Game Development: Starting with Recreating the Anime Game Style

Chapter 563 One ring within another

The appeal of simulation management games lies in "problem-solving" and "accumulation".

Let's start with 'solving the problem'.

The problem-solving in the simulation management game is not an exam, and it doesn't require you to complete a specific task within a set time.

Its essence is to give players a set of rules and a sandbox, and then let players create their own problems and find the optimal solution themselves.

Take the early game "SimCity" for example. What did the game give you? A piece of land, some zoning and planning tools, and a set of underlying logic for the operation of a city.

It didn't tell you that you had to reach a population of 500,000 within ten years, nor did it require you to achieve a certain tax revenue.

What players need to do is figure out for themselves within these rules: how to plan roads to avoid traffic jams? Where to place industrial zones so as not to pollute residential areas? How to calculate the most economical coverage area for water and electricity? This process is problem-solving.

Players solve problems they discover themselves within the framework provided by the developers.

However, the version of Touhou: Hirano no Kousei released in 22 turned "solving problems" into "test-taking." How could a simulation management game possibly work if it used the mindset of a level-based game?

Furthermore, Touhou: Hirano no Kogoro makes the levels very "small," which is a major taboo in simulation games.

Once a player solves a problem through their own thinking and actions, they must see a clear and continuously improving outcome.

This result is accumulation.

Once you solve the transportation problem, the city's population will grow, tax revenue will increase, and your city's territory will expand. This is the most direct form of accumulation.

Another example is Stardew Valley, which has been very popular in the last two years.

Why can a pixel-style farming game keep so many people playing day and night? Because it takes the concept of 'accumulation' to the extreme.

You start with a barren land and a dilapidated house.

But every radish you plant, every piece of copper ore you dig up, can be turned into money.

Money can upgrade your axe, making you chop down trees faster; it can expand your house, allowing you to get married and have children.

Watching your farm transform from overgrown weeds to a neat, automated irrigation system; watching your backpack grow from a few compartments to dozens; watching museum exhibits light up one by one… This sense of satisfaction from building your own 'kingdom' from scratch, step by step, is written into the human gene.

Therefore, in a good simulation management game, 'problem-solving' and 'accumulation' must complement each other.

Players solve problems within free rules, and then gain visible growth through accumulation, thus becoming more motivated to solve the next bigger problem.

This is a perfect closed loop.

The level-based gameplay fundamentally disrupts this closed loop.

It fragments the accumulation process, and before players have a chance to enjoy the fruits of their labor, they are rushed to the next level to "submit their homework".

The pleasure is naturally gone.

Even StarCraft's own "Micro Era," although it appears to use a "level-based" model, only has a total of 5 eras.

Rather than being a level, it's more like an era upgrade in Tropico.

Um.
We've gotten a bit off-topic, but in short, market development requires accumulation.

Players aren't stupid. Even if your game is cheap, if it's not fun, it's not fun. So, after the success of "Endgame," they started to develop a new project.

The "anti-roll single-player" wave that emerged in the second half of 17 came and went with great fanfare.

However, even after the sands of time have been washed away, gold will still be found.

Some teams have indeed successfully transformed themselves and found their own path amidst this wave. For example, the racing game "Dirt Frenzy," which appeared as an Easter egg in the main storyline of "Final Frontline," was developed by "Turbo Studios," whose predecessor was a developer of reskinned versions of the popular kart racing game.

Although the game "Dirt Storm" was not a AAA title, it sold hundreds of thousands of copies on the Starry Sky Games platform, and later it capitalized on the popularity of "Final Front".

I've managed to survive.

However, such examples are ultimately few and far between. Most manufacturers go through a lot of trouble, lose money, and get criticized, and finally come to the conclusion that Xingchen's approach is unlearnable.

However, we won't discuss those that can be learned and those that can't.

Within the Starry Sky circle, this method of generating the entity itself has not been affected by the decline of the external tide, as David is well aware of.

Fishballs from Azur Lane are also working on a spin-off single-player game, I think it's called something like "Azur Lane Simulation Chess".
Now, by connecting all the clues, a clear picture emerges before their eyes.

The promotional needs for E3, coupled with the simultaneous approval of two overseas game licenses for "Star Core: Reboot" and its spin-off "Star Core: Extinction".

It's not difficult to draw a conclusion.

Old Cai gasped, finally understanding what Dawei was worried about.

"You mean... one of these game licenses is for the original game, and the other is for a spin-off?"

"pretty close."

David's tone was calm, but beneath the calm lay an undercurrent of turmoil.

"And I suspect that the one called 'Extinguish' is likely a work with a shorter development cycle, smaller scale, but with a certain marketability."

"It's highly likely that StarCraft will announce this game at E3 this year, first giving global players a big promise, whetting everyone's appetite, and testing the market's reaction to the IP's art style and world view."

"Once everyone is filled with curiosity and anticipation for the Star Core World IP, they will then leisurely announce the development progress of the main game."

Old Cai felt a chill run down his spine.

The reason I felt a chill down my spine was because this combination of punches really sounded just like the style of Starry Sky.

But if Xingchen really did that, what would happen to Genshin Impact? This question almost popped into his head subconsciously.

“If they really announce Extinguish at E3 and declare it will be released this year…” Lao Cai’s voice was a little dry, “then we will be in a very passive position.”

For a completely new and groundbreaking category, whoever is the first to appear will be able to define the players' perception to the greatest extent.

Just like when people mention "chicken dinner", the first thing that comes to mind is "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds". No matter how much innovation comes later, it is still inevitably labeled as "PUBG-like".

Open world + gacha + anime-style cartoon rendering – this is a completely new genre.

Regardless of whether this is a copy of Zelda, in the mobile game industry, or rather in the anime and manga industry, this is indeed a completely new field.

Once StarCraft gets a head start, players will be predisposed to accept its art style, interaction methods, and worldview.

While being a latecomer has its advantages, the problem is that within miHoYo, Genshin Impact doesn't aim to be second; it aims to be number one.
"This Chu Chen..." Old Cai managed to utter a few words after a long pause, unsure whether it was admiration or helplessness, "How come he makes games like he's waging war, with one thing leading to another?"

“So,” David sighed deeply, his voice filled with pressure, exhaustion, and a sense of helplessness at wanting to break free but being unable to.

"This time we might really need to have a serious talk with Chu Chen."

"We have to go to Suzhou and Hangzhou."

(End of this chapter)