[As the saying goes, you reap what you sow.]
[If you give players a special ticket, you could get thousands or even tens of thousands in return!]
Leon fell into thought.
Giving gifts can't be done carelessly or in large quantities all at once.
Once game resources stop feeling precious, their value plummets.
Gacha games spend most of their time in a content drought.
New version content is usually consumed within a week, followed by waiting for new character banners.
Meaningful permanent content is key to retaining players.
What kind of content would work?
Leon reviewed game data, pondered for a while, and soon had an idea.
There's no need to meddle with rewards from modes like Simulated Universe or Memory of Chaos.
It'd be hard to find a fitting way to insert anything there anyway.
So why not take inspiration from daily active tasks?
He could set up a unique daily check-in system tied to himself.
By interacting with him for a daily check-in, players could receive random rewards.
Including pull resources like Stellar Jades in the check-in rewards would guarantee returns.
That's the plan.
Leon began designing the in-game check-in system and pushed for its immediate implementation.
The random rewards for checking in weren't complicated.
First, Stellar Jades, split into five tiers:
10, 50, 100, 160, 1600.
The richer the reward, the lower the probability, naturally.
Each server could have up to 10 players per day hitting the 1600 Stellar Jade jackpot.
Star Rail Special Tickets and regular tickets were included too, in three tiers:
1, 3, 10.
The probability of a 10-ticket Special Ticket was the same as 1600 Stellar Jades; regular tickets were slightly more common.
On top of that, Leon designed a guaranteed check-in reward—
60 Trailblaze Power.
The reason for checking in was simple.
As the train's doctor, he has the ability to help people relax and relieve fatigue.
Fatigue relieved, stamina naturally recovers, right?
With stamina recovery as the baseline and low-probability extra random rewards as the cherry on top, even players without a monthly contract would likely log in daily to try their luck.
As the saying goes, without a bit of hope, how can anyone muster the energy to keep going?
Once it becomes a habit, players won't forget the character who gives them daily benefits.
With the player check-in system sorted, Leon closed the editing interface with satisfaction.
Just then, his phone rang.
"Herta? What's up?"
"Come to my office."
"What's the—"
Leon glanced at the already-ended call and gave a small eye-roll.
Such a self-centered bad temper.
Being a genius doesn't make you special, you know?
I've even dealt with Genius Society #1; you're just a measly #83.
Grumbling aside, Leon didn't ignore the call.
After all, she's a genius with good ties to the Astral Express crew—a connection useful both in and out of the game.
Passing through the automatic door, he arrived at Herta's office.
"Just say what's—"
He cut himself off in time.
"Aha, I knew it was you!"
When Herta spoke with a mix of mild irritation and expectation, a stranger voice echoed through the office.
"You believed it? Look, the Simulated Universe's processing power is rushing here like the swirls on a lollipop."
"What? You know They won't respond with a 'haha'?"
If it were anyone else, they might not know where this bizarre voice came from.
But Leon was all too familiar.
Boo-hoo!
He'd run into the god of misfortune!
Just as he tried to slip away quietly, he felt a gaze from beyond the starry sea lock onto him.
After countless reincarnations, that blasted Aha always recognized him instantly.
What a nightmare.
Herta's attention wasn't on Leon for the moment, as she let out a scoff.
"Haha, you really think I believed it?"
"The Machine Head never responds! Questions and doubts are the essence of thought—no taboos, no boundaries, no end—"
"Unless They quit the job entirely."
"Aha's got no face." The voice in the office rang out again. "I won't bother you anymore; I'm out, haha."
Herta: "You can't leave."
"At least not like that. As compensation, let me ask you one question—no jokes."
Aha: "When mortals think, the Machine Head laughs. Wanna join the Masked Fools? Let me take a peek, and I'll make sure you're happy every day~~"
The lifelike expression on the small face of Herta's realistic puppet twitched with visible annoyance as she let out a low growl.
"Get lost. I want Idrila!"
"Hehe, Aha's rolling out now~~ Someone told Aha to get lost; Aha's got so much face~~"
Leon, standing nearby: "…"
You'd better actually scram, you cursed creepy mask.
Herta exited the Simulated Universe program and turned to the man sitting at her desk, pursing her lips.
"No manners."
"I'm a guest, you know," Leon said casually. "Who told you not to have chairs for visitors in your office?"
Herta was speechless.
"Puppets don't need chairs. Whatever."
"Since you've helped a lot of people at the space station, I won't nitpick. Tell me, what reward do you want?"
The Antimatter Legion's attack on the space station caused considerable damage.
While she didn't care about most of it, the man in front of her had at least prevented the Stellaron from erupting.
That was something she cared about; otherwise, it'd be another annoying hassle.
"Then give me one of your puppets. The drink-mixing machine on the train with the broken language module isn't great."
"You're not talking about… the one Himeko mentioned, Shush, are you?"
"Got it in one, but no prize."
Herta was even more speechless. "You want to replace it with my puppet? No offense, but do you have the skills to maintain a puppet?"
"Nope."
Leon was unapologetically confident.
"Then there you go. Giving you a puppet is easy, but I can't keep bringing it back for maintenance."
"Are Lady Herta's creations really that flimsy? That's kinda lame."
"Making a perfect puppet isn't hard, but why make a puppet that perfect? I'm perfect enough as is."
At this point, Herta seemed to lose patience.
"Cut the nonsense. My time's valuable. Want a puppet? I'll give you one. If not, name another reward."
"Then forget it," Leon changed his tune.
Herta: "???"
"Give me that baseball bat curio and the Light Cone Stelle used. That'll be my reward."
"That's it?"
Herta looked up, surprised, giving Leon a once-over.
"That's it. You know, the kid's just been born not long ago. She needs some decent gear to hold her own."
Leon's face was full of sincerity.
"Fine. They're just gathering dust in the collection room anyway. But are you so sure she'll board the train?"
Herta raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"And isn't the subtext of your words that you're letting her freely choose her future path?"
Leon didn't hide it, giving a slight smile.
"Whether she boards the train is her choice."
…
Negotiations with Herta were straightforward.
As Leon stepped out of her office, a eerie mask suddenly appeared in front of his face.
"Darling, your VIP's here!!"