Why the bug I wrote became a core gameplay mechanic?!
Chapter 470 - 453: The Correct Way to Use the Trigger Back Key

Chapter 470: Chapter 453: The Correct Way to Use the Trigger Back Key

Zhuge Jun had always held this particular controller, but he had barely ever used the two special triggers on the back.

The reason was simple—he didn’t see the point of their existence.

As far as he could tell, they just mapped the LT and RT buttons on the controller.

Although the software allowed the mappings to be altered to other buttons, what was the purpose?

The back triggers required using the middle finger, which most players found difficult to adapt to.

For most people who played games with a controller, only the thumbs and index fingers were frequently utilized, and over the years, that usage had solidified into muscle memory. Whenever the LT and RT buttons were needed, the first instinct was to press them with the index finger.

In comparison, Zhuge Jun felt that it would have been more practical to make the back keys function as L3 and R3, pressing down on the left and right sticks, as pressing the sticks still seemed slightly counterintuitive.

Therefore, during this period of gaming, Zhuge Jun mostly stuck to the default controller settings, almost forgetting about the two triggers on the back.

However, after repeatedly experiencing the importance of the Transform Slash, he suddenly remembered these two triggers, especially the one on the right.

Thinking of this, he toggled the key at the back, carefully feeling its tactile feedback.

There was a crisp "click" sound.

After toggling the back key, there was a noticeable resistance, preventing it from being pushed all the way down immediately.

It would move at a set speed, and at some point in that movement, it gave off a clear "click" sound and a distinct tactile feedback.

After passing this point, it had a bit more distance to cover before finally stopping in the lowest position.

Reversing the motion was a similar process, though the speed of movement changed slightly, and the "click" occurred at a slightly different point.

Zhuge Jun looked at the character’s movements on the screen, felt the trigger’s feedback again, and suddenly had an epiphany.

"I see! This trigger isn’t just simply mapping the RT button; it actually corresponds strictly with the game’s Transform Slash!"

"The travel of this trigger reflects the entire process of the Transform Slash, and that ’click’ is actually the Invincibility Frame of the Transform Slash!"

"Moreover, it can read game data in real-time. Different weapons have different details for the Transform Slash, and this trigger adapts accordingly."

"Both back keys support this feature, and players can customize them, for example by setting them to auto-reset. This would allow the trigger to move only downwards, not upwards, which suits some players’ habits better."

"This peripheral really is useful!"

Zhuge Jun couldn’t help but feel excited, as this trigger would greatly assist in GP practice.

In the game, the concept of ’Invincibility Frame’ is elusive; players can watch the Transform Slash several dozen times and still struggle to quickly memorize the exact point of the Invincibility Frame through sight alone.

With this peripheral, however, players can use visual, auditory, and tactile senses together to judge.

Touch, in particular, is crucial for players’ hand-feel, greatly accelerating the formation of muscle memory.

Just as many games cause the controller to vibrate at specific moments to varying degrees, enriching the vibrational details both for better immersion and as a cue for the player’s actions.

Practicing GP with this trigger can undoubtedly yield double the result with half the effort.

So, is this controller just for playing ’Blood of Lies’?

Actually, no.

It can be used for any game with similar mechanics.

Although the Transform Slash is quite rare in other games, many games have similar mechanisms.

Take Shield Counter for example; its mechanism is essentially the same as Transform Slash, involving a clear raising motion and producing a counter frame while the shield is swung.

So, where exactly is this counter frame? Players must discover and memorize this on their own.

However, this controller can read data from within the game, strictly correlating the trigger’s travel with the entire process of the counter, and providing tactile feedback during the "click" to represent the counter frame.

The same applies to specific Martial Techniques with GP effects.

As a peripheral, this controller doesn’t change game mechanics; effective Shield Countering or GP still requires extensive practice on specific moves.

But it can significantly enhance players’ familiarity and understanding of their own GP actions, allowing them to focus their main efforts on analyzing boss movements.

Moreover, players can fine-tune this trigger using software, altering its travel, recoil, counter frame indicators, and other details.

This allows a broad application in action games, shooting games, and driving games.

It can simulate changing a magazine while shooting or shifting gears while driving, not only enhancing the atmosphere but also concretely improving specific operations and reducing practice costs.

It doesn’t matter if these games don’t support it officially; some top players will make adjustments themselves.

Once they fine-tune it, they just upload the configuration files to the controller software, and other players can simply search for the relevant game and load the configuration files with one click.

All in all, it offers a myriad of ways to play!

Zhuge Jun felt like he had opened the door to a new world. He immediately put the trigger to use and picked a few low-level monsters for practice.

Indeed, his mastery of GP actions improved significantly!

Zhuge Jun once again tried out his long-unused Sword and Shield and found it to be effective as well.

Although the GP actions of the Sword and Shield and the Sword Spear were not entirely the same, and the judgment frames also differed, he was quickly able to discern the differences between their movements using the trigger back key and adapt at high speed.

"Let’s test it again!"

Zhuge Jun was delighted. He had been previously frustrated, but now he suddenly saw the light, rekindling his hopes.

It was another fierce battle, and Zhuge Jun nonchalantly entered easy mode once more.

This time, as the boss stomped its right foot, Zhuge Jun decisively used the Transform Slash, combining the timing of GP from the Old Wang’s video next door and the feel of the trigger back key.

"It worked!"

The GP action was very effective, causing the boss’s right leg to bleed profusely and stiffen significantly, while also accumulating substantial damage to that part.

Zhuge Jun quickly followed up with an attack and shifted back to dual-handed mode with another Transform Slash during the process.

Since he had only practiced the dual-handed Transform Slash GP, it maximized his chances of success.

The boss stomped again, another GP!

"It worked again!"

Successive GP victories gave Zhuge Jun a thrill, and he continued this cycle and barrage of attacks. Eventually, the boss’s right leg suffered severe damage, and its health was reduced to half, entering the second stage.

It was that fast!

One must say that the rewards of GP were truly impressive. The technique was difficult, and any error could have severe consequences, but continuous successful GPs were both rapid and exhilarating, and also very spectacular to watch.

Zhuge Jun seized the moment and dashed forward as the boss bowed its head, positioning himself under its belly and unleashed a frenzy of strikes on its other left leg.

Eventually, the boss crashed to the ground.

It was only then that Zhuge Jun realized he had managed a no-damage victory.

"Am I really that strong?!"

Zhuge Jun was shocked. He hadn’t expected to defeat the boss without taking any damage on his first attempt.

In other games, transitioning from "getting past a boss" to "no damage boss" would typically require many hours of practice.

But "Blood of Lies," due to its unique Dynamic Difficulty Mechanism and the part damage effects, drastically shortened the gap between the two.

Simply put, the worse you are, the harder it gets, and the better you are, the easier it becomes.

Once one could properly handle the boss’s moves, the boss’s attacks became simpler, and with the weakening effects of part damage, one could even finish the job without any damage through sheer brute force.

What are the benefits of this Dynamic Difficulty design?

According to Lilith’s original concept, it could leave experts unsatisfied, as the more they fought, the more mundane it became, defeating the boss before even exerting themselves; it could frustrate newbies, since the worse they were, the less likely they were to succeed.

Both these points were indeed achieved by the Dynamic Difficulty Mechanism.

However, everything has its price, and the cost of Dynamic Difficulty became apparent at this moment.

When players suffer for a while and can handle most of the moves, they can enter "easy mode," thus skipping the "hard victory" and moving directly to a "no-damage victory"!

This would bring players immense pleasure and greatly boost their confidence.

Zhuge Jun was in that very state at the moment.

Not only had he put all his previous setbacks and difficulties behind him, but he was also deeply impressed by the thrill of GP.

In his mind, nothing remained except the exhilarating sensation of succeeding three consecutive GPs.

As for enchanting the boss post-ignition? Such trivial matters were hardly worth mentioning.

What lousy design? This is an original and brilliant design, isn’t it?

"I even feel a little reluctant, wanting to fight it once more."

Zhuge Jun felt a bit emotional, pitying that he hadn’t manually saved before the fight.

Thinking it over, he realized he had already spent a long time on this boss battle and was now lagging behind the leading pack; it was best to continue pushing forward quickly.

There were certainly more formidable bosses awaiting him.

Upon returning to the hotel, the plot indeed moved forward.

The NPC he had rescued earlier now offered new functions, allowing purchases of new weapons and outfits and introducing many fresh plot dialogues.

Zhuge Jun wandered around the hotel several times, nearly wrapping up everything that needed handling.

Just as he was about to head out to continue exploring, he suddenly paused, feeling that something was amiss.

He turned his perspective and carefully examined his character.

"Eh, has my face become a bit strange?

"Was it like this when I started?"

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