Story change - game-like mechanics

[onehunter]

Hi everyone, looking for a little feedback (significant spoilers below).

From the beginning of my story (OP MC Isekai), I've been excited about the upcoming arc. I'll be introducing my favorite character, and the world at large will be undergoing some changes. The world's magic enters a restorative period, and the general strength of those living in it rises substantially, as well as the dangers they can face.

My conundrum: do I introduce a game-like mechanic to people growing their strength? I hadn't considered it until seeing some other stories recently. My original plan was to show the strength of the world growing in response to new dangers. But game-like mechanics must be popular for a reason. Do they significantly improve the reader's experience?

Any feedback would be appreciated, ty.

 

[Nolff]

Hi everyone, looking for a little feedback (significant spoilers below).

From the beginning of my story (OP MC Isekai), I've been excited about the upcoming arc. I'll be introducing my favorite character, and the world at large will be undergoing some changes. The world's magic enters a restorative period, and the general strength of those living in it rises substantially, as well as the dangers they can face.

My conundrum: do I introduce a game-like mechanic to people growing their strength? I hadn't considered it until seeing some other stories recently. My original plan was to show the strength of the world growing in response to new dangers. But game-like mechanics must be popular for a reason. Do they significantly improve the reader's experience?

Any feedback would be appreciated, ty.

First of all, put the spoiler part into a spoiler uhh... Example is this.

Spoiler

Yo, this is a spoiler... Yeah.

Second of all, where's the story link?

And third, no, you do not need to add game-like mechanics to tell readers that the strength of the world's inhabitant is growing. It's a preference, not a must. It'll help improve the reader's experience the same way your original plan do. As long as any of them seems to makes sense and written nicely, then you'll have no problem at all. But yeah, game-like mechanics is popular because it's easy to describe and there are many references for it. Though, if the game-like mechanics you meant are System, then that falls to LitRPG genre. If it's something else, well, you've intrigued me then. Ask for anything about game mechanics, and I'll tell you how you can apply some into your story. Just ask.

 

[onehunter]

Ty for the feedback and info, I set up a signature with the story link. But it's long, so I don't expect anyone to read it just to give feedback on my question.

I don't think I'd do a system because that would imply a higher being putting it in place. But there is room for a mechanic that bridges the gap between humans and demi-humans (demi-humans no diff regular ones). The power imbalance will close a bit as ancient artifacts will become operable again, and all living beings will be able to use magic better, but what if humans had been secretly studying demi-humans way back before the world's magic was corrupted? As artifacts power on again, they find this lost research and are intrigued, then when monsters return to the world, they realize they need help. Humans gamble and perform a ritual their ancestors thought would mimic the power of demi-humans. At its completion, outlines of symbols appear on their bodies, and as they train, these markings fill in. As they complete, a forced evolution starts that reforms their bodies and starts giving them demi-human strength and features. But if the recipient of these marks can't advance fast enough, their body burns out, and their magic runs wild, turning them into savage beasts.

Spoiler

This fits with the lore that demi-humans evolved from human magical researchers who developed powerful magic cores inside their bodies. These people formed a nation and continued their research. The ritual mentioned could be a failed experiment from the past, which also fits with the world because ancient demi-humans are the ones who broke the world's magic. Originally, my idea was that everyone gets a buff as the world's magic heals. Magic cores develop in humans naturally, because it was just the corruption of the world's magic stopping them. But when monsters reappear (result of humans and animals that aren't compatible with magic cores), humans go into a frenzy to find strength, and their research becomes just as stupid as the ancient demi-humans. And my poor MC realizes he didn't help the world at all; he made it a million times worse.

 

[Eldoria]

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