News, updates, and dev logs from Inselnova, a browser-based island strategy game.https://inselnova.com/https://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-04-04-bigchris-sent-three-waves-against-inselnova-shoal-two-were-destroyed-he-took-it-/https://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-04-04-bigchris-sent-three-waves-against-inselnova-shoal-two-were-destroyed-he-took-it-/BigChris launched eleven attacks against Darren's holdings at Inselnova Shoal and AnchorDeck Ridge, losing over a thousand troops before finally colonising both. Darren struck back the same afternoon. Windy Walrus raided GoblinBroadside Bay eight times in ninety minutes. Governor Pineapple Express resolved twenty council affairs at CorsairPickle Shore, including two goats and a fox. Forty governors now hold territory across the Founders Archipelago.Sat, 04 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-04-04-150k-lines-ai-typescript/https://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-04-04-150k-lines-ai-typescript/Inselnova has 179,101 lines of TypeScript across 1,015 files and 1,272 commits. I didn't write most of it. Here's what that actually means, why it works at scale, and what the senior dev who quit at 150K lines got wrong.Sat, 04 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-04-03-building-the-devlog/https://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-04-03-building-the-devlog/Sat down in Claude Cowork, dumped six weeks of raw notes about building a browser strategy game, and came out with 5 blog posts, a tone system, SEO integration, cover image generation, and a reusable skill. Here's how the pipeline works.Fri, 03 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-04-01-blind-coding-workflow/https://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-04-01-blind-coding-workflow/Built Inselnova's core gameplay loop on a road trip using Claude Code on mobile. Tests first, skill files for context, AGENTS.md as a living spec, plan mode to prevent scope creep. Three weeks in, one bad release.Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-30-bigchris-sent-1-646-troops-to-flotsamscallywag-shoal-he-now-owns-it/https://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-30-bigchris-sent-1-646-troops-to-flotsamscallywag-shoal-he-now-owns-it/BigChris launched six assaults against Darren's holdings at FlotsamScallywag Shoal and AnchorDeck Ridge, losing 439 troops and one full wave before finally razing both settlements. Windy Walrus holds twenty islands after sending fleet after fleet against one medium island that repeatedly refused colonisation. Billy No-Crew conquered his first territory. Eighteen new governors have arrived. The alliance Fairytale has formed and contains one member.Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-30-the-flags-are-flying-and-the-watchtower-is-staffed/https://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-30-the-flags-are-flying-and-the-watchtower-is-staffed/Alliance banners now fly over the settlement, Captain Thorne commands the watchtower, fleet logistics have been redrawn, and the Black Tide has been sighted in eastern waters.Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-28-connected-features/https://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-28-connected-features/Rebuilt a 25-year-old strategy game with a simple rule: nothing gets added unless it connects to something else. The gameplay loop that emerged extended the first session from 2-3 minutes to 10-20 minutes.Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-25-finding-early-adopters/https://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-25-finding-early-adopters/Found 8 daily active players by messaging old Inselkampf fans on Reddit directly, then refined onboarding with achievements and psychology tricks. 330 site visitors, 41 signups, 8 completing the first achievement set.Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-24-two-officers-were-assigned-to-the-eastern-pier-at-corsairpickle-shore-their-repo/https://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-24-two-officers-were-assigned-to-the-eastern-pier-at-corsairpickle-shore-their-repo/Windy Walrus colonised nine islands in four days and now holds seventeen across the Founders Archipelago without a single naval defeat. Billy No-Crew raced the tide at SkullPistol Spire and a rogue wave swept supplies overboard. Eight new governors claimed settlements. The alliance Hannah has doubled to two members. Something large was sighted off CorsairPickle Shore. The officers have requested reassignment.Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-21-replacing-saas-with-ai/https://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-21-replacing-saas-with-ai/Built custom analytics, error tracking, and re-engagement tools instead of paying for SaaS. Total monthly cost under $20. Each one took a few hours with AI. Here's how and whether you should try it.Sat, 21 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-20-governor-gipe-resolved-fourteen-affairs-in-one-day-at-goblinbroadside-bay-he-arr/https://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-20-governor-gipe-resolved-fourteen-affairs-in-one-day-at-goblinbroadside-bay-he-arr/Fourteen new governors claimed islands across the Founders Archipelago in a single day. Governor Gipe processed fourteen council affairs within hours of making landfall at GoblinBroadside Bay, including a baking contest, a complaint catapult, and an ink catastrophe. Windy Walrus colonised three islands and now holds eight. Darren led all naval engagements this window. The goat has been found. The owner was not who anyone expected.Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-18-a-goose-described-as-miraculous-appeared-at-emerald-bay-the-council-did-not-act-/https://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-18-a-goose-described-as-miraculous-appeared-at-emerald-bay-the-council-did-not-act-/Governor Darren's council let a miracle goose expire unclaimed at Emerald Bay while handling a storm-damaged beacon and a drillfield levy on the same island. Windy Walrus launched twelve engagements without loss and now trails only Darren in naval activity. The alliance First lost two members. A new alliance called Hannah has one. Spy crews across the Founders Archipelago have improved from zero percent to nearly seventy.Wed, 18 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-17-founders-archipelago-the-harbor-at-roguerig-fort-is-no-longer-empty/https://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-17-founders-archipelago-the-harbor-at-roguerig-fort-is-no-longer-empty/Governor Windy Walrus launched six engagements after three dispatches of recorded inactivity at the harbor. Spy operations across the Founders Archipelago have improved dramatically. The goat ate a ledger.Tue, 17 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-16-founders-archipelago-picklegalleon-hollow-has-reopened/https://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-16-founders-archipelago-picklegalleon-hollow-has-reopened/PickleGalleon Hollow reopened after twelve days of silence, six expired affairs, and one uncelebrated pirate wedding. BigChris colonised seven islands in two days and now holds twenty. Twenty-one spy missions were launched across the archipelago this week. None succeeded.Mon, 16 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-15-founders-archipelago-a-second-alliance-has-formed/https://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-15-founders-archipelago-a-second-alliance-has-formed/RogueRig Fort logged twenty domestic affairs in forty-eight hours, including a collapsed quarry and a guard dog ultimatum requiring formal acknowledgment that General is a very good boy. Darren conquered his first island. A new alliance lasted less than a day.Sun, 15 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-14-built-a-strategy-game-in-two-weeks/https://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-14-built-a-strategy-game-in-two-weeks/30 years coding, built a multiplayer island strategy game in two weeks using Claude Code, Codex, and ChatGPT. Started blind on my phone during a road trip. Sharing the workflow, the mistakes, and what I'd do differently.Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-13-founders-archipelago-nineteen-additional-engagements-one-governor/https://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-13-founders-archipelago-nineteen-additional-engagements-one-governor/While BigChris added nineteen engagements to his weekly total, Governor Benny at SnorkelBoots Bay dealt with a ghost ship, a forged edict, and a diplomatic banquet involving barnacles. The ambassador has not written back.Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-12-founders-archipelago-the-week-the-fleet-awoke/https://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-12-founders-archipelago-the-week-the-fleet-awoke/One engagement in week one, one hundred and four in week two. Governors BigChris and Darren account for every last one. Twenty governors launched zero. A harbor pilot is sleeping on deck. This dispatch contains details.Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-12-new-governors-are-now-greeted-at-the-gate/https://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-12-new-governors-are-now-greeted-at-the-gate/A formal welcome dispatch now reaches every governor on arrival, the affairs office has catalogued twenty new incidents, and the bazaar no longer redirects traders to the ledger room.Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-10-founders-archipelago-the-fleet-was-not-circling/https://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-10-founders-archipelago-the-fleet-was-not-circling/Governor BigChris launched twenty-eight naval engagements in four days. Governor Darren added fourteen in two. The previous dispatch described his fleet as idle. The navigator has not revised his report. The Harbor Board has noted the timing.Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-08-the-week-we-merged-release-notes-with-the-road-ahead/https://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-08-the-week-we-merged-release-notes-with-the-road-ahead/Happiness now affects attack strength, fleet speed, spy success, and colonisation odds. Preview screens show real figures before forces are committed.Sun, 08 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-06-founders-archipelago-opening-week/https://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-06-founders-archipelago-opening-week/Twelve governors. Thirty-three islands. One attack, by Captain Stormborn, who lost. The two governors who would go on to combine for one hundred and four engagements the following week launched zero. The Harbor Board's logbook has had quiet hours.Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-01-council-arguments-about-alliances-and-identity/https://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-03-01-council-arguments-about-alliances-and-identity/There is a council argument about alliance banners and map presence. It has been going for some days. A summary follows, pending resolution.Sun, 01 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-02-23-harbor-week-when-the-queues-finally-clicked/https://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-02-23-harbor-week-when-the-queues-finally-clicked/Queue progress, return times, and completed actions are now visible from the main desk. The stores ledger no longer requires opening to check what is building.Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-02-16-why-we-rebuilt-inselnova/https://inselnova.com/chronicle/2026-02-16-why-we-rebuilt-inselnova/A brief introduction from the Chief Steward on the settlement's purpose and the reason dispatches are now filed regularly.Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT