Working on a roguelite about space dwarves fighting endless undead means I’m constantly buried in ideas. They come from everywhere. Sometimes it’s something I spot in another game, sometimes it’s just a dumb thought I can’t shake. But not every idea makes it into Bloodstone Rising. It has to prove it belongs.
From “Wouldn’t it be cool if…” to a real feature
Most of my ideas start as scraps in a messy document. Weapon sketches, weird enemy concepts, modifiers, half-written events. The ones that survive are the ones that actually solve a problem or add something fresh to the chaos.
One of my earliest notes was:
“What if the player has to manage the stress of resource gathering and fighting aggressive hordes in a roguelike setting?”
That simple note became one of the pillars of the game.
Making sense of the chaos
When I think an idea is worth chasing, I put it through a quick filter. Does it solve a problem? Does it fit with the roguelite loop of maps, upgrades, and replayability? Will it still feel fun after ten or twenty runs, or will it just break the game?
That stops me from wasting time on flashy features that don’t actually hold up once you’ve played them a few times.
From paper to pixels
Once something makes the cut, I throw it into Unity as quickly as possible. Sometimes it’s ugly placeholder code, sometimes it’s just boxes on a map. If it feels good, I keep forging ahead (ha!).
The forge upgrade system is a good example. Early versions spat out ridiculous, broken combos that made the game way too easy. I almost cut it, but playtesters loved the chaos. Instead of scrapping it, I leaned into it and started balancing the game around those surprising, overpowered moments.
Why this matters
Bloodstone Rising is meant to surprise you. Runs should feel unpredictable, where strange interactions between mining, forging, and fighting create stories you didn’t expect. The only way to get there is to test ideas, keep the ones that work, and let the rest go.
Where you come in
Playtesters have already shaped the game more than I thought they would. Some features I considered minor ended up being player favorites.
That feedback loop is what makes the game better, and it’s why I keep asking for more.
If you’ve got an idea, feedback, or even just a crazy “what if,” throw it at me. You never know which one might make its way into the game.