Starting with a tank and a debug panel

Every game starts ugly, and mine started very ugly. The first playable version was a box of water, some flat-shape fish, and a debug panel covered in buttons I could mash to fake money, fake followers, and dirty up the tank on command.

Underneath the programmer art, though, the idea was already there. You’re not just keeping fish, you’re building a tank worth showing off. There’s a follower count, a Phone button, and the bones of a system where a nice tank earns you an audience. Aquascaping is the craft; the social side is the goal. The cleanup crew quietly keeping the tank clean was my first hint that I wanted maintenance to feel calm, not stressful. A theme that keeps coming back.