Basic Information#
| Platform | iOS |
| Rating | 5/10 |
| Playtime | 100H |
| Completion Date | -- |
This is the darkest moment of my life. I lost too much during that half year.
The two-dimensional legend refers to "Girls' Frontline," a game that is essentially a type of legend dressed in a two-dimensional skin. The game itself has only a few live2d animations, but the PVP ranking in the game relies heavily on spending money; without spending at least ten to twenty thousand, you won't have a gaming experience.
This article was written on 2022-11-02 and was supplemented with follow-up content on 2023-08-08.
Preface#
As for the follow-up, I will try to handle this game with low energy consumption. Recently, it has severely affected my work efficiency. Especially the dragon vein, I have become quite indifferent to it now. This article mainly discusses "the reasons for playing 'Girls' Frontline'," "what I experienced during this time," and "what my plans are afterward."
Background - The Initial Motivation for Downloading This Game#
I hadn't played mobile games for about four to five years. I just happened to draw a card that said I couldn't play console games in September, so in September, out of boredom, I downloaded Honkai Impact (崩坏学园 2). After replaying Honkai, I found it quite interesting and rekindled many memories from years ago. At the same time, I also started paying attention to Azur Lane and bought an initial account to check out the character designs.
I started playing Girls' Frontline during the National Day holiday, initially because of live2d: Generally, for this type of game, you just look at the unpacked character designs and that's it. But with live2d, you need to use the live2d engine to animate it, and importantly, you also need touch events. I hadn't found a good ready-made solution, so I bought an initial account on Taobao to draw cards.
It took me three days to go from the initial account to rebirth 63. I quickly realized that the initial account was unplayable and understood what "in this game, basically, no one can win in a PVP game" meant. The higher-ranked players can obtain more resources, and those who can get more resources can rank more steadily, creating a strong Matthew effect. It was the first time I understood the concept of "rolling server games," so I waited to rebirth to a new area. On the last day of the National Day holiday, I found that area 63 had opened, so I jumped in immediately.
Game Content Analysis - This Game Has Refreshed My Understanding in Many Ways#
The PVP game that indirectly ranks based on spending is truly terrible. Although I generally don't play PVP games, I don't dislike PVP games themselves; I actually have a good impression of those that rely on skill. However, Girls' Frontline is just too toxic; the PVP aspect is fundamentally based on how much you spend, and the PVP points are directly proportional to spending money, turning the leaderboard into a spending leaderboard. Before this, I had hardly played any PVP games, such as League of Legends or Honor of Kings. You could say I'm a kind of pacifist; I don't like gameplay that involves constant killing back and forth, especially something like the dragon vein, which could make me nauseous. I also didn't want to rank, so I initially didn't plan to go to the dream Three Kingdoms. I only realized it was a family once I entered the chaotic world.
Integrating into the game's community. Even when playing mobile games, I usually just play solo; I rarely engage with the community to discuss with others. This game forced me to do so because without it, I could hardly continue playing. Joining the group opened up a new world for me to some extent; although I knew about the other games discussed in the group, I saw different perspectives from different people on things I already knew. It has also proven that I'm glad I joined this group; for now, my gaming direction hasn't strayed too far.
Regular check-ins are required. This game has too many time points; it's a game that requires you to be online frequently, which is quite similar to working. This greatly affects my usual work energy. Dragon vein (8:00) -> Central Plains (9:00) -> Dragon vein (11:50) -> Mind (12:30) -> Dragon vein (16:50) -> Mind (19:30) -> JJC (20:30) -> Central Plains (21:30) -> Time-space battle (21:45) -> Dragon vein (21:50) -> Daily tasks (00:00). I've never seen a game that requires so many time points to operate. It's simply outrageous. So I tend to turn the above tasks into subconscious operations on an assembly line.
It refreshed my understanding of spending money. I finally understood the game's characteristic of "it's either spending money or being imprisoned." Before this, I had never spent so much money on a game; you could say that the second highest game didn't even have a third of this. Even within this game, there are significant differences in spending, as the CP value of each type of spending varies. If you don't know how to spend wisely, you might accidentally end up spending money for nothing.
If I were to say what this game brought me, in a sense, it's an experience of competition between people, and this experience is indeed expensive. Additionally, planning is crucial; without some planning, it's hard to achieve significant results with minimal effort. Actually, getting to know this group of unknown online friends has been a rare pleasure; I hadn't encountered a group with so many lsp (lewd) individuals before. It provided me with a social activity that I hadn't tried in a long time, especially after a few years of work, which has narrowed my social circle due to the nature of my job.
Follow-up - Try to Handle This Game with Low Energy Consumption#
Regarding the level of regret about spending money. At first, I only spent on V3 for a better start, but then it spiraled out of control. You see, I initially raised xcw without drawing Takeda, as I didn't plan to spend much (of course, not getting Takeda and going for xcw was my biggest mistake). Then Liu Bei might be an important part of my spending, mainly because I bought multiple bottles to get to level 50. You could say this game distorted my value perception of spending money; clearly, at the beginning of the National Day holiday, I was still puzzled about why Azur Lane's art book was so expensive. If you ask me whether I regret spending so much, there must be better solutions. This money could have been better spent elsewhere. For example, it could directly buy a top-spec Steam Deck.
Low energy consumption, long-term planning, stockpiling. This is probably my main theme for this game moving forward. One thing this game taught me is not to rush; take a long-term approach to catch big fish, using fewer resources to achieve more, as impatience leads to poor results. I only understood various things after watching discussions among group members.
I don't plan to play pay-to-win mobile games anymore. If I were to run, I wouldn't plan to run to other mobile games. Actually, the card I drew that said I couldn't play console games also included not being able to play mobile games, as I hadn't played mobile games for a long time. I can only say that there are more things I need to do. If I were to play games, I still prefer RPGs; I actually like those with a story background or those with higher autonomy.
There is still a possibility of unpacking and getting live2d for free. I recently discovered that it's achievable; to be precise, I found out about it two weeks ago. For example, Live2DViewerEX has live2d characters from Girls' Frontline. Since they can do it, I should be able to do it too. So I directly eliminated one of the few reasons I had for playing Girls' Frontline. The reason I'm still playing now is merely a feeling of "a little reluctance."
Afterword#
Generally speaking, I write a brief review every time I play a game or read a book. My interest lies in writing articles. Although I think the content I write is garbage, it's the kind of writing that I dare not read after finishing.
The timeline below the dividing line is when this article was published on August 8, 2023.
Follow-up - Written ten months later#
The above content was written a month after playing this game. However, writing the above article did not help me escape from this game. After writing this article, I continued to play for another six months. It wasn't until May of this year that I finally gave my account away and escaped from this suffering, but the damage it caused me is still far from healed.
That was a period that later caused me pain, inferiority, and regret. At that time, I was truly fully invested in playing this game; my obsession during that half year is beyond words. How should I put it? During that half year, more than half of my diary entries were "analyzing the character attributes in the game" and "conversations with people in the game group chat." I was completely absent-minded at work, and my efficiency was probably only 30% of usual. Moreover, the energy and money spent far exceeded what I wrote above (about * 3). To use a metaphor, it felt like going to a casino in Macau, betting all my fortune, and ending up in significant debt.
This article is filled with concepts that people who haven't played this game cannot understand, but I no longer want to explain. I have analyzed myself many times afterward about "how did it come to this," and the solution I can think of now is perhaps to keep working, writing, and extending time to heal that experience. That's why I refer to the limitations I set for myself in my blog as "oaths and constraints" and publish them, because I know if I'm the only one watching myself, I will fall into the abyss.
Finally, a word of encouragement to myself. After all, tomorrow is another day! Let's turn this page in my life.