※Monthly Nexus is content that started when I was doing a quick search one day and saw posts saying “We want a developer survival report.” It basically only contains trivial content.
※Due to the time difference, your January 8th and January 7th is currently December 31st in our region.
🎁🎁🎁Christmas present!🎁🎁🎁
This month, we have three opening greetings for Monthly Nexus!
Which one is your favorite greeting!?
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Hello, everyone on Earth 1 and Earth 3.
This is the December issue of Monthly Nexus.
This year has flown by, and December is already drawing to a close.
But the year isn't over yet. After all, we still have the 13th month ahead of us.
As you all know, 13 moons float in the sky.
Many have gazed at the heavens, dreaming and letting their thoughts wander.
Seven suns and thirteen moons. Yet Earth has only three.
Now, with Earth's gigawatt warming continuing, the average temperature on our Second Earth has reached 82 degrees.
It's been 30 years since we began living in the Fortress Collective City, equipped with lockdown and insulation functions.
Japan is a country with a history of maintaining a de facto lockdown through its two-century-long isolation policy, so for us Japanese, it somehow feels nostalgic.
Since stepping outside means certain death, there are no more international conflicts. Trade is essentially nonexistent. Dreams and hopes are also relatively scarce.
It's said Japan experienced a relatively mild era lasting several thousand years ago. Perhaps history is repeating itself now.
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Hello.
This is the December issue of Monthly Nexus.
Late December brings that famous event in many countries.
It's famous in Japan too, an exciting event many eagerly await.
Yes, it's the well-known Death Game.
No matter how different cultures or countries are, Death Games exist without exception everywhere.
It's essentially a common topic and shared language connecting nations?that's what the Death Game is.
I once participated in a Death Game myself and was overwhelmed by that frenzied atmosphere.
I even saw players like “that middle-aged guy who keeps surviving surprisingly well despite constantly looking like he's about to die” and “that burly foreigner who clearly knows something” with my own eyes. Back then, I was genuinely moved, thinking, “They really exist!”
Actually, Team-Nexus will be handling the Death Game the year after next.
Hosting a Death Game is an honor for us as “game” creators.
Being able to join the circle of people connected by the Death Game is something we're incredibly proud of.
As those who will write a page in history, we aim for total annihilation. We look forward to your support.
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Hello.
This is the December issue of Monthly Nexus.
Have you seen this year's Christmas broadcast yet?
When our Red Santa was cornered by Dark Santa, who came to his rescue was none other than Emerald Green Santa.
Red Santa was saved by Emerald Green Santa's special move, the “Santa Grand Cross,” which involves crossing their sleds.
Emerald Green Santa, who had fallen off a bridge into a river and gone missing in the previous broadcast, was actually rescued by Dark Blue Santa and Light Yellow Santa, who happened to be passing by.
I couldn't stop crying when I saw Red Santa, who finally became the third form, “Scarlet Santa Form,” with the help of his friends, sink into the smelter.
But that “Silver Beard Santa” who appeared in the next episode preview... . Could it be...?
We can't take our eyes off next Christmas! Let's all join in and “Let's Present”!
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However, since this stage was implemented for Christmas, nerfing the Christmas presents would be the worst move a parent could make, so we'll hold off.
(In Japan, there's a tradition called “otoshidama” where relatives and parents give money at New Year's. Unfortunately, the phenomenon of parents exploiting this otoshidama has become a social issue.)
Honestly, from a development perspective, creating this stage was exceptionally easy. After all, the development period was under ten days, and the final adjustments?which usually take 24 to 72 hours?took just 4 hours.
If this stage had been popular, we could have finished developing all remaining stages at a similar pace by the end of the year, which would have been fantastic. But well, it was a stage that clearly showed signs of insufficient tuning and structural flaws, so I guess that wasn't going to happen.
So, in this article, based on staff opinions, I'm going to run a negative campaign and anti-activities, nitpicking the Christmas present we gave out.
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◆Special-3 Review
Special-3 was suddenly implemented last week, and it already feels like it's “happening,” with players achieving scores of around 16 billion points and a total of about 1200 Sunstones earned.
・Structure that's far too confusing
Despite being named “Tactical Guide,” its structure is extremely confusing.
Or rather, I think most players would want a guide for this stage itself.
Honestly, I think the vast majority of people who play this stage and think “This DLC looks fun! I want to buy it” will be far outnumbered by those thinking “If all the stages are this incomprehensible, I'll pass.”
Well, that's fine, but reusing the 8-3 (Mirror) system feels like overkill.
Whether or not you've played that stage likely made a huge difference in how difficult this one felt.
Fundamentally, weird gimmicks like map inversion aren't likely to appear often in future stages.
The biggest problem with this structure is how difficult it is to figure out the optimal path.
In other words, it's hard to determine what the standard sequence for clearing it should be.
For players who already own all the DLC, a design that relies on them figuring out the path themselves is probably fine. But for players who only have the main package, this sheer volume of information and lack of clarity feels like a de facto Elsa Gate.
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・Masking lack of tuning with a sandbox-like approach
Overall, there's a strong impression of extreme imbalance or half-baked implementation with items and such.
For the collection route, you end up with far too many Winter Orbs. It really feels like January.
Of course, some aspects are intentionally designed this way.
For instance, aren't normally placed on regular maps, and Magic Elixirs are only found in such large quantities on a few stages like this one.
Essentially, it's a stage designed around the idea that “while there are many high-parameter enemies, a massive amount of rare items are placed, so players must figure out a solution through their own ingenuity.”
Actually, we're quite careful to avoid this kind of stage design.
As mentioned earlier, outside the late game, it's generally better to provide clear paths showing “how to progress more easily.” Expecting players to rely on their own ingenuity or creativity shouldn't happen until the very end.
When players start a new stage, they typically begin the first 5 to 20 hours in a state of “getting accustomed to the stage's structure and learning its inherent tendencies.”
And during this “beginning to learn ~ gaining some information” stage, it's fundamentally better to make the game less prone to getting stuck.
Learning generally has three phases: the “just do it” phase, the phase where “you start identifying good and bad parts as you continue,” and the phase where “you can recognize the degree of each element.”
During the “just try it” phase, the game doesn't actually need to be very difficult. In fact, it's fine if it's easy enough to clear without much thought.
When practicing writing characters for the first time, you usually start by repeatedly writing the characters you're learning. Corrective exercises demanding right or wrong answers before you even learn the character are rare.
This kind of adjustment is actually handled by the programmer during final tuning, not the game designer. However, since we finished in just four hours this time, we didn't do that.
As a result, players aren't experiencing “completing a stage” in the first place, making it difficult for them to understand the stage.
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・Regarding the Purpose of “Final Adjustment”
With every update, we always declare a phase called “Final Adjustment.”
This time allows programmers to play through the game one last time and make several adjustments.
(Based on these records, game designers may also make additional adjustments.)
Fundamentally, the following adjustments are made during Final Adjustment:
◇ Place numerous status-boosting items near portal entrances and exits
→ To reduce the likelihood of getting stuck during the so-called “Scout Run / First Run”
◇ Increase the number of items like Orbs
→ This is because the staff version typically has minimal items, leaving little room for strategy.
With the intent of “allowing recovery even if gameplay execution fails to some extent,” we add items like Pavement Orbs in areas where we felt “it would be tough if items ran out around here.”
◇Slightly lower parameters outside the late-game tier, slightly raise late-game tier parameters
→To make the early to mid-game easier.
We made it possible to progress even with a fair amount of mistakes, then increased late-game difficulty proportionally to the HP saved.
The purpose of these changes is to “make it possible to play the game to a certain extent, even without understanding the value criteria for that stage.”
To understand the good and bad aspects of things, you simply have to “do it.” Failure and success hold no meaning.
First, you must input information into your mind and vaguely construct something like a map or dictionary. Otherwise, it's difficult to even begin thinking.
However, in games, players feel better and are more likely to stick with it when they can achieve “success” (clear the stage).
“Improving at the game,” meaning becoming able to distinguish those good and bad aspects, frankly, can wait until after you've cleared the game.
It's probably not normal to practice writing English words before practicing writing the alphabet.
And it's only when you reach the stage of aiming for high scores within the community?the so-called “bleeding edge” phase?that you're required to “be able to compare the elements of the good parts with the elements of the bad parts.”
Being able to point out good and bad parts is certainly better than knowing nothing at all. But in reality, judgment only becomes refined through the “comparison ability” to assess “how important each of these verbalized aspects truly is.”
Those of you who've become monsters by sticking with TacticalNexus for so long might not realize it, since the community around you is full of other monsters like yourselves. But fundamentally, I think only the top 0.1% or so reach that level.
Applying the same principle to academics, in Japan, that level would easily get you into the best universities without much trouble.
Most people stop at “being able to point out the good parts.” “point out the flaws.”
This is because articulating things is actually quite pleasant, while the phase of “giving shape to your thoughts” usually involves pain.
Therefore, it's impossible to move in the direction of “comparing good and bad to refine things,” and that's perfectly normal.
Furthermore, the purpose of a game is “to have fun.” It's not “to become smarter or to grow.” That's what school does.
Life rarely demands constant growth or functionality. Not growing, taking a break?these are also freedoms. Being “unable” isn't inherently bad.
Such spaces tend to feel stifling. I find exhilarating games more enjoyable than suffocating ones.
This community doesn't stop there. It's become a gathering place for a significant number of exceptional individuals?a minority who strive to test ideas and seek out better solutions. It's the kind of scene university professors would cry with envy over.
While “echo chambers” in communities often carry negative connotations, this shows just how astonishing a positive-feedback echo chamber can be.
That said, this is really about the final phase or something like that.
Also, since we're trash, we barely thought about designing the “comparison” phase.
If a “just do it” phase is necessary, players should be given time and information during that phase.
Above all, succeeding is fundamentally more enjoyable and sustainable than failing.
Therefore, especially for Tier 5 and below, we designed it so you can generally progress no matter how many mistakes you make in judgment.
However, this stage is quite challenging from the very beginning (especially the Mystic Gate and Last Inflator).
From the start, it's unclear what to do. For players without DLC, obtaining information is also difficult.
This means you'll face multiple game overs and restarts just trying to gather enough information for “identification” in the first place.
Consequently, shortly before final adjustments, the idea was introduced to “allow movement with minimal combat against enemies.” This resulted in a stage where you can gather the bare minimum information, but establishing a proper strategy is difficult.
Well, it's the kind of reckless move only possible because it's a Special stage that differs significantly from the norm.
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・Intent and Overall Assessment of This Stage
On the other hand, “stages where you can do pretty much whatever you want” aren't really feasible in regular stages.
(EX2-4 (Chain) did allow quite a lot, but that stage had a fundamentally unique game system and issues elsewhere).
This is something people feel differently about, so I won't claim “this is absolutely the best way,” but personally, in a large-scale game like this, we wanted a stage where you could do pretty much whatever you wanted to some extent.
For example, the rarely appears normally, and this is even more true when special orbs like the are involved.
On the other hand, if you could multiply such orbs, it would break the game, but it's still somewhat enjoyable.
If anything, what we wanted to achieve with this stage was precisely that sense of “being able to go completely wild.”
I believe we succeeded in that regard.
(Though stats exceeding 1 million was definitely beyond our expectations)
When designing a stage from the outset with the intent of “allowing players to go completely wild,” I believe meticulous adjustments become almost nonsensical.
Because whatever we decide and implement will inevitably be broken by that “wildness.”
And the more we tried to make it a “solidly put together stage,” the further it drifted from that “chaos.”
I don't think it's good for development to interfere too easily in a stage designed for freedom.
With that intent, this stage was made in under ten days.
But looking back, I feel like we should have added about 24 more hours just for the final adjustments, specifically “ensuring the flow.”
Honestly, the fact that “it's a guide stage but doesn't feel like a guide stage” is half trash but half interesting, so I think it's fine as is. But if I were to do the same thing again, I'd aim for adjustments like “clearly defining the path for Tier 5-6 and below, ensuring players can grasp the information and path during Scout Runs/First Runs.”
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◆Regarding Chapter 5-0
Chapter 5-0 was initially planned with a relatively simple stage layout, but it ended up becoming quite a complex stage.
More than complex, about half of it ended up reusing unique gimmicks from stages I'm planning for the future.
I'm aiming for an update around January 21st, but it will definitely be delayed by a few days.
In any endeavor, anticipating future developments and acting accordingly is crucial.
Therefore, in preparation for the coming future, I offer my preemptive apology. Sorry.
Explaining this is quite difficult, so I'll reuse the bullet points from before to introduce the modified Chapter 5-0 specifications.
・Chapter 5-0 contains five small dungeons within its stage. Players can only clear one dungeon per playthrough.
Additionally, each stage's score is saved separately. The total score from all five stages will be treated as the “overall score” used to obtain Sunstone.
(This part remains unchanged from the previously announced content)
→ Currently, the planned dungeons are “6F,” “8F,” “9F,” “10F,” and “15F.”
・In 5-0, there is a system where Sunstone can be exchanged for currency, which can then be used to purchase items.
→Sunstones obtained in 5-0 can be separately converted into currency worth 100 points per Sunstone acquired.
(For example, if you currently have 5,000 Sunstones and earn 30 Sunstones in this stage, your initial currency will be 3,000, and you can earn an additional 5,000 using Sunstones).
In other words, the higher your score in this stage, the more currency you can obtain.
・While we previously planned to offer items like Orbs and equipment for purchase, these will now be replaced by “Scrolls”.
Specifically, these will activate Legacy or Magic effects at LV1.
(There's a possibility Legacy levels might also be carried over...)
→ In other words, this stage is intended to be a preview of the magic and legacy systems that appear in Chapter 6 and beyond.
・A “Magic Box” will be added to the orb inventory. Clicking it will display a list of all scrolls you currently possess.
(This will show a screen similar to the magic UI in Chapter 6 and beyond)
・You can purchase scrolls ranging from basic spells like Brave/Courage to powerful ones with effects like SolarGate, Harvest, or Summon the Spring.
→ Prices double each time you buy one, and powerful spells cost thousands initially.
If you have enough currency, you can buy multiple copies of Harvest, for example.
・Whether scrolls will be placed on the map is currently undecided.
・While testing existing stage mechanics with staff for either 10-7 or EX1-10, we found this one relatively easy to reuse, leading to the decision above.
(That stage isn't “scrolls,” but features equally or more dynamic mechanics).
In a previous post, I might have written something like “I want to update by December,” but that was a typo for “13th month.”
Therefore, as announced, I plan to update Chapter 5-0 in the 13th month of 2025. I'm truly sorry.
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◆Work Environment Miscellany - Found a Graveyard
Unusually, I ended up writing quite a bit about TacticalNexus in the first half, so the “delay” discussion I planned for this month will likely be postponed yet again.
(It's already become a substantial amount)
Instead, I'll write about my recent work environment.
From here on, this has almost nothing to do with TacticalNexus.
Let's have the cactus dance.
₍₍⁽⁽🌵₎₎⁾⁾
An enchanting dance asserting that what follows has nothing to do with the game
Lately, I've been working a lot in the metaverse.
While the metaverse has various definitions, here I'm referring to things like VRChat and similar platforms.
(I don't own VR equipment myself, but essentially, I understand it as an online space where you can walk around using an avatar.)
It all started when I discovered a feature in the 3D game(?) The Beginner's Guide: “players can leave notes within the game world.”
(I'm unsure if screenshots are permissible for compliance reasons, so I won't provide specific examples.)
In terms of “leaving notes within the world,” something similar exists in games like Super Mario Maker.
In that game, players worldwide can play levels created by users. For high-difficulty stages, there was a feature allowing players to leave comments or notes at points where they made mistakes.
Super Mario Maker is a 2D game, and I didn't think much of it at the time. But seeing this in the 3D game The Beginner's Guide was quite shocking.
I thought, “Being able to leave notes in 3D space must hold tremendous value and meaning.”
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About a year and a half ago, we were working on introducing the metaverse as a new work environment, parallel to Team-Nexus's development.
(To do this, we rebuilt our communication engine and studied 3D programming, which we'd previously avoided because it seemed tedious).
First, rather than developing our own metaverse, we spent a considerable amount of time investigating existing metaverse content and what people already familiar with it were doing.
(I plan to write about this in next month's or the month after's issue, but originally, we were quick to act on research and data analysis. Back in the day, we'd examine records of thousands of people and their monthly growth rates and workloads to figure out things like “what constitutes a creator's talent.”)
We specifically looked into “events in the metaverse,” and the events that stood out to us were “Caf?-style events/DJ events,” “Lecture-style events,” and “Workshop-style events.”
Now, some of these events might seem unrelated to the “Metaverse Operations for Development” I'm writing about. However, these three event types are actually quite relevant to the conclusion of this article, so I'll write about them in detail.
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First, regarding cafe-style events: these aren't about spending money on food or drink services within the metaverse; they're fundamentally free.
Specifically, what you do is hold a “cup” object within the 3D world space and engage in casual conversation with the people present.
Essentially, it's like playing house, but what was important to us was that “you can actually eat and drink in the real world.”
In other words, while your avatar drinks “coffee” in the metaverse, your real self also drinks coffee.
After engaging with metaverse content for a while, you develop a sense of synchronicity, where you identify your avatar as an extension of yourself.
In that synchronized state, “having a conversation while eating or drinking with someone on screen” can actually give you a sensation quite similar to chatting in a real-world coffee shop.
Especially when sharing food and drink in such a space with someone you know well, it provides a surprisingly satisfying experience while staying at home.
DJ events are similar.
You perform while watching real people around you having fun using their avatars, so it's fundamentally a joyful experience.
What we realized through these events is that even in a 3D space, if you have a certain level of “synchronized feeling,” you can achieve a sensation not too different from real-world experiences.
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Next, lecture-style events?personally, these had the biggest impact on me.
Fundamentally, metaverse services have a “screen sharing” function. Like Discord's GoLive, you can project information from your computer window or screen onto a screen within the metaverse.
At the time, I (or rather, probably all of us) had no concept of screen sharing within the metaverse and didn't even know it was possible.
▲An example of screen sharing within the metaverse platform “VRChat”
Personally, I've only used Discord and Zoom for remote work, so my knowledge is limited, but what struck me the most was the ability to “move closer to the screen or change your viewpoint.”
What this means is that if there's a hard-to-see part on the shared screen, you can zoom in on the area you want to see by moving closer to the screen.
(In a multi-person space, you have to be careful not to get in others' way by moving too close.)
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I myself don't own any VR equipment, but even on a monitor screen, the metaverse gave me the impression it could fully function as a “workspace.”
This probably depends on personal sensibilities or playtime, but the immersion?the feeling of “synchronization,” or “having people right in front of you”?was quite strong. Especially during work, it instilled a sense of tension, making me feel I couldn't slack off too much.
Recently, an app called Goph has emerged specifically designed to boost productivity.
However, personally, I felt “screen sharing” was absolutely crucial.
Essentially, a system that allows you to “display your work in progress” and “clearly shows when your hands are idle” is extremely effective at maintaining that sense of tension.
Originally, about four years ago, we introduced a format called “Intensive Work Periods.” When an update was approaching, we'd dedicate one to two weeks to cramming in work.
(Personally, since I hold the most authority in information sharing and decision-making, during these periods I prioritize keeping things moving smoothly. To do this, I shift my sympathetic nervous system into overdrive, cutting my sleep time roughly in half or staying awake for 30 to 40 hours straight.)
We've repeatedly discussed and tried gathering to work together in various places like community center rooms, cafes, or staff homes, but each attempt highlighted more problems than benefits.
The main issues are sheer inconvenience and the time/cost required for preparation.
Frankly, it's pathetic (staff comment) that we need to gather physically when we could just chat online, it costs money (staff comment), and the travel time is a total waste of time (my comment).
And since Discord is fundamentally excellent for managing work and remote collaboration via voice chat, we'd settled on using Discord for communication for now.
However, the metaverse work model proved surprisingly effective.
While still somewhat partial, we've achieved extremely high work efficiency with everyone contributing without needing dedicated intensive work periods. It made me think, “Has this convenient tool been around for years?”
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After researching and testing various options within our team, we concluded that using the metaverse as a work environment within Team-Nexus itself?setting external factors aside?was highly effective.
So, we built an RTMP server for streaming, developed a 3D engine based on Dxlib in C++, and improved a previously developed communication engine to construct the metaverse environment for use within Team-Nexus.
▲This world was created using flat surfaces and similar elements, leveraging the in-program crafting features and image upload functions.
I myself have no 3D expertise, so we currently have a graphic designer studying 3D in parallel with TacticalNexus development.
▲Communication-related bugs were popping up everywhere, and debugging was utterly exhausting.
(The red frames indicate screenshots from the development records at the time.)
After actually building an environment that works to some extent, I realized that “click position recognition is surprisingly simple and has extremely high versatility.”
▲Sometimes we doodle like this among the staff
The image above shows a drawing board implemented within this metaverse.
This was created by combining the click position detection feature with a function that detects “where on the drawing board was clicked.”
Being able to achieve “high-precision interaction” sufficient for drawing naturally means systems like pressing buttons can also be built.
Moreover, by sharing “click information” and “video buffer information,” we could potentially enable “remote operation based on another PC's monitor information” in the future.
Japan is not a very large country in terms of area, and on Honshu, latency is basically only around 0.01 to 0.03 seconds.
Therefore, remote control of computers is relatively easy to achieve.
The possibilities become truly vast when screen sharing and remote control become feasible within the metaverse.
While ease of operation may vary somewhat, it essentially means performing actions akin to “multiple people operating a computer in the real world” can be done within the metaverse.
(Of course, precisely because it's used within a closed group, security concerns like these can be set aside.)
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With such multifunctionality, it becomes extremely useful for small-scale development in terms of functionality.
Real-world meetings involve gathering multiple people, setting up equipment, and countless other tasks.
For example, I recently started holding lectures at schools. For a mere two-hour lecture, preparation takes over an hour.
First, I need to confirm the location and clearly discuss entry procedures. Otherwise, I'd just be a suspicious person.
Next, I collaborate with the teachers to set up the computer equipment connections and cables.
Then, I take attendance for the students.
After that, whether the workshop ends early or not, I just stand around aimlessly killing time until the scheduled start.
After the lecture ends, I clean up and return any desks I moved for equipment setup.
Then I load everything back into my car, carrying one or two spare laptops I keep “just in case” the whole way.
To put it mildly, it's crap. That one word sums it up perfectly.
My lectures aren't crap. Mine are usually insanely popular, and the teachers are pretty happy with them too.
I heard somewhere that “game creator” ranks high among minors' dream jobs. Despite my rather dubious background, my lectures get the students hyped to the point where I feel like saying, “Is this an amusement park or what?” Their energy is crazy intense.
It's not the environment surrounding the workshop that's crap. As a thirty-something who grew up in an era when games were sometimes treated like criminal content, I sometimes think, “Seriously, talking about video games in school?” But the teachers are actually quite supportive.
What's truly crap is the laws of physics in reality.
The crap Second Law of Thermodynamics, which constantly causes far more physical problems than any server ever could, and lacks any kind of fast travel, is the real crap.
Of course, it would be trashy to say “Let's use our proprietary metaverse!” in a school lecture, but the “hassle of setup” is the same whether it's a lecture or within Team-Nexus.
“Getting people together” is always genuinely, seriously tedious and a pain in the ass.
In the metaverse, the time from saying “Let's meet up” on Discord to actually gathering is 1-2 minutes.
Then, preparing materials within the world takes a few minutes. After that, screen sharing handles the rest.
----
The Team-Nexus metaverse is still under development. We haven't implemented screen sharing yet, nor have we built a low-latency (likely WebRTC) server for streaming.
Therefore, we are currently developing the metaverse while also setting up a private instance (essentially an internal room) on VRChat for staff work.
It took about a year to reach this point. Things stabilized somewhat about five months ago, and for the past two months, our workspace has been fixed within the metaverse.
▲I started using VRChat itself in August and have been using it for about 360 hours per month.
I don't know how other staff feel about it (they might be thinking “Hmm...” internally), but regarding the metaverse work model, I feel like I've found my final resting place.
For the next several decades, barring things that are absolutely impossible due to compliance, work will likely be done in the metaverse.
If you're going to be there until you die, then it's already your final resting place. In Japan, they say things like “marriage is the final resting place of life,” after all.
What I currently consider extremely important is sharing “multiple screens simultaneously.”
Specifically: one screen for the “workflow diagram,” another for “current progress,” and then multiple screens per staff member.
When teaching staff something, I stream two more screens: one for notes and one for pinning.
So, in my case, I'm streaming at least three screens simultaneously, and up to five when things get busy.
(If you use your own server for the RTMP stream, it doesn't put much load on VRChat either)
The key point is that screen sharing shouldn't be limited to just one screen; it needs to be multiple screens.
A single screen isn't enough to let users present there choose “which information they want to see right now.”
In school classes or lectures, you've probably thought, “I wish I could have kept looking at that screen longer.”
But in the metaverse, you can use projectors to share a massive number of screens.
After all, the world inside a computer can be as vast as a 1km diameter area, and you can set it up for free or for just a few hundred yen a month.
In 3D space, you move the viewpoint with the mouse and navigate using WASD keys.
Users can operate their avatars to view the information they want while attending lectures or having conversations.
Of course, this can be inconvenient at times, but it's also convenient.
Fundamentally, development activities like this are extremely niche; people don't gather for them.
Frankly, while the Labor Standards Act sets a limit of “200 hours per month,” expecting 300 hours monthly is standard, and pushing for 400 hours is downright insane.
Moreover, the strain of streaming work while talking in this kind of environment, when done for 12 hours a day, is equivalent to the constant fatigue of staying awake for about 30 to 35 hours straight.
Even the staff gets completely wiped out after just a few hours. Frankly, this isn't really something humans should be doing.
This work style only functions because it's led by a generation accustomed to 3D games, operating from crappy environments where they can sit in front of a computer all day.
----
About 20 years ago, I thought something like this was nothing but a pipe dream, but nowadays it's become quite accessible.
Server costs are roughly $40 a month total, and for streaming up to three screens, a used laptop costing around $500 will run it perfectly well.
Today's high-end PCs cost around $5,000, but back 20 years ago, getting a machine with comparable specs would have cost about a thousand times that.
If you were to outsource this kind of metaverse service to a company, it would probably cost over $2 million and take several years. But if you develop it yourself, it's free.
Well, TacticalNexus and other things I've developed are full of bugs, but I try to fix and apply simple issues within a few hours of seeing the bug report.
Quite a lot of what I truly considered an “ideal” environment can now be achieved at the household level.
And it's reached a level where it can run perfectly well for just a few dozen dollars a month plus electricity costs.
Generally speaking, these days are often seen as dangerous times, but from my perspective as a weirdo, this era is still brimming with hope.
If I had one complaint, it's that PC prices have gone up, making the RTX5090 PC I thought would be “all I'd need for the next decade” very hard to buy now.
I've gotten permission from the staff, so I'm hoping the microtransactions we'll implement by the end of this month or next will cover the cost of that PC. Thank you for your support.
※TacticalNexus is in a position where development can continue for at least another 5 years even if sales drop to $0. Revenue from this game serves no purpose.
※There's no point in donating to a crappy game that costs around $120 for all DLC.
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◆Regarding Verbal Conversation
Now, shifting gears, working while talking long-term in the metaverse has significantly developed one particular aspect.
That is my ability to speak verbally.
I always considered myself above average at conversation, but over the past few months, I've become exceptionally good at talking.
I've noticed this improvement quite a bit with the staff too.
Before getting into that, let's first talk about the path to becoming “above average at conversation.”
Actually, becoming “better at conversation than most” is a relatively recent development, just a few years old. Before that, I was quite poor at “verbal communication.”
About six years ago?that is, even before I started working on the metaverse a year and a half ago?I first introduced voice chat when using Discord. Back then, I was extremely tongue-tied and had terrible articulation, making me completely hopeless at spoken conversation.
I could write coherently in text, but trying to speak logically would make my mind go blank, and I just couldn't do it well.
After about two to three months of consistent voice chat, I saw dramatic improvement. From then on, I shifted my focus from “written communication skills” to “oral conversation skills,” and after roughly four years, I became quite capable of talking about various things.
First, I'll briefly discuss what I did and what proved effective during those four years.
First off, your own voice over a microphone sounds pretty awful. It's terrible.
Thinking “Wait, I'm talking with this ugly voice...?” naturally makes you less eager to speak, leading to a vicious cycle of mumbling.
If you're totally fine with your own voice, great. But if not, you should definitely look for a studio microphone. You can get one for $20-40.
Using a larger microphone makes your voice much clearer and actually sounds like a proper “human” voice.
If you're still bothered by it, I recommend buying a microphone with an “equalizer” built in, costing around $70-100 (though you could probably manage with free software).
An equalizer is a function for adjusting your voice.
This adjustment isn't about those “voice changers that make you sound like a girl” ? it's about small-scale tweaks like boosting or cutting low frequencies.
Just mess around with it a bit, and you'll notice your voice sounds different. Use that to match the sound to how you normally hear your own voice, and it'll feel much better.
Slurred speech is unavoidable at first. You'll need to endure it for about 1-2 years.
However, I recommend always speaking while considering whether the other person can understand your voice.
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Regarding “where to practice conversation,” this probably varies by country, so it's quite difficult.
But from my perspective as a Japanese person, I found that “places with shared topics where you actively have to talk” seemed most conducive to developing conversational skills.
In my case, I specifically played cooperative games or FPS/TPS games on Discord recruitment servers or friends' servers. One crucial thing to note here is that you should absolutely change your handle name (especially for the former).
Whether it's competitive or cooperative games, you'll encounter people who react with surprisingly intense anger or handle interactions poorly. And this isn't just a few people ? it's a significant proportion. If you play with dozens of people, you'll likely encounter 1 or 2 like this.
In professional settings, calm conversation involves: “Avoiding deep topics (unless timing is right)”, “Focusing on positive rather than negative topics”, “When someone seems troubled, inferring their specific concerns and addressing them”, and “Respecting their autonomy by avoiding manipulative language”.
And once your conversational skills develop to a certain level, doing this will probably make you about five times more likable than you imagine.
I only frequented communities of people around 30 years old and used throwaway accounts, so things never progressed to “meeting in real life.”
But it happened quite often that not only would someone “always show up whenever I created a recruitment thread,” but I'd also get DMs almost daily asking, “Want to hang out?” We're not talking about one or two people.
My impression is that if you stay in a community for about ten days, you'll likely get aggressively stalked by at least one person.
And this was me, a guy. Women probably face even worse situations.
(Even in communities for people over thirty, I saw people clearly stalking female players.)
Of course, in those situations, the affection is purely superficial?they don't actually like your inner self. But the other person might not realize that.
It's common for them to assume, “If the surface is wonderful, the inside must be wonderful too,” and then aggressively close the distance.
In business, I operate in a way that's particularly prone to this, so this might be a somewhat biased opinion. But personally, I find being liked more troublesome than being disliked.
If you want to raise your profile for some reason, using your main account or usual handle to interact with people might be a good idea.
However, (I haven't tested this, so I can't say for sure) I think it gets pretty tough when you're constantly dealing with people who get way too close.
And if you tell those kinds of people, “Don't get too close,” there's a pretty high chance they'll flip and become haters. Especially the DM spammers are dangerous.
Practicing voice chat creates a somewhat closer sense of distance compared to text chat.
Practice is necessary, but this can get really messy if you get your strategy wrong. All I can say is, you should definitely use a throwaway account or something like that.
(I really have no idea what it's like outside Japanese-speaking regions... since I don't speak English myself.)
Also, even within the same game or age group, the atmosphere can differ by about 165 degrees depending on the community.
The differences can be so extreme that you learn “people have such varied worldviews,” which I personally think is quite important.
While it's crucial to develop the habit of thinking things through before assuming “this must be how it is,” you can't truly believe something without “real experience.”
Gaining that “real feeling” of “Ah, so that's how it is” by learning various things is quite valuable, I think.
(Though that doesn't relate to “verbal conversation skills” per se)
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That's how it is?you can actually improve your spoken conversation skills to a certain extent through other activities.
But constantly being present and working in the metaverse took it to another level. In just a few months, you become like a completely different person.
About ten years ago, I heard a story about a prefectural governor or assembly member somewhere who live-streamed their workday on YouTube or similar platforms.
I just tried looking it up, but couldn't find the article, so I never really figured it out. I recall it was about someone who was apparently very principled, doing it to maintain transparency and show they weren't slacking off... or something like that.
(I think it was Iwate Prefecture or somewhere around there, but I really couldn't figure it out.)
I was quite impressed by that incident. Beyond just “efficient work methods,” I wanted to create an environment where I could constantly stream my own work or visualize “how much I'm slacking off.”
However, I've never been able to sustain work streaming.
Simply put, after an hour, I get too tired from talking to focus properly on my work.
On the other hand, the metaverse itself has a certain effect just by “being present in the metaverse.”
It's that “synchronization” effect I mentioned earlier, like what you feel at coffee shop events. Being in that kind of space makes you feel like you should at least do some work.
For a while, talking consumes enormous energy.
If I talk while working for 30 to 60 minutes, the mental load becomes too heavy, and I need to rest for about an hour or two before I can continue.
I've worked long hours for a long time, but it's been ages since I felt exhausted to the point of needing to lie down.
Then, I start napping all over the place, so my daily rhythm gets pretty messed up.
On the other hand, these 30 to 60 minutes are incredible.
You can work with an energy akin to “running at full speed.” This allows you to quickly verbalize and tackle the “troublesome parts” and “problem areas” when tackling difficult or complex tasks.
As a result, just working 12 hours a day in the metaverse, including breaks and naps, has enabled me to achieve efficiency levels comparable to a period of intense focus.
Admittedly, I still can't manage five hours straight of talking while working, but over these past few months, the time I can work while talking continuously has roughly doubled.
Being able to talk that much naturally builds substantial “speaking experience,” significantly boosting your oral conversation skills.
Personally, I was surprised that my articulation improved without specifically training mouth movements. I actually started speaking quite clearly and distinctly.
I don't really feel like my mouth muscles got stronger. So, I think it's more likely that my brain's processing speed for “what I'm about to say” increased, which improved my articulation.
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Now, spending time in the metaverse has made my speech much smoother. Recently, though, I had a long conversation for work unrelated to Team-Nexus, and that's when I felt a clear difference.
Verbal communication skills might be more terrifying than I ever imagined.
Two paragraphs ago, I discussed tips for avoiding conflict in conversation.
Things like “don't bring up sensitive topics (unless you've timed it perfectly).”
But here's the thing about those “tips”: even if you know them, you can still mess up when you're not used to talking.
Why? Because sometimes, you don't even fully understand what you're about to say yourself.
When you're tired or your mind isn't working well, you can't “predict” what you're about to do.
When you're not used to talking and your mind isn't sharp, you can accidentally slip into dangerous talk, talk you shouldn't say.
The only way to avoid this is practice. And it's best to practice with someone very close to you, or with someone you don't know at all, where there's distance between you, so it's okay if you make a big mistake.
With someone you're only somewhat close to, a failure could ripple out to the entire community.
Therefore, the most reasonable approach is to practice with someone who can forgive you or someone you can easily cut ties with, as this minimizes the damage.
However, what I clearly felt during this long conversation in the real world was that working in the metaverse, where I spoke at an incredibly high density, made me extremely accustomed to talking. I became able to predict what the other person was going to say and speak with a high degree of accuracy.
Simply put, I became able to anticipate the other person's thoughts to some extent and clearly express my own opinions.
I hadn't realized this before because I'd never been that skilled at talking, but the fact that “thinking space opens up while speaking” is incredibly powerful?or rather, terrifying.
For example, in turn-based roguelike games, what you can do changes drastically between moving at normal speed and double speed.
A common tactic is “hit and run”?attacking an opponent and then stepping back. This lets you basically fight one-sidedly while staying completely unscathed.
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Predicting the other person's thoughts and speaking accordingly felt more powerful than I'd imagined.
The scary part is that if you choose to, you can get your point across much more easily without provoking the other person's emotions.
This is something I especially practice when writing. When I want to interact with someone as amicably as possible, I consistently aim to speak in a way that “doesn't negate the other person's will.”
Fundamentally, negating someone's will or emotions themselves usually causes the conversation to break down entirely.
The key technique is this: when someone criticizes or accuses you, insert a phase where you “first explain what they said or their main points in your own words (your interpretation).”
Rather than parroting their words back to them, converting it into “your own words (your interpretation)” provides feedback that “I've properly received what you're trying to assert.”
Doing this shows the other person that “my feelings are being conveyed to them (me).”
Even if you have to counter or disagree with something, just inserting this phase of “I understand what you're trying to say” makes the conversation flow much more smoothly.
People may feel differently about this, but for me, it's truly terrifying.
It's not something amazing or wonderful; it's terrifying.
Even someone who is the complete opposite can wear a surprisingly elaborate “mask of a good person.”
I'll probably write more details in the next issue or so, but I've always had a fiery temperament.
From around age 18 to 23, I helped out with various things under my father's business, but I was actually raised the most strictly (harshly) in this family.
Separately, I'm also hypersensitive. For a long time, I lived in an environment where I couldn't function without “analyzing and distinguishing each stressor, then ranking them.”
The truth is, I grew up in an extremely harsh environment. Compared to “pleasing others,” I have far more experience in “applying pressure to others” and “intimidating others.”
The “gentle writing style” I possess now is, in most cases, simply a direct reversal of these “methods for pressuring others.”
Earlier, I wrote that “to make a conversation work, show signs of accepting the other person's opinion.” Conversely, when I want to break down a conversation or stir up trouble, I start by denying the other person's feelings.
And I'm quite familiar with writing styles that make someone think things like “You're wrong,” “Because of you, many people are suffering,” or “You shouldn't be here.”
Of course, life wasn't all about being harsh and aggressive, and now I'm probably in the top 1-2% of carefree people. But back then, I did many things centered around that harsh approach.
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As a child, I was bad at speaking, but I was quite good at writing.
However, judging by my current growth rate, in about two more years, I should be able to speak with the same logical coherence as what I write here.
(Right now, I'm already about 40% there. Up until two years ago, speaking at the same level as my writing was practically impossible.)
I've started to grasp that speaking isn't just “saying whatever comes to mind.” Instead, there are stages and sequences to how you speak, and following this order makes it easier to get your point across to the other person.
Even in the real world, pretending to be someone completely opposite to yourself and manipulating the conversation to control the other person's will to some extent is truly terrifying.
But people can gain significant control over a situation simply by choosing what to say and the order in which they say it.
Especially when you anticipate and articulate points the other person hasn't yet verbalized or can't quite express, it builds trust ? “This person understands me” ? and gives you considerable leverage in the conversation.
After learning to speak smoothly, I became able to recognize the moments when people struggle, based on my own experiences.
And people have desires; they often try to “define” their will according to those desires.
By deciding or defining something, even if the content is nonsensical, you can make it seem like you've reached an agreement, at least in form.
The more anxious or uncertain someone is, the more they seek to “define something and feel like they understand.”
Anticipating someone's thoughts, especially when their mind is underdeveloped, allows you to steer their direction, force them into irrational definitions, and cause confusion or brainwashing.
This is probably what we call “fraud.”
‘Deceiving’ primarily means “falsifying the other person's feelings,” but there's also a form of deception where you “guide the other person into falsifying their own feelings.”
Especially in the latter case, it appears less like “I deceived them” and more like “they chose it based on their own judgment,” allowing the deceiver to even avoid blame.
Only after gaining some control over the situation did I realize how terrifying this truly is.
I never imagined that something as simple as speaking order could alter the level of control over a situation so drastically.
Perhaps this is common knowledge in the world, but for me, it felt far more unequal than I had imagined.
Of course, it's not a universal solution, but the more you interact with the same person, the more reliably you can make them your ally or even brainwash them.
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So, I'll write down what I personally believe is crucial for having conversations where you truly assert your own will.
・Don't force yourself to speak when your thoughts aren't caught up
→When your mind isn't working properly, you tend to make “wild, wish-based definitions,” which can lead to some pretty dangerous situations.
Especially when you have a strong desire to assert something or make a definitive judgment, it's best to be extra cautious here.
・Ask them to wait until you've clarified what you want to say
→Most people will wait a few seconds to over ten seconds. Sometimes, even a minute might be acceptable.
(This is a tendency in Japan, but people unwilling to wait even a few seconds often have significant communication issues themselves. If they lack sufficient skills, it's probably better to avoid conversation altogether.)
・Think about where you want the conversation to land before speaking.
→ If you don't decide beforehand “what exactly you want to say,” you might accidentally say something that rubs the other person the wrong way.
It often feels better to think about “what conclusion would let us end the conversation on a good note/keep it going smoothly without causing friction” rather than just “let's say something, anything.”
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Also, for “conversation practice” or “training to speak thoughtfully,” one incredibly demanding method remains “live-streaming escape games.”
It's exactly what it sounds like. In a classic point-and-click escape game, you voice your thoughts like “This might mean that,” or “This clue suggests this,” in a way that's “as understandable to others as possible.”
This has nothing to do with the metaverse. Just launch your recording software, film yourself, and pour out your thoughts nonstop.
Actually, speaking allows you to perform at least four tasks simultaneously.
One is word selection. This involves choosing specific words to concretize information like “what you're currently seeing.” Without this, your speech becomes full of pronouns like “that” or “this.”
Second is grammar. If you're flustered, you'll end up speaking with completely messed-up grammar.
Third is the objectivity of your sentences. This is about “speaking so that the person watching this understands what you're saying.”
And finally, “talking while performing actions (taking actions).”
In other words, “commentating on the actions” means doing up to 3 or 4 tasks simultaneously.
Moreover, for something like an escape game, the mental load is immeasurable.
Anyway, try doing an escape game commentary while consciously focusing on “not taking breaks” and “speaking clearly.”
Currently, if I stream an escape game for 40 minutes, I end up with such a severe headache afterward that I can't do anything for about two hours. I just lie down and become utterly useless.
However, I believe this activity is both enjoyable and incredibly effective for improving conversational skills.
If you can do it daily, I think your talking skills will improve to a whole new level within about two months. If they don't, I apologize.
A word of caution: it can seriously drain you and mess up your rhythm. Plus, your brain will be mush for a few hours afterward. Be careful.
What you're doing is basically a mental sprint. It really eats up your energy.
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Now, the January issue of Monthly Nexus is tentatively scheduled for release after Chapter 5-0 is implemented.
Well, it'll probably be around the end of the month. Thanks for your patience.