Game development begins with destroying Girls' Frontline.

Page 796

The gameplay is also very straightforward: some nutrients are randomly distributed in a limited flat space, and as long as you break the soil block with nutrients, "monsters" will be generated!

These are the "monsters" that adventurers often use to level up.

The dirt blocks here are like grids, just like in Minecraft. You can get corresponding resources by breaking blocks. For example, breaking the most basic anti-aircraft block will give you a slime.

However, the slime will then consume nutrients from the surrounding tiles during its movement, randomly distributing them to other tiles. Those with some knowledge will realize that this is similar to plant pollination.

When the nutrients in a grid accumulate to a certain level, a more powerful monster will appear.

If you dig tunnels in the dungeon in a reasonable way, a lot of nutrients will accumulate. Different cultivation methods can cultivate different monsters, and you can even raise a giant dragon.

The game's feedback is also very good; the stronger the monsters you raise, the faster the heroes will die when they come down.

When Lin Li explained the core gameplay of these old games, he did so in a very simple and easy-to-understand way. What's even more amazing is that he didn't need to look at any materials at all, yet he was able to explain these contents.

Gradually, the style of the bullet comments also began to change.

"Holy crap, is this the skill of the world's top game developers?"

"The logic is so meticulous and the thinking so clear that even someone like me who knows nothing about game development can understand it... Amazing, absolutely amazing."

"People like that deserve to make money."

"After hearing what happened before, I'm really curious, what kind of game will Old Man Lin play next?"

"Ah, I really wish I could travel 48 hours in advance and see the answer right away..."

"I want to hear Mr. Lin share some practical tips..."

On NetEase, Ding Lei posted this comment using a random person's account, so he wasn't worried about being discovered.

After sending this comment.

Ding Lei then casually sent the link to the video to the NetEase Games executive group.

After a while, Ding Lei heard a WeChat notification. Looking at the group chat, he saw that a group of executives were also taking screenshots, indicating that they were already looking at them.

Actually, it's not just Ding Lei; at this moment, if we could retrieve the IP address of the live stream...

It's not hard to see that there are quite a few IPs associated with major domestic companies like NetEase and Tencent. This is reflected in the comments section as normal players suddenly feel that fewer people are calling Lin Li by his nickname.

Suddenly, more people were calling out "President Lin" in the live chat.

Moreover, the questions asked by these viewers are often incredibly professional, and they can even have long, engaging conversations with Lin Li...

Some people didn't hide their IDs like Ding Lei did; they used their real names directly. Soon, some players who paid more attention to the industry noticed some familiar faces appearing in the comments.

Not just from China, but also from Japan, the United States...

Even at the scene, there were more "onlookers" around Lin Li's office. After all, this was not a competition, but a variety show. Therefore, some of the contestants next to him also learned about Lin Li's thought process from the live broadcast.

Those with a quicker mind simply ran over to watch...

Once it happens, it will happen again. Soon, many familiar faces appeared in the live stream's chat.

"Holy crap, isn't that an eggplant standing behind him?"

"They're listening too?"

"Huh?? Could what President Lin said really be valuable information? Look at their expressions, they're even taking notes..."

For most ordinary players, they actually have no way of distinguishing whether what Lin Li said is genuine or fake, but they can judge based on other details.

For example, at this moment, many viewers who initially thought Lin Li was just chatting casually were surprised to see so many producers listening attentively.

Although I don't understand it myself, I feel that the quality of this live stream is increasing.

Lin Li was already used to these kinds of things, and he didn't disappoint the large audience. He demonstrated how to design things from the "Demon King's perspective" as the main theme.

"The first thing we need to confirm is what we should do after we've confirmed the subject matter?"

"For example, right now we've decided that we want to make a game from the perspective of the Demon King, so what's the next step?"

"The answer is neither to come up with a bunch of messy settings nor to draw some high-end character designs, but to figure out the most basic gameplay."

"What is gameplay? Gameplay is the foundation that keeps players engaged with a game. It's the visceral satisfaction of every punch in a fighting game, the emotional turmoil in a text-based game, the thrill of speed in a racing game, and the visceral feedback of bullets in a shooting game. These are all part of gameplay..."

Chapter 417 The Demon King and the Hero

"If the combat in a fighting game is bad, the story in a text-based game is bad, the controls in a racing game are bad, and the weapon feedback in a shooting game is bad, then even if you perfect everything else, your game will still be mediocre, or even garbage."

"I believe everyone has played this type of game before."

"I did see people asking in the comments, 'Everyone knows the core gameplay, but how do you actually do it?'"

"How can we make the gameplay better?"

"It's not difficult at all. It's just about breaking it down. Let's take the player becoming the Demon King as the theme and then add simulation management gameplay to it."

"OK, the first thing we need to do is figure out how to get the gameplay of this demon king-themed simulation management game running."

"At this point, we'll dissect it directly. What are we dissecting? We'll dissect the core gameplay of simulation management."

Lin Li's narration was both profound and easy to understand; in fact, he was reflecting on his own thoughts while narrating.

It makes a game like a "dungeon" more fun.

Most importantly, we need to continuously provide positive feedback to the Demon King, who is the player.

In role-playing games, this positive feedback makes the character stronger; in dungeons, it makes the dungeon stronger.

This method could be the accumulation of nutrients in "Brave Warriors, Don't Be Arrogant", or it could be like in "Dungeon Keeper", where different plots of land, with their area, are used to form different buildings and produce different monsters.

One point that many people easily overlook is that in simulation building games and even RTS games, players can also experience a sense of satisfaction when they build a powerful unit.

Many simulation games also take advantage of this, allowing players to grasp the most basic logic of effort + reward, which enables them to achieve good results.

However, these things have already been done by others.

"Haha, I just saw someone in the comments say that if you make a game like this, it'll be a bit boring and won't feel like something Spark would make..."

"Okay, let's think of another way to make this game even more exciting."

"How about this? We'll set up the small village outside the Demon King's dungeon as one that the Demon King actually built."

Upon hearing Lin Li's words, both the comments on the live stream and the onlookers at the scene were immediately impressed.

After listening to the conversation for a while, Eggplant couldn't help but ask directly.

"So, Mr. Lin, how do you plan to implement this idea?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Li drew another circle on the whiteboard and began to answer the eggplant's question.

"What we need to be careful about is that the settings are not added blindly; the purpose of adding them is always to enhance the gameplay."

"Since we've set it up so that the small village outside the Demon King's dungeon was also built by the Demon King, then our development elements have changed. We're not just going to develop the dungeon, but also the hero."

"The requirement for players to manage both aspects is more suitable for the game, and it also makes it easier for the storyline to spark new ideas."

Soon, within this basic framework, Lin Li sketched out a general set of rules for the game.

When players enter the game, they play as a destitute demon king who owns a dungeon, but the surrounding villages have all migrated because of this dungeon.

Demon King, I'm starving!

So the Demon King came up with an idea: he chose to cooperate with a daring goblin merchant.

Outside this underground city, a small settlement was established. The settlement has a range of functions, including accommodation, weapons sales, and even a resurrection point, but using these functions requires a fee.

After the small gathering point was established, some merchants spread rumors that an underground city had been discovered, and that there were good things inside.

Of course, this part of the story will be more detailed when it is actually made into the game, and the presentation style may change to a comic book style or other styles.

In short, it's enough to clearly explain this background before the first level of the game.

The game is divided into three action sections.

Two during the day and one at night.

During the day, because there aren't enough people at the outpost, the Demon King has to go there in person to act as a receptionist, sell weapons and medicine, and entice heroes to go on adventures.

This is the daytime area for selling goods in the town.

After this step, players will receive money, which they can then use to enter the dungeon construction section.

The perspective remains a 45° isometric 2.5D view, somewhat similar to Dungeon Keeper.

Players need to dig into the ground, build monster camps, and eliminate invading adventurers.

As for the most important question, how do players level up their monsters?

It's actually very simple; you just use money to buy equipment and medicine.

In other words, players need to use the money earned from heroes to strengthen the dungeon, and then use the strengthened dungeon to attract and eliminate more heroes.

There are also some "Easter egg levels" along the way, with all sorts of strange and unusual requirements, such as requiring the brave adventurer to obtain a "sword".

Or perhaps it's a requirement that the hero be forced to retreat after seeing the treasure vault full of gold coins.

The heroes saw the wealth of the dungeon and wanted to conquer it, so more and more hero teams arrived, the town became more prosperous, the Demon King earned more and more money, and the money was invested back into the dungeon, thus forming a cycle.

In this process, players not only need to maintain the dungeon, but also the outpost.

"So, in a way, this is a simulation management game?"

Amir Rao, the producer of Hades, who was watching nearby, couldn't help but join the discussion.

Lin Li thought for a moment.

"Yes, essentially, the core gameplay of this game is indeed like that; it's a bit like running a restaurant..."

There are many management simulation games.

Their core appeal can be summed up in two words: making money and enjoying the process.

This point of enjoyment is actually worth analyzing, because the money is virtual, just a string of numbers. So why would a player feel something from a virtual number?

The reason is that there are enough details before this string of numbers: how to cook, how to serve, how many customers enter the store, and what amazing dishes you have made.

Ultimately, all these elements combined create a sense of immersion for the player.

This gives the final numbers a sense of realism, which is what makes simulation games so engaging.

Lin Li simply added another layer to this, with many interesting features, such as allowing players to cooperate with guilds to attract more tourists.

"For a game, I always emphasize that you should first define the core gameplay."

"Ultimately, the core gameplay is to bring players an emotional experience."

"My project is actually the same as the core gameplay of all farming games."

Chapter 418 Open Class

"The gameplay of farming games mainly involves three aspects: change, harvest, and development."

"Let's talk about changes first. Whatever the players do, we need to respond accordingly. In this game, changes come from two aspects, one of which is the dungeon."

Lin Li had absolutely no intention of keeping anything to himself.

The explanation of the development intent was very simple and clear. It not only explained why this design was made, but also why players would find it interesting.

"Take the construction of underground cities as an example."

“Dungeons are often seen as evil places, but here, you can actually think of them as amusement parks.”

"Because the players' real profits come from the towns on land."

"This dungeon has essentially become an amusement park to attract brave adventurers, so players need to consider the difficulty of the dungeon when designing it."

"This is actually giving feedback to the players. The players want to make it impossible for the hero to pass the level, but they can't put a giant dragon at the entrance, because then no hero will come back."

"When players build an interesting dungeon, a working dungeon, the players themselves can actually get a lot of fun from it."

"Of course, this will also make many players think, 'Huh? This is considered a demon king?'"

"Actually, if players really raise this question, I would think it's a good thing, because traditional Demon King players are already quite tired of it, and this kind of game might actually spark some new ideas."

~~~

A two-hour live stream eventually turned into Lin Li's personal solo show.

When the live stream ends.

Many players have even been able to piece together the general outline of a game. What's even more amazing is that in the latter half, Lin Li even drew his 48-hour progress chart on a whiteboard.