A Letter from the Genshin Impact Development Team to Players

This article contains AI-generated translation.

各位cb1内测玩家以及各位关注原神本次测试的同学，cb1测试已经结束，我作为项目负责人，在此代表制作组全体同学，深切感谢大家在本次测试中的辛苦与付出。
To all CB1 beta testers and those who have been following the testing of *Genshin Impact*, the CB1 testing phase has come to a close. As the project leader, on behalf of the entire development team, I want to express our heartfelt gratitude for your hard work and dedication during this testing phase.

针对cb1期间大家广泛反馈的问题，和一些对未来的疑问，我会在此向大家作下解答：
In response to the wide range of feedback and questions raised during CB1, I would like to address them here:

在回答具体问题之前，我还是想先跟大家，特别是长期关注米哈游发展的老朋友们简单同步一下原神项目的目标与定位。
Before answering specific questions, I would like to provide a brief update to everyone, especially our long-time friends who have been following miHoYo's development, on the goals and positioning of the *Genshin Impact* project.

原神项目最早尝试于2017年1月底立项，彼时崩3已正式上线运营，为了进一步提升公司核心研发能力，能够在几年后再次给玩家呈现有跨越式品质提升的产品，我开始正式考虑崩3后的新项目。大家都知道，崩3作为一个3d动作游戏，也是我们米哈游做的第一个3d游戏，它与崩2的横版表现，在制作手段上是有显著提升的。但是在此之后，再做什么，才能让人觉得提升显著，那时我还只有一个模糊的答案，就是做一个真正有单机沉浸感的开放世界游戏。
The *Genshin Impact* project was initially conceived in late January 2017, when *Honkai Impact 3rd* was already in full operation. In order to further enhance our core development capabilities and present players with a product of significantly improved quality a few years later, I began considering the new project after *Honkai Impact 3rd*. As you all know, *Honkai Impact 3rd*, as a 3D action game, was miHoYo's first foray into the realm of 3D gaming, and it represented a notable advancement in terms of production techniques compared to its predecessor, *Houkai Gakuen 2*. However, the question remained: What could we do next to make a significant leap forward? The answer was vague at that time, but it involved creating an immersive single-player open-world game.

开放世界是一个十分宽泛的概念，在17年1月到6月的整个预立项阶段，我们尝试过数个原型，也深知自己并没有能力凭空创作出一款开放世界游戏。我自己作为玩家也玩过两百小时以上的老滚，还花几百小时做过mod，用过CreationKit，GTA 3代之后全都主线通关，辐射，黑道圣徒，刺客信条，巫师...每个系列也都是从小到大玩起来的。但我们对于开放世界的制作经验，就像15年刚开始做3d游戏时一样，一无所知。
Open world is a broad concept. During the pre-conceptualization phase from January to June 2017, we experimented with several prototypes and realized that we didn't have the ability to create an open-world game from scratch. As a player myself, I have spent over 200 hours playing *The Elder Scrolls* series, created mods, used Creation Kit, completed the main storylines of all *Grand Theft Auto* games since *Grand Theft Auto III*, played *Fallout*, *Saints Row*, *Assassin's Creed*, *The Witcher*... I've grown up playing each series. However, when it comes to developing open-world games, our experience was as limited as it was when we first started making 3D games in 2015.

2017年4月，崩坏3，1.4版本上线，这是带给我们很多惊喜和启发的一个崩3版本，其中有一个重要内容就是八重村，作为我们跟开放世界有关的第一次尝试，它和最终理想中的开放世界体验还是有着很大的差距。但这次尝试也让我们更加明确一个目标，3年之后要给玩家一个真的开放世界体验。
In April 2017, with the release of Version 1.4 of *Honkai Impact 3rd*, we were pleasantly surprised and inspired. One of the important contents was Yae Village, which marked our first attempt at an open-world experience. However, it still had a significant gap compared to our ideal open world experience. But this attempt made our goal clearer: to deliver a true open-world experience to players three years later.

学习先进技术，从而把更好的游戏体验，以更低的进入门槛，带给更多的玩家。这是米哈游做游戏的一贯宗旨。
Learning advanced technology in order to provide better gaming experiences with lower entry barriers to a wider range of players has always been miHoYo's mission in game development.

17年五一假期，我终于拿到了switch，玩到了塞尔达-荒野之息。我想说任天堂真心nb，玩了那么多开放世界游戏，荒野之息竟然给了我一种跟他们都不一样的开放世界体验。作为一个新人团队，我们只能不断向前辈们学习。任务系统向B社学习，随机事件向GTA学习，世界探索体验向Botw学习，基础战斗要做出和崩3不一样的感觉，顽皮狗每年的GDC分享都是重要学习资料，还有元素战斗，如何在一个实时动作游戏里体现出一点魔能，神界原罪那种策略性...
During the May Day holiday in 2017, I finally got my hands on a Switch and played *The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*. I must say that Nintendo is truly amazing. After playing so many open world games, *Breath of the Wild* gave me a unique open world experience. As a new team, we can only learn from our predecessors. We learn about mission systems from Bethesda, random events from *Grand Theft Auto*, world exploration experience from *Breath of the Wild*, and we aim to create a different feeling in basic combat compared to *Honkai Impact 3rd*. Naughty Dog's presentations at the Game Developers Conference every year are valuable learning materials, and the strategic element of combat, like in *Divinity: Original Sin*...

当然设计难度只是这个项目要解决的问题中的一类，除了同在意料之中的技术难点，项目管理难度也远远超出我预期。如何让从17年开始陆续新加入的近300人一起高效协同工作，做出一款统一的产品，感觉有点像盖巴别塔。其代价是，我们原定于今年寒假就要开启的cb1测试，一直延期到了6.21。因为直到此时我们才有第一个，感觉拿得出手，可以给大家体验核心游戏玩法与内容的版本。
Of course, the design difficulty is just one category of problems that this project needs to solve. In addition to the expected technical challenges, the project management difficulty far exceeded my expectations. How to efficiently coordinate the work of nearly 300 people who have joined gradually since 2017 and create a unified product feels a bit like building the Tower of Babel. The cost of this is that the CB1 testing, which was originally scheduled to start in the winter vacation of this year, has been delayed until June 21. It's because only at this time did we have the first version that we felt confident enough to offer for everyone to experience the core gameplay and content.

截止今日可以给大家体验的cb1内容还比较有限，原神作为米哈游的全新IP，作为一个七元素神主宰的世界，风之都蒙德也只是七城之一。对于未来，我不敢说一定能做到大家都满意，却可以承诺向着大家满意的方向更加努力。
As of today, the CB1 content available for everyone to experience is still relatively limited. As a brand new IP of miHoYo, *Genshin Impact* is a world ruled by seven elemental, gods, and Mondstadt, the City of Freedom, is just one of the seven cities. For the future, I can't guarantee that we can satisfy everyone, but I can promise to strive harder in the direction that will satisfy everyone.

接下来回答大家关注的几个问题。
Next, I will address several questions that you all have been concerned about.

1、鉴于CB1内容偏前期，有很多同学会问，未来的原神会是个什么游戏，单机游戏？MMORPG？
Regarding the CB1 content being more focused on the early stages, many players may wonder what kind of game *Genshin Impact* will be in the future - a single-player game or an MMORPG?

答：我想24号开始的联机测试，可能很多同学都玩过或者看过直播了。原神肯定是一款联机游戏，不是纯单机游戏，但是它也不是MMORPG。从技术角度来讲，我们会在后续逐渐完善联机体验，尽可能实现在大世界以及地城中的联机功能丰富度与稳定性。也就是说，从技术角度，我们会尽可能做到，MMO能做的我们也能做。但从游戏设计角度，我们与MMORPG有一个巨大不同：原神是希望给予每一个玩家一个属于自己可以沉浸的世界。所以，大家不会在开服的时候看到新手村人满为患，也完全可以选择不与朋友游戏，就一个人安安静静的看风景。你的世界由你来掌握，你可以选择独自一人，也可以邀请其他朋友来玩，进入你的世界，但当他们回到自己的世界后，他们的世界还是原来的样子。此外，多人PVP与强竞争PK玩法，也不是原神后续重点，我们更希望做一个游戏，让大家可以沉浸在自己，或者彼此的世界之中。
Answer: I believe many players have played or watched live streams of the online test that started on the 24th. *Genshin Impact* is undoubtedly an online game, not a purely single-player game, but it is also not an MMORPG. From a technical perspective, we will gradually improve the online experience in the future, aiming to achieve rich and stable online features in the vast open world and domains. In other words, technically, we strive to accomplish what an MMO can do. However, from a game design perspective, we have a significant difference from MMORPGs: *Genshin Impact* aims to provide each player with their own immersive world. Therefore, you won't see overcrowded newbie villages when the server opens, and you can choose not to play with friends and peacefully enjoy the scenery alone. Your world is under your control, and you can choose to be alone or invite other friends to join and enter your world, but when they return to their own worlds, everything remains the same. Furthermore, multiplayer PvP and intense competitive PK gameplay are not the main focus of *Genshin Impact* in the future. We hope to create a game that allows everyone to immerse themselves in their own world or each other's worlds.

2、一测只放出了蒙德城及其周边，后续的城市开发规划是怎样的？提瓦特大陆会有一个怎样的形态呢？
The first test only featured Mondstadt and its surroundings. What are the plans for developing other cities? What will be the form of the Teyvat continent?

答：在目前规划中，提瓦特大陆有七座主要城邦，蒙德只是其中之一，当然除此七城外还有很多其它重要地点。目前游戏世界大小，大概是正式上线时的30%，即便在正式上线之后，也会不断更新扩大世界大小。预计最终把七城相关的世界和故事讲完，需要数年时间。下次大规模公开测试的时候，大家应该就可以体验到“璃月”了。
Answer: According to the current plans, the Teyvat continent will have seven major city-states, and Mondstadt is just one of them. Of course, there are many other important locations beyond these seven cities. Currently, the size of the game world is approximately 30% of what it will be at official launch, and even after the official launch, the world will continue to expand and be updated. It is estimated that it will take several years to complete the storytelling and world-building related to the seven cities. In the next large-scale public test, players should be able to experience Liyue.

3、会有家园，服装，建造等外围系统吗？
Will there be features such as housing, costumes, and construction in the game?

答：会有的，作为一款开放世界游戏，能够在游玩过程中给玩家提供自由丰富的体验，本就是开放世界的核心体验。这些内容，我们都会在后续版本中陆续开发。
Answer: Yes, as an open-world game, providing players with a free and rich experience during gameplay is the core of the open-world experience. We will gradually develop these features in future updates.

4、原神会不会对设备配置要求太高，担心后续优化...
Will *Genshin Impact* have high device requirements? Concerned about future optimization...

答：优化问题，是我们未来技术工作的一个重点。前面讲到了，米哈游的宗旨是，把好的体验，以更低门槛，带给更多人。能够让游戏适配好更多设备，流畅去玩自然就是一件极为重要的事情。为此我们立项时候，就开始了对Unity引擎的改造，以期在功能与性能上，都可以更符合我们未来的要求。诚然，原神本身内容决定它对于设备的要求是会比较高，但是我们一定会尽一切可能保证，到上线的时候，可以对当时的主流设备进行完善的兼容和适配，提供流畅体验。针对高端设备，希望可以让大家畅快体验更高画质。
Answer: Optimization is a key focus of our future technical work. As mentioned before, the principle of miHoYo is to provide a good experience to as many people as possible with lower barriers. Ensuring that the game can run smoothly on a wide range of devices is of utmost importance. Therefore, when we started the project, we began modifying the Unity engine to meet our future requirements in terms of functionality and performance. Admittedly, *Genshin Impact* itself has high content requirements for devices, but we will make every effort to ensure that by the time of the official launch, it will be well compatible and adapted to mainstream devices, providing a smooth experience. For high-end devices, we hope to offer players the opportunity to enjoy the game with higher graphics quality.

5、安卓啥时候上？
When will *Genshin Impact* be available on Android?

答：下一次测试。
Answer: In the next test.

6、那下一次测试啥时候？
When will the next test be?

答：本次测试，我们内部叫CB1测试 = Closed Beta测试，其实这是一次封闭测试，只想对于游戏核心玩法机制，进行小规模验证，所以测试时间也很短。但是自原神项目公开后，我们就受到了远超预期的关注。意外之余，这也给我们的测试工作带来了很大的压力。当然大家的各种反馈，也让我们可以看到很多目前项目中的问题，这些问题我们都将在日后的开发过程中进行改进，并继续测试。鉴于CB1测试的效果反馈，我们下次CB2测试，虽然会邀请到更多玩家，持续时间更长，但却一定会更加严格的坚持封闭测试原则进行，目的是为了更聚焦于游戏本身。希望能够得到大家的理解，毕竟专心做好产品，才对得起关注我们的各位同学。
Answer: This test, which we internally refer to as CB1 (Closed Beta 1), is a closed beta test aimed at validating the core gameplay mechanics on a small scale, which is why the test duration is short. However, since the announcement of the *Genshin Impact* project, we have received much more attention than expected. While this came as a surprise, it also brought significant pressure to our testing work. The various feedback we received allows us to identify many issues in the current project, which we will address and continue testing in the future development process. Based on the feedback from the CB1 test, the next CB2 test will invite more players and have a longer duration. However, we will strictly adhere to the principles of closed beta testing to focus on the game itself. We hope for your understanding, as our primary goal is to concentrate on delivering a high-quality product to all our interested players.

此外，还有很多大家反馈的问题，包括一些操作体验，游玩反馈等，我们在后台每天都能收集到几百条关于游戏的相关反馈。这些问题都相对具体，我们完全可以在CB2的时候把这些问题去做改善，就不在这里与大家一一同步了。
Furthermore, there were many issues raised by players, including feedback on controls and gameplay experience. Every day, we collect hundreds of relevant feedback messages in the backend. These specific issues can be addressed and improved in the CB2 test, so we will not address them individually here.

在此再次感谢各位玩家对于原神CB1测试的关注，大家有任何问题想要与制作组讨论，欢迎来米游社 https://bbs.mihoyo.com/ys/与我们留言探讨（后续拟开辟专门讨论版块）。
Once again, we sincerely thank all players for their attention to the Genshin Impact CB1 test. If you have any questions or want to discuss with the development team, please feel free to visit the miHoYo forums at https://bbs.mihoyo.com/ys/ and leave us a message (we plan to open a dedicated discussion section in the future).

最后引用玩家kaixinxiaolong给我们的留言作为结尾：
Lastly, we would like to conclude with a message from the player "kaixinxiaolong":

「借姬子阿姨的话改编一下：
Using Auntie Himeko's words as inspiration:

“米哈游，抬起头，继续前进吧！把这个不完美的游戏变成大家所期望的样子！”」
"miHoYo, lift your head and continue moving forward! Turn this imperfect game into what everyone expects it to be!"