Game development begins with destroying Girls' Frontline.

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However, the development team has abandoned the biggest monetization point in old-school strategy games, namely the building upgrade time. The time it takes for players to build buildings is only related to the manpower and resources invested.

Moreover, under normal circumstances, the level cap for most buildings is around level 5. This gives the development team ample time to refine the various changes that occur at each level, rather than simply providing numerical upgrades.

In addition to eliminating the time required for building upgrades, the development team has also significantly enhanced the role of the large map.

Chapter 634 Core Gameplay

In reality, most games these days, especially strategy games, don't really have much strategy. They're all about spending money, and the map looks like it has everything.

In reality, the map is just for show; aside from the resources for occupying territory and sending troops to attack other castles, it has no other function.

However, in "Heroic Anthem", the mode has been changed to player control and in-app purchases have been removed, so many adjustments have been made to the map.

The setting of "Heroic Anthem" is very clichéd. It is basically about how one day, the capital of the empire was suddenly occupied by barbarians and rebels on the border.

Then, the players need to "go to the capital to serve the emperor".

The entire map retains some design elements from typical SLG battle royale maps, where players' spawn points are arranged in a circle around the center.

In the center of the map is the core area occupied by the so-called rebels, and there are only two entrances to the core area.

There are two conditions for a player to win.

One is the "Conquest" victory, which is triggered by occupying 60% of the territory in the "core area" in the center of the map.

The second is a "miracle" victory, which is to capture the wonder city in the center of the map.

"How's the map this round? Where are we?"

Upon entering the game, the first thing Feng Ming did was to open the large map. In "Heroic Anthem", the map for each game is randomly generated, and the distribution of resource points, terrain, and strategic locations is different.

This part utilizes some of the pseudo-randomness of Heroes of Might and Magic III Remastered, making some terrain and map resources randomized while keeping the overall framework unchanged.

The biggest difference between Heroic Anthem and other games is that Heroic Anthem does not have a strict dividing line. After players pass the novice period, they can recruit heroes and lead troops into battle.

Once you set out, there are no movement restrictions. As long as you have enough food, you can control your hero to move from one end of the map to the other.

The core gameplay of "Heroic Anthem" focuses on two aspects.

First, there's the land-grabbing and farming system that many players love. On the map, there are lumber mills, farms, iron mines, and gold mines of different levels.

Players need to occupy the corresponding mines to increase their resources.

Of course, considering that this is a game with frequent battles, like "Strategy of the World", the game has some upgradable resource points built into the inner city.

This farming gameplay belongs to the early-stage PVE gameplay.

Other games in this PVE genre include the exploration and hero progression system from Heroes of Might and Magic III Remastered and The Song of the Saints.

However, the focus of "Heroic Anthem" is not on turn-based strategy, and it also needs to consider large-scale battles, so the turn-based strategy battle system has been removed from the game.

The combat system is simple, somewhat similar to the game "Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Great War." In short, you control a hero, lead troops, and charge into battle to "fight crickets."

Each hero's active skill has also been reduced to one.

However, this reduction in scale did not make the game boring. On the contrary, it allowed players to focus more on strategy and made it possible to control multiple heroes in battle.

Therefore, the gameplay can be divided into two phases: early game and late game.

In the early stages, which is the first one to two hours after the game starts, there is more PVE gameplay. After you have built up your army, you will explore the outside world, defeat your opponents, and occupy their cities.

Therefore, the first few hours of each game are very exciting.

The entire map is filled with smoke and fire, and the pace is very fast. Generally, players will be eliminated after two or three hours.

Some players have asked, if players are eliminated every two or three hours, why does a single game take seven or eight days? Do players have the time and energy to play a game for seven or eight days?

Well, this brings us to the second system in the game, namely the "faction" system in "Heroic Anthem".

Said it before.

The "alliance" system in traditional SLG games is mainly designed to serve players who spend money on the game. The reason it serves players who spend money is because in traditional SLG games, spending money equals strength.

Therefore, the core purpose of the alliance is naturally to serve core players.

However, the "faction" system in "Heroic Anthem" is quite different.

The first difference is the way they are added.

This joining method is also related to another system in "Heroic Anthem". One of them is that "Heroic Anthem" does not have a city relocation system. The reason why there is no city relocation system is that...

This system itself is ridiculous. It was designed purely because online SLG maps are too vast and heroes move slowly, so it was designed for the purpose of creating a land-turning gameplay.

The core idea is to design SLGs like MOBAs or MMORPGs. While this design has become commonplace, it lacks a great deal of strategic depth.

Take a simple example.

When everyone's main city is immobilized, strategies such as feints and long-distance raids can only be implemented on the large map. Therefore, the camp system exists in "Heroic Anthem".

However, the main city cannot be touched.

Based on this system, the snobbish invitations from "Heroic Anthem" have one prerequisite: territorial contiguity.

In other words, players can only invite other players to join an alliance when their interests are aligned.

Of course, what if you invite someone and they disagree? Wouldn't that block your path to expansion?

The solution is actually quite simple: if diplomacy doesn't work, then PVP is the only option. In the first phase of the game, after a player defeats another player, the defeated player can apply to join an alliance or choose to be exiled, which means leaving the game.

However, it should be noted that in a regular game with 100 players, the maximum number of players for a single faction is 20, but there are only two entrances to the central area.

The game is divided into three phases: the beginner phase lasts for 2 hours and is a period of peace; the peripheral battle phase lasts for about a day; under normal circumstances, by the first night, there are basically only 4 factions left.

Then, we enter the third stage: the clash of forces.

In general, the pace is much faster than that of traditional SLG online games where a season can easily take more than a month. However, even though it's faster, it still takes several days.

Therefore, Spark has made some adjustments to allow players to avoid being online all the time.

On the one hand, the game has many built-in hosting and shortcut commands; on the other hand, the game also has a hosting system. Finally, the game was integrated with StarTok during its closed beta.

This access method differs from that of traditional SLG games. Typically, traditional SLG online games require alliances to create their own WeChat or QQ groups before allowing players to join.

However, in "Heroic Anthem", the "Heroic Anthem" mini-program launched by StarTok not only directly integrates in-game chat, but also integrates the game's internal affairs and simplified strategy.

If you're at work and suddenly get attacked and someone calls for a fight, you can receive the message directly on StarTok. If you have time, you can of course just open your phone or computer.

However, if you don't have time, you can simply open the mini-program and select to let the hero be managed by you.

Chapter 635 Poisonous Spark

When "Heroic Anthem" was released, although it was only a demo, it was like a bombshell, causing a huge stir in the SLG game circle.

If the previous version of "Strategy of the Three Kingdoms" was marketed as an SLG game by Mixue Ice Cream, and relied on the gimmick of "mid-spending" players being able to enjoy the game and low-spending players being able to enjoy it, it stirred up a little bit of a ripple.

It stirred up a wave.

The appearance of "Heroic Battle Song" was more like detonating a nuclear bomb on a calm lake.

Players accustomed to the rhythm of traditional SLG games were all amazed by the free, flexible, and strategic gameplay they experienced for the first time.

In particular, ordinary players who have been playing classic SLG games such as "Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Strategy Edition" and "Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Strategy Edition" have been completely captivated by the innovative gameplay of "Heroic Song".

To illustrate, let's take a player's comment that received 10,000 likes on the official account as an example.

"This is 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' with all the pay-to-win elements removed, leaving only the core gameplay! No, 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' isn't even worthy of carrying the shoes of Heroic Anthem! This is the best SLG online game!!"

This player's comment received so many likes.

This proves that many players agree with this statement.

Judging solely from in-game battles, this is indeed an SLG online game that removes all pay-to-win elements, condenses gameplay, and offers a faster-paced and more exciting experience.

There are similar examples.

"I feel like I'm playing a hacked version! This game has completely changed my understanding of strategy games!"

The more players enjoy SLG online games, the deeper this feeling will be.

A veteran player who has been playing "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" for many years posted a message on the forum expressing his feelings.

"I've been playing this type of game since 08's 'Hot-Blooded Three Kingdoms,' but it wasn't until I played 'Heroic Anthem' that I realized I'd been playing for nothing all those years!"

This post is more than just bragging.

It also details a lot of things, such as the long building upgrades, tedious resource accumulation, and imbalance caused by pay-to-win elements in traditional SLG games, all of which have disappeared in "Heroic Anthem".

Instead, it features a moderate amount of PVE, fast-paced combat, a dynamic matchmaking system, and genuine strategic gameplay.

Each game is like a brand new adventure. Players no longer need to worry about issues such as server rollovers and season resets, but can immerse themselves in an intense match anytime, anywhere.

"This is a true strategy game!"

~~~

With the popularity of "Heroic Anthem".

Almost instantly, the entire SLG online game community was abuzz with excitement.

It was as if a spark ignited the blue sky, and they finally got to play the game they wanted.

Following closely behind were accounts related to "Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Strategy Edition" and "Land of Glory," which began to depreciate rapidly, resulting in a severe loss of players, especially ordinary players.

Two games that had consistently ranked in the top 30 of Apple's best-selling charts almost immediately dropped in popularity.

In just three days, the two unfortunate brothers both fell out of the top 80.

This impact is completely different from that of the previous game, "Strategy of the World". On the one hand, "Heroic Song" is even more ruthless, as there was no pay-to-win system during the development and testing of DMEO.

They also promised that there would be no in-game purchases.

The impact force is different.

Secondly, Spark's current influence and appeal in the gaming industry are far greater than what Bilibili could have achieved in its previous form.

without any exaggeration.

When "Heroic Anthem" was first conceived and hadn't even been officially announced yet, insiders leaked information about it, which caused many SLG players to take a wait-and-see approach.

On the first day of its official launch.

Almost every domestic SLG game social circle is filled with invitation links for "Heroic Anthem," and the market impact of this word-of-mouth is truly astounding.

Under this impact, the two giants of the domestic SLG market, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Strategy Edition" and "Land of Glory" quickly responded.

The two companies announced major update plans at almost the same time, attempting to address the impact of Heroic Anthem by introducing new mechanisms.

Because "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is under NetEase, and NetEase is currently being influenced by the "Young Masters" faction, which is mainly represented by "Return to the Moon," the announcement for "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is divided into two parts.

None of the announcements were related to the game; instead, they directly announced that "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" had officially joined the Spark Candlelight Project.

Then comes the game announcement.

All the announcements boil down to one sentence: provide benefits, lower the barrier to entry for spending money, improve the player experience, and shorten the duration of a single game in a "season".

In addition to public announcements.

Internally, "Land of Glory" is already imitating "Heroic Anthem" and preparing to create a game similar to the Three Kingdoms theme.

This is also a core strategic approach for NetEase at present.

On the one hand, they pulled out their elite team and, referencing the successful model of "Return to the Moon," initiated some innovative game projects.

Secondly, we can leverage the successful business model that Spark has already established, adapt it to a theme that is more familiar to Chinese players, and then promote it in lower-tier markets.

Compared to NetEase's "cowardice"

Alibaba's flag, on the other hand, has a more assertive stance.

First, the producer of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Strategy Edition" expressed confidence in the game in an interview, and stated that "Heroic Anthem" and "Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Strategy Edition" are not games in the same category.

They will not be affected.

But while they were all talk, when it came to actual game updates, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Strategy Edition" backed down.

First, they announced a complete overhaul of their building upgrade system, removing the pay-to-win acceleration feature. By removing this relatively minor but significant pay-to-win element, they attempted to retain players.

They then stated that they would introduce more strategic gameplay elements.

Meanwhile, the game will also optimize the large map design, add more random events and strategic locations, so that players can have a brand new experience in every game.

However, these updates only temporarily stabilized the situation, but failed to salvage the overall trend.

These updates and self-rescue efforts.