- Up that Hill! - 17 September 2026
Up That Hill!So, it’s been a good month since the last DevLog. The bike tour is now over (it was great!), and I’ve spent a lot of time getting familiar with the new game engine.Hello, I’m Tobi. Every week (mostly) I write about the development process of our game, Paul. Paul combines turn-based combat, dungeon crawling, and exploration in a hand-crafted world. This DevLog is a way for me to reflect on and document the different stages of development, but also for anyone interested in seeing how the world of Paul gradually takes shape.The basic framework is more or less in place now. It’s still standing on somewhat shaky legs, but it’s standing! Of course, a complete rewrite also means that quite a few things about the game itself have changed, both in terms of game design and visuals.From my perspective, when it comes to the look of a game, it’s always about light. (Which makes sense in…
- Keep riding - 13 August 2026
Some weeks ago I decided to rebuild Paul’s code from the ground up. Paul is no longer a prototype, it deserves a more solid codebase. A lot of things are working (again) already, though there are still a few things left to sort out.Hello, I’m Tobi. Every week I write about the development process of our game, Paul. Paul combines turn-based combat, dungeon crawling, and exploration in a hand-crafted world. This DevLog is a way for me to reflect on and document the different stages of development, but also for anyone interested in seeing how the world of Paul gradually takes shape.Oh yeah, I know, rebuilding Paul from scratch again sounds like insanity. But on the other hand, at least in my experience, it’s actually not that unusual to throw away 90% of what you’ve made during production and then iterate on it again from there. The nice thing about rebuilding something that already exists…
- Keep stirring - 6 August 2026
Ah, summer really is something special. Hello, I’m Tobi. Every week I write about the development process of our game, Paul. Paul combines turn-based combat, dungeon crawling, and exploration in a hand-crafted world. This DevLog is a way for me to reflect on and document the different stages of development, but also for anyone interested in seeing how the world of Paul gradually takes shape.I’m back in Franconia once again, and as usual, I’ve got an excellent beer sitting next to me. Everyone else is already asleep, but I’m taking a moment to look back on everything that happened over the last week. Right now I’m rewriting all of Paul’s systems from scratch. Some days it feels like Groundhog Day. A lot of the work was technically already done, but now it’s becoming… even more done. Polished, refined, rebuilt. Today I also found some time to work on the visuals a bit more and started to…
- Smooth - 30 July 2026
Sometimes it’s actually a good thing to just start over.Hello, I’m Tobi. Every week I write about the development process of our game, Paul. Paul combines turn-based combat, dungeon crawling, and exploration in a hand-crafted world. This DevLog is a way for me to reflect on and document the different stages of development, but also for anyone interested in seeing how the world of Paul gradually takes shape.Last week I continued working on porting Paul to Godot. I’m getting more and more comfortable with the engine, even though there are still a few features I miss. The basic architecture of Paul was already there, but over time a bit of spaghetti code had found its way into the project. My hope is that this port will help me clean all of that up. Here’s a short GIF showing the current status:All in all, I’m really happy that I’m basically being forced to rebuild everything from scratch.…
- Back To Square One - 23 July 2026
I’m not sure if this was a good idea… but I’ve already started!Hello, I’m Tobi. Every week I write about the development process of our game, Paul. Paul combines turn-based combat, dungeon crawling, and exploration in a hand-crafted world. This DevLog is a way for me to reflect on and document the different stages of development, but also for anyone interested in seeing how the world of Paul gradually takes shape.Over the past few years, I’ve grown increasingly frustrated with the game engines I’ve been using, so I started looking for alternatives. Unsurprisingly, I eventually landed on Godot. It has excellent documentation, and while it’s still a bit lightweight in certain areas, that’s also part of its appeal. More importantly, there are no constantly changing licensing agreements to worry about—it’s open source. No built-in AI tools (thank goodness), and no always-online requirement.…
- Eyecandy - 9 July 2026
Look development was the main focus last week, right alongside enjoying franconian beer. Hello, I’m Tobi. Every week I write about the development process of our game “Paul”. “Paul” combines turn-based combat, dungeon crawling and exploring in a hand-designed world. The DevLog is for me to reflect on and document production stages, but of course also for all those who are interested in how Paul’s world gradually takes shape. I’m back in Franconia again, and I’ve gotten into the habit of grabbing a beer and spending my evenings with my tablet, continuing to work on Paul’s graphics. I’m slowly reaching the point where the content for the final demo includes all the planned gameplay and code features, which means it’s finally time for the next fun part: polishing the visuals. At this stage, that mainly means fine-tuning the color palette, adjusting the lighting and atmosphere, and adding m…
- Paperwork - 2 July 2026
I’m firmly convinced that if you just stay at home and never open your mailbox, you’ll eventually end up in jail. Maybe because you didn’t receive a reminder from the tax office, missed some other important paperwork, or failed to respond to a change in an application. It feels almost impossible to completely escape bureaucracy without becoming an outlaw. Last week I once again had the pleasure of immersing myself in the endless background hum of administrative paperwork. I’m not really complaining, but it’s strange how much time we spend dealing with bureaucracy and how little time we actually spend creating things. One day, when I am old, I’m moving to an island where there are no mailboxes. That’s the dream!Hello, I’m Tobi. Every week I write about the development process of our game “Paul”. “Paul” combines turn-based combat, dungeon crawling and exploring in a hand-designed world. T…
- Dice & Melon - 25 June 2026
It’s 40°C outside, and here I am once again writing in the Paul Diary.Hello, I’m Tobi. Every week I write about the development process of our game Paul. Paul combines turn-based combat, dungeon crawling and exploring in a hand-designed world. The DevLog is for me to reflect on and document production stages, but of course also for all those who are interested in how Paul’s world gradually takes shape.Alongside some animation work and a few code fixes, the main focus lately has been upgrades. The idea behind the upgrade system is to let players experiment with different upgrade combinations throughout a run, each of which can have a significant impact on how the game is played. Do you prefer to keep your distance and make enemies disappear from afar? Should luck play a major role in combat, or do you favor complete predictability? These considerations all influence which upgrades a play…
- Tough Opponent - 17 June 2026
Hello, I’m Tobi. Every week I write about the development process of our game Paul. Paul combines turn-based combat, dungeon crawling and exploring in a hand-designed world. The DevLog is for me to reflect on and document production stages, but of course also for all those who are interested in how Paul’s world gradually takes shape.The anticipation is huge. Today the cafeteria near us is serving lentil stew! I’m using the time before this feast to jot down what happened on the game development side last week. In fact, I spent a lot of time working on menu code. Since Paul supports controllers, the code is a bit more complicated. While I was at it, I also revisited the upgrade system and created a few new graphics. The area in the game where upgrades can be activated now has its own “Upgrade Activation Character,” inspired by the design of early 20th-century fortune teller machines. The…
- Wobble - 11 June 2026
Hello, I’m Tobi. Every week I write about the development process of our game Paul. Paul combines turn-based combat, dungeon crawling and exploring in a hand-designed world. The DevLog is for me to reflect on and document production stages, but of course also for all those who are interested in how Paul's world gradually takes shape. So, this is what happened during the last few days:AnimationBesides the usual challenge of not losing track of everything, a lot of last week revolved around animation. Two new enemies have now joined the game with their animations fully implemented: “Black Riding Hood” and the “Tower Bird.” While working on them, I also spent some time refining the animation system. Animations now react to character movement as well. You can see it nicely in the video. The characters wobble and sway a little depending on how they move. It’s a small detail, but as a former…
- Time for a Beer - 3 June 2026
Hello, I’m Tobi. Every week I write about the development process of our game Paul. Paul combines turn-based combat, dungeon crawling and exploring in a hand-designed world. The DevLog is for me to reflect on and document production stages, but of course also for all those who are interested in how Paul’s world gradually takes shape.Last week was primarily focused on playtesting and fixing bugs. I really wanted to get a new version of Paul online, especially since a lot has changed regarding the controls.I've now decided to provide early versions of Paul as downloadable builds on our website. Performance is simply much better in the standalone version, and saving game progress works much more reliably as well, so players no longer have to complete everything in a single session.So, what's new in Version 0.0.4?Level Structure & PacingThe individual levels are now much tighter and more co…
- Inside the Castle - 30 May 2026
Hello, I’m Tobi. Every week I write about the development process of our game Paul. Paul combines turn-based combat, dungeon crawling and exploring in a hand-designed world. The DevLog is for me to reflect on and document production stages, but of course also for all those who are interested in how Paul’s world gradually takes shape.Level DesignI’m still fine-tuning the level design, but progress is going well. A first playable version featuring a reworked version of the first section is currently in the works. I’ll let you know as soon as it’s online.New AssetsLast week I started filling Paul’s world with a few new environments. Among other graphic elements, I finished a complete tileset for the underground castle.That’s how things stand right now, let’s see what the coming week brings.Have fun and stay curious,Tobi
- A Stew for the Masses - 21 May 2026
Hello, I’m Tobi. Every week I write about the development process of our game Paul. Paul combines turn-based combat, dungeon crawling, and exploration in a hand-designed world. The Dev Log is a way for me to reflect on and document the different stages of production, but of course also for everyone interested in seeing how the world of Paul gradually takes shape. Code Fixes and Gameplay LoopLast week, I continued refining the core gameplay loop. That mainly involved tweaking different parts of the code here and there, but overall everything feels pretty solid for now. Narration SystemI added a narration system that comments on the events happening based on the player’s actions and also provides a bit of background lore about the world. Stew CookedTo avoid sitting in front of a screen all day, I cooked a healthy and tasty potato stew for the other people in our studio and myself. The ste…
- Outside the Bubble - 14 May 2026
Hello, I’m Tobi. Every week I write about the development process of our game Paul. Paul combines turn-based combat, dungeon crawling and exploring in a hand-designed world. The DevLog is for me to reflect on and document production stages, but of course also for all those who are interested in how Paul’s world gradually takes shape.I visited the animation film festival in Stuttgart last week and it was great. On two levels: on one hand, the films were outstanding and very inspiring. Especially for game developers, I’d recommend watching more animated short films: so many different and also new art styles, sometimes radical approaches to storytelling and tons of bizarre characters. It’s a good reminder that it always pays off to step outside the game development bubble and draw inspiration from other fields.In terms of Paul, the festival was also a success. The time between screenings (…
- Loop - 7 May 2026
Hello, I'm Tobias. Every week I write about the development process of our game Paul. Paul combines turn-based combat, dungeon crawling and exploring in a hand-designed world. The devlog is on one hand for me to reflect on and document production stages, but of course also for all those who are interested in how Paul's world gradually takes shape.The question I was primarily occupied with last week was pacing. I tried to flesh out the rhythm of the game : when does what happen, how long are the travel distances, when do story elements appear, when and how frequently do fights take place... This also includes further concretising the overarching game loop, one level above the level design. What happens before entering a level section, what happens afterwards. What is the "ever-recurring ritual of the game."Just like in our analog Schafkopf round (= Bavarian card game). Someone shuffles a…
- The mad King - 29 April 2026
Most kings are mad, or if they aren't, they tend to become so. That was the case in Rome, in Germany, and pretty much everywhere else in the world. Strange, too, that often no one can quite say how it came to be that the king is the king. The population mostly doesn't care, as long as the king doesn't annoy them too much. And it is exactly this kind of king that exists in Paul's world. He is simply the king, doesn't care about anything, which has led to the infrastructure becoming rather dilapidated, making Paul's journey massively more difficult. The king is primarily concerned with himself and with having monumental statues of himself erected. Besides his vanity and a certain paranoia that someone else might challenge him for the crown, there is one further subject he pursues with great passion: time. For time passes and with it, so will he. This is why, the older he has grown, the mo…
- Flowers are back - 22 April 2026
I'm back in Franconia again, enjoying the beginning of spring here. Since Franconia probably has some of the best beers in the world, I happen to have exactly one of those sitting next to me right now.Progress on PAUL was a bit slower over the past week because I’m currently helping someone with their project as well. It’s been a lot of fun working with another artist again. It’s great for clearing the mind and bringing in some fresh inspiration. So I spent most of this week creating 3D worlds for that other projekt, and then in the evenings I usually dropped by PAUL for a few hours, fixing a couple of bugs and continuing to design the set pieces.So there isn’t really much exciting to show from PAUL this time, apart from maybe a few lines of code or some half-finished backgrounds. That’s why this time I’m sharing a photo of my finished, favorite beer instead.Cheers, and enjoy the spring…
- Making the Invisible visible - 14 April 2026
A little update on what’s going on during the production of the turn-based combat exploration game Paul.Current status: I’ve blocked out around 50 stages and populated them with enemies and placeholders. The pacing still isn’t quite right, some parts feel repetitive, others feel too dense.At this point, what’s missing are the story elements: those moments that let the player breathe and allow the narrative to reveal what’s really going on in this world beneath the earth. What the game needs right now is a sense of purpose for exploring this abyss!I’ve decided to start by sketching out the special places and encounters the player can discover throughout Paul’s journey. This includes a meeting with Madame Curie, climbing a petrified giant, or encountering the gingerbread witch.So now, in the evenings, I sit there with pencil, ink, and paper, making rough scribbles that slowly bring the (s…
- Try Out the Quantum Helmet - 3 April 2026
Besides the fact that it’s Easter, there’s also something small to celebrate here: this is the 20th devlog, so a little milestone. I think that’s a great occasion to release another part of Paul’s World.(it's directly playable in the browser on itch.io) A few new enemies have been added, along with two completely new levels and a small shop where Paul can spend the coins he’s been collecting so diligently. On top of that, the “Quantum Helmet” is now in action! I’m really excited to hear what you think about the new sections. Have a wonderful Easter and enjoy playing Paul, TobiPlay it here
- Toenail - 31 March 2026
A fresh beer sits next to me while I’m writing about the progress of our turn-based, dungeon-crawling combat game Paul. The world of Paul keeps steadily growing. I am trying to not getting myself lost in all sorts of details. The world is being built everywhere at once, gradually becoming sharper and taking on clearer shape. A few particle effects here, a bit of sound there, and improvements to individual snippets of code. Attention to detail is a great way to lose track of the bigger picture. It’s easy to spend half a day refining a visual effect without being 100% sure it’ll even make it into the final version. It’s like drawing a picture, or rather, a character. You don’t want to spend a whole week perfecting a toenail, shading and modeling it in detail, only to realize two weeks later that the character should be wearing shoes. And so, last week was once again a wild ride through di…
