Inside Benjamin Gifford: Character design of Evony: TKR and Mage Lulu

Excellent character design significantly enhances the gaming experience by allowing players to emotionally connect with the game. Effective character design requires a deep understanding of a character's personality, backstory, and motivations, which are visually expressed to resonate with players, making the characters more memorable and engaging.

For example, in "Evony: The King's Return," generals are not only strategic units but are also designed with specific historical backgrounds and special skills that reflect their historical importance and tactical roles in warfare. Similarly, in "League of Legends," characters like Lulu are defined by their unique abilities within the game. Lulu’s design, from her whimsical appearance to her magic-based abilities, is intended to convey her role as a supportive and whimsical character, influencing how players perceive and play their role within the team.

The team behind the game, TPI, led by CEO David Guo and VP Benjamin Gifford, is committed to continuously improving the user experience over the long term, fostering an active community, and gaining experience in the development of different types of games to develop in a healthy manner. They are devoted to bringing fun to players all over the world.

"Gamers and game makers indeed see games through different lenses," said VP Benjamin Gifford. "Gamers focus on the immediate enjoyment and immersive qualities of a game, while game makers balance the intricate dance of creativity, technicality, user experience, and marketability. Bridging the gap between these perspectives involves engaging with our player community and incorporating their feedback to align our creations with both our artistic vision and the players' desires."

Each general in Evony has different attributes, so you need to choose the right general according to different purposes. This requires players to pay attention to the general's special skill and specialty, and pair them with the appropriate troop types. For instance, General Lu Xun can benefit ground troops and mounted troops, while General Mihai can bring buff bonuses on ranged troops and siege machines. Moreover, after a general is upgraded to a certain level, he can also team up with other generals to fight. This introduces Evony’s assistant general system. This gameplay allows different combinations of generals to produce different effects, and may even reverse the situation. Of course, there is no absolute strongest or weakest combination of generals, because each combination has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Lulu is a versatile support mage in League of Legends, known for her powerful and diverse abilities. Her core skills include:

Glitterlance (Q): Shoots a magic bolt that damages and slows enemies in a line, essential for controlling enemy movement.

Whimsy (W): When cast on allies, it boosts their speed and attack rate; when used on enemies, it transforms them into harmless critters, disabling their ability to attack or cast spells.

Help, Pix! (E): Grants a protective shield to allies or attaches Pix to enemies, providing extra damage or tracking vision, respectively.

Wild Growth (R): Lulu’s ultimate enlarges an ally, granting them significant health and knocking back nearby enemies, ideal for team fights.

Lulu's combination of protective, disruptive, and enhancing abilities allows her to play multiple roles effectively, from safeguarding key teammates to disrupting enemy formations. Properly utilizing her skill set can significantly impact various game scenarios.

"At TGI, we’re harnessing this tool to tailor game experiences, enhance user engagement, and streamline development and support processes," said VP Benjamin Gifford. "We plan to further integrate AI into game mechanics with users and use that for comprehensive player behavior analysis, aiming to enhance global customer support and interactions."

In the future, AI will transform character creation in video game development. It will automate the process, tailor designs to player behaviors, and speed up creation. AI will also provide insights to enhance character appeal and ensure characters dynamically adapt to game changes. Additionally, AI will support more complex narratives and promote diversity in character design. This integration of AI in game development is set to significantly affect both design and player interaction.