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The hardest part of making Arc Raiders was creating a "meaningful" item meta so that your loot doesn't just feel like "cash"
md5
831b87c9830214632fcf621d9ebd3d52
link
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-hardest-part-of-making-arc-raiders-was-creating-a-meaningful-item-meta-so-that-your-loot-doesnt-just-feel-like-cash
image
https://assetsio.gnwcdn.com/arc-raiders-field-crate-2.jpg?width=690&quality=85&format=jpg&auto=webp
description
A question I often ask game developers when I've run out of real questions is: what was the hardest part of making your game? Which is a terrible line of inquiry, because it's like asking somebody with their foot in a hornet's nest which individual hornet they dislike the most. As Arc Raiders executive producer Aleksander Grøndal told me in a chat last week, "I can probably sit here and talk to you about all the problems we've had for hours on end, but yeah, game development is always tricky. That's what I can say. There's nothing that comes for free - everything is a constant struggle."
Still, the question often gets an interesting response, because as readers of Alex Wiltshire's old The Mechanic series will know, big problems may necessitate inventive solutions. So, what has been the hardest part of making Arc Raiders? Perfecting the slides? Avoiding mandatory player progression resets from season to season? Dealing with reports about the game's generative AI usage? According to Grøndal, it was trying to create an economy of loot and crafting materials - ranging from all-purpose Mechanical Components to rare or uncommon ingredients for specific guns, sometimes found in special field depots - that isn't too "punishing" and which doesn't just feel like accumulating "cash value".
content_html
A question I often ask game developers when I've run out of real questions is: what was the hardest part of making your game? Which is a terrible line of inquiry, because it's like asking somebody with their foot in a hornet's nest which individual hornet they dislike the most. As Arc Raiders executive producer Aleksander Grøndal told me in a chat last week, "I can probably sit here and talk to you about all the problems we've had for hours on end, but yeah, game development is always tricky. That's what I can say. There's nothing that comes for free - everything is a constant struggle."
Still, the question often gets an interesting response, because as readers of Alex Wiltshire's old The Mechanic series will know, big problems may necessitate inventive solutions. So, what has been the hardest part of making Arc Raiders? Perfecting the slides? Avoiding mandatory player progression resets from season to season? Dealing with reports about the game's generative AI usage? According to Grøndal, it was trying to create an economy of loot and crafting materials - ranging from all-purpose Mechanical Components to rare or uncommon ingredients for specific guns, sometimes found in special field depots - that isn't too "punishing" and which doesn't just feel like accumulating "cash value".
content_text
A question I often ask game developers when I've run out of real questions is: what was the hardest part of making your game? Which is a terrible line of inquiry, because it's like asking somebody with their foot in a hornet's nest which individual hornet they dislike the most. As Arc Raiders executive producer Aleksander Grøndal told me in a chat last week, "I can probably sit here and talk to you about all the problems we've had for hours on end, but yeah, game development is always tricky. That's what I can say. There's nothing that comes for free - everything is a constant struggle." Still, the question often gets an interesting response, because as readers of Alex Wiltshire's old The Mechanic series will know, big problems may necessitate inventive solutions. So, what has been the hardest part of making Arc Raiders? Perfecting the slides? Avoiding mandatory player progression resets from season to season? Dealing with reports about the game's generative AI usage? According to Grøndal, it was trying to create an economy of loot and crafting materials - ranging from all-purpose Mechanical Components to rare or uncommon ingredients for specific guns, sometimes found in special field depots - that isn't too "punishing" and which doesn't just feel like accumulating "cash value". Read more
pub_date
31 October 2025, 11:31 am
guid
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-hardest-part-of-making-arc-raiders-was-creating-a-meaningful-item-meta-so-that-your-loot-doesnt-just-feel-like-cash
creator
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
processed
TRUE
id: 85794
uid: xmVM7
insdate: 2025-10-31 12:30:02
title: The hardest part of making Arc Raiders was creating a "meaningful" item meta so that your loot doesn't just feel like "cash"
additional:
category: Rock Paper Shotgun
md5: 831b87c9830214632fcf621d9ebd3d52
link: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-hardest-part-of-making-arc-raiders-was-creating-a-meaningful-item-meta-so-that-your-loot-doesnt-just-feel-like-cash
image: https://assetsio.gnwcdn.com/arc-raiders-field-crate-2.jpg?width=690&quality=85&format=jpg&auto=webp
image_imgur:
description:
A question I often ask game developers when I've run out of real questions is: what was the hardest part of making your game? Which is a terrible line of inquiry, because it's like asking somebody with their foot in a hornet's nest which individual hornet they dislike the most. As Arc Raiders executive producer Aleksander Grøndal told me in a chat last week, "I can probably sit here and talk to you about all the problems we've had for hours on end, but yeah, game development is always tricky. That's what I can say. There's nothing that comes for free - everything is a constant struggle."
Still, the question often gets an interesting response, because as readers of Alex Wiltshire's old The Mechanic series will know, big problems may necessitate inventive solutions. So, what has been the hardest part of making Arc Raiders? Perfecting the slides? Avoiding mandatory player progression resets from season to season? Dealing with reports about the game's generative AI usage? According to Grøndal, it was trying to create an economy of loot and crafting materials - ranging from all-purpose Mechanical Components to rare or uncommon ingredients for specific guns, sometimes found in special field depots - that isn't too "punishing" and which doesn't just feel like accumulating "cash value".
content_html:
A question I often ask game developers when I've run out of real questions is: what was the hardest part of making your game? Which is a terrible line of inquiry, because it's like asking somebody with their foot in a hornet's nest which individual hornet they dislike the most. As Arc Raiders executive producer Aleksander Grøndal told me in a chat last week, "I can probably sit here and talk to you about all the problems we've had for hours on end, but yeah, game development is always tricky. That's what I can say. There's nothing that comes for free - everything is a constant struggle."
Still, the question often gets an interesting response, because as readers of Alex Wiltshire's old The Mechanic series will know, big problems may necessitate inventive solutions. So, what has been the hardest part of making Arc Raiders? Perfecting the slides? Avoiding mandatory player progression resets from season to season? Dealing with reports about the game's generative AI usage? According to Grøndal, it was trying to create an economy of loot and crafting materials - ranging from all-purpose Mechanical Components to rare or uncommon ingredients for specific guns, sometimes found in special field depots - that isn't too "punishing" and which doesn't just feel like accumulating "cash value".
content_text: A question I often ask game developers when I've run out of real questions is: what was the hardest part of making your game? Which is a terrible line of inquiry, because it's like asking somebody with their foot in a hornet's nest which individual hornet they dislike the most. As Arc Raiders executive producer Aleksander Grøndal told me in a chat last week, "I can probably sit here and talk to you about all the problems we've had for hours on end, but yeah, game development is always tricky. That's what I can say. There's nothing that comes for free - everything is a constant struggle." Still, the question often gets an interesting response, because as readers of Alex Wiltshire's old The Mechanic series will know, big problems may necessitate inventive solutions. So, what has been the hardest part of making Arc Raiders? Perfecting the slides? Avoiding mandatory player progression resets from season to season? Dealing with reports about the game's generative AI usage? According to Grøndal, it was trying to create an economy of loot and crafting materials - ranging from all-purpose Mechanical Components to rare or uncommon ingredients for specific guns, sometimes found in special field depots - that isn't too "punishing" and which doesn't just feel like accumulating "cash value". Read more
pub_date: 31 October 2025, 11:31 am
guid: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-hardest-part-of-making-arc-raiders-was-creating-a-meaningful-item-meta-so-that-your-loot-doesnt-just-feel-like-cash
creator: Edwin Evans-Thirlwell
related_games:
processed: TRUE