#game currency strategies

[deathfavor]

You are Athena, Badass in the arena Unmatched, witty, and queen of the best strategies we’ve seen

gives my Kuroko vibes.

[theresattrpgforthat]

TTRPGs for people with dyscalculia?

THEME : Dyscalculia Friendly.

Hello friend, I’m going to first point you to the Math-Lite Chaotic Murder Hobos recommendation post I wrote up a year or two ago.

What I understand about dyscalculia is that in can affect the ability to do mental math, but I'm not sure how much it affects number recognition. I have a few games here that ask you to read the faces on a die, but I don't think any of them expect you to do any addition. I hope you find something fun on this list!

Cats of Catthulu, by Joel Sparks.

CATS OF CATTHULHU is the beloved rules-light roleplaying game in which the players take the part of ordinary cats, secretly defending human civilization from the Chaos Cults of the other animals. All the players have to do is act like cats, while the Cat Herder arranges exciting challenges for them—anything from snacky time to daringly interrupting dire rituals.

In Cats of Catthulhu, the way the story will go is always a mystery. You and your friends play to find out what happens. One person, the Cat Herder, arranges the secrets and situations, and sets the scene, but even they don’t know where the night will end. The players take the role of individual, ordinary cats. All you really need to do is act like a cat.

It might be a bit difficult to get your hands on them, but the original dice for Cats of Catthulhu don’t have any numbers on them; instead, they have sad cats and happy cats. Whenever a cat does something, they roll 2 of these dice. Rolling a Happy Cat is a success; rolling a Sad Cat is a failure. The reasoning behind these dice is: cats can’t do math!

If you can’t get your hands on cat dice, you can use any old d6, and regard 1-2 as Sad Cats and 3-6 as Happy Cats. You’ll also want to get some kind of physical token to use as Treats, which are player currency used to allow free re-rolls. Cats of Catthulhu is great for groups who are mostly getting together to just have a fun time, ready to act silly and get into all kinds of shenanigans.

DUSK, by Gila RPGs.

Equipped with the latest suntech, you are tasked with venturing out into the Dusk, and helping bring a new dawn to humanity. The Dusk does not want you there. 

Good luck.

In DUSK, you play as Shards, survivors on the planet Obron after the devastating nova-event that saw your world destroyed. Now you wield powerful technology fueled by pieces of your dead sun, in hopes of surviving another day. DUSK uses the LUMEN 2.0 system, and is a diceless RPG focused on resource management rather than luck or chance. 

As a diceless game, DUSK feels a lot different from a number of other diceless games, and I think that’s because of the style of game it’s working off of. LUMEN games are more about strategy than they are about narrative, and in DUSK that’s carried forward in the form of Suntech, items that require energy to power and provide specific advantages.

DUSK is still a relatively new game, but the designer is prolific in the amount of quality work he’s released in the past - and so when he says that there’s more to come, you best believe there’s more to come. If you’d still like to roll dice but you like the idea of the setting in this game, you might want to check out NOVA, which also uses the LUMEN system but gives you dice to roll or LUNA, a game about cultists trying to destroy the moon. Both of these games use pools of d6’s and ask you to look for the highest number, so I don’t think there’s that much math involved.

CASE & SOUL, by Briar Sovereign.

CASE&SOUL is a lightweight tabletop game for telling action-packed stories in the mecha genre. CASE&SOUL is designed for one-shots and short to mid length campaigns. Speed through a lightweight downtime; hire freelancers to pad out your Crew’s skills on missions. Customize your playbooks with SOUL moves, and enjoy a cut-down FITD gameplay with just the essentials for fast and flexible sessions.

Forged in the Dark games use a dice pool, rather than abilities with modifiers. You add dice from various places on your worksheet, and try to roll at least one 4 or higher. Rolling a 4 or 5 is usually a mixed success, and rolling a 6 is a complete success. Personally, I’m a big fan of games that use dice pools, as I’m also not a fan of trying to add up all of those numbers, and having to just look for the single highest dice helps speed up action resolution.

At the same time, Forged in the Dark games can have a lot of moving pieces at once, especially if the GM wants to track a large number of factions, or players want to plan multiple-stage missions. CASE & SOUL advertises itself as a slimmed-down version of these kinds of games, but I can’t tell whether or not that is the case when I look at the character sheets. What intrigues me is the CASE and SOUL tracks; I think your CASE is your Mech, and it receives Harm differently than your SOUL, which is an interesting way to measure how much your mech is (or is not) part of you.

Keyforge: Secrets of the Crucible, by Edge Studio.

In the center of the universe hangs the Crucible, a gigantic artificial world created by the enigmatic Architects and home to countless beings and cultures. Here, impossibly advanced technologies mix with arcane powers to make for a setting unlike any other! Uncovering the secrets of this mysterious world will take all your skills—but the potential rewards are boundless…

Explore this world of boundless opportunity in Secrets of the Crucible, a new sourcebook for the Genesys Roleplaying System set in the KeyForge universe!

You’ll need the Genesys Rulebook for this one, because the main reason I’m recommending Secrets of the Crucible is because of the dice system. Genesys dice don’t use numbers; they use symbols that represent success and failure - and they also have symbols that deepen the nuance of each roll. You can roll advantages or disadvantages that calibrate exactly how much you succeed, as well as triumphs or despairs that give you the same kind of highs and lows as a Nat 20 or a Nat 1 in D&D. This means that each roll tells you so much more about what’s going on around you than just whether you open a door or sweet-talk a guard.

As for the setting, Keyforge is originally a card game published by Fantasy Flight games, about a world called the Crucible, full of secrets that various factions are competing to unlock. It reminds me of the worlds of Magic: the Gathering or League of Legends, with various settings that look very distinct from each-other, and represent different styles of play.

SHIVER, by Parable Games.

WHAT IS SHIVER?

SHIVER is a tabletop roleplaying game that lets players bring their favourite scary movies, spooky tv shows, and horror stories to life. Ever wanted to play through the plot of your favourite film on the tabletop? Or wanted to make sequels, prequels and original stories in the worlds of pop culture you love? SHIVER lets you play that!

SHIVER is setting neutral allowing you to play any story, anytime, and as anyone. Want to play a game of teens in survival mode against a zombie horde? Kids on Bikes who dread exploring a haunted house on Halloween night? Or perhaps a medieval monster hunter looking for a werewolf, vampire or mage? SHIVER can deliver stories and characters for anything from cult pulp classic to Cthulhu fuelled eldritch mystery.

The designer of SHIVER set out with the goal of making games easier for his friends, who had similar struggles with games that had too much math involved. Players roll six-sided and eight-sided dice with various symbols on them, looking for the symbol that represents their character's strengths. The more difficult the task is, the more of the required symbol you need. The game itself is recognized as a class-act horror game, good for everything from pulp-action to gothic fiction to slasher horror. If you don't have the special dice, you can substitute with d6's & d8's, or you can use the free Dice Roller designed for this game.

Tournament Arc, by Biscuit Fund Games.

Are you looking to experience the triumphs and defeats of Space Hyper-Basketball? Need to feel the epic highs and dizzying lows of card games in the post-apocalypse? Want to face the trials and tribulations of the cheese-rolling World Circuit?

Tournament Arc is your very own collaborative sports anime experience, made in the diceless Belonging Outside Belonging engine popularized by games like Dream Askew and Wanderhome. In every thrilling episode, you’ll play the part of the Team as they negotiate the complexities of their daily lives, explore a collaboratively created world, and, most importantly, play the Game.

Tournament Arc is both diceless and GM-less, and is designed to tell stories about teambuilding and competitive sports, although the setting appears to be pretty flexible. The Belonging Outside Belonging game system provides each character type with prompts, and sorts those prompts into different categories. Usually there will be some things you can always do that generate tokens as well as narrative obstacles, and then other things that you can only do when you spend tokens - and as a result, also help characters confront those narrative obstacles. If you have players that like having something tactile to keep in their hands as they play, you might like Tournament Arc.

Warehouse Bitches, by Darling Demon Games.

The Time Worm arrived as it was prophesied just as the crown fell upon his head, and all potentials collapsed into a single haunted citadel, which you call Hex City. You are transgender punks and goths from earth, and in this place your powerful hearts make you witches, daemons, beast-people and arcane architects. We bide our time, smoking and drinking, playing video games and eyeing the crumbling walls of our enemy, The Lord of Olympus.

In Warehouse Bitches, you play as one of the titular warehouse-dwelling trans folk in the hellish Hex City. In this GMless Belonging Outside Belonging game with a unique coin-flip mechanic, you'll wield magic, build allies across the city and fight back against the bastards in subtle ways.

I’ve already explained a bit about how Belonging Outside Belonging works, but Warehouse Bitches adds another layer by using coins as tokens. Using coins, your options are different depending on whether or not the coin is on Heads or Tails. The moves on your character sheet are not just differentiated between Strong and Vulnerable, they’re also differentiated between Heads or Tails, and you must have matching sides of the coins showing in order to be able to use those moves. Characters also have Magic moves, which require the player to flip every coin they currently hold, and reassign those coins based on whatever side they land on.

Warehouse Bitches has only 4 playbooks as it stands now, so a group of 4 players is probably the largest group that can play the book as it stands now. The game is GM-less, but looking at the rules, I think it would be possible to have someone pick up the GM role in order to introduce complications and narrate the actions of various other factions in town. Similar to other BoB games, there are zones that have various elements and details that need to be decided as you play, which will also help provide events and interesting features that keep the game fresh and exciting.

[oinonsana]

On Posture In Gubat Banwa

So the sixth version of Gubat Banwa's First Edition "returns" to the ideal that HP as a pacing mechanic, an Action Economy limiter, and a resource pressure. As always, in Tactical Combat games, resource management is a major aspect of the gameplay. Management of action economy, management of distance, management of other currency (such as Class-specific Resources). Most of a Tactical Combat Grid game revolves around the manipulation of these mechanics: reducing, regaining, adding, changing, force multiplication/division of these resources, and more. In Tomian Design (that is, Tom of LANCER RPG and ICON RPG), costing.

For the first 5 versions of Gubat Banwa's design, we worked with lower HP values (across the board) and with Dice Pools. The idea was that each dice in a dice pool was an attack launched, or a moment of concentration. Every die in the defense pool was a parry or evasion attempted. While the fantasy of that worked pretty great, the maths on the other hand did not. It worked almost counter-intuitively against the high-flying martial arts x deliberate tactical combat that I was trying to strike a balance for. My white elephant, my Shambhala, was to strike a good balance between that.

The Change

In 1.6, while the Dice Pool didn't entirely go away--much of the game is built around getting tactically advantageous positions so that you can get more dice and a higher chance of dealing greater damage on the target--it went for a more linearly scaling game with the result on the die reducing the target's Health.

It was a hit, mostly, among the inner circle (that is to say, my friends that I run the newer version for). There was an immediate sense of "we know how this game works" now.

On Tactical Video Games

It was more transparent--this information was crucial to making a tactical game work and sing. This is why in video games, almost every tactical game has the "Combat Forecast", like in Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy Tactics, that showcased the expected Hit Rate and the Damage Output.

This is absolutely integral: tactical games are decision point games. Without the proper information (doesn't need to be complete information), no decision can be done satisfyingly. This isn't to say that dice pools can't be used for a tactical game of course--I've done it. But it requires a different kind of design principle and design goal that Gubat Banwa wasn't going for. That sense of martial progression, of spiritual strength and eventual enlightenment.

From HP to POS

During the initial playtests, we were still working with HP. Hit Pearls. The idea was that every hit "shattered" a Hit Pearl. This worked with the Dice Pools, because the fiction was that every attack could be parried with Defense Dice.

What was the problem with this? Firstly, the math of this was inherently fraught, unfortunately: on higher levels, Defense Dice were either horribly impenetrable or did absolutely nothing to defend you. It became a binary thing. That was not the goal: for the martial fantasy to come to life, much of the decisions should not binary but rather, on a gradient spectrum.

To me, the destroyer of tactical grid games is when there's a single best strategy that shatters the tension of the game. My favorite parts of Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre were early game moments where the output randomness could make every fight go completely different, even if you redid the same stage more than once.

Secondly, when the outcome of an action is that, really, nothing happened, you used an attack (even worse, the attack was buffed by yourself, an ally, and tactical modifiers) and then the target was able to parry all your hits. The fiction is exciting for a second, but then when you return to the battle grid, nothing changed. The mechanics fed into the fiction, but the fiction didn't feed into the mechanics.

With the math change, the fiction of the Hit Pearls wasn't working because HP values were higher to compensate for the changed math. 12 Hit Pearls could feasibly be visualized as Link's Hearts, for example. But at 48 HP, that didn't work anymore.

Hearkening to the Ancients

So I actually went on a trip to older versions of Gubat Banwa, and found I'd solved that particular problem. Older versions of Gubat Banwa had HP as "Mettle", their ability to stay in the fight. Turning to the game's current version, I realized the Physical Defense stat was perfect: POSTURE. The stance, the guard, the ability to keep fighting, the ability to turn mortal wounds into grazing hits, the ability to ignore the effects of bleeding wounds, of burning pyres, of seeping poison.

Every attack was inflicting damage by chipping away at the target's guard, or forcing their stance into more compromised positions so that they would be open to an actual mortally wounding strike. They were still real hits that the defender was actively still guarding against. And with every attack defended, their guard wore down.

This hit me after watching Donnie Yen's SAKRA (2023) the other day. Reaching back into the high-flying wuxia roots, Donnie Yen's character doesn't even take real hits until after he's overwhelmed because he is such a martial superior against the rest of the Beggar Clan. Because his Posture was so high.

Ten Thousand Earth Shattering Blows

It worked great. Not to mention that it's a great reference to Sekiro, another huge inspiration to the games's intended fiction, which also had a Posture break. Now Staggered for half Posture or lower made sense: your guard is brittle! You court death! Now the Wide Open affliction felt more in genre: your guard is wide open, so you're suffering more!

The Physical Defense stat was renamed into PARRY, while the Magical Defense stat was kept as RESILIENCE (itself a reference to Final Fantasy Tactics A2!) The defenses were there to keep the mechanical bite of an Attack vs Defense interaction, to provide an avenue for another mechanical design space, as well as to shoe in the fact that when an attack targets your Parry you're physically blocking while an attack against your Resilience requires your fortitude and concentration to block against: when your Posture is reduced, when you guard is worn down by these attacks, you know how you were defending.

When enemies hit 0 POS, that attack is the one that gets through their Defenses and kills them outright. When a Kadungganan falls to 0 POS they're not dead, but they suffer a WOUND, which only heals on Downtime (as opposed to POS healing on Repose, ie., short rest).

On Defeat and Victory

While you're Defeated, you suffer the same effects of Stun, but you can still act and do things, even make attacks at full power: you're Kadungganan after all. But every attack against you, despite your PARRY or your RESILIENCE is not met with a stance ready to block. Thus, every instance of damage you suffer, no matter how much, inflicts another Wound. When you eat 5 Wounds, you can pull on your Conviction to stay alive. Otherwise, you are tossed back into the cycle of reincarnation, or into the river to Sulad, or to Lunar Heaven, or to whatever next life your Kadungganan has chosen to ascribe to.

Status Effects

Statuses such as Poisoned, Bleeding, or Aflame, don't break you yet because they must eat through your bodily resistance. But they are still real: an aflame Kadungganan fights on even as flames swathe their body.

They can die later, when they feel the effects of the burn when their POS falls to 0. They can die later, when the Poison finally seeps through and enervates them and destroys their defensive capability. They can die later, when the bleeding takes its toll and they can no longer keep their stance up.

Martial Glossolalia

With a simple terminology change, the fiction changed entirely. Now everyone knew it was their defenses wearing down. Swords didn't cut off their fingers, flames didn't burn through their skin. They know that defenses are a holistic thing: your stamina, your constitution, your composure, your reactive ability, your dexterity, your presence of mind, your focus.

"It's not realistic!" The game is not meant to be realistic, and realism is not an inherent ontological good nor is it a goal for most TTRPGs, you will notice. Experiences, feelings. The fiction Gubat Banwa draws upon--SEAsian Folk Epics, Asian Martial Arts Cinema--is filled to the brim with the CLANG CLANG CLANG of sword-on-sword action. Often these clangs happen so quickly that you cannot process them, they are abstracted to you when it resolves in your brain--so is it abstracted by Gubat Banwa. Posture going down is the CLANG CLANG CLANG that resonates across a fight scene. It's not realistic because it's not meant to be, and even then, we must argue what your conception of reality is!

I could be argued that much of Tabletop RPGs (and, I would argue, most of games in general) is an exercise of language. Exploiting its vagaries, its ability to connect. When you go into Gubat Banwa, learning the mechanics of the game is learning a new language. And what is language but the foundation of culture?

[christophersgf]

Mafia!chris? (this one ain freaky😞 idek wtf I js wrote but I’m back😛)

In the heart of the city’s underworld, where loyalty was measured in blood and power was the ultimate currency, Chris Sturniolo was a name spoken with a mix of reverence and fear. As the heir to one of the most feared mafia families, his life was a series of calculated moves and strategic alliances. Yet, for all his control over his world, one thing was beyond his grasp—his feelings for Y/N, the daughter of a rival gang leader.

It was a crisp autumn evening when Chris first encountered Y/N at a charity gala. The event was a rare occasion where the city's most influential figures mingled openly, a veneer of civility concealing the simmering tensions beneath. Chris had been there under the guise of diplomacy, but the moment he saw Y/N, his focus shifted entirely.

Y/N was stunning in a deep emerald gown, her presence both captivating and unsettling. Her eyes, a striking shade of green, were as piercing as her father's wrath. She moved through the room with an air of grace, yet there was an undeniable strength in her demeanor. Chris, usually a man of control, found himself drawn to her with an intensity he couldn’t ignore.

He approached her under the pretext of polite conversation. “Ms. Y/N,” he began, his voice smooth but laced with an edge. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Y/N turned, her gaze cool but not unkind. “Mr. Sturniolo. I must say, I wasn’t expecting you to make an appearance. Is this charity event part of your new business strategy?”

Chris chuckled softly, though there was an undertone of seriousness in his voice. “Perhaps. Or maybe I just wanted to see if the rumors about you were true.”

“Rumors?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “And what rumors might those be?”

“That you’re as intelligent and intriguing as they say,” Chris replied, his eyes meeting hers with a challenge and a promise of something more.

Their conversation flowed effortlessly, a dance of words and glances that neither could fully understand. Chris was accustomed to playing games, but with Y/N, the stakes felt different. She was sharp, her responses laced with wit and a hidden vulnerability that intrigued him.

As the evening wore on, Chris and Y/N found themselves separated from the crowd, standing on a secluded balcony overlooking the city. The night air was cool, and the city lights below twinkled like stars in an abyss. The silence between them was thick, charged with unspoken words.

“Why are you here, really?” Y/N asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “This isn’t your world, or at least it shouldn’t be.”

Chris leaned against the railing, his gaze fixed on the horizon. “It’s not. But sometimes, the world we inhabit isn’t as black and white as it seems.”

Y/N turned to face him, her expression softening. “And what’s your world like, Mr. Sturniolo?”

“Complicated,” he said simply. “Full of loyalties and betrayals, power plays, and survival. It’s not a place for anyone with a heart.”

“Then why are you here?” she asked again, more insistently.

Chris met her eyes, his own revealing a depth of emotion he rarely showed. “Because meeting you has made me question everything I thought I knew. You’re… different from anyone I’ve ever met.”

Their gaze held for a moment longer, a silent acknowledgment of the connection they felt. Yet, the reality of their families’ feud loomed large, an insurmountable barrier between them.

The sound of footsteps approaching jolted them back to reality. Y/N’s father, a formidable figure even in the dim light of the balcony, emerged from the shadows. His eyes narrowed as he took in the sight of his daughter and Chris standing close together.

“Y/N,” he said in a low, dangerous tone. “What are you doing here?”

Y/N’s face fell into an expression of composed defiance. “Just getting some fresh air.”

Her father’s gaze flickered to Chris, his demeanor icy. “Mr. Sturniolo. I see you’ve made yourself comfortable.”

Chris nodded, his expression unreadable. “Just a conversation. Nothing more.”

Her father’s eyes lingered on him, filled with suspicion and a veiled threat. “I suggest you keep your distance.”

Chris inclined his head respectfully. “Understood.”

As Y/N’s father escorted her away, Chris was left alone on the balcony, the weight of their situation pressing heavily on his shoulders. He knew that their brief connection was dangerous, that pursuing it could lead to chaos and violence. Yet, as he watched Y/N disappear into the night, he couldn’t deny the magnetic pull that drew him to her.

The evening ended, but the forbidden tie between Chris and Y/N remained, a delicate thread weaving through the dark fabric of their lives. In the world of power and betrayal, their connection was a beacon of hope and danger, a reminder that even amidst the shadows, something pure and genuine could still exist.

🌷| dealer Chris fic next?

tags 🏷️ | @strnlxlqve, @sturnthepot, @stvrnmc, @chaossturns ,

@sturniolo-luv, @mariasturniolo, @mainlyoutsiders

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Guppycruncher

Debut: Insaniquarium

Insaniquarium is a really, really stupid game. I love it! Look at the little freak that is Guppycruncher! This is an ambiguously arthropodian creature whose body consists of massive slicing mandibles, a head to power those mandibles, eyes, to seek out its next target, and legs to get it to its prey. Its prey are your beloved, valuable guppies. And best of all, Guppycruncher is your friend!

Here we have a Baby Guppy. The foundation of our entire gameplay experience. Take care of your guppies well, and they will reward you with money! As they grow, their rewards increase, and they may even grow up into a resplendent crowned guppy dropping dazzling diamonds! But sometimes that’s not a viable enough strategy. Sometimes you need money FASTER. And that is where Guppycruncher comes in!

You get no points for guessing what Guppycruncher does to guppies. You do however, get a smile! You are all winners :)

You may think it is silly that, in a game where the goal is to reach a certain amount of money by raising fish, you would intentionally purchase a creature whose sole purpose is to kill and eat these fish before they can even mature. Well, I’m here to tell you that YOU are the silly ones!

See? As Guppycruncher eats guppies, it creates Beetles! Yes, kids, this is where beetles come from! No, I don’t know what an “egg” is! Guppycruncher’s massive jaws make it look quite a bit like an antlion larva’s head, and it functions sort of like the opposite of a real antlion! Guppycruncher eats fish and spits out insects. Meanwhile, real antlions eat insects! And for all you know, they could be pooping out fish underground!

That all being said, I would not be at all surprised if Guppycruncher was inspired by the bobbit worm! Unlike an antlion, it jumps up to catch its prey, as a bobbit worm lunges out from its burrow! It’s like a bobbit worm head with legs. Also, I just want to mention that the butt-like shape of its head reminds me of how big dogs have a butt shape on the top of their heads due to their large jaw muscles! They probably did not have that in mind here, but it is fun anyway.

Anyway, Beetles are where the REAL money is! It quickly becomes more economical to have a steady supply of cheap little guppies in order to feed a growing army of Guppymunchers, since beetles are worth more than currency. But what if you want MORE? More than beetles? Frankly, how dare you ask such a thing. But fine.

Name: Beetlemuncher

“Finally! A use for all those pesky beetles!” -an utter fool

It’s true, I love beetles, and I belittle those who disrespect them, but boy howdy, I love Beetlemuncher, too! Beetlemuncher loves beetles, and in fact thinks they look good enough to munch! However, that will have to wait. Beetlemuncher has a more important mission.

Just kidding! Beetlemuncher’s purpose is to eat beetles. But why? Why continue to extend this cycle of creatures eating creatures? Because Beetlemuncher drops PEARLS! Like an oyster, except these pearls are BETTER, and more valuable.

Just like Guppycruncher, Beetlemuncher is a bizarre but delightful sort of creature! This one is a chameleon head with chameleon arms and a tadpole tail sticking out of it. I love it! In the files, it is known as “gekko”, but I just finished telling you it is more like a chameleon. Please trust me!

So, guppies eat fish food. Guppycruncher eats guppies, and makes beetles. Beetlemuncher eats beetles, and makes pearls. Nothing eats pearls, because pearls are a choking hazard, of course! I hope you have learned a lot about Fish today!

[silkflovvers-art]

Hi! I hope you’re doing well. May I ask how you would describe Arknights’ game and story?

Hi hi! I'll do my best but I've unfortunately got Covid (again ;;) so my brain is made of under-cooked scrambled eggs. This is also my art blog, so I don't normally answer these kinds of asks here, but honestly.. I haven't posted here in forever so it's probably fiiiiiine. Probably.

I want to preface by saying I'm incredibly behind on the main story, so I'm not the best person to ask for a summary about it. I can however offer a pretty good explanation that keeps heavy spoilers out of it because I'm so behind, though!

Throwing all of the explanation under a read more-

Arknights Gameplay:

Long time players, ignore how insane so many of my stats and all that are, I haven't had the braincells to play due to covid and traveling almost an entire month prior to getting it. This year has been.. really bad.

Arknights, at its core, is a mobile game that focuses on strategy and tower defense. You strategically place characters (referred to as Operators) down on a top-down, tile style map, keeping their unique classes, skills and talents in mind to protect your base or whatever counts as your "tower" for the specific stage/storyline.

You gain new Operators through a gacha/lottery system called Headhunting, or through a tag system called Recruitment.

Headhunting offers you a chance at the Rate Up high rarity Operators as well as a pool of lower rarity characters. The pool varies by banner. Older Operators have actually been moved to a separate Headhunting system called Kernel Headhunting to give newer players a better chance at obtaining the older Operators from a smaller pool of options. It also occasionally gives players the option to choose which Operators are on Rate Up. Recruitment allows players to narrow down what Operators they can get by selecting up to three tags that are randomly generated for each recruitment. Increasing the Recruitment time helps increase the likelihood of an Operator with the chosen tags being Recruited, but not always. The pool of possible operators a player can receive through recruitment is much smaller than that of the regular or Kernel Headhunting.

You can also get characters for free through events, main story chapters and from purchasing them from the shop using currency you naturally build up by completing daily missions and stages.

I actually consider Arknights to be one of the most F2P friendly live service gacha games I have ever encountered (This is coming from someone with luck so bad their life has been described as an unfortunate Looney Tunes skit by multiple completely unrelated people). In-game currency is also easy to obtain even if you don't have the high rarity "meta" Operators. This is not a game that requires the high rarity characters to play and enjoy. If it was, I wouldn't still be playing after 4 years. I've had to purchase almost all the "meta" characters from the shop just to have the chance at even getting them because they refuse to come home through the gacha system....

The Operator classes include: - Vanguard - Guard - Specialist - Defender - Sniper - Caster - Supporter - Medic

Most of these are pretty self explanatory, but the Arknights Terra Wiki explains them all in really organized simple terms and has clear descriptions of the subclasses!

Unlike another popular gacha game currently out there on the market, Arknights does not forever lock limited events behind their original run duration. Every limited event gets a rerun (roughly taking place between 1-2 years after it's original runtime) and then is later archived and made available forever, whether the player completed it or not. It is also possible to collect materials from stages from the late stages of the main story even if you haven't unlocked them yet thanks to events rewards and shops. Because of this, it's incredibly friendly to new and old players alike.

Over the years it has expanded its game modes and content to include rogue-likes, multi-player modes, and most recently a game mode that requires base construction, exploration, and high level resource gathering and management. Each new limited event and game mode introduces new game mechanics and gimmicks that keep the game play refreshing and challenging.

The other game modes require you to get through the tutorial of the game, which is pretty long and dialogue heavy, but the story is worth it in my opinion and I don't think it should be skipped. I'll pass on explaining those for now since they're relatively easy to look up, but if you're interested in learning more about them, look up: Contingency Contract, Integrated Strategies, Stationary Security Service, Trials for Navigator, or Reclamation Algorithm. The Arknights Terra Wiki is also a good resource for explanations on these game modes.

There's also a base you can build within the main game mode to help passively collect currency and character building materials. It's one of the few ways you're able to interact with other players in the early game. You can decorate the dormitories with different furniture sets, which is pretty cute.

Also the UI is beautiful and I love it and it's easy to understand as long as you DO NOT skip tutorials. Don't do that. For the love of god, you need to pay attention to the tutorials for this game.

Arknights Story:

I'm gonna be so real, I think I used up all my brain power on the game play explanation, so this may sound lackluster ><

Basically:

You play as an amnesiac scientist known as Doctor. The story begins with a rescue operation to retrieve your comatose body from a medical containment unit called a Sarcophagus. It has kept your body stable as well as healed you after an event unknown to you left you gravely injured. The rescue team consisting of Operators once under your command as well as a little Cautus (rabbit) girl named Amiya, pulls you out of the Sarcophagus in the middle of a civil war in the town of Chernobog in the country known as Ursus (you can think of it as an alternative universe USSR populated by a race of bear people also called Ursus).

Amiya quickly fills you in that you are the head researcher of a pharmaceutical company called Rhodes Island that researches and treats an illness known as Oripathy. Oripathy is caused by exposure to a mysterious mineral known as Originium. This mineral is used to fuel most of the machines and magic that exists in this world.

In order to continue research on this terrible and little understand, yet wide spread disease, the Doctor must face rebels, high ranking officials, corrupt governments, ancient beings, gods, and aquatic hiveminds.

The story is much more complex than that, but saying much more spoils quite a bit, so I hate to say much more. I just know that if world building is something you're really interested in and seeing real world connections and inspirations in a story, Arknights is a rich well of that. Many of the characters are based on real life people, events, and mythology/folklore. There are complex governments systems, well thought out civilizations, and unexpected connections between characters and story lines. Despite it's large cast of playable characters, Arknights tries to give each one a meaningful connection to the story, even if it takes years to get to them. The NPCs are memorable and lovable and often become playable if they have an important place in the story or are well received by fans.

There are a lot of really good story summary videos on youtube, but of course now that I'm looking for them, I'm struggling to find them.

All the characters also have profiles with extra info and cutscenes that tie into the main story, side story, or just give insight to how they tie into the world of Arknights.

My only complaint I have with the story is that certain cultures that are often victim of misrepresentation in games do unfortunately suffer a similar fate in Arknights. Arknights has a large cast, and there IS better representation in the character line up than in other games I will not name, but they aren't perfect and can't really be overlooked when compared to the existing characters that do represent their cultural inspirations well. Sargon is the region impacted the most and despite many of my favorite characters originating from this region due to their story and personalities, it's good to take the designs and story with a grain of salt.

Conclusion:

Arknights isn't a game for everyone, even though I do believe the recent additions allow it to be given enough time and effort.

If you're interested in the story and characters but don't want to bother with playing the game, the Arknights Terra Wiki, the Arknights Story Reader (and it's connected github site), Cutscene recordings from the main story and events on Youtube shared by fans, and the Arknights Anime all offer a lot of great info on the story, lore, and characters. I don't think this is a game you actually HAVE to play to properly enjoy the story if you don't want to. There's just A LOT of stuff going on, so it's a lot to keep up with.

Hope all of that made sense, somehow.

[shuttershocky]

hi shutters. im gonna start arknights. do you have any guide/tips for new players? what to do, what to not do, what to save, what to discard, where to find community resources(if they exist). stuff like that. thanks in advance!

Most new player guides will tell you all you need to know about getting started in the game, so I'll list down 5 things about the experience of /learning/ the game instead.

You don't have to play - Before we start, it must be said that Arknights is still a gacha game, an inherently predatory monetization scheme no matter how generous the in-game system is. If you feel like you may be vulnerable to FOMO and spending real money, I don't recommend you play at all. If you're here for the world and characters, Arknights has excellent comics available for free on their website, while players upload most event stories on Youtube for you to read through without having to touch the game. With that said, let's continue.

Take your time - Raising units and generally progressing in Arknights takes a lot longer than in other mobage. Don't worry about things like "catching up". Limited time events that have already had their rerun get added as a part of the main menu permanently, and eventually they even include the free units you get per event. You're generally not going to be missing out on any content (except for 3rd party collabs like the upcoming Monster Hunter event, but that's because they don't own Monster Hunter), so don't feel like you have to rush through the game. It won't work, and you'll get easily frustrated. Think of it more like a puzzle game with updates. You don't rush through puzzle games, the point is to enjoy the puzzle.

Don't spend - This goes for all mobile games in general, but especially Arknights. The money to in-game currency conversion rate is godawful, but the actual flow of the gacha currency (called Orundrum) given to you by just playing the game normally is rather generous. Combined with a few other features that don't need to be discussed here and even a F2P player's account looks like a whale after enough time, because you eventually just get most of the units from how often you're given free rolls. Take it from me, you don't need to buy anything to get gigastacked, it will happen to you over time.

Ask for Help - Arknights is a puzzle game, and that means even with some of the best units in the game, you can find yourself stuck on stages if you have no idea how to approach strategy. If you're ever stuck, Youtube is filled with various clear guides made by the community, targeting everything from lazy clears (often called AFK) by super strong Doctors that don't want to think, to low rarity clears targeted towards new players who are mostly using the 3 star characters (as they are much quicker to raise). Just take a look at the codename of the stage you are stuck on (for example: "WD-EX-8"), and type that into the Youtube search bar. You'll find a ton of different guides from various creators. You can even shoot an Ask to this blog if you want more personalized help, though of course I can only answer those in my free time.

Take reviews with a grain of salt - Probably the biggest source of FOMO pressure in Arknights is the community itself, what with how much content creators love to use clickbait videos telling you a certain unit is a godtier must-have and if you don't have them you WILL be unable to keep up so roll for them NOW or a certain unit is fucking dogshit unusable and if you have them they're a waste of space. No in-betweens. Of course, when you actually get to try these characters for yourself you're going to realize even the absurdly powerful units aren't going to be autowinning stages by themselves (usually), nor are even the most despised, godawful units completely worthless strategically. It's a puzzle game, ultimately a lot more is going to depend on your ability to problem solve. My general rule of thumb when it comes to seeing community reactions to new operators is if everyone says they're good, they're almost certainly very good, but if everyone says a new unit is trash, it's a cointoss as to how bad they actually are. Probably the best recent example is the 6 star Mystic Caster Ebenholz, who was derided as being awkward to use and generally awful in most stages. His stock eventually rose and rose as people discovered that while Ebenholz struggled in most stages, he was incredibly good at taking on stages with very difficult, powerful enemies, flattening most of these elite enemies and bosses in an instant and trivializing the stages meant to be challenging. If you look up Ebenholz online you're mostly going to find people reacting to his initial appearance and calling him bad, but you're not going to see how he's carved out an extremely valuable strategic niche for himself. You never know who's going to end up useful, so don't be afraid to play around with your favorite units.

[milijanakomad]

Product design and psychology: The Role of Grinding in Video Game Design

Keywords: Grinding, Video Gaming, Game Design, Player Engagement, Psychological Manipulation

Abstract:

This paper scrutinizes the utilization of "grinding" as a technique in video game design, particularly as a method of psychological manipulation that affects player engagement and behaviour. Case studies are explored to deliver a comprehensive understanding of the practical application of grinding and its implications, all from a product design viewpoint.

Introduction:

The design principles governing video games frequently incorporate mechanisms intended to stimulate player engagement and prolong interaction time. One such prevalent mechanism is "grinding," defined as the practice of executing repetitive tasks within the game environment to achieve specific objectives. While grinding can evoke a sense of achievement, it also carries the potential to induce exhaustion and frustration among players. This study endeavours to explore the intricacies of grinding, its role in game design, and its influence on player experience.

Explanation:

Coined from the concept of persistently "grinding away" at a task, the term "grinding" in the gaming context implies the undertaking of repetitive actions by a player to attain certain results or to advance within the game. In numerous instances, such actions may not directly correlate with the game's primary storyline or objectives but are aimed at accumulating experience points, in-game currency, or specialized items.

Grinding is an omnipresent component across a vast array of game genres, with its prominence notably manifested in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs). In these games, the player's progression and performance are often gauged based on their character's level, skills, and available equipment.

From the standpoint of game design, grinding assumes several roles. It serves to extend the game's lifespan by instituting goals that necessitate substantial time investment. Additionally, it fosters a sense of accomplishment and progression and can encourage social interaction in multiplayer environments. Despite these advantages, critics contend that grinding can lead to monotonous and ungratifying gameplay experiences. The considerable time commitment required by grinding may propel some players towards purchasing in-game enhancements using real-world money, thereby generating additional revenue for game developers.

Further, there is an ongoing discourse concerning the psychological implications of grinding. Its repetitive and rewarding nature might precipitate addictive behaviours and excessive consumption of time, mirroring the effects typically associated with gambling disorders. Through the exploration of these aspects, we aim to shed light on the complex dynamics of grinding in the context of modern video gaming.

Grinding in Gaming: Conceptualization and Design

Grinding typically refers to the act of performing repetitive actions in a game to attain a specific goal, often associated with levelling up, obtaining items, or advancing in-game skills. Although it can give players a sense of progression, it can also serve as a roadblock, encouraging players to consider alternative paths to progress, such as microtransactions.

Case Study: World of Warcraft

Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft (WoW) extensively employs grinding. Players often engage in repetitive tasks like fighting the same enemies, repeatedly battling against non-player characters (NPCs), or completing the same quests to increase their character's level, to gain experience points, in-game currency, or rare items. This grind contributes to a sense of achievement but has also been criticized for sometimes leading to a tedious gameplay experience.

Case Study: Candy Crush Saga

King's Candy Crush Saga uses grinding as a monetization strategy. As players progress and levels become harder, the option to grind through the game becomes more attractive. Alternatively, players can buy power-ups and boosters to surpass the grind, effectively translating grinding mechanics into revenue for the game developers.

Case Study: Destiny 2

This game provides an example of a 'loot grind.' Players repeatedly complete activities like strikes, raids, or public events to earn 'engrams' – randomized gear drops. The goal is often to collect more powerful gear to increase a character's power level.

Case Study: Old School RuneScape 

In this MMORPG, players might grind by repetitively performing tasks like mining, fishing, or woodcutting. These actions, though monotonous, boost the player's skill levels, enabling them to perform new tasks, quests, or create new items.

Implications for Game Design

Grinding, while a tool to extend game playtime and potentially drive monetization, must be thoughtfully implemented to avoid player fatigue or burnout. Game designers should strike a balance between meaningful progression and repetitive grind, ensuring the game remains engaging and satisfying.

Conclusion

Grinding, as a mechanism of psychological manipulation in video game design, can greatly impact player behaviour and engagement. Striking a balance between challenge, satisfaction, and repetition is vital to ensure a rewarding gameplay experience. As the video game industry advances, it will be intriguing to observe the evolution and refinement of grinding mechanisms and their psychological impact on players.

References:

Sicart, M. (2013). Grinding in Games: Understanding the Appeal. Philosophy of Computer Games Conference, 8-11.

Hamari, J., Alha, K., Järvelä, S., Kivikangas, J. M., Koivisto, J., & Paavilainen, J. (2017). Why do players buy in-game content? An empirical study on concrete purchase motivations. Computers in Human Behavior, 68, 538-546. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2016.11.045

Blizzard Entertainment. (2004). World of Warcraft [Video Game]. Blizzard Entertainment.

King. (2012). Candy Crush Saga [Video Game]. King.

Bungie. (2017). Destiny 2 [Video Game]. Activision.

Jagex. (2013). Old School RuneScape [Video Game]. Jagex.

Yee, N. (2006). Motivations of play in online games. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 9(6), 772-775. doi:10.1089/cpb.2006.9.772

Johnson, M. R., & Woodcock, J. (2019). The impacts of live streaming and Twitch.tv on the video game industry. Media, Culture & Society, 41(5), 670-688. doi:10.1177/0163443718818363

King, D., Delfabbro, P., & Griffiths, M. (2010). Video game structural characteristics: A new psychological taxonomy. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 8(1), 90-106. doi:10.1007/s11469-009-9206-4

Deterding, S., Dixon, D., Khaled, R., & Nacke, L. (2011). From game design elements to gamefulness: defining "gamification". MindTrek '11: Proceedings of the 15th International Academic MindTrek Conference: Envisioning Future Media Environments, 9-15. doi:10.1145/2181037.2181040

[wolfofcelestia]

I’m bit disappointed with recent update

Why is the quadruple banner so soon devs should reduce back-to-back group banners with such a short time period. Infold is getting greedier. I know its all to collect revenue and because the graphics are high quality, but this is especially unfair for f2p players, min-spenders and those who only focus on 1 or 2 LI. The methods to collect gems and the amount we've been given so far isnt even enough.

you can only get the event outfits through the pulls also ,because what if you get your desired card earlier but not the outfit and you have too keep on pulling

The rewards added based on how much you pull is definitely a strategy to get people pulling more. In my other game, GBF, we didn't have that kind of system before but after they implemented it, it definitely gave us a little more of a nudge to keep pulling. The difference between LADS and GBF is that GBF is a lot more generous with their gacha currency and doesn't hide such valuable rewards behind the gacha

LADS is definitely a greedy company. That much has been clear from the very beginning. This is not a f2p-friendly game. It's been the only game I've ever played that's got me to spend pretty regularly, even if it's just a little bit

With how popular they are, they can afford to be greedy and still make bank. But they can also afford to be generous and pull in more players. They just haven't needed to do that yet

Sooner or later, there's going to be another tipping point, just like before when the mega whales in China boycotted the game. This led to a few changes regarding how many diamonds we can gather and three pity systems (choose 3 for rate up, precise wish, and the actual pity system), but they're still really gatekeeping the diamonds

I've already seen a lot of complaints about this quad banner being so close to the last one. The Chinese fans definitely noticed as well and they're not going to let them off easy for this

It definitely isn't fair, especially for how much they've earned and how little we've seen from the game in terms of improvements and QOL. We just need to hope that the Chinese fans are loud enough to push them to giving us those improvements, because if they're like any other gacha, they're really only going to listen to people in their home country

[lorei-writes]

Reverse Unpopular Opinion: Ikemen Prince

HELL YEAH! Thank you for dropping by! >:) And indulging me.

First of all, playing Pri has been extremely comfortable thus far. I can switch routes in the middle without losing my progress? Free paid currency for daily logins? The ability to recharge some of my stamina in exchange for watching ads? One extra chapter ticker per day for ads?? AND THEN I CAN STILL LEAN BACK ON TAPJOY IF NEEDED BE? I've played games that didn't have (some of) those, and although the experience was enjoyable, playing Pri offers me a variety of options I didn't consider before! It tickles my strategy & optimisation muscles and can be very satisfying >:)

Then, the construction of our characters. It's lovely, both in terms of suitors and the MC. Even though not everybody may be swept off their feet, I think most people will find an at least enjoyable route for themselves. Emma is currently my favourite out of all the Cybird's MCs -- she's competent, dedicated, compassionate, and proactive! She faces the reality in front of her! Overall, I think they did a fantastic job writing her as both strong yet caring.

Events: THE CONTINUITY BETWEEN THE EVENTS KEEPS THINGS SO INTERESTING. It makes me feel that there still is stuff to look forward to there, even if the sequel of my favourite character has already been released! I also enjoy the semi-regular re-runs :) I think it makes it a bit friendlier for the new players.

(I'm also a sucker for the Book of Memories event series, although I need to catch up on some of those... But man, the dynamics between them! That's so curious!)

I should also mention the art... But I don't know what to say about it, aside from "I really like it" :'D Similarly, I may be agonising over the design of some characters (...those clothes can be so hard to crochet...), but overall, they look really satisfying. My favourites in that category are Chevalier, Leon, Clavis & Yves!

[stanislawkowalski]

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON. - passing character.

Nikolai "Kolya

Name: Nikolai Alias: Kolya, Nikoś Age: tbc Nationality: Polish-Russian Occupation: Second-in-Command of the Kowalski Crime Syndicate

Background

Nikolai "Kolya" was born to Nastka, a notorious Polish-Russian mafioso, and a young woman named Anya, who was barely an adult herself when she met Nastka. Their relationship was brief, tumultuous, and ultimately doomed—lasting just over a year. Anya left soon after Nikolai was born, unable to cope with the violent world Nastka inhabited. This left Nastka, only 17 at the time, to raise his son alone.

Growing up in the shadow of his father's criminal empire, Kolya was exposed to the harsh realities of the mafia world from an early age. Nastka, despite his ruthless reputation, was fiercely protective of his son and ensured that Kolya received the best education possible. However, this education was twofold—Kolya was as adept at handling a ledger as he was at handling a gun. By the time he was in his teens, he was already being groomed to take over the family business.

Kolya quickly proved himself to be more than capable. His natural intelligence, combined with his father's tutelage, made him a force to be reckoned with in the criminal underworld. By his early 20s, Kolya had earned the respect of even the most hardened members of the syndicate and had become Nastka's second-in-command.

Personality

Kolya is a charismatic and dynamic individual, a sharp contrast to the cold and calculating reputation his father has built. While he is undoubtedly intelligent and strategic, Kolya also knows how to have a good time. He is the life of the party, with a magnetic presence that draws people in. His charm is effortless, and he can easily switch from being the serious, focused leader to the flirtatious, fun-loving man who enjoys the finer things in life.

Kolya has a natural talent for leadership, but unlike his father, who rules through fear, Kolya leads by inspiring full loyalty and trust. He believes in enjoying life and making the most of every moment, which makes him both approachable and respected among his peers. His easygoing nature doesn't mean he lacks discipline; when it's time to get down to business, Kolya is as focused and determined as they come. However, he understands the importance of balance and makes sure to carve out time for pleasure.

Kolya inherited his father's charm and his mother's cheekiness, making him quick with a joke or a playful jab. He has a knack for reading people, which makes him a master negotiator and an expert at diffusing tension with a well-placed quip or smile.

Likes

Partying: Kolya loves to let loose and enjoys the nightlife, whether it’s attending exclusive clubs, hosting lavish parties, or simply hanging out with friends. He has a reputation for being the guy who knows how to have a good time.

Flirting: Kolya is a natural flirt and enjoys the thrill of romantic pursuit. His charm and wit make him irresistible to many, and he often finds himself the center of attention.

Strategy Games: Despite his love for partying, Kolya enjoys games that challenge his mind, such as chess or strategy video games. They are both a way to relax and a way to keep his mind sharp.

Fine Whiskey: A taste inherited from his father, Kolya appreciates a good whiskey, often enjoying a glass while contemplating his next move.

Art and Music: Kolya has a deep appreciation for the arts, particularly modern art and electronic music. His private quarters are adorned with abstract paintings, and he often winds down by listening to his favorite playlists.

Dislikes

Betrayal: Kolya despises disloyalty above all else. In his eyes, trust is a currency more valuable than money, and those who betray it are dealt with swiftly and mercilessly.

Incompetence: Kolya has little patience for those who cannot perform their duties efficiently. He values precision and expects those around him to be as meticulous as he is.

Unnecessary Violence: While he is no stranger to bloodshed, Kolya believes that violence should be a last resort. He prefers to resolve conflicts through negotiation and manipulation, resorting to force only when absolutely necessary.

Boredom: Kolya hates being bored and always seeks out excitement, whether it’s through work, socializing, or finding new adventures.

Traits

Charismatic Leader: Kolya’s natural charm and confidence make him a magnetic leader who can rally those around him. He knows how to inspire loyalty and get people to follow him willingly.

Life of the Party: Kolya’s love for socializing and having fun makes him a popular figure in both the criminal underworld and high society. He knows how to work a room and leave a lasting impression.

Quick-Witted: Kolya inherited his mother’s cheekiness and his father’s sharp tongue, making him quick with a joke or a cutting remark. This wit makes him a master negotiator and an expert at diffusing tension.

Balanced Mindset: Kolya believes in balancing work and pleasure. While he’s dedicated to his role in the family business, he also knows the importance of enjoying life and keeping things light-hearted when possible.

Loyal to a Fault: His loyalty to his father and the family is unwavering. He would rather die than betray those he cares about, though this loyalty sometimes blinds him to the truth.

Strategic Thinker: Kolya excels at seeing the bigger picture, often anticipating his opponents' moves well before they make them. His ability to plan several steps ahead makes him a formidable adversary.

Nikolai "Kolya" is a man who knows how to balance the seriousness of his role as second-in-command with the pleasures of life. Raised by his father, Nastka, to be a leader in the criminal underworld, Kolya has carved out his own identity—a blend of sharp intellect, charm, and a love for life’s finer things. Whether he’s orchestrating a complex operation or enjoying a night out on the town, Kolya approaches everything he does with the same intensity and passion. Beneath his playful exterior lies a mind as sharp as a blade, making him a force to be reckoned with both in and out of the family business.

[eternal-auditor]

What PB did recently is truly something

I played some gachas before, but I've never seen anything like that

Paid currency for a specific banners with a chance up and specific pool of characters, but you can still get them without paying? Yes

Units who you can get only if you pay and no other way? Never

Some gachas I've tried always followed the same strategy: make all characters obtainable for F2P, but make them grind for that and if you still need their money make micro transactions with accessories, like skins, frames, decorations etc.

It could have worked if the game was much more popular and had more content, but with what they have right now it was a stupid move imo

A lot of gachas try to lure new players through their generosity with gifts, but PB think they won't be able to afford that it seems

Idk where it's gonna lead us all, but we'll see

Personally I'm not mad about P2W banners, but that was a weird decision nevertheless

[political-land]



Amazon Paid Almost $1 Billion for Twitch in 2014. It’s Still Losing Money

In 2014, Amazon made a significant splash by purchasing Twitch for nearly $1 billion. The acquisition aimed to strengthen Amazon's foothold in the booming live-streaming and gaming industry. Despite Twitch's immense popularity, a decade later, the platform is still grappling with financial losses.

A Strategic Investment

Amazon's decision to acquire Twitch was driven by the platform's rapid growth and its potential to dominate the live-streaming market. Launched in 2011, Twitch quickly became the leading destination for gamers to broadcast their gameplay and engage with fans. The acquisition was seen as a way for Amazon to diversify and tap into the expanding digital entertainment sector.

Popularity Without Profit

Twitch's user base has continued to grow, attracting over 30 million daily visitors. The platform hosts a variety of content, including gaming, music, art, and talk shows, making it a cultural phenomenon. Major events like TwitchCon draw large audiences, both online and offline, showcasing the platform's broad appeal.

However, despite its popularity, Twitch has struggled to turn a profit. The costs of maintaining and expanding the platform are substantial, with significant investments in infrastructure and payments to top streamers. Competition from other platforms like YouTube Gaming and Facebook Gaming further complicates Twitch's financial situation.

Financial Challenges

One of Twitch's main financial challenges is the immense data requirements to support its vast number of streams. The platform relies on powerful servers to handle millions of live broadcasts simultaneously. Additionally, Amazon's continued investments in Twitch, including exclusive content deals and streamer incentives, put additional pressure on the platform's budget.

Although Twitch generates revenue through advertisements, subscriptions, and bits (Twitch's virtual currency), these earnings have not been sufficient to cover the high operational costs. Amazon remains committed to Twitch, hoping to eventually achieve profitability through new strategies and revenue models.

Future Prospects

Despite these financial hurdles, Amazon is dedicated to Twitch's success. The company is exploring various approaches to enhance Twitch's profitability, such as deeper integration with Amazon Prime and exclusive partnerships. These initiatives aim to secure Twitch's market position and improve its financial health.

Show Your Twitch Spirit!

While Twitch works towards a profitable future, you can show your support by getting some awesome Twitch merchandise. Check out the Twitch Core Logo Tee and proudly wear your passion for Twitch. It's a fun way to back the community and look stylish too! #ad

Conclusion

Amazon's acquisition of Twitch was a visionary move that has kept the platform at the forefront of live-streaming. Despite ongoing financial challenges, Twitch remains a beloved platform with a dedicated user base. With Amazon's continued support and innovative strategies, there's hope that Twitch will eventually achieve profitability while continuing to offer top-notch entertainment and community engagement.

 

[ckret2]

What app or program or website or what do you use to write?

I’m asking because I entirely use the notes app on my tablet and I have no idea what other people use.

I use physical paper notebooks, the default notes app, and 4thewords.

4tw is a site/game that has your character progress the plot and earn materials by beating monsters, which can only be defeated by typing ## words in ## minutes. (Word counts vary by monster; I prefer fighting a string of small ones, like 50 words in 5 minutes.) It's designed to take the strategies that make things like free-to-play/pay-to-win games so addictive and use them for good by gamifying writing, so you keep going "—okay one more monster—" and bam suddenly you've written like 5000 words.

It's a 30 day trial and then a subscription service, but honestly if I had to cancel every single subscription I have except one this is the one I'd keep.

Also you can make cute little avatars.

I am shamelessly showing off sweet sweet high-wordcount loot I earned as far back as the 2018 nanowrimo special event. I finally get to live out my childhood dream to have an over-decorated Gaia Online-esque avatar, except instead of getting it by grinding games for imaginary currency, I just had to write a metric ton of words.

Anyway there's my pitch for 4tw, I think it's a very useful site

EDIT: and since at least one person has decided to try out 4tw thanks to this post, if ur interested, my referral code is ZIUQJ49028 ✨

[whimsyplays]

Reverse 1999: Gacha gaming, but with a story that is worth it.

I've been playing the mobile game Reverse 1999 by Bluepoch since it released globally in October of 2023. I had been seeing the ads via the app store for a while and the time traveling themed turned based JRPG caught my eye.

It is so much more than the ads could have prepared me for, but first, let's get down to the nitty gritty of genre:

Reverse 1999 is a gacha game. A gacha game is game that implements a gambling mechanic where you spend a special in-game currency to have a chance to get something that you want. That chance is not always guaranteed and you can spend real world currency to purchase more chances. This is, of course, what funds the often free to play games. It is gambling and should be done in moderation and with caution. Like with most of these kinds games, I would suggest not going in fully blind - look up guides and tier lists to see what is the best use of your resources.

All that being said, Reverse 1999 is very generous with its rewards and has many fun and engaging events that keep them coming. It's not challenging to play the game for free, as I have been doing, although with the quality game that I've been experiencing, I'm sorely tempted to purchase something just to show my support.

Now to the game itself:

The game is a turn based card battler - you control three to four characters in a battle and each has one of three cards that go into a hand; two normal abilities and an ultimate that they have to build up to. You can play manually or auto. What cards you have in your hand are luck of the draw (with some means of reshuffling or controling that, of course) which I know some people might take issue with, but I think is rather fun. The simple card based system opens it up to complexities and strategies which the characters you choose bring to the table - which means teambuilding is very important part of the game.

When playing manually, the card based combat is fun; its strategic and satisfying. Playing auto and it's convenient for getting through dailies quickly.

The best part of this game for me, however, is the story and the voice acting.

The game story reads as a visual novel set in a rich and thought provoking setting. I don't want to spoil anything, so I wont go into too much detail, but you are following the main character, Vertin, who is immune to the current vexation of the magical community; The Storm. The writing is great, the cast of characters memorable and well thought out. Even the event stories are amazing; voice acted, well themed, and with grand character arcs. They either scratch a great genre itch or leave you thinking - like most great pieces of media should.

All in all, so far Reverse 1999 is a 10/10 game for me - so long as they get rid of that stupid double banner they did with Centurion and Tooth Fairy. Come on, Bluepoch. You know what you're doing.

[go-go-devil]

Dark Souls Advice for Beginners: A Mindful Approach to a Challenging Classic

Dark Souls is, without question, one of the best games I’ve ever played… Which is why it pains me to still see so much gameplay discussion regarding it being overshadowed by overblown exaggerations of its difficulty or judgemental opinions hurled at others over whatever they think the "correct" and "incorrect" ways to play the game are.

As someone who recently beat the game for the very first time, I want to dispel these unhelpful ideologies and offer some tips I’ve picked up on just from playing the game by myself in hopes that they can help out beginners who want to experience this wonderful game first-hand.

This will NOT be made up of objective gameplay tips that one can find in hundreds of guides at this point (ex: how to parry, best order of bosses to fight, where to get the grass crest shield, etc.). Instead, this guide aims to narrow down the most important mindsets one should adopt while playing to best ease themself into this game’s challenging-but-rewarding mechanics BEFORE they would need to ask for help.

Dying is a Lesson, not a Punishment

Most people who've heard of Dark Souls even in passing are aware of the penalty given to players every time they die: losing your souls and humanity, or basically the in-game currency and natural resistance bonus + bonfire kindler + icreaser of finding item drops, among other things.

And you will die in this game.

A LOT!

Although this game has become infamous for having a high difficulty, it actually handles its death penalties very fairly in my opinion.

Like its predecessor, Demon’s Souls, this game expects the player to die many times throughout the adventure, and the gameplay accommodates for this. While the cost of death is losing ALL of your on-hand souls and humanity, the game gives you a second chance to reclaim those lost souls by returning to the spot where you died and recollecting them on the ground. It is only if you die again before reaching your souls that they disappear forever.

If you find yourself dying over and over again without making any meaningful progress, it’s best to view this as the game not telling you “Oh wow you must be terrible at playing this game!” but instead as suggesting “Perhaps you are not fully prepared to venture through this area or kill this boss just yet.”

Dark Souls 1 offers a lot of open-endedness to its world-design. If you’re stuck in one area, then try exploring another one. You’ll always find something useful wherever you go, and you’ll keep on getting better at the game the more you practice with the freedom you’re given!

Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment

Hopefully this one is obvious to you, but I know some people might be afraid they crafted their Chosen Undead “wrong” simply because of the very first choices they made. Like I said in the previous tip, exploration is the name of the game; not just in the world itself, but also for the gameplay and leveling system.

While indeed some weapons have better damage output than others, and starting characters’ stats often imply that you should go for a certain build (ex: Clerics = Faith Build), what’s wonderful about Dark Souls is that you don’t NEED to stick with one build throughout the entire journey. The early portion is meant to be a time to discover your personal best ways of getting through the game.

For a personal example, I started out as a Thief: a class with great dexterity, but with only decent points in faith and intelligence. While I was primarily building my character around dex and endurance, I did experiment with the various magic systems in the game and found I really loved using various sorcery spells, so I made sure to level up my intelligence & attunement whenever I felt it best just so I could use more. This strategy led to my character being a sort-of-mixed build of sorcery and dexterity, which ended up being a lot of fun for me!

Experimentation is not just limited to weapons and builds either! Dark Souls does an excellent job with placing items to find in areas where you may need to use them, so be sure to try them out whenever you find them. You won’t know how useful an item will be to you unless you give it a go, so save the hoarding for only after you’ve grown to covet them.

Use (but Don’t Abuse) Your Shields

For a newcomer to the game, the shield is a tool that is just as invaluable as any weapon you'll find. In a game so full of unpredictable hazards, the shield is both your lifeline and an important tool to learn the attack patterns of your enemies. 

I hid behind my shield constantly when traveling through the first few areas of Lordran, which certainly saved me a good few deaths I would’ve otherwise gotten from still getting a hang of the controls (and with my limited estus flasks). More importantly, however, having my shield up allowed me to study the speed and variety of my foes' strikes. Once I felt like I understood them well enough, I naturally began using my shield less and less when fighting them, eventually reaching the point where if I wasn't two-handing my weapon I was using my shield for parrying enemy attacks.

However, this is where the don’t abuse part comes in.

While it’s certainly a good idea to always have one at the ready at the start of a new area, it is also unwise to fully rely on the shield for protection against every foe you meet. Eventually you WILL find some enemies that won’t stumble back after you block their attacks, or even ones that won’t be bothered by your shield at all.

Really it all comes down to using common sense when up against your foes. Think of the shield just as you would a weapon; if it isn’t going to work, then don’t wear it down for nothing!

The World is Your Oyster, and Won't Bend To Your Every Whim

Possibly the most important tip I can provide to those just getting into the souls series, so take this one to heart!

One major feature of Dark Souls is the fact that it constantly autosaves EVERY action you make as you play through the game, which in turn means that it makes nearly every action you do permanent.

If you used a rare titanite material to upgrade a weapon you’re still not entirely sure about using or if you killed an npc for their armor/item drops but then felt bad about it, you CANNOT simply reload your save and reset everything. Your actions have consequences, and you need to learn to live with them.

Thinking out your every approach is vital to getting the most out of this game. When you're upgrading your stats, carefully consider what you feel would benefit you the most for the next area/boss you plant on going to. If you have limited resources, then spend some time planning out when and where it’s best to use them. If you have a weapon that requires a TON of souls and/or rare materials to upgrade, then perhaps contemplate on if it's even worth the effort or not.

Dark Souls has very strong opinions on players who are driven by greed, so smart thinking can help you avoid how the game expresses those opinions so to speak ;)

Hopefully these tips will help you out on your own first journey through this truly amazing video game. So have fun, and Prepare to Die!