[Pokémon World Closed Beta Hotfix Announcement]
[Update Contents:
1. Added level system. Players can now view their own level and their Pokémon's level. Player stats will increase upon leveling up. Pokémon will grow stronger in all aspects when leveling up. Most Pokémon will evolve into new forms upon reaching certain levels.
2. Added stat panel. Players can now view their own attributes. Physical stats will automatically increase upon leveling up. Other methods to increase stats are left for players to discover.
3. Added new building: Quest Hall. Players can enter the Quest Hall to accept missions. Completing missions will reward various prizes.
4. Added affinity system. All player actions will affect the affinity of NPCs and Pokémon in the game. If affinity is too low, NPCs will stop issuing quests, and Pokémon may disobey commands. High affinity may trigger hidden rewards.
(Note: Affinity will not be displayed numerically. Players must gauge it themselves.)
Optimized certain scenes and fixed existing bugs.]
The above were all the improvements Leon made to the game.
It looked simple, and in practice, it was indeed simple.
The most important addition was the level system. Levels not only provided a rough measure of strength but also motivated players to grind, enhancing the game's appeal.
Setting Pokémon levels was straightforward. They already had innate levels and gained experience through battles, though ordinary people couldn't see them and could only estimate roughly.
Leon used Creation Points to give players the ability to check Pokémon levels. Though not perfectly accurate, it still helped gauge a Pokémon's current strength.
For player levels, Leon implemented an experience bar. Once filled, players would level up, and their physical stats would be automatically enhanced by Creation Points.
The stat boosts weren't huge, but at high enough levels, players could reach physical prowess comparable to trained knights, though still below that of prodigies like Red.
As for how to gain experience, Leon temporarily implemented two methods: gaining it after battles or as a reward for completing quests. This would also encourage players to take on more missions.
Speaking of quests, after players logged off, Leon not only received the achievement reward for "Players' First Login" (which granted three gacha pulls) but also unlocked side quests, daily quests, and the in-game shop.
Currently, there was only one side quest: repairing and constructing buildings in the territory. The reward was two gacha pulls.
Daily quests were far more numerous—clearing weeds, picking up trash, rescuing wild Pokémon—at least a dozen at a glance.
The rewards for these quests were all in Poké Dollars, which could be used to buy items in the shop.
The shop sold items Leon had previously obtained or pulled from the gacha, such as Pokémon food, Potions, and even Poké Balls.
As for the prices? They made Leon want to scream. It was outright scalping!
There were too many quests for Leon to handle alone, hence the creation of the Quest Hall.
Let the players complete the quests, then reward them—of course, Leon would take a small cut. Just a small one!
The stat panel needed no explanation. The affinity system was meant to keep players in check, preventing them from going too far.
All these updates didn't require much effort, proving just how useful Creation Points were. They could not only manage the official website but also help refine the game.
Still, this update drained a significant chunk of his Creation Points. Combined with the future costs of player leveling and revives, Leon's reserves were running dangerously low.
"No good! First thing tomorrow, I need to assign people to repair the houses. Every extra fixed building means more daily Creation Points."
Leon couldn't sit still. If it weren't so late, he'd have started gathering workers immediately.
The players had also finished reading the update notes and began discussing them in the group chat.
Leaf: "They added so much on just the first day."
Wind: "It's closed beta, so it's normal. @SilentTongue, you've played a lot of games. What do you think of this update?"
SilentTongue: "I've never played a VR game like this before, but the update is interesting."
Wind: "Elaborate."
SilentTongue: "The contents are self-explanatory, but I feel like this update makes the game feel more like a game."
Wind: "Speak human, please."
SilentTongue: "...Fine. Basically, the game is too realistic. I don't know about you guys, but sometimes I forget it's not real."
"Hyper-realism can blur the line between reality and games. While it lets us live a second life, prolonged exposure can cause disorientation. Some might even start believing the game world is real and use it to escape reality."
"So this update added game-like features—levels, stats—to remind us it's just a game, not a replacement for reality. It also makes the game more fun."
Bell: "That sounds deep, but I kinda get it."
Leaf: "Other games strive for realism, but this one is dialing it back."
Wind: "You wrote an essay, so I'll take your word for it. Also, you're insane for linking the official site on your C Platform profile. Aren't you afraid of backlash?"
SilentTongue: "Why would I be? More players means more proof I wasn't lying. And as a gaming content creator, isn't it my job to promote good games?"
Wind: "Respect. The traffic's insane though—the forums are flooded, and pre-registrations shot up. Anyway, gotta work. See you all tonight~"
Seeing the chat go quiet, Ethan Carter put down his phone.
He didn't have a job to go to, but he still needed to upload videos.
Sighing, he opened Steam, looking for a game to review.
But his mind kept drifting back to Pokémon World. Nothing else held his interest.
"Why can't this game have a recording function?! The tech's already insane, just add replay capture!"
Ethan groaned, gripping his head.
If he could record footage, he could shut up the naysayers. Plus, VR game content would go viral instantly, solving his creative block.
"Screw it. I'll just say I got cyberbullied into a hiatus."
Ethan cheerfully settled on his excuse, then went to take a shower.
Meanwhile, Leon remained oblivious to how much discussion his simple update had sparked.
Even if he knew, he'd probably just chuckle at the players' overthinking—while secretly agreeing.
Yes, yes, you're absolutely right. That's exactly what I meant!
Right now, though, he had bigger concerns.
(End of Chapter)