Game development begins with destroying Girls' Frontline.

Page 474

[Prologue: The Teacher]

Sunlight filtered through the sparse clouds, dappling the lawn by the river.

From the air, some tiny, dark dots are lined up along the riverbank, washing themselves.

Like a swarm of ants.

However, as the camera zoomed in, it became clear that they were not ants, but a group of girls.

They were not in good condition; their clothes were tattered, they were thin, and their skin was covered with dust and grime, which they were washing with river water.

Faintly, one could hear the girls' conversation.

"Is he going to turn us all into toads?"

Why a toad?

"Isn't it said that magicians love turning people into toads?"

"I don't think so. Didn't Sister Liya say we're here to be apprentices?"

"But he's a magician, why would he take us as his apprentices?"

"Didn't you notice? Everyone here is a girl."

"You mean, he did it for..."

As they talked, they would occasionally glance at the man sitting on the grass, a man wearing a white robe with gold trim.

Just then, he took off his hood and tossed his short, bright gold hair.

With her azure eyes, milky-white skin, and warm, inviting aura, she exudes a gentle and radiant presence.

Although he appears gentle, he doesn't give off a sense of weakness; instead, he exudes a sacred and dignified aura.

"If it's him, I'm willing."

"What are you willing to do? You shameless thing."

These girls were all around the same age, about seven or eight years old, ordinary girls from ordinary families, still in their childhood.

But they were all orphans from nearby villages and towns.

Before being captured and brought here by the man in the white robe, most of them had made a living by begging, stealing, or working in church orphanages.

They have a deeper understanding of the world than their peers, and they know more about the darker side of society.

The camera turns again.

The girls had returned to the grass and were sitting on the ground.

Once everyone had arrived, the man nodded slightly, slowly raised his arm, and his wide sleeves fluttered in the wind.

With a wave of his hand, an invisible force formed in the air, as if an unseen hand was gently guiding the clear water from the riverbank.

The water flowed gently towards the little girls, splashing and carrying a refreshing scent as it washed over their bodies.

The areas that weren't cleaned properly were all washed away by the water.

Their clothes were also washed clean, and although they were still worn, at least they were no longer covered in dirt.

Then a warm spring breeze surrounded him.

A few minutes later, the girls looked at their bodies and clothes in surprise and felt a long-lost sense of freshness.

Although they were still thin and pale, and far from cute, they looked like a bunch of little monkeys.

But his mental state was completely different from before.

Magic that many people have never seen in their entire lives has actually appeared around them. For the first time, they have experienced the convenience of magic and for the first time, someone has treated them with such warmth.

My feelings were undeniably complex.

"sit down."

At the sound of the white-robed man's voice, all the girls obediently sat down on the ground.

Then, the camera slowly rotated.

The sun and moon change, the stars shift and the constellations move.

The little girls grew up day by day, and the scenes kept changing.

Sometimes, these little girls sit on the ground.

Each person had a pile of sand in front of them and a twig in their hand, writing and drawing.

Sometimes, each of these little girls would hold a wooden stick and wave it after the man in the white robe.

This open space has gradually changed.

They had dormitories, classrooms, warehouses, a canteen, and even a magic tower.

The little girls have also changed a lot.

From a emaciated little monkey, to a little girl, and then to a teenage girl.

With each passing season, the girls change more and more.

The man in the white robe, however, appeared unchanged.

This place is like a paradise on earth.

The man's magic allows him to gather resources from the local area, hunting and fishing to provide ample resources for this paradise.

Sometimes, the girls don't just study together; they also chat or do other things.

Swordsmanship, archery, and magic.

Men teach everything.

Everything was fine until one day, a female knight riding a white horse burst into the village and knelt before the man in white robes.

Facing this beautiful female knight.

The girls in the village were very nervous, fearing that the already numerous competitors would be further intensified.

Until the female knight spoke.

"Teacher, come with me, a natural disaster is coming."

The girls were stunned.

Teacher!? Besides us, does the teacher have other students?

It's like a childhood sweetheart suddenly discovering, "Oh!? Besides me, there are other childhood sweethearts!"

~~~

This is the opening of "Heroes: Song of the Saintess", where players take on the role of this magic teacher.

The entire first act.

There are absolutely no Heroes of Might and Magic plot elements; it simply explains the protagonist, the female lead, and the crisis.

Even the latter two elements were only briefly mentioned at the very end of the first act.

As for the saintess mentioned in the title, she didn't even appear.

Some people ask, is this enough?

That's enough.

For the first scene of a 2D game, more information is not necessarily better.

If Heroes of Might and Magic is at its peak, then naturally a large number of Heroes of Might and Magic-themed games can be created.

It can even be directly derived from the plot of the original Heroes of Might and Magic.

But reality is not like this.

The vast majority of players, especially those from China, have no idea about the storyline of Heroes of Might and Magic.

Because neither Heroes of Might and Magic III nor Heroes of Might and Magic IV had animated films back then.

The campaign storyline consists of only one image accompanied by scrolling text, and apart from a few story-driven enthusiasts, few people actually pay attention to the plot.

It wasn't until Heroes of Might and Magic V that animations were added, along with storylines and dialogue.

Some unscrupulous pirates, in order to save space, simply deleted all of this transitional content.

For example, in the early days of Red Alert, the vast majority of players did not experience any cutscenes in their Red Alert games.

This has resulted in the fact that although the Heroes of Might and Magic IP is very popular, the vast majority of casual viewers are completely unaware of the plot.

Let alone those who haven't played it, even many players who have played Heroes of Might and Magic don't really understand the storyline.

Since the story of Heroes of Might and Magic didn't really spread, most people probably only knew about the source of all evil, "Sandro," and the shadow of death.

So why is Heroes of Might and Magic still popular in the country?

This actually leads to another topic.

Why is Heroes of Might and Magic so fun?

After disassembling the entire framework, what exactly is the core of Heroes of Might and Magic?

Plot?

While the plot is certainly a part, what's more important is the construction, the exploration, and the wonderful sense of adventure in a new world.

Chapter Thirty-Three: Core Elements

In those days, being able to control a hero and lead minions to explore a magical world was already incredibly impressive.

Whether it's city building or exploration, these are the enduring core elements of the game.

Back when Lin Li played Heroes of Might and Magic 3 or Heroes of Might and Magic 5, his favorite thing was watching the heroes interact with various buildings and resources on the world map.

Upgrade, learn magic, and return to the city with resources to upgrade, especially in Heroes of Might and Magic 5, watching the city gradually build up.

Listening to the city's majestic and sacred background music.

That feeling was absolutely amazing.

Therefore, Heroes: The Song of the Saints, a spiritual successor, also takes a very strange route.

The plot does not connect to any of the main storylines at all.

Lin Li didn't even use the phrase "Heroes of Might and Magic," just to avoid nitpicking and criticizing the plot.

After all, this game is a dual-platform game.

It is a service-oriented, long-term operation game.

It will certainly follow a popular approach, but that doesn't mean the game can't convey the core gameplay of Heroes of Might and Magic.

On the contrary, Lin Li tried his best to recreate the gameplay of Heroes of Might and Magic in this game.

To put it simply, the goal is to achieve a resemblance in spirit rather than in form.

The first step is construction.

The default player's main city is this small village built by the player and the girls.

In terms of art style, this small village will inherit the 3D town style of Heroes of Might and Magic V.

This town also serves as the game's main interface.

This is the first screen players will see when they enter the game.

Here, players can build structures, recruit troops and heroes, and trigger town events and character events.

The main character events involve the player interacting with a beautiful female student as a teacher.

After all, this game incorporates elements of Heroes of Might and Magic, as well as elements of anime games.

If we want to build a town, we need resources.

In Heroes: Song of the Holy Maiden, resources are acquired in the same way as in the original Heroes of Might and Magic, except for the fixed output within the city.

The rest requires exploration using the large map.

The large map is the core of the gameplay in "Heroes: Song of the Holy Maiden".

In the plot of the first chapter.