Gacha Game

If Tang Yao had to think of a suitable plot outline for a gacha game right now, her first reaction would definitely be the Fate series.

This is because, in terms of both plot setting and successful examples, it is indeed the most suitable.

The Heroic Spirits and Servants system, which perfectly fits gacha mechanics, along with existing settings like titles, Classes, Skills, and Noble Phantasms.

And then there's the mobile game Fate Grand Order, which, despite its operation declining over time, had a glorious past.

These are all bonus points.

Moreover, the most important thing is that the Fate series itself is very interesting, not to mention that one of its works, which leans towards an adult style, with Gen Urobuchi as the original planner and one of Ufotable's most dedicated projects, Fate Zero.

In reality, when watching most anime, there's a certain filter applied; many masterpieces from memory might just be mediocre when rewatched a few years later... but Fate Zero clearly doesn't fall into that category.

It's the kind of work that, even when rewatched years later, still qualifies as a masterpiece. This can be seen from the fact that Ufotable hasn't produced anything surpassing it since.

FZ's distinct character development and tightly paced narrative are highly memorable.

And this couldn't be a more fitting starting point for a game.

Although many people in Tang Yao's previous life joked that gacha game players are all foolish and have too much money.

In reality, most players are rational people; they won't spend an extra cent if they can help it. If you want them to spend money out of love, you first need to make them develop that love. Simply creating a shoddy gacha mobile game, relying solely on pretty character illustrations, and expecting players to buy in on a large scale is an imprudent and arrogant assumption.

Didn't many of the copycat works fail when gacha mobile games were making huge profits in the previous life? Thinking that just drawing some nice illustrations would make players buy in was indeed too naive.

As for how to make players develop feelings of love, character illustrations are one aspect, but many other elements are needed: voice actors, story, character development, and even gameplay are all important.

However, with Tang Yao's current abilities, she can't really exert influence in these areas.

So, she can only take a shortcut of sorts.

For example... a sufficiently good original work.

She can't create an anime right now, but she can create a manga.

Of course, the viewing experience of a manga will inevitably be inferior to an anime, as they are two completely different mediums.

And quite unfortunately... the success of Fate Zero is inseparable from its extremely abundant animation resources. It's impossible to replicate that anime feel in a manga.

Although the two mediums are very similar, they possess entirely different characteristics.

For instance, regarding Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, the best anime Tang Yao watched before her death in her previous life, most readers who saw the original manga's combat scenes probably couldn't help but exclaim, 'This should be left to the anime team.'

However, a great work, even with its flaws, if it's loved, it proves that it must have merits that completely outweigh its shortcomings.

Frieren's original manga art for combat is indeed not great, but that doesn't stop it from being enjoyable.

And even if you remove the combat scenes in Fate Zero that were propped up by extremely abundant animation resources... with its distinct character development, tightly paced narrative, and excellent ideas, I believe readers would still exclaim, 'This manga is really interesting.'

And as long as the manga gains some traction, as long as the Heroic Spirits and Servants system from Fate plants a seed in the readers' hearts, and as long as the characters in the work are loved by readers.

Then, the settings in the mobile game will become easier to accept and understand. Furthermore, some characters who have already appeared in the manga can directly gain players' favor, thus tricking them out of money... no, rather, stimulating players' desire to obtain them.

Therefore.

The first step for this game is not drawing beautiful girls.

It is, based on the Fate original work, to draw a sufficiently good manga.

The most suitable one, of course, is Fate Zero.

"..."

Tang Yao slowly wrote the words 'Draw the Fate Zero manga version' on the paper.

Of course.

Even this first step isn't simple. Not to mention the difficulty of adapting an anime into a manga, the complex settings need to be laid out in comic form, which is daunting just to think about, not to mention the combat... and how to promote it after drawing it is also a headache.

But these are clearly not problems that can be solved in one go; she can only take it one step at a time and do her best.

And the second step, obviously, is the game itself.

The entire game framework needs consideration. Gameplay that is too difficult or troublesome, due to the excessive resources and effort required, is definitely not suitable for copying, nor is anything too difficult.

Also, there's Fate Grand Order... its later operation was truly terrible.

Tang Yao abandoned the idea of directly copying from the start. She can imitate the command-based combat system because it's relatively simple.

But other aspects need further consideration. It can't be too simplistic, making players feel like they can beat it easily and wonder why they should gacha, nor can it be too difficult, exceeding the maximum effort she can put in at this stage.

She plans to first finalize the entire game framework and then fill it in step by step, adjusting as needed.

It's very troublesome.

But Tang Yao patiently listed out good gameplay mechanics from various gacha games, categorizing which ones were easy and fun to implement, which were difficult and poorly executed, and then further subdividing them by difficulty.

In the cramped room.

Tang Yao was hunched over her desk, writing something.

When Tang Xun finished washing the dishes and walked into the room, she saw a large pile of papers next to her sister, filled with terms she didn't quite understand.

Things like combat system, enhancement system, gacha resource allocation, and gacha pool design.

And it seemed to be getting more and more.

"What are you doing?"

Tang Xun glanced for a moment, then asked curiously.

"Game design proposal."

Tang Yao looked up. "Let's talk later... Xun, I'm brainstorming right now."

"..."

Hearing this, Tang Xun stopped talking. She simply took out her hairdryer again and began drying her sister's hair.

Tang Yao, seemingly unaffected, quickly put down her pen, opened the laptop in front of her, and started typing rapidly, working on the proposal.

Her speed was incredible.

While drying her hair, Tang Xun would steal glances and notice that dense blocks of text had appeared on the computer screen.

The terms she had just seen, like "combat system" and "enhancement system," were now expanded with explanations, often followed by a string of numbers. Some sections even included descriptions for illustrations.

What was she doing?

Tang Xun didn't quite understand.

But she had a feeling her sister... seemed to have become even more amazing.

Even though she had always been amazing.

By the time Tang Xun finished drying her hair, Tang Yao was still writing, showing no signs of hitting a wall.

Her typing speed increased, and occasionally she would grab a piece of paper to sketch something.

Seeing this, Tang Xun hesitated for a moment. She didn't immediately move on to her next task but instead went to hang the clothes to dry and then handled a number of other chores.

When Tang Xun returned to the room, it was almost midnight.

Tang Yao finally stopped typing and was reviewing her work, looking for any omissions. In reality, there were many things that couldn't be written down but would require improvisation during development or constant adjustments during testing.

She was simply trying to outline the entire game framework, partly to organize her thoughts and partly to make it clear to others what she intended to create.

"Next, I need to draw the manga original, Fate Zero, which will serve as the prologue, then confirm the characters appearing in the game, add the plot, and the character illustrations."

Tang Yao read through everything one last time. Finding no major issues, she stretched her arms high above her head.

Honestly.

She was a little surprised herself by how quickly she had accomplished this.

It was too fast.

Even with the memories from her past life assisting her, this was just too fast.

Aside from the brief interruption by Xun, it was as if she could see all the games she had played, various game news, and game articles she had browsed flashing before her eyes.

...Is this what they call being "in the zone"?

She couldn't figure it out.

But it was probably a good thing.

The general direction was set. First, draw Fate Zero, then finalize the main characters, meaning the SRR character illustrations and plot, and finally, the production...

Of course, there were still problems. Funding, subsequent promotion, production, and other aspects were all unclear.

But overall, it was a viable path forward...

"Are you done?"

At that moment.

Xun's voice rang out, snapping Tang Yao back to attention.

Tang Yao blinked, then turned to look at the girl standing beside her, wearing hot pants that revealed a pair of fair, long legs. She realized, "Sorry, do you want to sleep? I'll turn off the lights. What time is it now..."

As she spoke, she picked up her phone to check the time and froze.

"...Huh? It's already twelve?"

Tang Yao was somewhat surprised, completely taken aback by how quickly time had passed. She immediately started to apologize, "Xun..."

"I'm not sleepy. I was waiting for you."

Before she could finish.

Tang Xun interrupted her sister and continued, "Wait a moment."

With that said.

She turned and walked to the small shelf by the bed, rummaged through it for a moment, and then returned to Tang Yao's side holding a soft measuring tape. "Stand up, move around a bit. I'll measure you, and then we can sleep."

"Huh? Measure what?"

Tang Yao stood up, asking the question with a hint of confusion.

Tang Xun didn't reply. She simply handed the measuring tape to her sister and took a step forward.

Tang Yao took the measuring tape and, as her sister leaned into her embrace, instinctively reached out and put her arm around her waist. "What are you going to... Eek! What are you doing, what are you doing!"

Before she could finish speaking.

A cold touch came from her back. It was Tang Xun's small hand.

Tang Yao jolted, her entire body bristling as if she were a startled cat. Instinctively, she tried to break free. "Why are you taking off my bra???"

"Don't move."

Tang Xun turned and embraced her older sister, preventing her escape. She tilted her head up slightly, her eyes reflecting her sister's beautiful face. "It's not suitable lately, is it? If you want to embarrass yourself in public, then go ahead and run."

"..."

Hearing this, Tang Yao's struggles abruptly stopped. Compared to at home, she was indeed more worried about being humiliated in public.

And it really wasn't suitable... She had originally intended to just make do.

Now that Xun was actively helping, it was truly a good thing.

But...

"But don't just ambush me! At least tell me beforehand so I can mentally prepare."

Tang Yao glared at her sister in front of her, her face flushed crimson. "And you're way too perceptive. I never even mentioned this."

"If I had said something, you would have just made do and refused me."

Tang Xun lowered her head again, placing the still-warm clothes on the stool as she replied, "As for being perceptive, you occasionally twitch uncomfortably. Who wouldn't notice?"

"I didn't notice!"

"That's because you're slow. Don't move."

"..."

It feels like I'm being scolded.

Tang Yao pursed her red lips, forced to remain still. She turned her head to the side, her hands gently holding Xun's clothes.

Tang Xun's beautiful eyes shifted, glancing slightly to the side. Then, for some reason, her movements slowed a little.

Of course, Tang Yao didn't notice; she was very nervous right now. "Why isn't it done yet?"

"Almost."

"You don't need to measure that precisely."

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Xun, I'm your sister, not an automatic measuring tape robot."

"Okay... done."

Finally.

As Tang Yao urged her on, Tang Xun put away the soft tape measure and whispered, "So, who's actually going through puberty?"

"What?"

Tang Yao's pretty face was still flushed. After pulling her clothes down and tidying them, she looked up and gave her sister a gentle glare.

What is she saying? Doesn't big sister have any pride?

Although I didn't have any pride just now...

"I'll go buy it after school tomorrow."