Chapter 328 - Running Commentary
"I see… So it really is a bit like a puzzle, isn't it?"
"Whoa, you nailed it, Sora-san. Right on the money."
After clearing the [Four-Sided Mixed Tower], while following Tora-kichi as he led us to our next destination, I was doing a little post-battle review with my partner cradled in my arms.
I was explaining how MMOs often have boss fight gimmicks like that, and that was Sora's take on it.
She'd hit the nail on the head. In fact, mechanics like those are often called 'puzzles' or 'group jump rope' challenges.
Take the [Altera Anguis (The Ten Unblinking Heads)] we just fought, for example. We had to feed it magic orbs. Not just any orbs, either—we had to feed it orbs of different attributes, one by one. It was one of those 'tasks you absolutely have to perform correctly or suffer immense damage' kind of things.
Personally, I don't dislike them, but if a game relies on only that sort of thing or messes up the difficulty tuning, it has a high chance of being labeled a trash game.
I once played an MMO with a boss fight that required every player on the field to pass a mysterious ball around before playing a game of Struck Out with some random targets, and only after we achieved a bingo would the boss's barrier drop, allowing us to attack.
Naturally, it was massively unpopular with the player base.
While we were performing that 'mysterious ritual,' the invincible boss would be casually rampaging around, hordes of trash mobs would constantly spawn from nowhere, and even after completing the gimmick, we could only chip off about ten percent of its HP at a time. It was an absolute free-for-all.
I vividly remember a friend of mine complaining, 'They're confusing difficult with tedious.'
In that regard, Arcadia's balance is pretty decent. The core difficulty is usually determined by the boss's own combat power, and the 'puzzles' and 'jump rope' challenges are kept to a minimum, more like an accent to the fight.
…[Dusty Worm, Great Serpent of Dust]? [Bastide, Scion of Dust]?
Right, I remember them. A couple of real garbage enemies that had no business being in a tutorial map…
"Anything else you were curious about?"
Once I finished my explanation, complete with a trip down memory lane, I prompted her for the next question. Sora thought for a moment, murmuring, "Let's see…" before asking—
"About Rinne-san… how was she drawing 'hate' during that last battle? She was only blocking attacks and never struck back once, yet the target never left her from start to finish, right?"
"Ah, that."
Hate—in other words, it's an index showing how likely you are to be targeted by an enemy. In games, it exists as a clear numerical value.
For example, attacking might increase hate by 1.
Healing might increase hate by 2.
Using an item might increase hate by 3.
It varies from game to game, but basically, every player action is assigned a value, and the one who has accumulated the most becomes the target.
When we first started out, I was mindful of it when fighting with Sora, but since we were a pair, hate control was easy. Then she became a frontline fighter herself relatively quickly, so I missed the chance to give her a detailed explanation.
"It's a pretty rare system, I think, but in this game, 'blocking an attack' seems to spike your hate like crazy. In other words, a player on defense is more likely to be targeted than a player on offense."
Of course, if the attacks are relentless enough, the target will shift. However, all in all, you could say Arcadia's game design is 'kind to tanks.'
There are countless nonsensical games out there where a tank's job is supposed to be standing on the front lines and being the party's 'shield,' but because they can't generate enough hate, they have to focus on attacking instead of defending.
And eventually, in the pursuit of maximum efficiency, people start saying, 'Do we even need a tank?' While there are certainly games where they play a major role, it's a position that often gets the short end of the stick.
"Also, I'm pretty sure Rinne has a Taunt skill. I think I saw some effects that looked like it every now and then."
"A taunt…"
It's a word you come across quite often if you dabble in gaming, but I guess it's not something you'd typically learn, huh?
"It means something like 'to mock' or 'to jeer.' Basically, it's a kind of hate boost. It might increase the hate you generate for a period of time or forcibly lock the target onto you for a set duration… There are lots of different types of these, too."
"I see…"
And with that, our little review session came to a close.
As I felt a sense of calm wash over me from Sora's dutiful "Thank you very much," my legs continued to move mechanically—
"Ah… Haru?"
"Yeah, looks like we're being summoned."
Looking ahead, I saw Tora-kichi bounding forward on his explosive run. And just above him, perched on the invisible [Cleave Fang], was Rinne, beckoning us over.
I sped up to run alongside them… and just as I thought, she must have been watching our 'review session.' The face of the so-called 'Sound Armor' had a faint, smug grin plastered on it.
Yeah, that's right, we're close. Bet you're jealous.
"What's up?"
"Nyufufu… Um, well, it seems there are two possible routes up ahead—"
What's with the 'nyufufu'—I held back the retort that would, in a roundabout way, end up damaging my own psyche.
Rinne, who had likely been tasked with conversation duties by Tora-kichi as he focused on controlling his avatar, began to consult with me and Maru II, who chimed in with occasional notes, about the path of our journey.
"Ooohhh… I love it…! I can't help but ship them…!"
—I ignored Rinne's periodic fits as she swooned at the sight of me princess-carrying Sora.
"It's quite impressive that you can maintain that level of avatar control at such a speed while carrying someone and holding a conversation…"
—I was met with a rather belated look of exasperation from Maru II-shi.
"I see—Sora-san, you decide which way you'd like to go."
"H-Huh…?!"
—And I tried surprising Sora by suddenly dumping the choice of routes on her.
The lively and enjoyable leg of our journey had only just begun.
My legs, carrying me ever onward with good-natured companions, felt as light as ever.
Princess carry (default).