Update: v0.3.0 - Idle Mechanics & Upgrades

Released: September 3, 2025

Major feature drop! Tuggy now has idle game mechanics and a power-up system.

What's New

Idle Voting System

• 💰 Tugs currency - Earn tugs by clicking (in-matchup currency)
• ⏱️ Tugs per second (TPS) - Passive income generation
• 🔄 Idle voting - Passive tugs automatically convert to votes
• 💾 Session persistence - Progress saves to localStorage per matchup

Upgrade Shop

• 🎯 Click Multiplier - 2x-5x votes per click (30-120 sec duration)
• ⚡ Idle Boost - Increase tugs per second temporarily
• 🚀 Speed Boost - Reduced click cooldown
• 🛒 Dynamic pricing - Costs increase with each purchase

Balance & Anti-Exploit

• ⛔ No duplicate upgrades - Can't stack same upgrade type
• 📈 Exponential pricing - Prevents spam buying
• ⏲️ Time-limited effects - All upgrades expire after 30-120 seconds
• 🎮 Per-matchup scope - No cross-matchup progression

UI Improvements

• Added upgrade shop modal with clean design
• Active upgrade indicators with countdown timers
• Affordability highlighting (shows what you can buy)
• Visual feedback for upgrade activation

Bug Fixes

• Fixed vote batching not flushing on page unload
• Fixed realtime subscription memory leaks
• Improved error handling for failed vote submissions
• Fixed localStorage quota exceeded errors

Performance

• Upgrade calculations: <1ms per update
• Session persistence: <5ms
• No impact on voting performance
• Efficient localStorage usage

Technical Details

• Implemented upgrade state machine
• Added automatic upgrade expiration cleanup
• Dynamic pricing formula: baseCost * pow(1.5, purchaseCount)
• Upgrade effects apply via multiplier stacking

Balance Notes

In testing, power users with upgrades have ~3x more impact than pure clickers, but new players can still contribute meaningfully. The time-limited nature prevents runaway advantages.

What's Next

v0.4.0 will add anonymous user support via device fingerprinting, plus progressive authentication for leaderboards!