I haven't worked on it for a while. I haven't really solved how the game would work in a fun way lol.
i was toying with the idea of making dice roles and selecting action attributed to a players turn, perhaps with a described action, like "I search for x" --- and players basically goaling to learn or steal enough ideas that can be put together to make you the final winner. and some ideas would be required to know other ideas. the longer i thought about it the more it sounded freeform and less rule -rigid. Perhaps with a coop-compete dynamic where the goal is for all the players to win, but the best win is the one who actually invents the microwave -- so basically a player vs time game, where maybe a anthropocenic event happens eventually or something like that. if you want to help, you could take my ideas and I could scan my scribbles and notes, and run with it. I'm currently seeking employment, so if I finish this project i'll probably phone it in at the end otherwise LOL :)
Maybe play with it in your head a bit more when you have some free time. I definitely can't take on another project right now. I have like 4 I should be working on, lol. Even if you feel like you'd be phoning it in, sometimes it's just as important to finish it. My first projects were roooough (even some of my more recent ones too lol), but I put them out anyway. Provides a source of feedback and reflection. Even if you don't make the deadline of the jam, you really should do it in your free time. Don't pressure yourself on the deadline, especially for a first project. Let it flow when it comes to you.
It might also be helpful to shelf it for a bit, and see if you can get inspired by something else. Letting the project you're hung up on get in the way of something you're inspired on hurts general productivity in both. Strike while the iron's hot n' all that.