Why the bug I wrote became a core gameplay mechanic?!
Chapter 464 - 447: Three Strategies for Conquest

Chapter 464: Chapter 447: Three Strategies for Conquest

Zhuge Jun first came to the forum to briefly check out the discussions, and then he opened the video site, wanting to search for any "Blood of Lies" strategy videos.

Even though the game had just been released, many developers would arrange for some video uploaders to try the game in advance, and video uploaders could make strategy videos ahead of time.

It wasn’t that Zhuge Jun knew whether Nitiandang had arranged for any gameplay mechanics for the video uploaders or not, but searching wouldn’t hurt, and who knows? He might find a useful strategy.

On the forum, players had indeed started to argue.

"The judgment for this GP has definitely changed!"

"Hasn’t changed, right? It must be your illusion."

"The hell, you can’t feel such a big difference in the touch response?"

"It’s fine. That GP is not meant to be successful 100% of the time, just admit if you’re bad, why blame the judgment frames."

"Even if it has changed, it’s still reasonable, isn’t it? The story of the game is in reverse order. The prologue’s character itself is in a performance-maxed state. After the fight with the Lie Hunter in the ultimate showdown, it makes sense that the attributes would be worse when you return to Charlton City at the beginning."

"I’ve watched lots of streamers, and they all seem to adapt quite well."

"It’s not necessarily a problem with the GP judgment, it could also be the monsters. The monster’s attack actions in the prologue are quite simple."

"What about the Lie Hunter then? His attack actions are clearly complex, right? And he is designed with the difficulty befitting a top-tier boss."

"The Lie Hunter’s actions are complex, but haven’t you noticed that its actions are carefully designed? For example, when he swings a large scythe, if you see it coming and use the Transform Slash to counter, then it lines up just right with the GP, so the developers intentionally designed the judgment frames of his actions to be close to the player’s Transform Slash Invincibility Frame, creating the illusion that GP is easier in the prologue. In the official Chapters, because the boss’s attack actions change and there are both fast and slow blades, it seems like GP is not as effective."

"In reality, if you just seize the chance to GP those few specific moves, you can still fight the boss. It’s not so discouraging. You need to integrate GP and dodge together. Thinking of clearing the game by mindlessly pressing Transform Slash? Dream on! Where in the world is there such an easy action game?"

Seeing the discussion on the forum, Zhuge Jun felt a surge of irritation.

How outrageous!

The judgment frames are obviously different. Are you all pretending to be blind or actually blind?

If some players who are not very confident in their feel saw this kind of discussion, they might really be misled and think that the tactile difference is due to the different monsters in the prologue and the official Chapters.

But Zhuge Jun had already tested it, and he was very confident in his perception.

However, there was one comment that made sense, which was: could this change in the GP Invincibility Frames also be a part of the game’s storyline?

"Blood of Lies" is indeed told in reverse, and in the prologue, the player’s state is more like what the protagonist would be after many cycles in Charlton City.

During this long journey, the protagonist gave up certain things each time, growing into this "Ultimate State." This point is reflected in the dialogue of the Lie Hunter, and the vast difference between the player’s created face and the reflection in the basin further confirms this.

"If that’s the case, then what I’m encountering now is the game’s normal difficulty... The prologue was indeed just for practice."

After considering, Zhuge Jun decided to stop fussing over the GP judgment frames for the moment. In a few more days, some expert would surely unpack the data and reveal the truth. For now, it was better for him to enjoy the game and advance the game progress as quickly as possible.

After browsing around a bit more, lo and behold, he actually found a strategy for fighting the giant beastification puppet!

Zhuge Jun looked at the author of the video. It was Heilong.

He was a familiar face, a known figure in the speedrunning community, famous for his impressive skills in "Ascension," and he consistently performed well in other action games too.

The strategy video wasn’t very long, lasting just over five minutes.

It wasn’t a full walkthrough video, it didn’t have much detail on things like minor enemy clearing or skill point allocation, and focused solely on how to handle the boss.

In other words, it was a strategy for this one boss.

"Hello everyone, I trust you all have gotten through the prologue of ’Blood of Lies’ smoothly like I have, and have come to the first discouraging boss of the game, the giant beastification puppet."

"Compared to the content of the prologue, this boss has a wider range of movements and introduces some new mechanics, so there’s a significant difficulty spike compared to the prologue."

"It is destined to be a boss with a polarizing experience. For players who got the hang of GP very quickly, they might not feel the difficulty change as much; but for those who just mindlessly used GP in the prologue, they will feel a steep increase in difficulty, to the point where they might not know where to start."

"So after studying a few methods to take down this boss, I’ve hurried to release this video, hoping it can help everyone."

"Here, I’m providing three different ways to fight, and I wish you all smooth lying in Charlton City!"

Zhuge Jun couldn’t help but admire Heilong. That was fast indeed!

Clearly, Heilong was also facing the boss for the first time, but being a gaming expert, he didn’t get stuck, and even had time to study different strategies.

’Blood of Lies’ full playthrough videos will surely appear in succession, but this takes time. Most strategy videos will probably not be produced until tonight or tomorrow night.

And like Heilong’s approach, introducing a single boss strategy could be considered sending charcoals in snowy weather, solving an urgent need.

"The first strategy, and the one I recommend as the quickest, is to use Transformation Slash GP."

"This approach does have a learning curve, but once mastered, it will be very helpful against later bosses.

"Moreover, successfully executing Transformation Slash GP can cause significant part destruction, which weakens the boss’s performance and makes later battles simpler. Overall, this mechanic is comparable to the Perfect Dodge in ’Ascension’, an encouraged mechanic by the developers. If you don’t get good at this mechanic, you can still play, but it will be more painful."

"Now, let’s focus on several actions suitable for Transformation Slash GP. I will demonstrate with the Sword and Shield, Sword Spear, and dual swords."

"Everyone, remember, don’t be greedy with your attacks at first. Just wait in place and observe the boss’s moves. We can only GP when it uses these specific moves; otherwise, avoid them all with a dodge."

Zhuge Jun couldn’t help but admire Heilong’s professionalism in purchasing three different weapons.

Although grinding for money is painful, it was clear that Heilong had used the substantial funds earned from beating bosses to save time on purchasing weapons.

Zhuge Jun took a serious look and memorized a few key points for GP.

Actually, GP can be both difficult and easy.

If you rely solely on visual cues to GP the boss’s actions, it’s quite hard because Transformation Slash GP has a windup. If you wait until you see the boss’s attack about to hit you, it’ll be too late. Relying on instinct isn’t reliable either, as being off by just a few frames can lead to vastly different outcomes.

But if you remember the GP points of the boss’s actions, it gets much simpler.

For instance, with the boss’s "Double Hand Slam", you need to GP with the Sword Spear’s dual-wielding form changing into the two-handed form right when the boss lifts its hands to the highest point to correctly GP this slow attack.

If you’re using the faster dual swords for GP, you need to execute it about 0.1 second after the boss raises its hands, specifically when the cogs on the boss’s body produce a third rapid clicking sound.

Breaking down the boss’s actions like this, you can find GP points for all its moves.

If you GP at the specific timing, the success rate is very high.

"The second method is to not go for GP and focus on part destruction and suppression.

"This method involves dodging the boss’s attacks, but pay attention, it’s not about scrapping by with dodges. In ’Blood of Lies’, this approach doesn’t have any future since the risk and reward are totally disproportionate.

"The game severely punishes failed dodges, as being hit during a dodge can lead to the destruction of the player character’s parts, making the subsequent fight almost unplayable.

"To make things worse, the giant beastification puppet has many fast and slow attacks designed to catch the afterframes of a player’s dodge, so trying to practice Perfect Dodges and ensuring you dodge most of the boss’s attacks is not necessarily easier than practicing GP."

"The core of the second strategy isn’t scrapping by with dodges, but targeting part destruction.

"If you can play unlocked, that’s the best. If you can’t, then you should follow my method and deliberately target the boss’s parts with Transform Slash or a two-handed Heavy Attack during certain specific actions.

"Moreover, if you have some special items, like the Fire Talisman or Blood Medicine pills available early in the game, you can achieve part destruction more quickly."

Zhuge Jun took a look and found that the second strategy also seemed quite good.

If you can play unlocked, it’s possible to hit the boss’s weak spots during certain specific actions.

These weak points include the head, chest, and groin, with the chest and groin being where the beastification drivers are located, so enchanting your weapon with a Fire Talisman can deal even more substantial damage.

Normally, these three parts are hard to hit because of the range of the weapon, and even though the lock-on provides different options for feet, groin, and head, it’s tough to land hits due to the boss’s quick movements.

It’s only during certain special actions of the boss that you can find the right timing to output damage.

This method might take a bit longer than the first strategy, but it’s more suitable for players who simply can’t get the hang of GP.

"The third strategy involves using special mechanics in the game.

"We need to tell a lie to reduce the difficulty of the boss.

"First, we come to this spot on the map, which is accessed via an alternate route leading to this platform overlooking the bridge. There’s also an NPC here."

"Speak to this NPC, and he will ask if we intend to cross the bridge.

"Everyone, pay attention at this moment! If you’re not sure, save your game manually first. The response is a choice between two options, but it’s very important. Our choice will directly determine the difficulty level of this boss fight."