Alright everyone, this is a long one but I want you all allong for the journey so enjoy ;)! Ow and all the footage and images are work in progress. and taken in a very beautifully boring testmap..doh..;)
As you all know, the loot system needs to be part of the Early Access release.
We could get away without the entire thing for the short demo phase, but for the full release we need, among other things, proper loot — randomized and varied to make each playthrough fresh and rewarding.
A loot system is not an easy thing. It’s not by chance that I chose not to include it in the demo yet (though the barebones were already there). But now that I’ve finally started and things are beginning to look like a proper loot and inventory system, I thought it would be a good time to share some of the progression.
Step 1 – The Foundation
It all began with a very rough prototype: rows of placeholder buttons representing “items” and a simple character view on the right. There was no real data, just structure — getting something that could be clicked, selected, and displayed.
At this stage, it was purely functional. The goal was to establish a base that could later handle proper item data, equipping, and saving.
Step 2 – Equipping and Inventory Structure
Once the basics worked, I started implementing the logic for weapon slots — main, sidearm, and melee. This meant rewriting how equipping worked entirely.
I also added saving and loading, so items stayed where they belonged after reloading the character.
By this point, the system could finally remember what you picked up, and it started to resemble an actual inventory.
Step 3 – Giving It an Identity
The first visual pass came next. The backpack UI was given its own proper material — aged leather, parchment textures, and rough paper slots. I cleaned up weapon icons, organized slot visuals, and added space for player stats.
It was still very barebones, but it began to feel like something you’d actually open mid-adventure.
Step 4 – Loot Drops and Interaction
After the structure was in place, I turned to the world side of things: actual loot drops.
Enemies could now drop items that could be picked up through proper player interaction — no more auto-collecting. Items spawned with their own pickup logic, and everything began flowing through the new system.
Behind the scenes, this meant setting up the loot tables — a flexible structure that defines what kinds of items enemies can drop and at what chance.
Step 5 – Randomization and Rarity
With pickups working, it was time to make loot interesting.
The system was expanded to include rarities, random stat rolls, and a flexible loot-rolling framework. Every weapon or item now rolls its properties when it drops, so no two items are identical.
Adding rarity also meant adding new visuals: colored particles for common, rare, and unique loot, and special indicators for rarer finds.
This was the stage where everything started to click — the technical foundation met the fun part.
Step 6 – Integration and Feedback
Next, I made sure all that randomness actually mattered. Items now display their stats directly in the inventory, allowing you to compare what you’ve found.
Stat rolls affect gameplay, rarities are instantly recognizable, and the data is properly saved and loaded with your character.
I also added flair frames to the inventory view, giving rare items a distinct look. A quick glance now tells you whether you’ve picked up something special or just another worn pistol.
Step 7 – Where We Are Now
Currently, the system supports weapon drops only, and I’ll need to run a lot of testing before it’s ready for the beta branch. Once stable, the next steps will be introducing armor drops and potentially other equippable item types.
There are also smaller pieces of polish to add — sound cues, pickup effects, and subtle feedback elements to make looting more tactile and satisfying.
And yes… now that players can actually open and manage an inventory, I quickly discovered the need to temporarily place the player in a safe spot where they can’t be attacked while doing so.
(Some players are definitely nodding right now — “Raymond… yeah… just yeah.”)
It’s been a surprisingly big journey from those first placeholder buttons to something that feels like a proper system. There’s still a way to go, but the foundation is here, and it’s working.
Love you all,
Raymond