Designing Interactive Farming Systems: Growth, Interaction, and Economic Balance
Gameplay Footage Coming Soon!
Currently in active development
Runes and Rootlings is a farming simulation game where I'm designing interactive crop systems with multi-stage growth, intuitive player interactions, and balanced economic gameplay loops.
Creating Runes and Rootlings is about solving a core farming game design challenge: How do you make crop systems that feel rewarding, strategic, and deeply engaging? My approach focuses on designing interconnected systems that create satisfying gameplay loops—from planting seeds to harvesting valuable crops, with meaningful player choices at every step.
Every crop growth stage should provide clear visual feedback and rewarding player progression
Economic balance creates meaningful choices about which crops to plant and when to harvest
Player actions should feel natural and responsive with clear visual and audio feedback
Systems interconnect to create satisfying gameplay loops that keep players invested
Screenshots Coming Soon!
Crop systems in development
Each system is carefully designed to create engaging, rewarding gameplay loops
Create a growth system that provides clear progression feedback and strategic timing decisions.
"Players should feel rewarded watching their crops grow and develop"
Make farming actions feel responsive, intuitive, and satisfying through clear interaction design.
"Every player action should feel meaningful and responsive"
Balance crop values and growth times to create meaningful economic choices and progression.
"Economic balance creates strategic depth and player agency"
I'm implementing Runes and Rootlings entirely in Unreal Engine 5 Blueprints, creating modular, maintainable systems that can scale as the game grows.
Built with scalability in mind—easy to add new crops, tools, and farming mechanics as development progresses.
Blueprint Diagrams
Coming soon!
Multi-stage crop growth with visual progression and state management
Planting, watering, and harvesting functionality with player feedback
Crop value system and basic currency/progression implementation
Expanding crop types with unique properties and growth requirements
Weather effects and seasonal crop cycles for deeper strategic gameplay
Enhanced visual feedback, particle effects, and animation polish
Development Note: This project is my current focus as I continue to expand my gameplay design skills. I'm implementing new systems regularly and will update this page with screenshots, videos, and detailed breakdowns as features are completed!
Every player action needs clear visual and audio feedback to feel satisfying. Planting, watering, and harvesting all have distinct feedback loops.
Economic balancing isn't just numbers—it's creating meaningful choices that make players think strategically about their farm.
Players should organically discover better strategies and crops without feeling forced. The progression curve guides without dictating.
Building systems modularly from the start makes it easy to add new crops, tools, and features as the game evolves.
Runes and Rootlings is actively in development! I'm constantly adding new features, systems, and polish. This page will be updated with gameplay footage, screenshots, and detailed breakdowns as the project progresses.