[Visual Arts] We asked the secret behind the development of “False Alice”
My name is Fujisawa and I am in charge of public relations and recruitment.
This is the first installment of our "Customer Visit Series."
On October 3, 2019 Visual Arts released the idle RPG “ False Alice
This time, Beyond is “The False Alice”
- Cloud/server design and construction
- load test
- 24/7 operation and maintenance
I am in charge of this.
So, why did you choose Beyond to release "False Alice"? In order to find out, we visited Visual Arts and interviewed them!
▲ Right: Mr. Takeuchi, Director, ICT Division, Development Headquarters, Visual Arts Co., Ltd.
▲Engineer Mr. Yamada agreed to an online interview from his Tokyo office...!
What kind of company is Visual Arts?
Fujisawa
This time, we would like to ask you about "False Alice", a server that our company maintains. thank you!
Mr. Takeuchi
thank you!
Mr. Yamada
(Online) Thank you for your support!
Fujisawa
First of all, please tell us briefly what kind of business your company does.
Mr. Yamada
Basically, we produce PC games and anime.
Mr. Takeuchi
We also plan and manage music events.
Fujisawa
Do you hold events regularly?
Mr. Takeuchi
Well, at least once or twice a year. It feels like our company is creating it, or we are also participating in it.
Fujisawa
Is it an anime or game event?
Mr. Takeuchi
I agree. We perform orchestral versions of songs that have been made into anime in the past, and we also hold concert-like events.
Mr. Yamada
We've always been very into music, and we started playing social games five or six years ago.
Fujisawa
I see! When creating a social game, do you start by creating the scenario?
Mr. Takeuchi
I agree. Up until now, we have been creating games based on titles created by `` KEY '' in the game or anime business, and creating games by incorporating them into social games, but this is our first project. This is an original game made only by the team.
key official website: http://key.visualarts.gr.jp/
Fujisawa
That's right! Do you also think about the characters from scratch?
Mr. Takeuchi
Regarding this time, I have assigned all the voice actors for the characters from the beginning.
Fujisawa
That's amazing! ! Well, I was excited because the voice actor from my favorite magical girl anime was the same as the voice actor from False Alice.
Mr. Takeuchi
Ah, that's right. That's exactly what you said, and I also like that "certain magical girl anime" (lol)
Fujisawa
Oh, I see! !
Information on gorgeous voice actors: https://itsuali.jp/character.html
Mr. Takeuchi
Yes, just like that. Basically, when it comes to casting, I have a hobby (lol): I like this person, so I choose that person.
Fujisawa
Isn't it the best! !
Mr. Takeuchi
In that respect, it's fun to do something original. You can make it according to your own hobby.
Fujisawa
That's pretty fun. However, it is difficult to think about the story and develop it.
Mr. Takeuchi
As for the scenario, myself and Seishiro Tomioka, the scenario writer for this work, decide on the general worldview to a certain extent, and then Tomioka digs deeper into the worldview and each character individually. hey.
Fujisawa
In False Alice, you can choose from three main characters, but does the story change depending on each one?
▲You can choose the main character from these three people.
Mr. Takeuchi
The basic outline remains the same, but when something happens, the tone changes a little.
Fujisawa
I see. By the way, I chose the hunter's child, but I was happy because I was able to hear the voices of the other two characters as well.
Mr. Takeuchi
yes. In that respect, we used famous voice actors, so I thought that would be one of the hooks.
Fujisawa
thank you. I thoroughly enjoyed it (lol)
Why did you choose Beyond?
Fujisawa
From here, we will talk about Beyond's services. We have been working with Beyond since our last interview, but this time as well, you asked Beyond. Is there a reason why you chose us ?
Mr. Takeuchi
This time, we were in a very special situation as a team.
Fujisawa
law.
Mr. Yamada
I'm the only full-time server-side engineer at my company.
Fujisawa
Huh, is it just Yamada-san? ?
Mr. Yamada
When we first started developing this game, we were working on another project, so there were no server-side engineers at first.
Fujisawa
zero! ? How many people are on the team?
Mr. Takeuchi
In terms of the entire team, there are six people including Yamada.
Fujisawa
6 people! !
Mr. Takeuchi
yes. So those six people are all. There is a limit to how small it is (lol)
Fujisawa
It's amazing that you can make a game out of it. The power of six people.
Mr. Yamada
The client's engineer was also working on the server side, but he didn't know anything about it since he wasn't an expert. For the last work, Beyond did almost everything, so we knew each other better because we were connected, so we decided to ask them to do it again this time.
Mr. Takeuchi
I've really given up on everything about the server.
Mr. Yamada
Exactly (lol)
Mr. Takeuchi
I was pushed to the point where I had no choice but to do that (lol)
Mr. Yamada
I think the degree of round throwing has increased compared to last time.
Fujisawa
Really! thank you! !
Mr. Takeuchi
After all, the previous title had been handled smoothly, so I decided from the beginning that Beyond would be the server, without really thinking about throwing it elsewhere.
Fujisawa
That makes me very happy!
Mr. Yamada
Another big thing is that Beyond is a company in Osaka. You can come, right?
Mr. Takeuchi
I think that's the reason why I keep asking for it because it's close to me.
Fujisawa
I see, I'm glad it's in Osaka (lol).We recently opened an office in Yokohama, so I think I'll be able to move to the Tokyo office soon!
Mr. Takeuchi
So what if something happens to Yamada? Both in Osaka and Tokyo.
Fujisawa
Please feel free to contact us anytime!
What are the challenges of operating “False Alice”?
Fujisawa
Were there any issues that you encountered when starting operations?
Mr. Yamada
After all, we don't have anyone at our company. Beyond has an image of being relatively flexible, so it was helpful to be able to ask them things like, ``Could you help me think about it?''
Fujisawa
Even if you have a small consultation, you can immediately discuss it via chat.
Mr. Yamada
I was grateful that the members could ask questions right away and get answers right away.
Mr. Takeuchi
That part was very reassuring. The team didn't have anything to do with the server side, and we thought that wouldn't be a good idea, so basically, if we had any problems, we would immediately ask Beyond.
Mr. Yamada
The server-side program itself was still from the last time I was there, but I didn't understand the infrastructure.
Mr. Takeuchi
Most of the time, I decided to ask Beyond. I think it was reassuring both during development and after release.
Fujisawa
It was good. We work with the mindset of ``Please focus on your core business!'' and this is exactly what we are doing.
Mr. Takeuchi
It is just like you said. They say it can be done even if there are no full-time employees (lol)
Fujisawa
It's true (lol)
Mr. Takeuchi
I think this is a pretty amazing story, but I think it's unprecedented for a game to have no one in charge of servers on the day it launches (lol)
Fujisawa
That makes me quite nervous (lol)
Mr. Yamada
However, since Beyond handles the infrastructure, I don't think we need to worry too much about it.
Mr. Takeuchi
It was really reassuring.
Mr. Yamada
I'm glad I asked Beyond to include that.
Fujisawa
I'm glad! thank you.
Mr. Takeuchi
Thank you very much.
Fujisawa
So, do you have any requests that you would like us to do? I want you to help me in times like this! Like.
Mr. Takeuchi
Yeah.
Mr. Yamada
Right now, I'm getting a lot of help.
Fujisawa
Oh really! (lol)
Mr. Yamada
When I worked on the previous work, I didn't say anything like, ``This is impossible.'' But when I looked at the logs this time, I noticed that they were doing things that I thought, ``That's not something I should ask,'' so I thought that they would do anything.
Fujisawa
It's true that we are a jack-of-all-trades, and we have no restrictions. There are no hours, and we don't accept questions after the scheduled time.
Mr. Takeuchi
I see, that's very helpful.
Mr. Yamada
This time, I was asked to perform a load test, so I thought they would do something like this as well.
Fujisawa
I agree! The service is called "Fukamil" for now.
Fukamil service page: https://beyondjapan.com/service/loadtest/
Mr. Takeuchi
Ah, that's right.
Fujisawa
This is something I recommend as a service.
Mr. Takeuchi
It was very helpful. It's difficult to write a scenario, and to be honest, there are only people who have never done a load test. What is a load test? Something like that (lol)
Fujisawa
Oh really!
Mr. Takeuchi
That's how I started. I was like, "I don't know. If Beyond is going to do it for me, I'll ask for everything!" (lol)
Fujisawa
That's right (lol)
Mr. Takeuchi
I'm trying to ask for everything I can. I asked Beyond for everything.
Fujisawa
Please give it your all!
Mr. Yamada
Lately, I've been getting requests from engineers in Osaka to do this for me, and I say, "It's better to give it all to Beyond" (lol)
Fujisawa
Our engineers are on hand, so please feel free to pitch us any time (lol)
Mr. Takeuchi
thank you!
How will Visual Arts proceed in the future?
Fujisawa
So, my final question is, do you have any thoughts on how you would like to develop the service in the future?
Mr. Takeuchi
I see, that's right. First of all, regarding the current service, I would like to increase the number of users and increase it by 5 times or 10 times. I've put a lot of thought into the content of the game and the worldview, so it might be difficult to say whether it's possible or not, but I'd like to do a media mix. For example, incorporating it into anime.
Fujisawa
That's right! The voice actors are great, and the story is solid, so I thought it would be interesting if it were made into an anime.
Mr. Takeuchi
That's what I want to do as a goal. As I grow older, I might be able to become more proficient with various voice actors. There's also the fact that I like it.
Fujisawa
Sounds good! That's the most fun part.
Mr. Takeuchi
It's fun. I think it's the only job I enjoy doing (lol)
Fujisawa
The only one (lol)
Mr. Takeuchi
Like when I'm checking the voice actors' voices.
Fujisawa
Sure it's fun! I can be the first to hear it.
Mr. Takeuchi
oh yeah. No one's listening yet.
Fujisawa
I'm really happy that he's saying the lines that I came up with.
Mr. Takeuchi
I agree. Maybe I should have included some completely unrelated text. I sometimes wonder if I should have put my name in it (lol).
Fujisawa
I said, ``It's a story like this,'' (lol) Oh, it's great. looks fun.
Mr. Takeuchi
With that in mind, media mix is one of my goals. As a team, we are currently working on just one title, but as this title grows, the scale of development will continue to grow, and we would like to continue developing and managing other titles in parallel.
Fujisawa
Yes, we would like to increase the number!
Mr. Takeuchi
Of course, this is not limited to social games, this is completely my hobby, but I like Vtubers, so if this title sells, I have a goal of creating Vtubers in the same vein.
Fujisawa
really! That would require a different kind of development.
Mr. Takeuchi
Well, I think it's going to be something completely different, so I think there will be some challenges, but it's part of the fun.
Fujisawa
Vtubers are also amazing these days. Watching idols sing in virtual space.
Mr. Takeuchi
I agree. I'm so addicted to it that I've been watching it all the time (lol) Content like that between 2D and 3D has been coming out more and more lately, so I thought it was new, and I'm sure things like this will become more popular in the future. I think there will come a time when each individual will have his or her own. I wish I could develop and manage those aspects as well.
Mr. Takeuchi
Honestly, the reason is mostly because I want to do it as a hobby (lol).
Fujisawa
(lol)
Fujisawa
But that's how it is. It's fun to do what you want to do.
Mr. Takeuchi
That's right.
The future of “False Alice”
We would like to provide detailed information regarding this server failure.
for the inconvenience caused to our users
.We look forward to your continued support of False Alice. #Itsaripic.twitter.com /0KSXAEA0Ab
— False Alice official account (@itswari_alice) December 18, 2019
▲A fake Alice official account that became a hot topic on Twitter for its “overly polite handling of problems”
Fujisawa
Do you incorporate user opinions into the "False Alice" you are currently running?
Mr. Takeuchi
Well, at the moment we are trying to incorporate user opinions, and if we receive opinions through Twitter or inquiries, we will incorporate them immediately if we think we can implement them right away, or we can say, ``Okay, let's implement this the day after tomorrow.'' Like.
Fujisawa
Hey!
Mr. Takeuchi
I'm picking up as many things as I can that I can do right away. Of course, there are some difficult opinions.
Fujisawa
You can write as much as you like on Twitter.
Mr. Takeuchi
If there is a consensus among them, or an opinion that the team can empathize with, we consider whether it is possible to implement it and implement it immediately.
Mr. Takeuchi
In the earliest case, we would immediately incorporate opinions received an hour before maintenance began. Of course, the difficulty level of implementation was low, so if it was something like this, it could be done right away.
Fujisawa
It's amazingly flexible. There was emergency maintenance yesterday too, right?
Mr. Takeuchi
Yes, it was finished in 15 minutes.
Mr. Takeuchi
Back when Yamada was there, the shortest time was 3 minutes for "Rewrite Ignis Memoria." Users called me “Coupler maintenance” (lol)
Fujisawa
You say something nice (lol)
Mr. Yamada
I finished it in 3 minutes.
Fujisawa
3 minutes means you announce it and it actually ends in 3 minutes, right?
Mr. Yamada
Yes, That's right.
Fujisawa
Those three minutes are quite tense.
Mr. Yamada
But since I said it myself, I have to finish it in 3 minutes! Something like that (lol)
Mr. Takeuchi
There are user chats on Twitter and in-game, so if we check there and find that there is a bug on some servers, we will immediately shut down the server, find the cause, and fix it. I feel like I was allowed to do that.
Fujisawa
Looking at the in-game chat, I see that there are a lot of people who are really into it and are researching it! There are a lot of comments that make me feel that way.
Mr. Takeuchi
Well, there are users who give us very accurate opinions, and there are also people from other industries who are cooperating with us, and for some reason they are charging us a lot of money, so I wonder what they are doing (lol). They regularly compile the opinions expressed in the world, and I get messages like "I've summarized them!".
Fujisawa
That's amazing! (Laughs) So, users are like team members.
Mr. Takeuchi
I agree. It may be difficult to fulfill all requests, but the idea is to create it together with the users. We hope to continue to incorporate user feedback as much as possible.
Fujisawa
I see, that's the good thing about social games. As long as the service continues, the operation will continue, so we will do our best together!
Mr. Takeuchi
Yes, thank you!
Mr. Yamada
thank you!
Fujisawa
Thank you very much for sharing your valuable information with us today. Thank you for your continued support!
Beyond will continue to support you! !
“False Alice” has become a popular content with many users. Beyond will continue to support content from behind the scenes so that users can enjoy the game comfortably.
Thank you to Visual Arts for agreeing to the interview! !
