Started as a comics editor

Chapter 310 MOBA DEMO
After finishing the final work on Project Dawn, the city lights were already on outside the window, and the night was deep.

eight pm.

Tang Yao had just returned home... and even as she pushed open the door, she was still thinking about the game.

The lights were on inside, and the room was warm and tidy.

However, I didn't see Kaoru.

Tang Yao took off her shoes in the entryway, and somewhat strangely walked barefoot into Tang Xun's room.

soon.

Then she saw her younger sister.

Under the warm yellow light, a slender, aloof figure was bent over the desk, leaving only a focused profile.

Xun was dressed in simple home clothes, her long black hair casually tied up, revealing her graceful swan neck. Her desk was piled high with review materials, and the soft rustling sound of her pen gliding across the paper was particularly clear in the quiet room.

Tang Yao was slightly taken aback when she saw this scene, and then suddenly remembered something.

Yes.

My younger sister is taking the college entrance exam this year.

Even though she's usually seen as a model student who doesn't need any worries, she'll have to start working hard now.

Talk about it.

I'm really not a good enough older sister...

Tang Yao looked at her younger sister's back and suddenly felt a little guilty.

Her younger sister is at the most important stage of her life, but she hasn't been able to be there for her.

Because the company is also at a critical moment.

"..."

Think of this.

Tang Yao frowned slightly, thought for a moment, sighed softly, and quietly walked behind Xun, calling out softly, "Xun."

Xun stopped writing upon hearing the sound, looked up, and her pretty face, which bore a seven-tenths resemblance to Tang Yao but with a completely different temperament, carried a hint of confusion.

"I'm sorry, Kaoru,"

Tang Yao placed her hands on her knees, lowered her body slightly, and raised her round buttocks slightly so that her line of sight was level with her younger sister's. Her tone was full of sincere apology: "I've been too busy lately and haven't been able to have a proper meal with you or check on your studies."

She reached out and patted her little head.

Xun's gaze fell on Tang Yao's beautiful face, which looked a little tired. Her long eyelashes trembled, and then she was silent for a moment: "...Are you just being self-righteous? Why do I need you to be with me?"

"Forehead……"

Tang Yao was stunned for a moment, then glared at her younger sister gently: "Xun, I finally showed some kindness! And this is how you treat me?"

"That's what it is."

Tang Xun turned her head slightly: "I don't need to worry about my grades at all. I study very hard, and you come back every day, don't you?... Don't you work hard to earn money?"

Tang Yao was taken aback by her sister's blunt and slightly barbed words, but then, looking at her sister's beautiful profile, she couldn't help but chuckle softly.

The two sisters have relied on each other for so many years.

Kaoru was never the kind of child who would whine or cry. Instead, she was unusually mature, calm, and even somewhat aloof.

She was used to handling many things on her own, including her studies, and also... she was used to her older sister being busy.

To some extent.

This was indeed Tang Yao's self-pity.

But what lies behind this lack of Tang Yao's company—is it understanding, or the helplessness honed by life?
Think of this.

Tang Yao shook her head, slowly stood up while holding her knees, and brushed her long hair aside: "No matter what, I still feel a little guilty. How about this? To express my apology and determination, from today until the end of your college entrance exam, you can ask for anything you want. As long as it's within my power, I will definitely fulfill it! Consider it a special perk for your pre-exam sprint."

Tang Xun finally turned around, her clear eyes looking directly at her sister, and said directly, "No."

"Impossible, there's no need to lie to my sister."

"..."

Tang Xun seemed to think about it seriously for a moment before slowly speaking, her voice still cool and aloof: "...I don't really have anything I particularly want for the time being."

She paused, her gaze seeming to drift away for a moment, as if recalling something warm: "If I really have to say, after the college entrance exam... let's find some time to go on another trip, like that time we went to the hot springs."

"it is good."

Tang Yao hesitated for a moment, then agreed, smiling brightly, "No problem, I'll take you out to play after the college entrance exam! Anything else?"

"..."

Tang Xun slightly raised her snow-white chin, looked at her sister, thought for a moment, then opened her cherry lips, her voice still cold, but she uttered a word that Tang Yao never expected: "Hug."

"Huh?" Tang Yao thought she had misheard.

Xun didn't repeat herself, but stood up directly and gently opened her slender arms towards her sister.

And in those eyes that always exuded calmness and aloofness, Tang Yao's figure was clearly reflected at this moment, carrying a glimmer that could be called expectation.

In an instant, all the guilt, exhaustion, and complicated company affairs were washed away by a warm current.

Tang Yao felt her heart soften completely...

It's so cute.

"..."

Tang Yao slightly opened her arms and gently embraced Xun's delicate body.

The two sisters, with their small, delicate, snow-white feet bare, stepped onto the soft carpet and embraced each other.

Feeling the warmth and faint, unique fragrance emanating from her younger sister, Tang Yao couldn't help but hug her and gently shake her.

Tang Xun gently rested her delicate chin on Tang Yao's shoulder and exhaled almost imperceptibly.

The taut lines of his shoulders and back completely relaxed.

The room was quiet, with only the faint sounds of the city night outside the window and the two women's breathing so close together. The light shone gently on them, outlining the silhouettes of the two sisters nestled together.

Similar silhouettes, different temperaments, yet strangely blending into a warm tranquility.

……

Project Dawn has been officially announced.

Avalon has officially launched its third-party game support program! The core of the program is very clear—discover creativity, share the future.

On the day the announcement was released, the number of visits to the AG platform immediately surged, and the Dawn Project dominated the headlines of related forums and gaming media.

Others don't know.

The domestic independent developer community was in an uproar, with more emails filled with dreams flooding Avalon. The industry also took notice, with some praising Avalon's boldness and others questioning whether it was "burning money."

Regardless, Project Dawn successfully transformed the AG platform from 'Avalon's own game store' into a comprehensive distribution platform, putting it on the right track for development.

Li Xue's operations team was extremely busy, screening projects, connecting with developers, and planning community activities. The daily active users and user stickiness of the AG platform were visibly increasing.

Meanwhile, the MOBA Demo project that Yu Lili was in charge of was also progressing rapidly.

Because they were able to utilize the open-source code and module support packages of "Heroic Expedition", the team's work efficiency was extremely high.

Soon, the basic framework was set up: a simplified map with 'three lanes + jungle', basic minion spawning and pathing logic, and simple attack detection for turrets, etc.

However, when it came to actually designing heroes and skills, a problem arose—how to make controlling a single hero in a top-down perspective a sustained, deep enjoyment?
The staff were scratching their heads...after all, they'd never played this before.

Tang Yao's memories of her past life.

Warcraft III was the first game to place hero units in a position that could influence the entire game, a point that had a significant impact on countless games that followed.

you could put it that way.

Although Tang Yao remembered that the blizzard later stopped.

But whether it's LOL or DOTA, they are essentially children born from Blizzard, at least they have some blood relation.

If it weren't for the father's somewhat muddled thinking, there might have been more than just World of Warcraft born from Warcraft III...

Honestly... sometimes I really can't understand it. It's clearly a spin-off of Warcraft 3! How could they make such a bad decision? How could they push IceFrog towards Valve like this?!
In conclusion.

Because Warcraft 3 is not available here.

This makes it a little difficult for staff to understand some things.

However, given time, they should be able to design an excellent gameplay system.

Tang Yao was confident about this.

But this is just a demo to verify the gameplay... so Tang Yao didn't waste any time and chose to take on the task herself.

Avalon can't live without her for the time being.

Afternoon, three o'clock.

Avalon.

Tang Yao sat in her office, looking at the simple diagram Yu Lili had made. Instead of writing anything, she fell into deep thought.

Speaking of MOBAs...

That almost inevitably involves the games DOTA and LOL.

After all, these are the two most commercially successful MOBA games. DOTA, to some extent, inherited some of the hardcore bloodline of RTS, emphasizing complex mechanics, the ultimate lane control brought by denying, the game of high ground vision, and the possibility of a comeback brought by buyback... Its complexity is indeed higher, but it also creates a very high entry barrier.

League of Legends, on the other hand, takes a more mainstream approach on the basis of the former. Smart casting makes skill release smoother, and it removes settings such as denying and turning speed, emphasizing the individuality of heroes and the feel of operation. The skill design also focuses more on the feel and combo pleasure, with gorgeous special effects. Its pace is faster and the learning curve is relatively gentle, making it easier to attract and retain new players.

Tang Yao was to choose one of these two games to copy. She actually preferred the latter. This was partly because, in her memory, DOTA was based on Warcraft, and many things were readily available, making it easy for players to accept. This advantage even lasted into the early days of DOTA 2.

But this is an RTS game... um.

On the other hand... to be honest, Tang Yao's decision to pursue MOBA was largely driven by profit considerations.

Because MOBA games are indeed profitable. Putting aside esports, in Tang Yao's past life, it was the most popular game genre in the world, and this type of game was definitely a money-making machine.

But its earning power is not bad, which does not mean there is no gap... LOL's commercial success is indeed a bit stronger than DOTA's.

This proves one thing: a lower barrier to entry and a more accessible path can indeed attract more players.

Its ease of use is indeed an advantage.

but……

"It feels like it's a waste not to use the Warcraft universe now that Hearthstone is out."

Tang Yao looked at the document on the screen, sighed softly, and leaned back in her chair. This movement made her graceful curves unfold under the light. The soft knitwear clung to her chest, creating a full and proud curve. From the side, it outlined a breathtaking silhouette, forming a strong contrast with her slender waist.

She reached out and played with a few strands of her long, black hair that fell over her shoulders, feeling a little regretful.

to be frank.

Because of her memory that the game DOTA was derived from Warcraft, Tang Yao actually had a bold idea: to directly apply the Warcraft universe to Avalon's MOBA game.

The immense success of Hearthstone has already deeply ingrained the worldview, heroes, and stories of Azeroth in the hearts of countless players. Directly applying these elements, with their high character recognition and readily available art concepts, can greatly accelerate the design and player acceptance process.

This is practically a shortcut right in front of you.

but……

Tang Yao recalled the story background of "League of Legends"... This is completely incompatible.

For example, the backstories of the heroes... from the knights of Demacia to the wraiths of the Shadow Isles, from the inventors of Piltover to the ascendants of Shurima.

If we were to directly apply the Warcraft universe to this, it would probably require a massive overhaul.

An original worldview, frankly speaking, can indeed better serve the needs of the game itself. The naming of the map, such as Summoner's Rift, the development of the background story, such as the grudges and rivalries between heroes, the confrontation between city-states, and even the explanation of in-game items and mechanics can all be more integrated, enhancing immersion and community cohesion.

This is a level of deep integration that is difficult to achieve by simply applying existing worldviews.

"Hoo..." Tang Yao let out a soft breath.

"We cannot lose sight of the bigger picture for the sake of small gains."

She muttered something to herself, then straightened her back and made a decision: "In the end, it's not time to consider the story background yet... Let's design the hero first."

soon.

Tang Yao then began an incredible, all-out effort, describing the relatively simple mechanics of League of Legends heroes that new players often prefer.

For example, Annie, Master Yi, Wukong, Malphite...

These heroes are simple, but their playability is not to be underestimated.

of course.

Let's skip Yasuo and the like; it's just a demo, so she won't torture the staff.

Tang Yao's fingers flew across the keyboard, and lines of text rapidly took shape in the document: skill descriptions, mechanism explanations, basic numerical settings... Relying on her memories of games from her previous life, she sketched out the outlines of those classic heroes.

Annie: Passive [Pyromania], Q [Shattering Flames], W [Incinerate], E [Lava Shield], Ultimate R [Tibbers' Wrath]...

She types very quickly... and even after finishing writing, she would pick up a pen and draw some concept art, such as skill effect illustrations and hero concept art.

However, recalling the skills is fine, but when it comes to specific values, such as base damage, scaling factor, cooldown time, and mana cost, it's a different story.

She was starting to have a headache because she was terrible at MOBA games in her previous life. She basically didn't pay attention to the changes in equipment and hero stats, and relied entirely on her gut feeling to judge whether she had an advantage or a disadvantage...

So it was very painful to write.

I could only figure it out by thinking and recalling it at the same time.

Tang Yao never imagined that being bad at games would one day become an obstacle...

can only say.

Fortunately, her memory seemed to have been enhanced, and she could still recall the approximate values ​​after careful thought.

It's okay if you really can't remember.

Now she's not fighting alone anymore.

Write down the approximate values ​​that I had overlooked in those past life memories that I had finally managed to recall.

Tang Yao rubbed her throbbing temples and looked at the numerical fields in the document: "As long as it feels right... Let Yu Lili and the others worry about it. Anyway, it's just a demo. Verifying the core gameplay and the feel of the controls is the priority."

She shook her head, temporarily setting aside her worries about the numbers, and continued to bury herself in her work.

Time passes slowly.

It's around eight o'clock in the evening.

Tang Yao typed the last period on the keyboard, let out a long sigh of relief, and looked at the detailed documents for the twenty heroes on the screen—skill descriptions, mechanism explanations, positioning, and even concept sketches—and breathed a sigh of relief.

Although the numerical part made her rack her brains.

However, the core gameplay and skill mechanics have been clearly presented.

She rubbed her eyes, which were a little sore from focusing for so long, and glanced out the window. The city's neon lights were already dazzling, and the night was getting deeper...

"so troublesome."

Tang Yao raised her fair arm, stretched lazily, complained, then packaged the document that represented her afternoon's hard work and sent it to Yu Lili.

……

Meanwhile, Yu Lili was clutching his medium-length hair, looking at the rudimentary MOBA demo prototype on his screen and a few sheets of draft paper covered in scribbled drawings, with a worried expression.

"Three lanes, turrets, minions... and then what?"

He muttered to himself helplessly, "A single hero... a top-down perspective... how do you design skills to avoid being boring? It can't just be a basic attack plus a damage skill, right? What's the difference between that and fighting mobs? Control skills? Movement skills? Combo skills? How do you balance them? How do you make players feel like they have a sense of control and strategic depth?"

He tried to come up with a few hero templates, such as a mage who could throw fireballs, but it felt monotonous.

For example, a soldier who can charge into battle, but what happens after the charge?

For example, a support character can give themselves a shield, but... then what?

He always felt that something was missing.

This thing was much more difficult to design than expected.

"Ugh……"

Yu Lili sighed heavily, slumped back in her chair, and glanced unconsciously toward Tang Yao's office in the distance.

In the afternoon, he mentioned this design dilemma to Tang Yao. Although Tang Yao said she would think of a solution, Yu Lili knew in his heart that this was by no means a simple problem. Designing a fun, balanced hero system that can support the core gameplay requires a lot of brainstorming, deliberation and iteration.

Even someone as capable as Tang Yao would probably need a week or two to come up with a preliminary, feasible framework.

It might take even longer.

He glanced at the time in the lower right corner of his computer screen; it was already past 8 p.m.

The other core members were still in the office, but they all wore similar expressions of confusion and exhaustion as he did.

"Forget it, let's go here first."

Yu Lili thought for a moment, then stood up, clapped her hands, and said in a tired voice, "Everyone has worked hard. Let's all go home and get some rest. We can think about it again tomorrow. President Tang will probably need some time too, we..."

He hadn't even finished saying the second half of his sentence, "Let's not rush."

"Ding dong!"

A crisp email notification tone suddenly rang out, particularly clear in the quiet office.

Yu Lili was taken aback and looked at the computer screen. A new internal email notification popped up in the lower right corner.

From: Tang Yao.

Subject: MOBA Demo - Hero Design Draft and Some Underlying Rules Reference

"and many more!"

Yu Lili was stunned for a moment, then quickly sat down again and opened the email attachment.

A compressed file package.

After decompression, it contained densely packed documents and a bunch of sketches.

He opened the main document—"Hero Design Draft (DEMO Verification)".

The document is ridiculously long.

He scrolled the mouse wheel rapidly.

Annie, Garen, Ashe, Xin Zhao, Soraka, Teemo, and so on... a total of twenty heroes!

Each hero has a clear role, detailed descriptions of their passive and four active skills, and even... basic numerical ranges, cooldown times, and mana costs! Although some values ​​are marked with question marks or indicate "to be determined," the framework is already incredibly clear.

In addition, the document also includes design ideas for the underlying rules of Summoner Spells, the prototype of the equipment system, and key points of map mechanics.

And those simple concept sketches...

"..."

Yu Lili stared blankly at the screen, then subconsciously glanced at the time in the lower right corner, and looked up at the direction of Tang Yao's office.

In just one afternoon... they threw over a design draft that was so detailed it was terrifying, enough to support the core gameplay verification of the entire demo!?
Yu Lili fell silent, suddenly feeling ashamed and deeply self-doubting.

Am I... a piece of trash?

(End of this chapter)