Hello hello!
This is our first Steam post and our first dev diary. I’ll try to keep these coming regularly and give you insight into what we’re working on. I’ll keep the tone casual so anyone can read it without falling asleep. Alright, here goes nothing.
Basics of an Idle ARPG
Introduction
As you probably know by now, Lootlands is an idle ARPG. Making an idle game out of a genre that literally has the word action in it is a strange challenge, but the more I thought about it, the more sense it made.
Like a lot of people, my ARPG journey started with Diablo. I am also a big Path of Exile fan. I discovered PoE during a hectic period of life and have been busy ever since, so my playtime sits at just above 600 hours. Every season I pushed to reach that moment when my build could one-shot things, or at least idle through some league mechanics. That contrast between the exhausting grind and the sweet idling moment sparked a tiny idea in my head.
What if we skip to the idle part? What if busy people can enjoy the loot, builds, and powerful moments without the constant active grind? That idea became Lootlands.
First Steps
I started the project by making the character stand still while skills auto-cast and enemies spawn from the sides. It was intentionally simple. Add an inventory and loot and suddenly the screen looked like a coin tornado.
After a quick break I came back to find the ground flooded with items. I could have simply cut drop rates, but that would make active play boring for people who want to mess with the game. So I implemented a ground loot limit: only a set amount of items and coins can exist on the ground at once. You can upgrade that limit through perks later on.
I also added a tiny cooldown reduction every time you click. It gives players something to do in harder zones while still keeping the idle core. Click spam feels satisfying and actually helps your build push through a tough wave.
The Affix Hell
Now that we have items, we need to make them interesting. In many ARPGs, that's where the affixes come in.
Designing an affix system is easy to get lost in. We wanted something deep and surprising, but also readable and fun. Path of Exile is an inspiration, but PoE’s systems are massive and intimidating. We kept the good parts and trimmed the fat.
Here’s what we did:
• Keep complexity in the backend, not on the surface. Items can have layered affixes, but the UI shows the meaningful ones first.
• Rarity controls affix count. Higher rarity means more affixes and more potential for weird combos.
• Affix tiers scale with item level. That gives a satisfying progression as you find higher level loot.
• Implicits are lean. Important, always-on stats like evasion or armor are handled as implicits on base items so players understand what an item fundamentally does.
• Procedural flavor text and simple icons make each item feel unique without forcing you to read a wall of numbers.
We had to cut corners in some places to keep the game approachable. No insane micro-affixes that only mathematicians can parse. Instead the system is tuned for cool emergent builds you can iterate on without needing a spreadsheet. That said, there are still rare, spicy rolls that make you want to jump up and yell.
Professions
Professions are our way of giving players meaningful activity between checks. Mining, herb gathering, and similar mini-systems pop up as small distractions while your character fights. They are not busywork. They are bite-sized progression loops that feed into crafting, perks, and gear upgrades.
• Random nodes spawn while you idle. Click to harvest and get materials.
• Level the profession to unlock perks, like increased node spawn chance or better material yields.
• Materials feed into crafting and short-term upgrades, letting you improve your build without needing perfect drops.
• Professions create decisions: do you save materials for a big craft, or spend them on immediate upgrades to push one more floor?
I stole some inspiration from older MMO life skills, because it works and it adds another layer to the idle loop. It keeps things interesting while still respecting the core idle design.
Visuals
The visuals took a lot of iteration. I wanted a semi-realistic look that still feels stylized and readable at low FPS animation speeds. Think pre-rendered Diablo 2 vibes, but updated and a bit sharper.
• Low frame animations to get that slightly jerky, old-school charm.
• Models are semi-real and textured but optimized for performance.
• UI is still a work in progress. I am aiming for clarity and a little bit of attitude. Big, readable numbers, clear rarity indicators, and a quick inspect turntable for items so the loot moment looks and feels good.
• Lighting and particle effects are used sparingly to highlight important moments, like rare drops or boss entrances.
The goal is a look that feels familiar to ARPG fans yet distinct enough to stand on its own.
Wrap up
Lootlands grew from a little experiment into something that feels like it can be both deep and chill. There is a lot to polish, especially in the UI and affix clarity, but the core loop is working and it is fun to tune.
If you have thoughts, weird ideas, or just want to tell me I am insane, drop a comment. I read everything.
Join the discussion on Discord -> https://discord.gg/Y4jYx36Qs4