Not a recent post but great question so thought I'd give an answer.
What I find is that game design and game creation are usually opposite ends (to a point). The issue is that when creating a game engine or concept, the writer/coder becomes too aware of the mechanics. This then makes it difficult to be creative with that engine.
Queue person 2 - a gamer who loves games. Not only will that person push the game concepts/abilities etc but will usually use the engine in the most innovative ways.
Of course, that's a broad generalisation but always best to work in a team would be my advice.
With regards to DROD, it's not just the devs creating the levels - quite the contrary. The final levels are obviously triaged/sorted/accepted/rejected by the admins but the amount of teamwork involved in creating DROD is why it's possible for those involved to gauge the difficulty of puzzles for example.
As for the elements and synergy, well that's called magic
If you're serious into game development I'd be happy to help hosting-wise etc I'm currently embarking on a mission to learn Unity and create a fun game with a few friends across the world but I doubt we'll ever match that DROD feeling of exploration and achievement
