Mingchao is a dazzling new star in the current game industry. Xiakong, a new five-star resonator, is like a carefully planned art performance, with complex materials and ingenious designs like chess. The various materials required, such as low-frequency tidal eclipse sail cores, medium-frequency tidal eclipse sail cores, and even burning phosphorus bones and golden wool, all reveal the game designers’ precise grasp and subtle control of players’ psychology. The article aims to analyze how the hidden game mechanisms behind these complex materials subtly affect the behavior and mentality of players.
Xiakong’s materials are summarized and the number is amazing. 29 low-frequency tidal eclipse sail cores, 40 medium-frequency tidal eclipse sail cores, 52 high-frequency tidal eclipse sail cores and 61 full-frequency tidal eclipse sail cores are like a group of notes, composing a symphony of player growth. Special materials such as burning phosphorus bones and golden wool are the finishing touches, giving the game mystery and challenges. Such complex development requirements are far from a simple accumulation of numbers, but a mental trap carefully arranged by the designers – in the game of desire and patience, players are invisibly guided to a deeper immersion.
First, the hierarchical progression from low frequency to full frequency tidal sail core is like the gradual increase of life experience. The initial low frequency is like a young boy, simple and easy to obtain; the high frequency and even full frequency are like a wise man who has seen the world and is difficult to obtain easily. This layer-by-layer progression not only satisfies the players’ gradually increasing sense of achievement, but also builds a barrier of difficulty invisibly, prompting players to invest more time and energy. This design is actually a dose of “psychological orientation medicine”, which makes people willing to pay for the game like long-term labor in reality.
The acquisition of the burning phosphorus bone is quite symbolic of the sighing ancient dragon. The name of the sigher itself carries a bit of sadness and helplessness, and players need to pay sweat and even frustration to fight for this thing, just like the struggle and pain in the pursuit of life. The scarcity and purchase restrictions of the Golden Fleece reproduce the limited and competitive resources in modern society. Players replicate the contradictions and conflicts of real life in this virtual world.
In terms of the development of special weapons, it reveals the meaning of “discipline” in the capital game. The level progression from simple to special shackles is not only a test of the player’s patience, but also like shackles, symbolizing the limitation of the player’s freedom. The high demand for high-purity crystallized phlogiston and the expenditure of massive shells all show the real allegory of “resources are power”. Players want to get powerful equipment, only to pay more. This process deeply reflects the universal law of “benefits and sacrifices” in modern society.
Talking about the complexity of the resonance circuit material, it covers the four-level advancement of crystallized phlogiston and the rare challenge of “iris blooming day”, which is actually the designer’s test of the player’s patience. If players want to shape the summer sky to the peak, they must wear down their will in day-to-day challenges, which not only satisfies the desire for achievement, but also has to face the long and boring. This kind of “pain and happiness” design undoubtedly strengthens the stickiness of the game and the players’ sense of dependence.
In addition, the special “stuffed meat tofu” buff effect in the game, although it gives players convenience on the surface, actually prompts players to intensively brush materials within a limited time, strengthening the sense of urgency of time and anxiety about resources. This design technique is nothing less than a microcosm of “efficient anxiety” in modern life, reflecting the rapid and fragmented rhythm of contemporary society.
The setting of recharge discounts and discount codes is the key bridge for the conversion of real currency and virtual currency. Players pay real money to improve the game experience in exchange for growth and pleasure in the game. This behavior is both a self-investment and obedience to the game mechanism. The discounts on the Treabar platform are considerate, but they are also a means to maximize commercial interests. While enjoying the convenience, players have to be coerced by the capital game.
Overall, the complex material system of Mingchao Xiakong is by no means a simple game development strategy, but an exquisite psychological battle. Designers successfully bring players into a cycle of “investment equals expenditure” through progressive material requirements, the creation of scarce resources, the setting of time pressure, and the guidance of the monetary system. In this cycle, players experience the construction of self-worth and also feel the invisible constraints of consumerism.
This is the double-edged sword of contemporary game design: it not only stimulates players’ desire to participate and sense of accomplishment, but also makes them fall into the complex exchange of “material-time-money”. Mingchao Xiakong is the product of the fusion of this era spirit and game mechanism. It brings players not only the fun of fighting and adventure, but also the metaphor and reflection of modern social culture.
If we can clear the fog behind the accumulation of materials and see the ingenuity of designers and the struggle of players, we may be able to more deeply understand the invisible boundary between games and reality, and the role played by humans in it.