[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-this-is-not-a-bug-but-a-game-feature":3,"chapter-this-is-not-a-bug-but-a-game-feature-this-is-not-a-bug-but-a-game-feature-chapter-118":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","This Is Not a Bug but a Game Feature",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1472196,1919,"Chapter 118 - 105: Match-Three Game (Part 2)","this-is-not-a-bug-but-a-game-feature-chapter-118",118,"\u003Cp>The first mobile game should ideally be simple. Even if it fails, it’s okay, we’ll treat it as practice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this premise, Chen Ba felt that everyone was a bit too excited, talking about making stuff like Identity V and Honor of Kings right off the bat, which just sounds terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Come on!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is our first time making a mobile game. Can we be a bit more realistic and not think too far ahead?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Simpler?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Ba’s words, everyone looked at each other in dismay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s right!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Ba straightforwardly said, \"Even though we’ve had some success on PC, it doesn’t change the fact that we’re a blank slate in the mobile market.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Newbies should keep a low profile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoever heard of a new player in the industry going all-in right from the start? Do you have the capital to go all-in?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The development cost for mobile games isn’t low either. Tianba Studio, dipping its toes into the mobile market for the first time, should set its sights a bit lower and not aim for big titles right away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I think match-three games might be a good subject in the realm of casual games!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Match-three?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone looked puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tianba Studio had Star Emperor before and Divine Grace Continent after; each one a renowned masterpiece.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now their new game turned out to be a match-three game?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s really something...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although not spoken out loud, Chen Ba could tell from their expressions that they found this plan too conservative.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>True, match-three is very basic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But so what if it’s basic? A well-made match-three game can still be the absolute \"casual\" king of the mobile game market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not to mention mobile games.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even on PC, a well-made match-three single-player game can still sell many copies, so why look down on match-three?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But Ba... didn’t you say we’re making this mobile game as a multiplayer online game, not single-player?\" Lu timidly raised his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Exactly, multiplayer online!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Ba nodded in confirmation, \"Is there a conflict between match-three and multiplayer online? There isn’t, right!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu: \"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There may not be a conflict, but there are hardly any multiplayer online match-three games on the market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How does this even work as a multiplayer game?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Matching opponents and doing a PK system!\" Chen Ba said casually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Within five minutes, whoever clears more blocks wins and the player with the highest score wins. Isn’t that a form of multiplayer online?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We could even set up a room and pull in friends and family to see who scores higher and clears more levels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Well, that could work!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Ba’s multiplayer plan sounded unreliable, it could be used, preventing it from being a pure single-player game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But is match-three really that fun?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhong Shengwei, who had played many match-three games and often saw people playing match-three games on the subway, had something to say about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He explained, \"Ba’s subject choice isn’t the problem here; the user base for match-three games is still very large. Both the elderly and children like match-three games.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The subject isn’t the problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Match-three games have always occupied a significant share in the mobile game market. You think no one is playing? That’s just your perception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s similar to how people scratch their heads wondering who exactly plays Tanwan Blue Moon...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s just how match-three games are.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They have incredibly tenacious vitality and their popularity is comparable to card games like Dou Dizhu and Mahjong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Match-three games also depend on the situation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After thinking slightly, Chen Ba said, \"Conventional match-three games certainly don’t have much appeal or eye-catching elements. I wasn’t planning on making simple, crude games either.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is what I have in mind...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Traditional match-three games, let’s be honest here, even a keyboard warrior in a forum could make one.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But we’re going to make a pseudo match-three game wrapped in a match-three game’s skin with embedded character development systems.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now everyone was even more confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is a match-three game with an embedded character development system? Everyone recognized those individual words, but when pieced together, why do they sound so unfamiliar?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You guys are clueless!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Ba said helplessly, \"Why are we making a mobile game?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To make money!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There you go! Since we aim to make money, to support our single-player business, don’t we need a monetization scheme?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Chen Ba pondered while touching his chin, \"There are generally two ways for match-three games to make money; one is through ads, the other is selling various items.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Chen Ba didn’t like either of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Match-three games with ads have a terrible gameplay experience, where an ad pops up anytime and can easily cause players to quit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Selling items is slightly better, but only slightly. After all, to push items, some levels have their difficulty adjusted to be ’just right.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What’s ’just right’?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s when you’re so close to passing, but the timer ticks away quickly. If you had an item, you’d pass instantly, but without it, you’re left in failure...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s actually another way!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that one’s too shameless—having both ads and item sales, not missing a single opportunity to make money. It looks too ugly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Ba doesn’t like that approach, so he decided to embed character development gameplay on the foundation of traditional match-three games.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This way, it ensures playability and opens up a new monetization channel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Monetization is through drawing characters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each character has different skills, which can be seen as ’items’ in traditional match-three games.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Isn’t that still just selling items?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not the same!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Ba shook his head and explained, \"Items you can use together, but for characters, you choose one, so you can only use that one skill.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Besides, each character has different elements, and each level map will also have element distinctions. Using the mutual restraint of elements to tackle specific levels works great.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elements are tentatively set as the five elements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A character with Water Element in a Fire Element level will be significantly enhanced, with not only more powerful skills but also special effects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or say a Fire Element character has a skill to explode a certain area of blocks, originally a 2*2 area, but in a Water Element level, it might become a 1*1 area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cultivating characters can also upgrade skill levels to unlock more interactions and dialogues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Okay!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After basically understanding Ba’s so-called character development system, Yang Dong was the first to speak up, \"So for this game, Ba, who do you plan to put in charge?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surely not all of us?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s just a match-three game. No kidding, anyone in Tianba Studio, except for Zhang Xiaojun, could handle it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s just a matter of time taken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll do it with Lu, and you guys can contact the voice actors and artists, which are quite important.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Ba explained, \"Our monetization point is the characters, so their design really needs attention and can’t be done randomly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The anime style has to be there, the style that young children like, and characters that appeal to the aesthetics of middle-aged and elderly people also have to be there...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To put it bluntly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The art style of this game aims for comprehensiveness. Regardless of age or gender, everyone can find a character they like in the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether they’re strong or not is another matter...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, each character only has one skill, and there’s a cooldown. How strong they are really depends on how players use them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And for the multiplayer part...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After thinking it over, Chen Ba made a final arrangement, \"Just make a matching entertainment system, let’s not go into rankings.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Casual games are for playing in fragmented time; making it too formal with ranking battles would be ridiculous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kind of game is just to kill time, playing it like it’s work isn’t good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We definitely need a leaderboard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearing a certain number of levels can get you on the board. The more levels you clear, the higher the ranking, and that’s an honor!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s no shortage of top players in match-three games, providing them a platform to showcase skills. Let ordinary players see how awesome match-three game’s technical masters are!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Apart from level leaderboards, matches can also have a win rate leaderboard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the core game—matching and clearing blocks—is what Chen Ba least cared about. After all, as everyone knows, the easiest thing in match-three games is the matching part...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With just a few blocks, who are you looking down on? Even two college students could do it, right!\u003C\u002Fp>",1420,"2026-06-06T03:03:37.618Z",1,"novelbin.me","be9cf35afdcd76fda8f8175d168881b60d5eb1bf9528262d8f4a9d18685a0880","this-is-not-a-bug-but-a-game-feature-chapter-119","this-is-not-a-bug-but-a-game-feature-chapter-117",479,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthis-is-not-a-bug-but-a-game-feature-cover.jpg"]