# Wallpaper Engine Growth Plan

**Last Updated:** 2026-06-01

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## Current State

### Uploads (Impossible Geo CGA series)
- 7 items uploaded, all removed for Steam guideline violation (AI disclosure not checked)
- Organic subscribers despite being hidden: 94-134 per item
- Combined ~600+ subscribers waiting to become active once disclosure is fixed
- All have small motion effects, 2560x1440 resolution

### Local renders (never uploaded)
- NEONCYBER: 13 good images at 1920x1080 (blade_runner, eva_hangar, flcl_rooftop, arcade, rain_window, neon_canal)
- Impossible Geo batch 2: 6 images -- only 2-3 good (escher_stairs, fractal_cathedral); penrose/klein/mobius too weak

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## Market Research (2026-06-01)

### WE landscape
- 2.8M items total. Anime Live2D characters dominate trending and top-rated.
- Non-character content CAN win: "Misty Valley" (northway) -- 15,428 subs, 4/5 stars, animated landscape, 4K, customizable clock.
- Nearly all trending items currently flagged for guideline violations -- Steam is broadly enforcing AI disclosure.

### What top non-character wallpapers have
1. Animation -- parallax, particles, ambient motion (not just a pan)
2. 4K resolution (3840x2160) or 2K minimum
3. Audio responsiveness or ambient sound
4. Customizable widgets (clock, date) -- Misty Valley's winning move
5. "Approved" status -- required for algorithm discoverability

### Our niche
- Environment-only cyberpunk/abstract -- less saturated than character content
- NEONCYBER aesthetic (empty atmospheric scenes) is differentiated
- Impossible Geo CGA is genuinely unique -- zero competition
- Cross-pollination direction (impossible geometry in cyberpunk rain) = untapped

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## Gaps to Fix

| Gap | Priority | Fix |
|-----|----------|-----|
| AI disclosure not checked on 7 geo uploads | Immediate | Edit each in WE, check AI box, re-publish |
| Bad geo titles (filename style) | Immediate | Rename while in edit mode |
| NEONCYBER never uploaded | This week | Upload batch 1 with proper WE treatment |
| Resolution below market standard (1920x1080) | Next | Upgrade CF gen to 2048x2048, consider upscale to 4K |
| Motion effects too subtle | Next | Add rain particles + neon flicker in WE editor for NEONCYBER |
| No audio responsiveness | Medium | Add to top performers |
| No clock/customization widget | Medium | Add to atmospheric pieces |
| Weak geo prompts (penrose, klein, mobius) | Next | Replace math names with visual descriptions |

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## Execution Plan

### Immediate (this week)
1. Fix AI disclosure on all 7 geo items -- restores ~600 hidden subscribers
2. Rename all 7 with evocative titles (see naming guide below)
3. Upload NEONCYBER batch 1 -- 5-6 best images, proper motion effects in WE editor

### Weekly cadence
- Generate 6-10 images per batch (scripts ready)
- Upload 3-5 per week -- WE algorithm rewards active creators
- Alternate series: geo one week, NEONCYBER next

### Medium term
- Fix impossible-geo prompts, re-run batch
- Add audio responsiveness to top performers
- Add customizable clock overlay to atmospheric pieces
- Cross-pollination series: impossible geometry in cyberpunk environments

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## Naming Guide

### NEONCYBER (evocative 1-3 words)
- blade_runner scenes: "Sodium Rain", "Neon Overflow", "After Hours"
- eva_hangar: "Iron Cathedral", "Hangar 01", "The Deep Hangar"
- flcl_rooftop: "Signal Lost", "Antenna Night", "The High City"
- arcade: "Quarter Drop", "8-Bit Rain", "Coin Slot"
- neon_canal: "Wet Circuit", "Canal District", "Mirror Street"
- rain_window: "Glass Night", "Pane Study", "Inside Looking"

### Impossible Geo -- rename existing 7
- #1: "Fractal Void"
- #2: "Tesseract Echo"
- #3: "Penrose Loop"
- #4: "Klein Surface"
- #5: "Mobius Gate"
- #6: "Cathedral Fold"
- #7: "Infinite Stair"

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## Tags

NEONCYBER: Cyberpunk, Anime, Sci-Fi, Abstract, Atmospheric, Minimal, Lo-fi, Rain, Neon, Night, City, Dark

Impossible Geo: Abstract, Geometry, Minimal, Retro, Sci-Fi, CGA, Glitch, Impossible, Mathematical

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## Benchmark

Target: match "Misty Valley" trajectory -- 15K subscribers on a single environment wallpaper.
Method: quality motion effects + 4K + weekly uploads + proper disclosure from day one.