Why the bug I wrote became a core gameplay mechanic?!
Chapter 440 - 424: Weapon Combination and Transform Slash_2

Chapter 440: Chapter 424: Weapon Combination and Transform Slash_2

Gu Fan spoke calmly, "If we say that GP will affect weapon balance, then actually, this problem is not unsolvable, as long as we continue to introduce new variables."

Zhou Yang and Wei Chengjie were both surprised, "New variables?"

You must understand, the variables for weapon balance are already numerous. Adding new variables, are we certain that we can still achieve good balance?

Gu Fan explained, "Actually, the key issue now is whether the GP of light weapons and heavy weapons is consistent."

"If the GP of light weapons and heavy weapons are equally useful, then without a doubt, heavy weapons will become too strong, and light weapons won’t have a place in combat;

"And if the GP of light weapons is useful, but the GP of heavy weapons is not, then light weapons will again be too strong."

"Although there is a certain balance point within this, it’s too troublesome to find, and even if found, it is very prone to errors."

"Therefore, my idea is still to make the GP of both light weapons and heavy weapons equally difficult to use, and then introduce a new variable to balance the disadvantage caused to the light weapons."

"This variable is... weapon combination, Transform Slash, and Puppet Prosthesis," he said.

Lilith fell silent for a moment, "Gu Fan, can’t you count? That’s clearly three variables."

Gu Fan explained, "In my conception, they are actually the same."

Lilith instinctively felt something was wrong, "Can’t we just use one? Like only the Puppet Prosthesis."

Gu Fan pondered for a moment, "One... is not secure enough."

Lilith felt somewhat deflated. She couldn’t figure out why she—an entity dedicated to generating negative emotions in players—was so concerned with the balance of weapons in a game, and why she kept introducing many new issues to solve one problem.

But her previous concerns were indeed justified; if weapon balance was not properly managed, and a plethora of "wheelchair weapons" appeared, it really would be unfavorable for collecting negative emotions.

Let’s hear what Gu Fan has to say then!

Gu Fan went on to explain, "First, let me talk about the specific concepts of these three mechanisms."

"Weapon combination means that we design all weapons to consist of two parts. These two parts can be used separately or in combination. Moreover, the two parts of different weapons can also be combined."

"Transform Slash means that players can hold the two parts of a weapon separately, which is the dual-wielding form; or they can combine the weapon to wield with both hands, which is the two-handed form. The transition between these two forms is achieved through ’Transform Slash’."

"Here, the dual-wield form represents light weapons; the two-handed form represents heavy weapons. And the Transform Slash is the GP."

"Of course, we can also add GP effects to certain attack motions of special weapons to further balance them."

"Finally, comes the Puppet Prosthesis. In other games, prosthetic arms often function as an independent skill, such as shooting a grappling hook, spewing flames, deploying a shield, etc. But by doing this, there is a lack of interaction between the prosthetic arm and the player’s weapon system."

"In my design, the Puppet Prosthesis would integrate with the weapon system, where the same skill will vary according to the type of weapon used."

"For instance, a fire-spitting Puppet Prosthesis, when used with a certain weapon, results in Fire Enchantment; with another weapon, it enables the weapon to spew fire; and with yet another weapon, it transforms into setting up a Flame Trap."

Wei Chengjie paused, "Wait, President Gu, if the parts can be combined at will, won’t the attack module of two-handed weapons also change?"

Gu Fan explained, "We divide the weapon into the left-hand part and the right-hand part."

"Among these, the left-hand part tends more towards a supportive role, whereas the right-hand part tends more towards an offensive role."

"When combined, the left-hand part will determine the weapon’s own attack module and transformative properties; the right-hand part will determine the weapon’s own statistical properties and the collaborative effects with the Puppet Prosthesis."

Zhou Yang started to understand, "So President Gu, what you mean is, since it’s difficult to balance light weapons and heavy weapons, why not simply turn all weapons into a form that is dual nature—both light and heavy weapons at once?"

Wei Chengjie thought for a moment, "Wait, President Gu, in that case, we would still need to create a separate set of actions for dual wielding."

Gu Fan nodded, "To be precise, we’re not creating an extra set of actions for dual-wielding. These are actually part of the light weapon action set. In terms of quantity, it’s the same."

Lilith frowned, feeling an inexplicable sense of extreme danger.

After thinking carefully, she immediately raised her concern, "Wait, Gu Fan, if we do it your way, it seems... a bit too cool!!"

Although there wasn’t a very detailed weapon design yet, one could roughly imagine the kinds of weapons that would be made based on Gu Fan’s plan.

For a simple example: twin swords.

In the dual-wielding form, they are two slightly different longswords, and in the two-handed form, the twin swords combine to become a double-edged sword or merge into a big sword that looks like a pair of chopsticks.

Besides that, the longswords in each hand can also combine with components of other weapons.

For instance, combining a longsword with the shaft of a long spear can create a Sword Spear; combining a longsword with a sharp-edged shield can form a Shield Axe.

When the player uses Transform Slash, they can either put the two swords together or split them apart, hiding invincibility frames in the entire cool and suave action sequence.

Imagine this: the boss charges furiously, but the player calmly separates their weapon, easily blocking the boss’s attack, then follows up with a stylish and suave series of quick attacks using the dual-wielding light weapons, driving the boss into a helpless rage; and when the boss attacks again, the player merges the two weapons together once more, using the GP to easily block the attack again, and then, with a charged attack from the heavy weapon, executes the boss...

Just by thinking about it, one knows how much positive emotion such slick actions will generate for the players.

This is absolutely unacceptable!

Lilith immediately raised an objection: "Who allowed you to be so cool?"

Gu Fan, however, shook his head slightly, "President Li, you’re not thinking deep enough."

"If we create ugly actions and the system’s action capability obviously has a low ceiling, along with high difficulty in numbers, who would still play our game? They’ll all run off."

"Since we’ve already decided to raise the numerical difficulty and balance out the weapons, then cool actions are a must."

"We need to show the players an exceptionally cool seller’s show, letting them see that the theoretical limit of all types of weapons can easily thrash the boss. That way, they’ll be lured in to play the game, and even if they suffer setbacks in the early stages, they will just think they’re not skilled enough, not that there’s a problem with our design."

"Only under such circumstances can we pull off many little tricks."

"For example, we could place the invincibility frames of Transform Slash at really odd points in the animation, making it hard for players to get accustomed to; we can make the flashier weapons harder to use, so the players who want to show off can’t quite manage it."

"The players are like keeping a bellyful of anger, thinking they need more practice because they’re unskilled, yet the more they practice, the worse they get beaten up."

"Combine this with our previous settings, including dynamic difficulty, as well as various unpredictable and powerful enemies, wouldn’t the players be infuriated to the point of ascending to heaven right on the spot?"

Lilith scratched her head and, after pondering for a moment, felt that Gu Fan did make some sense.

While overly cool actions might addict the players, if the actions were ugly, combined with all the previous settings, the players could be discouraged very quickly. That would not serve the purpose of collecting a large amount of negative emotion.

In a way, the current solution really was the best.

Provided... nothing unexpected happened.

Would there be any surprises?

Based on previous games, the likelihood of surprises wasn’t exactly high; it was closer to 100%.

Thus, naturally, Lilith was also very cautious, trying hard to think where the problem might arise.

But such things are indeed hard to predict before they happen.