Guide on Novels and Games - VIDEOGAME CHARACTERS - PART 5 - GG

For this genre I have more experience and knowledge so, in theory, I should be able to come out with something with more sense.

About gatcha games we need to keep in mind the following elements:

### Daily Gift

All the gatcha games, and not only them, have a gift system that send a gift to your mail for every day of login.

Depending on the design of the game we can have:

* **Weekly** The gift is based on seven days, once received the 7th day gift the counter restart the following days. A variant of this is that there is a hidden week counter that increase the gift obtained every time a full week is completed, for example the first week on monday I obtain 5k of money, the second week on monday I receive 10k instead of 5k because I did the login for 2 consecutive weeksincrease thanks to the counter and become 10k, the third week 15k and so on until the counter reach the max programmed.
* **Month** In this format there are various gifts that are planned for an entire month. Due to the various games I saw in the time I can say that there are mainly 3 variation of this
	+ Calendar, the month is calculated on the normal calendar and follow it so the reset of it happen at the change of the month. When the calendar month is followed, if a player start to play when the month is already started than the player will receive the rewards from the first day without the chance of finish the month, for example that I start to play a game the 14 of the month, with the month be of 30 days, this mean that I'll be able to obtain the rewards of that month till the day 16 and then the monthly rewards will be resetted.
	+ Independent Month, in this case we have a month of 30 days but that don't follow the one in real life, since the situation is like this then me, the player, can start to play whenever he want resulting in the chance of take all the rewards.

One thing that is common in gatcha games is that if you miss even a single day then you'll have to restart from the beginning, and this usually work for all the games that apply the week lenght reward system, BUT a couple of times I saw that after I missed one day I hadn't the reset of the day counter but till now dunno if that happened due to a bug or for the design, in the doubt I didn't checkedn the totally of all the games I want to line what I saw.

The content of the reward differ depending on the project, this because different projects have different mechanics and grow, but let me give you some of what can be found between them:

* Normal currency, the quantity of it can depend by various factors like how much consecutive weeks the player accumulated or, if a monthly system is used, how much the month progressed, for example in the first of the month I receive 500 coin then the 8th 1000, the 15th I receive 1500, the 22th 2000 and lastly in the 29 I receive 2500
* Items, depending on the game items are included but the type differ so is possible found items aimed to help the character grow, like ones that grant exp, or that help the player, like items that recover the energy for play.
* Units, in some cases I saw that units can be obtained via daily/monthly gifts

### Money, Currencies and Shops

The various currencies and shops we can found in a game are deeply connected between each other but let see first the currencies.

When we talk of currencies we need to separate them between:

* **Normal & Particular currency**, they are both normal currencies but since games can have various normal ones I called the classical one ,like gold coins, the normal currencies while the others "particular".
* **Special Currency**, this is a different type of currency, a particular one that is difficult to obtain in game and that is mainly purchased in the shops.
* **Real currency**, the one we use in our real life, is mainly used in the shops

Once lined the type of currencies I can start expanding their concept and use in games

#### NORMAL & PARTICULAR CURRENCY

This currencies is the most easy one to obtain of all the currencies and can have various uses in the games:

* Used when upgrading a weapon, depending on the game is possible upgrade a weapon using only the currency but the most used method is use both currency and items.
* Used when upgrading a skill, in some cases the currency is used together with items
* Performing drawing if tickets are not present in the inventory, normally in gatcha is present a relative draw shop where you can do draws using the normal currency of the game.
* Purchasing items in the internal shop, in some cases there is a section in the shops that is specific for the type
* Upgrade structures, if they are present is possible that a normal currency is used together items or on its own.

The way for obtain this currencies are:

* Completing quests, normally this games give daily missions, weekly missions or both of them and completing such missions give rewards that most of the times are together other things like EXP and other things
* Completing levels, every level give always a reward once completed
* Monthly and Daily Login, normal currency is always between the rewards
* Friend support, alternative currencies, like friendship points and similar, are obtained when using friend's help or when someone use your help.

#### SPECIAL CURRENCY

Special currencies are the ones that are a little difficult to obtain and one of the main source of incoming for gatcha games, I saw that most of the games use crystals as special one.

The way this type of currency is used are:

* Purchase in shops, in shops there are specific type of items that can be obtained only using such currency
* Accelerate building, if the game have the presence and evolution of structures than is normal that the upgrade of the building will take time and the currency can be used for accelerate the construction

#### REAL CURRENCY

**Money** Every game that use the net mainly have always 2 type of currency, normal and premium. The normal currency is mainly used for some basic actions like purchase certain items and do some upgrades and can be obtained via quests and selling things in the shops but can be purchased too using real money in the shops. Usually the normal currency are, for example, golden coins and is mainly used for actions like do certain upgrades. Premium currency is the second type of money that can be found in most online games... depending on the game this type change the "role", but in gatcha is common use them for do special draws for obtain high level units, items and summons in the "premium draw" section.

**Shop** In this section is possible buy things for the game. When we talk about shop we need to point the difference between 3 type of shops: > Item exchange, basically you exchange certain items for other things. The items exchanges work in various ways so let me give you a couple of examples a player can found... EXAMPLE 1: I have a low grade weapon, go in the shop and using materials and normal currency I exchange it for a replica of the high level version then with more rare materials I exchange the replica for the real weapon that is of the highest rarity... in this example some people can say that what I do was a power up or some kind of upgrade but this is not true since in gatcha games power up a weapon is basically increase its level EXAMPLE 2: every time I make a draw I obtain a special item that I use as some kind of alternate currency and buy items and materials of middle level rarity > Normal currency, the player buy things using the normal currency of the game, normally what can be purchased are

## Draws and relative items

The main feature of a gatcha game is that of use a certain type of value for draw items.

1. In the week case, if you Usually if you miss a single day i log in anytime and

* + in this case we have a virtual calendar of 30 days that don't follow the normal calendar or we can have a calendar that follow the calendar of the server. When the counter reach the end of the month is resetted.

* **Things that can be draw** Every gatcha game have a very big and long list of things a player can draw, normally the common rarity chart used is N, R, SR, SSR and the things that can be obtained are:
	+ *Units*, the characters that will fight for the "summoner", in games is okay if the list is quite long but in novel a gatcha unit list must be not too long for the simple reason that more characters mean more work especially if they appear only a couple of times, resulting in a waste of time. Aside all of this we need to keep in mind this points about the units:
		- Gender, units can have a gender (male or female), both (mean that have both male and female reproduction organs) or none (golem and slimes are two examples of things that don't have a gender but normally authors and designers give them one).
		- Race, units can be of any race and this mean that they can be humans, elves, beasts, golems or whatever race.
		- Skills, gatcha units have normally 2 skills but the one with highest rarity have instead 3, in a game I play units have 2 personal skills and obtain other, max 3, thanks to the equipment they use but is more precise say that this added skills are the one of the equipment.
		- Attribute, basically each unit have some kind of attribute that determine is an attack is boosted, weakened or don't have a bonus or malus, keep in mind that not all the games use the classical attribute (fire, water, air, earth) in fact there is a famous game that use as attributes the classes of the units for example in that game archer is strong against saber but is weak against lancer that is basically like said that fire is strong against air but weak against water.
		- Number of copies, certain games make possible have more than one copy of a single unit in the inventory while others instead make this not possible and accept only alternate version like a christmas version or a halloween version, in this last case if the player draw the same unit the game is made so that will give something else like an item.
	+ *Summon*, another classical element that we can found in the gatcha, about them we need to remember:
		- Area of effect, with this I mean if their action damage a single enemy, damage all the enemy, support a member of the team, support all the team damage in this case they can be called on the field or a single time or after a cooldown period that can be seconds or a number of turns, in theory more powerfull a summon is more long is the CD or even limit the summon to only one time at fight.
		- Attribute, like for the normal unit for the summon too is need an attribute but since in most games they are just used for attack then is simple used for know against which attribute they inflict more damages, they inflict less damages are strong and which attribute don't gain bonus or malus.
		- Number of copy, contrary to units, summons can have various copies in the inventory and the reason is that normally they are used for boost the summons. In novels is better limit the use of summon or exclude them mainly because their attacks are AoE but in "reality" they destroy the environment and can hurt not targets, for this reason is better don't use them.
	+ *Items*, the last things that we can take out from a gatcha, this items can be equipments for the unit or materials used for level up or rank up the units. In novels the item list can include other things aside the "normal one" so can include camping sets, food, various type of medicaments and so on. Normally items in gatcha games don't modify the appearance of the unit but in "real life" when they are equipped they do.
* **Protagonist and Account's level** In certain gatcha we have the MC of the game that summon the units that fight for him/her but in some games the MC fight alongside the summoned units. In the first case the level of the MC is basically the level of the account that dictate the quantity of energy own and in this case the level of the MC is different other we have the MC that fight and summon other units as support, in this case the protagonist have stats different from the other units... for make an example while a SSR unit can reach max level 120, the MC can reach level 999 plus it can use a change job system that make it able to change its abilities and stats while all the other units are fixed with their roles so while a tank unit stay a tank unit the MC can become a wizard, a healer or a tank at will. In novels is possible do something like that but instead change the appearance is better keep any change limited to only the skills and the type of equipment one can use.
* **Party** With party I mean the team that a player configure and take in the battle of the game. Usually every game grant to the player the chance of make various teams
* **Inventory** Like any other inventory it contain all the items that are Normally in the inventory we can found all the items but in some cases I saw that the units too can be found in this section. This feature don't need any power up in novels.

* **Draw** With this I refer to the action of draw items and is need to say that this action can give particular results but let me be more clear. I play a game that make possible draw units and equipment for the units but it's not that both type of draw happen in the same section infact I have a section for draw only equipment and a section for draw only units. For the draws we need to remember 2 important part that are the "rate up event", that are events where the chance of obtain rare things is increased, and the different type of draw that is possible do. With my last sentence I wanted to say that mainly in gatcha games we can have mostly2 type of draw system, the first use the normal money of the game that grant low level items, units and summon (normally is all things with rarity N and R) and the other that use Premium currency that grant batches of more high rarity (SR and SSR). For what concern the quantity of things that we can obtain from the draws, the options that we normally have are the single draw or the draw x10, in the latter case certain games use the 10+1 offer where you obtain the result of the normal 10 draws but is added another thing, in 2 games I know I saw that in a case the number 11 is a unit while in the other game is a special item used for... don't remember the specific use at the moment but is usefull.
* **Power Up** In games all the summons, units and items, equipments for be more precise, can be upgraded and powered and depending on the game we can do this from a specific section or go in the page of what we want to upgrade and then select the option.
* **Guild** Every online game have this "social" function with different names, like clan or crew, where basically players join or create new groups. This function offer various benefict to all the players that join and this they can change depending on the game but usually they are passive bonuses for the stats of the units or special shops only for the members.
* **Friends** In all the multyplayer gatcha games, this function is used for grant some help to the players, basically a player ask to become "friend" to another and when the request is accepted then what happen depend on the game in fact in some games is possible "share" as help a summon or a unit while in others is possible send special points that are used in specific shops
* **Quest** They are the missions/quests that every game have. Basiacally a player complete them and can obtain rewards that can be money, units, equipments and/or other things. They can be: > daily, they are though so that they can be done in the day > weekly, that are similar to the daily but are though for a week > story, they basically move with the story and every time the player reach a certain point the mission is considered completed > social, they are missions that are connected to the social aspect of the game and this mean join a guild, send X points to the friends, have X number of friends, etc. > collection, they are quests based on the player's collection and with "colletion" I mean the list of items, units and whatever is in the game, every X collected the quest is completed. > growth, this are missions mainly connected to the growth of the player and every time the account reach a level a quest of this type is completed. > event, they are quests that appear only during the events connected dhow much items and mean that they are though
* **Guide** Normally this function let the player remind the events that happen in the games like the story progression, interlude of characters and so on pluse it give hints about the game like give tutorial and similar
* **Hub** With this I refer to the start page from where every player can reach the main pages that are the shops, the units, etc.

And now my consideration about this...

On their own every function don't really need power up or changes but I think that there are 2 methods for use them in a novel.

> First method, the user work like it is the main unit after he/she obtain the "power" then follow this rules:

>> MC's party is composed only by summoned units or by "normal companions" + summoned.

>> Make a long list of items that the user can use and this include camping tools and other things.

>> summoned units are true living beings and not drones and dolls and this mean that they eat,

drink, sleep, get tired, feel pain and have personalities.

>> Units and user use every equipment piece like is normal items and this mean that if one wear

an armor obtained via gatcha its appearance will change.

> Second method, the user play a gatcha game on its own and can virtually equip anything resulting in him/her obtain the skills of what is equipped.

In the case of units and summons we have the user obtain the skills of the units and summons plus a bonus based on what is equiped, what come to my mind right now are 2 possibility:

1. multiply the user's physical abilities for the rank of the equipped unit/summon, in this case the lowest rank don't multiply for one but for 1,5 while the highest is equal to the highest rank so if the game have as highest rank 5 than there will be a x5 multiplier.
2. the user obtain the highest stat of the equipped unit/summon, with this I mean that basically the author look at the stats of the unit/summon and give to the user the highest (for example if the ATK is the highest then the user obtain a strenght bonus).

In the case of items like weapons and armors than is possible grant to the user 2 possible result too:

1. the user obtain bonus stats from the equipment where the ATK is equal to the physical strenght and the DEF is the END (endurance, that basically is the human body's ability of resist to damages),
2. the user's equipment is influenced by what is equipped, so any weapon is boosted when a similar one is equipped, for example if the user equip a spiked mace than any type of blunt weapon like a pipe or bat will be boosted, same story for the armors that in this case influence the clothes, for example a normal shirt become hard like iron or steel.

For prevent this power to be too much powerfull from the beginning is better put various quests that will upgrade the system during the story.

When I said upgrades I meant that at the beginning is possible equip only an equipment piece or a unit of the lowest rank and then, after completed the rank up quest, is possible equip something of superior rank or increase the slots... said like this can be confusing so let me give you an example... I start with the ability of equip only a rank 1 equipment piece, I do the quest and then I can chose:

* Unlock the rank 2, I can equip a rank 1 or 2 weapon.
* Unlock new slot, I can equip only rank 1 but now I can equip 2 equipment pieces and not only one.
* Unlock units, I can equip an equipment piece or a unit.

Every time I complete the quest I basically have this possibilities as rewards but every time I do that the quest become more difficult.

I know that come out with an entire gatcha game for a novel is quite difficult and is for this reason that I want to give you to possible hints

1. make a fake gatcha game and give less possible info, instead make long lists of items and units just make one that have the names of the things the MC obtain and make a raw guess of units and items that the MC want or can obtain but that in all the story never draw it, this way it give a vibe of be "complete" while instead it's not.
2. Use as base an already existing gatcha game, if you actively play it is even better because this give you a better understanding on how that game work and so use it is more easy. If used in a web novel is better say clearly at the beginning that you are using that game as base or reference and that you don't own any right on the game, this is important since we don't know how and when the owner of the rights of the game can come out and create problems.

I personally saw that there is a novel and a manga that have the MC that use a gatcha system as power on his smartphone, it's cute but the manga come out irregularly.