Why does the arrow on the right of the profit/reduction go up and down? I don't get how to play this because it's very non-descriptive.
Bars at the bottom left
From left to right:
- Consumption (brown) divided in several segments representing consumption of roots, leaves, flowers and fruits.
- Balance (red/green) red when consume more than produce, you lose sap. green for the inverse.
- Production (combination of yellow and blue bars), aka photosynthesis.
- energy (yellow) from leaves
- water (blue) from roots
Energy and water depend on weather conditions and so can go up and down, impacting the production accordingly.
Gauge at the bottom right
Your sap reserve. Impacted by the balance, i.e. it can fill up or empty more or less quickly depending on consumption and production.
You need sap to grow branches and roots. The circular indicator appearing when you extend something show you how much it will take from the sap reserve.
Why is it so unclear?
I know I have some work to make the game and interface more self-descriptive, it must be integrated to the game (because nobody reads documentation) as tutorial or tooltips. It's a bit of work.
I'm actively working on the game and i'm currently focused on gameplay and features, which are the most important. And I don't want to spend time on explaining things that might change in a near future. But I'll do it for sure.
I hope that I have helped and that you can enjoy the game! Thanks for feedback.