Category: Game Design

Aug
07

The Brutal Problem Of Power Creep & Fun

Balancing around power can be a brutal problem. There is a great video by Extra Credits where they talk about power curves in card games. Watch it now (it’s the video at the top) before reading the rest of this […]

Aug
02

Designing Differences Between Weapon Types

As I said in an earlier post, one of the things I wanted for Grrbls was every possible status effect possible and then a whole bunch of new ones. And since I’m adding a jillion status effects, it also makes […]

Jul
13

Why Lock Picking Sucks And Should Be Abandoned

I know I’m not alone in feeling this way, but I hate hate hate hate hate hateeeeeee lock pick systems in RPGs. There are several problems with lock picking and locked chests in RPGs and I want to go over […]

Jul
10

What Makes Loot Drops So Fun And Exciting?

It might seem like a simple answer at first glance. You might assume it’s like a slot machine and it’s exciting when luck turns to your favour. But I think there’s a lot more to exactly what makes loot drop […]

Jul
03

What Makes A Good Loot Game?

I have been a wild fanatical fan when it comes to loot based games. I know there other crazy gamers like me, and Path of Exile is a great example of extreme loot drops and randomization in an ARPG. And […]

Jun
29

The Joys Of Character Creation

I have a confession to make. I’m a big fan of CRPG games like Bauldur’s Gate, Pillars of Eternity, and Never Winter Nights and all the other games of that ilk — but I’ve never beaten any of them and […]

Jun
28

Why New Loot Feels So Good

The core desire I had for Grrbls was an endless-looter. Take the best of Diablo and Borderlands and cram it into a card themed game. I’ve been trying to hone in on exactly what makes loot focused games so fun. […]

Jun
27

What Makes A Class A Class

I was watching a GDC talk on Pillars of Eternity and in it the speaker mentioned how they worked on allowing multi-classing and that once you start allowing up 3 classes or more things start to get really weird. I […]

Jun
26

Why Leveling Up Feels So Good — And Breaks The Game

When I was a kid there was few things I loved more than leveling up in a game. That hasn’t changed as an adult. I love the feeling of getting more powerful stats, unlocking new abilities, and have my character […]

Jun
24

Rarity and Redundancy

The core idea behind Grrbls was creating the most interesting and everlasting loot system I could. This in no small part was inspired from the likes of the Diablo series, and the Borderland series. I love the feeling finding an […]