fixes
- Finalized 7 of the 12 species' sprites
- Added a shader to make re-colored sprites look better
- Added custom Scroll bars and Dropdown boxes
- Added a toggle for certain strobing effects on text
- Added the ability to progress while offline

Idle Exotics Patch 0.1.0, Patch 0.1.1, and DevLog (December 2025) Alright. So, we had a mid-month patch in December, but also a late end of the month patch. Let's go over what's changed. Code Updates Code updates were somewhat sparse this month, as this was intended...

A new patch for my game is live! I fixed a few bugs since last time, and started putting the final versions of some art assets in the game.

Full patch notes:

rustyknightgames.itch.io/idle-exotics...

#SoloDev #IndieDev #GameDev #IndieGame

I will be working on fully diagnosing the problem to fix it before the full release. Hopefully, I'll have the full fix figured out by the end of January.

For now, if you haven't used the prestige system yet, I recommend not using it until the patch I'm working on comes out - probably some time tomorrow.

The hotfix still may wipe out progress made in the breeding menu, which is supposed to be persisted on save. So, watch out for that post-patch.

Just thought I'd put a warning out there for anyone playing the current patch of my game on Itch.

Currently, there seems to be a bug involving the prestige system that causes a crash when loading a save file.

I've put a quick fix into the patch I'm working on, but it will come with side-effects.

In case anyone was wondering after the last post, I don't have a definitive pick for a new name yet. Though, I have some strong candidates that I am considering.

I'm sure I'll post here on Bluesky when I figure it out.

Idle Exotics Alpha by RustyKnightGames Play in your browser

Patch 0.1.0 for my game is now live!

rustyknightgames.itch.io/idle-exotics...

Patch Notes TL:DR:

- You can now earn money while the game is closed (at a reduced rate)
- Added Options menu to the new Prestige Screen
- Small art asset updates

#GameDev #SoloDev #IndieDev #IndieGame

Now, are there real people making these searches and finding my game? Maybe not. It could just be web crawlers. But, I don't want to take the risk.

It's also basically negative search engine optimization because "exotic" is close to another word that is... definitely not family-friendly.

(3/3)

I am also going to be changing the name of my game. Unfortunately, it seems that people are finding my game from some concerning search terms, according to itch's metrics.

It seems that I underestimated the connotations of the word "exotic" and which other search terms may lead to my game.

(2/3)

Couple of announcements!

First announcement, I'm releasing a (rare) mid-month patch! It's going to include a few things I missed last patch, and a feature I thought would be too complicated to be done quickly - progressing while offline.

(1/3)

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Idle Exotics Patch 0.0.6 and DevLog (November 2025) Good news! There's actually a patch this month, and part of that patch is adding an autosave feature. I'm still working on finding a way to import and export a save file that will work in the browser,...

No screenshot this week, but I put a big patch out there for Idle Exotics. I was going to do a TL:DR here, but it would still be rather long! So, I'll link the development blog with more info instead:

rustyknightgames.itch.io/idle-exotics...

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I've been a bit slow to put out patches lately, but good news! This weekend, I should be putting out a new patch for Idle Exotics with a functional autosave system!

In the meantime I'm going to be testing it out and making sure it's ready to go.

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#ScreenshotSaturday

I added a new feature this week - the egg queue. It shows which eggs you're currently hatching, and the parents of each egg, if applicable. I capped it at 10 for now, but I might expand it if people want to see further ahead.

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#ScreenshotSaturday

Been making great progress in the past week, but not much that shows in screenshots. I did finish an unlockable background selector, though. There will be real background images in the final version, but I did a color swap for now.

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Right now, I'm just trying to get the game to code completion, so that's why there's more placeholders than when I added a new menu during September.

More details to come in a blog post later today!

#ScreenshotSaturday

I'm finally getting underway with visible changes. The new screens aren't much to look at, but they are functional!

Well, sort of. The prestige menu does let you spend perk points, but the perks aren't implemented yet.

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I was trying to avoid tweaking numbers for now, and I know people who play incremental games tend to be very patient. However, I think having wait times that scale to just shy of 1 year might be a little too much waiting for most players.

I know I haven't updated in a while. And that's partially because I've had a lot of analysis to do, and a major number rebalance to work on. So, I haven't had much to actually "show" lately.

But rest assured, the project is still going!

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Idle Exotics Patch 0.0.5 and DevLog (September 2025) I got a lot done this time, so I'm not going to waste much time with the intro. I'm feeling inspired this month, and maybe a little ambitious. Code Code updates for this month are definitely plentiful...

rustyknightgames.itch.io/idle-exotics...

Patch 0.0.5 on Idle Exotics is live!

Patch notes TL:DR:

- Added the collection/stats menu
- Added Achievements
- Added "Buy Multiple" buttons
- Small Styling changes

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It's #ScreenshotSaturday once again.

This time, I think I'll show off some of the new icons I made, and the palette swap shader I wrote.

Honestly, I think I should use a shader for the other color changes in the game. It's easier to do than I thought.

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This week for #ScreenshotSaturday - Achievements are coming to the build next patch!

All achievements currently added are implemented. There are more on the way, and some are impossible to get right now. But, the code is there for them.

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Bonus #ScreenshotSaturday post, I also made some changes to the side menu.

I added a "buy multiple" feature for incubators. When I did, I decided to clean up the breeding menu UI so that the button was more consistent with the other menus.

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