From Grand Monastery to Humble Garden

Why I pared the vision for my game down—and how you can shape the prototype.

May 16, 2025

A month ago my Trello board was getting completely out of hand—buildings scaffolded over weeks, sprawling maps, survival mechanics.

The plan was a full city-builder/survival sim.

Then I opened Godot, wired up the first dozen signals, and felt the scope balloon. Even a “trimmed-down” version would take years of work. The small voice in my head was warning me about the reality of it: finish a game in a year, or not at all.

So I pivoted. What if I compressed that grand monastery down to a fun little core—the garden? A smaller map, tighter loop, the same spirit. So that’s where I am now.

Inside the Vertical Slice

Over the next four weeks I’m aiming for a one-screen prototype that answers a single question: is the weekly rhythm—plant, water, harvest, advance the calendar—actually fun? Here’s what’s already in (or nearly there):

4–6 tillable plots: Till, seed, water, watch sprites change through growth stages.
3 crops & 1 herb: Fast greens, cabbage, wheat, and sage to test pay-offs.
Simple tools: Hoe, watering pot (re-fill at the stream), harvest. Durability ticks down; A brother will mend them after two in-game weeks.
End-of-week door: Knock, hear the bell, the calendar flips ahead. Leave off any optional hagiography or scripture readings for a future version.
Simple quests – the Abbot guides you through a few basic quests. A bullet-point counter tracks your progress.

(It’s all placeholder art—truly gross—and some of it is just an asset flip ,but it’s readable enough to test timing and feedback.)

Where I’m Truly Bad

Getting my mind out onto paper feels natural. Writing code for that is a little easier. Making pixels look like cabbages does not.

Art has been the surprise headache of the pivot. I’m blocking out sprites in broad, clumsy strokes first—so expect lumpy lettuces and suspiciously square wheat. Or at the very least, some half-good AI slop. Heaven knows it’s going to take me a lot longer than expected to get this finished.

But there’s one big question in my mind…

Is any of this going to be “Fun”?

When the bell rings at the monastery door and a whole “week” passes in a click, do you feel relieved, restless, or perfectly paced?

I honestly don’t know yet, and that’s where I want your help.

If you would like to help me playtest the prototype of this, then please…

Reply or leave a comment below if you’d like first access once the slice is stable. When it’s ready, I’d love to jump on a call with you so we can chat, and I can see you play through it. Your notes will steer everything.

Joys, Headaches, and Hidden Graces

So, how have I found it so far?

Joys:
- Seeing a whole growth cycle in under ten minutes.
- Knowing a completed game is months—not years—away.
Headaches:
- Pixel art rabbit holes (is that stalk five pixels tall or six?).
- Resisting feature creep (“just one more herb…”).

But honestly, placing limits on what I’m doing is great fun: monks cultivated small plots with intention; I’m trying to do the same with scope.

How You Can Help (and Stay in the Loop)

Play-test – hit reply or leave a comment with “I’m in!”
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