—So, are you spending money on gacha pulls? Or are you spending money to upgrade your little knife sprite?
Choose one!
According to statistics from the first week, the ownership rate of the Little Knife Spirit in "Idle Hero" is about 7.3%, which is much higher than the industry's guess and even slightly higher than Mingyan's previous estimate.
The main reason is that a competitive atmosphere has formed on the forum, and many players have also had the idea of trying it out.
It seems like everyone around me suddenly has a Pokémon, and they're all showing off their Pokémon levels. Plus, they no longer have to work so hard harvesting crops... oh no, I mean, collecting treasure chests themselves.
Whether it's curiosity or vanity, it's easy for players to buy one and try it out.
Although a month's supply of Little Knife Elf in the store costs 998 coins (98.8 yuan in real currency), there is also a three-day trial voucher that can be purchased for only 50 coins.
then……
This change by the Dragon Slayer Studio did not cause the data of "Idle Heroes" to drop; on the contrary, it consolidated the existing traffic and expanded the player market.
According to research, a large portion of the core player base of this game consists of housewives/husbands who have never played games before!
They are very capable of experiencing the joy of slowly cultivating something from nothing, just like painstakingly nurturing a pot of daffodils. They only spend a small amount of time each day, but can experience a long-lasting and peaceful happiness.
Yu Bing was actually quite worried about the changes to the Little Knife Elf.
He was still a junior in college, and when his teachers were analyzing that "this model is likely to cause players to leave," he inevitably began to lose confidence.
“The Little Knife Elf further reduces the player's actions,” Yu Bing said worriedly. “If this continues, will players lose interest in the game? After logging off one time, will they suddenly never want to log back in?”
Mingyan laughed and said, "Player chuckles are a natural phenomenon. No matter how good a game is, its user base will slowly dwindle. The reason you didn't feel it before is because our referral channels are so wide that the influx of players completely overshadows the players who are slowly leaving."
That's why each game needs to calculate retention rates for one day, three days, and seven days. These figures are used to analyze whether the game can retain players.
As for Yu Bing's concerns...
"Actually, this kind of situation is quite normal in idle games, but the Little Knife Sprite can play a positive role in it," Ming said. "Do you know that the human subconscious can make excuses for its actions?"
Yu Bing blinked and obediently said, "I don't know, please enlighten me, Master."
Mingyan said, "The subconscious mind will excuse itself. That is to say, if a person does something wrong, their subconscious mind will attribute the mistake to an external factor; or they simply will not think it is a wrong thing, thus avoiding the torment of guilt. The principle behind our spending money on in-game purchases is actually similar—when a person invests too much money in games or other entertainment, their subconscious mind will justify and rationalize this spending, so as not to bear the guilt."
Yu Bing: "..." Holy crap!!
It's terrifying to think about.
Mingyan chuckled, "It sounds pretty creepy, like you have a demon living inside you. Actually, it shows in many everyday things. For example, have any of your elders ever bought anything expensive and useless?"
Yu Bing suddenly remembered and said, "My mom bought an automatic massager, which was supposed to extend your life by ten years! She used it every day after she got it, and she almost dislocated her arm..."
“Yes,” Mingyan said. “Because if the item is useless, her money is wasted, which is an obvious mistake. So she will firmly believe in her heart that the item is useful, and the more useful it is, the better, so that she has not done anything wrong, and it is just that you do not know its value.”
"..."
Yu Bing's expression was as if she had seen a real demon.
He finally understood why Mingyan, the God of Wealth, and the Dragon-Slaying Saber, could "rob money" everywhere.
This person truly has a profound understanding of human psychology!
While others are still trying their best to please players, Mingyan has already reached a high level of understanding and has a thorough grasp of player psychology.
For example, the gacha system takes advantage of people's gambling psychology;
Systems such as skins and titles all exploit the human tendency to compare oneself with others;
This little knife sprite is once again taking advantage of human laziness and the desire for something for nothing...
—He must be the reincarnation of a devil who manipulates people's hearts!
What's frightening is that the industry has already studied the Dragon-Slaying Saber, but they still can't figure out the reasoning behind it.
The "God of Wealth" behind the Dragon Slayer Sword Studio has officially become synonymous with mysterious power within the industry.
Although Blue Star's design is imaginative, people can still understand the cause and effect, and at least know why its games are so popular.
However, the design of the Dragon-Slaying Saber is truly as unpredictable as a demon, making it completely incomprehensible.
Games like "Against the Heavens" and "Card Alliance" are alright, at least there's some room for maneuver; but "Idle Hero" really subverts almost all the traditions and rules of game design, and the more professional a person is, the more confused they are.
On the contrary, people who don't usually play games are more likely to experience the fun of this game.
Gaming Studio issued a statement on April 30th stating:
If Blue Star Studio is a genius in the gaming industry, then Dragon Slayer Studio is a prodigy.
This year may well be a turning point in the history of gaming. Looking back, those in power often don't realize they're standing at a crossroads, and every step they take will be a crucial decision.
In the past, our excellent games were predictable and learnable. We knew roughly what this year's Game of the Year would look like: a perfectly crafted combat system, a logically sound story, and stunning visuals and music—we were all working towards this goal and firmly believed that this was the truth of the game design industry.
But times have changed.
[Ming, the chief designer at Blue Star Studio, told us that games can have a thousand paths. Minecraft is known for its versatility, while Blue Star Apocalypse feels like an interactive movie. These were things that seemed almost unimaginable to us before, like a frog in a well unable to comprehend the ocean. Perhaps this is the intuition of a genius, the imagination of a genius, something that inspires endless wonder.]
Successors can only continue exploring the paths already trodden, but so far, no one has been able to forge a completely different path. We may learn from successful examples, but we dare not imitate the thinking of geniuses.
The lead designer at the Dragon Slayer Studio taught us another lesson: games simply don't have a predetermined path. The beliefs we once held dear, the golden rules of game design, were seen as absolute death sentences for anyone who violated them. It's like our past belief that "all players must be in absolute balance"...
But even that was shattered. If Chief Craftsman Ming was a genius, then the chief designer of the Dragon-Slaying Saber must have been a prodigy. To everyone's disbelief, he personally broke all the shackles of game design, destroyed all our superstitions, and perhaps is still somewhere mocking our ignorance and prejudice.
Chapter 68 Final Closed Beta