WarForged

Crafting is the journey.

Team Solo project

Duration 4 months

Platform PC

Engine Unity

Overview

WarForged is a crafting game that aims to put the crafting aspect of games to the forefront. For a long time, crafting in video games has been relegated to a side activity. An afterthought system, represented by a few UI menus. I believe this does a great disservice to the art of crafting, so I set out to create a game that truly focuses on it, specifically blacksmithing, and what it takes to master a craft.

In WarForged, the player is tasked with learning the basics of blacksmithing and improving their skill through practice. With little hand-holding, the player must figure out how to create a various works - from humble nails to intricate armors and swords. They will need to learn how different materials behave and when to use each one and to master the techniques needed to bring their creations to life.

Game Demo

Core Mechanics

Forging System

Skills and tools - each tool has a specific skills tied to it.

Undefined recipe system - there are no strict recipes, use different tools to shape the metal the way you need.

Hearth - heat, melt and reheat the metal for better and faster forging.

Order System

Customers come to the shop with their orders. They will provide a diagram of what they want and the player must figure out how to create it.

The player can choose to fulfill the order or not. If they don't, the customer will leave and the player will lose reputation.

If the player fulfills the order, they will receive a reward and the customer will leave happy.

Management System

Tools and resources - buy new resources, tools and upgrades to the smithy.

Balancing the ledger - making profit and managing the shop as well as fulfilling the orders one likes.

Design Process

Research Phase

The design process for WarForged began with extensive research into blacksmithing. I examined blacksmithing techniques, the history of the craft, and the social and spiritual roles blacksmiths played in medieval towns. This revealed an important duality: blacksmiths were indispensable to their communities – producing nails, horseshoes, bars, locks, chains, and countless other essentials – yet they were also regarded with suspicion. Their ability to arm soldiers and forge symbols of authority, such as crowns, positioned them close to power while simultaneously keeping them at a distance. Blacksmiths were both respected and marginalized, useful yet potentially dangerous.

Theme & Narrative Insights

This duality inspired the central narrative of WarForged: a blacksmith whose influence is primarily indirect. Denied the opportunity to shape events openly, the blacksmith instead alters their surroundings through their craft. The tension between power and exclusion became the thematic foundation for the game’s story.

System Design Inspiration

Building on this research, I translated real blacksmithing techniques and tools into game systems. Each tool was assigned specific skills and functions, directly inspired by the tasks performed by real blacksmiths. This approach ensured that mechanics were not only authentic but also deeply connected to the narrative theme of influence through craft.

Gameplay Implementation

The result was a gameplay system where the player’s interactions – shaping materials, forging items, and creating tools – become the means by which the blacksmith impacts the world. In this way, historical research informs both the story and the mechanics, reinforcing the theme of indirect influence while grounding the player’s actions in the realities of blacksmithing.

Challenges & Solutions

Translating Blacksmithing Skills into Gameplay

Problem: One of the biggest challenges from a design perspective was how to translate real-world blacksmithing skills and techniques into game mechanics. Blacksmithing relies heavily on three factors: the angle of the strike, the force applied, and the surface on which the metal is struck.

Solution: For the surface, I implemented a simplified simulation. To replicate real-life techniques (such as shouldering) players would need access to the same surface as a blacksmith, in this case the shoulder of an anvil. Angle and force were represented as in-game skills tied to specific tools. This mirrors real blacksmithing practice, where each tool is designed for a specific purpose, and players must learn when and how to use each tool most effectively.

Implementing Metal Deformation

Problem: The most complex challenge during the prototype phase was developing a system for metal deformation. It needed to be highly flexible, allowing for an open combination of skills. Traditional methods such as pre-modeled shape variations or animation-based transformations were not viable, as it would be impossible to pre-program all potential permutations of form.

Solution: To address this, I designed a procedural system for deformation. Metal bars and rods dynamically adjust their transforms, including scale, position, and vertex data, based on the skills applied by the player. This approach enabled virtually limitless combinations of shapes while maintaining a coherent link between player action and material response.

Reflection

What I Learned

Implementation is just as important as the idea, and often the hardest part of making a half-decent game. One can have the most revolutionary idea for a game in the world and it would mean nothing if the implementation is lacking.
Scope is paramount: it is better to design one system thoroughly than to spread effort across several and scramble to fill the gaps later.

What I'd Do Differently

Reduce the scope to focus only on blacksmithing and order systems, making completion more feasible.
Rethink how metals work in the game, avoiding mesh deformation since it became a time sink with little payoff.