How Cryopod Uses Video Game Logic to Drive its Narrative

It's been a few months since I did a Patreon post. I am the worst. I never post anything cool for my Patrons!

Warning: Cryopod Spoilers ahead! Don't read this unless you don't mind being spoiled!

I had a great discussion with longtime reader /u/WellHeresMyFourthAcc who still stands as the longest running Cryopod supporter, having been supporting my Patreon since the very first day! In the process, I realized this aspect of my writing had not been covered at all, and HOLY SHIT does it need to be covered! If you don't understand this aspect of my writing, you are missing out on something critical.

I'll be talking about four things in this blog post. First, a term I've referred to once or twice before, which I call "Yu-Gi-Oh Balancing," that relates into the second point, "Why Cryopod is a Video Game and not a Shounen Anime." The third is going to be titled, "Why Shounen Balancing is not Ideal for a Longform Written Work." That third point will sting a lot, since it relates to some of my favorite works, including Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, and plenty of other classic anime. The final point is called, "How I used Videogame Balancing to Improve Cryopod's Dynamics." I think it will be the biggest eye-opener.

Without further ado, let's begin.

1. What IS the concept of Yu-Gi-Oh Balancing?!

When I refer to Yu-Gi-Oh, I am speaking of the card game, and not the TV show. The rule I am about to explain is not a hard and fast rule, but it applies mostly universally to the actual game, and I got the idea from scrutinizing Yu-Gi-Oh's balance, so I feel it's fair to say the show came up with it, even if it didn't.

Have you ever played a game, or watched a movie, and had one of the characters get something ridiculously overpowered, and thought to yourself, "Well, I guess the conflict is over"? You're much more likely to see this in a movie where there's a MacGuffin that is some overpowered item which grants the hero the power to slay the dark god that will engulf the world in chaos, because movies are on a two-hour time slot. They have to resolve shit quickly.

The problem is when this trope appears in a written work. Anything that gives incredible power, to the point of being overpowered especially, runs the risk of evaporating all tension. I'd rather the enemy be given something overpowered than the protagonist, because there's a very real chance that the protagonist could die, so at least they have stakes involved. When Goku goes Super Saiyan, for the first time, this is that trope personified, but at the same time, it isn't. Goku doesn't wipe the floor with Frieza immediately. Frieza goes up to 100% power, and you get the impression that being a Super Saiyan has only put Goku on Frieza's level.

So when I say that I prefer using Yu-Gi-Oh balancing, what does that mean, exactly? In Yu-Gi-Oh, most cards, if not all, have a really ridiculous power, ability, good stats for their level, or something else that makes them worth playing... but they also have a negative tradeoff of equal value.

For example, you could have a card that instantly kills any enemy monster when it's flipped face-up... BUT... it can only be used once. 

Or you have a card with tons of Attack Points... BUT... it reverts to Defense Mode after attacking, and it has a shitty defense score, meaning the opponent can easily kill it.

In a typical Shounen Anime, there is no 'but'. Many new anime do add exceptions to this rule, but I'm referring to the longform classics we used to see in the vein of Naruto and DBZ. It wasn't ever "Goku Reaches SSJ2 BUT he loses half his lifespan," though SSJ3 was an exception since Goku had only been temporarily reanimated when he faced Buu.

The goal of Yu-Gi-Oh balancing is to give a major weakness that can be exploited. Jason can make anything happen with Wordsmithing, BUT if he's ever rendered unable to speak, he can't use his power.  Yama has the power of darkness, BUT he's extremely weak to light.  Etc. This allows me to progress the story, knowing that if I need someone to die or lose a battle, there's an exploitable weakness ready and waiting. Likely, the reader knows of this weakness too if I've written it correctly.

2.  Why Cryopod is a Video Game and not a Shounen Anime.

Cryopod has had a lot of comparisons to DBZ, and I think that's because a lot of the fights work in a similar way to DBZ's. A couple of muscled dudes beat the goddamn shit out of each other, use a few tricks, and one eventually wins.

However, that's a fairly simplistic way to look at it. The truth is, every fight is determined before it even starts. All characters have an invisible power level that only I, the author, can see. However, I apply modifiers to said character's abilities based on the opponent they're fighting and then determine if each character can come up with a move that will reduce their weaknesses and/or amplify their strengths.

But that's a micro view of Cryopod. The macro view is much more important. At the micro-level, we examine characters, but at the macro-level, we examine whole factions. I'm talking humans, angels, demons, monsters, Volgrim, and even the Kolvaxians. Even if you wouldn't be completely wrong saying characters follow shounen rules, the Yu-Gi-Oh rule holds extremely true for factions as a whole.

Humans: High technology attribute, zero latent magical abilities.

Demons: High magical attribute, zero technology abilities.

Angels: High magical attribute, zero technology abilities. 

Gods:  High magical attribute, zero technology abilities.  

Monsters: Middling technology usage and magic abilities.

Volgrim: Extreme technology abilities, high psionic abilities, no latent magic talent (Except for Unarin... hmm...)

That seems straightforward enough, but then we can take it a little deeper. Demons, angels, and gods seem identical from a surface view of the above comparison, but now let's look at how magical energy works for each of the factions.

Humans: Little magical energy. They recover what little they use in a single night of rest, and this single night of sleep never changes, even for Heroes.

Demons: Vast magical energy potential, but they must consume human souls to boost their magical levels and mutate into higher forms. Regenerate their magic over varying periods of time, depending on their demonic abilities.

Angels: The largest potential magical energy cap, can consume souls just like demons, ripping them out by force, but this is an ability no angel knows how to use aside from Raphael. Angels may have the highest potential energy cap, but they lose their energy over time as it leaks from them, and they need it to stay alive. They cannot regenerate energy over time naturally as the other sentients do.

Gods: High magical powers, and can regenerate over time, but their levels are relatively flat. Gods cannot increase their caps, and their energy slowly regenerates just like a demon. What you see with a God is what you get. They descend from Titans, and thus have immense physical power as well.

Monsters: These guys are a grab bag. Some have high physical power, others have high magical power, most can somewhat grasp and understand technology, but they are not adept at building anything complex.

Volgrim: In terms of energy regeneration and latent ability, they're identical to humans. Note that, according to videogame logic in the Cryopod universe, the Volgrim are immensely powerful compared to the other sentients, but they have to in order to pose a threat. I also figure they're an ancient race with technology dwarfing humanity, so them being overpowered is fair.

Notice that angels are by far the highest ranked in terms of magical ability, gods follow, then demons, monsters, Volgrim, and humans. However, in terms of technology, it's the inverse. Volgrim, humans, monsters, demons, gods, angels.

This is classic videogame balancing, just like Starcraft, Warcraft, and etc. You could say Angels/Demons/Humans are effectively Protoss/Zerg/Terrans.

Let's continue.

3. Why Shounen Balancing is not Ideal for a Longform Written Work.

 A lot of Shounen anime and manga are character driven. Factions don't have deep ties together, but I'd say Naruto and DBZ best exemplify the idea of factions. 

In Naruto, you have the different villages and techniques, and within those villages are their "secret weapons" also known as their bloodline clans, such as the Uchiha and etc.

In DBZ, you have actual races, like Humans, Saiyans, Namekians, whatever the fuck Frieza is, Androids, and etc.

However, these aren't like the factions in Cryopod. Each faction in Cryopod has specific limitations that hold them back in very obvious ways. 

Most of the time, the factions in Naruto all start from the same baseline (Human) and just kinda add bonuses on top. Some ninja have Jutsu with specific drawbacks, but no faction is really different from the other at base, they just have different abilities.

In DBZ, there really are no differences between the species. Each is just a different linear level of power. Humans are the very bottom, and everyone else is above them at whatever level the writer deems convenient. Goku has no major weaknesses, other than being beaten by someone who is simply better than him. Frieza has no major upsides or downsides. He's stronger, then he's weaker, then he's stronger again depending on plot convenience.

The problem is, while Naruto manages to keep its power levels relatively balanced until the last 1/3rd of the series, DBZ is broken from the start. Because there are no obvious ways to exploit weaknesses or anything like that, there either is tension, or there isn't. The protagonists either win, or they lose. The only way for protagonists to grow if they're weaker than the enemies are with a cocky smile and the writers pulling some bullshit out of their ass.

The Frieza arc is, in my opinion, the best written arc in terms of showing how Goku could defeat Frieza. It isn't great, but it's the best you'll find. Frieze is a monster, killing people easily. When he finally gets his ass kicked, he just transforms, then he transforms again, then he does so a final time, to which Goku unleashes the heavily foreshadowed Super Saiyan, and Frieza 'releases every last bit of his energy' to still ultimately lose.

In terms of power balancing, however, Naruto is far superior. The Chuunin exams are, in my opinion, the best example of good writing you'll ever find in a longform shounen manga. Not on a macro-faction level, of course, because that doesn't exist. On a micro-level, however, each ninja has a power with an obvious strength and a glaring weakness. 

Shikamaru's Shadow-Imitation technique, for example, allows him to control the movements of anyone his shadow touches. The problem is that if his shadow doesn't touch someone, his powers are useless. He's stronger later in the day when shadows are long, and weaker when the sun is at its brightest. (Sidenote: They never explain how his powers work at night-time, so maybe he's invincible or totally useless? Hard to say.) Overall this is a perfect example of Yu-Gi-Oh balancing to the core.

Tenten can summons tons of knives and shuriken to attack her enemies. Unfortunately, she gets paired up against someone who can just blow her weapons away with wind. A strength, and an exploitable weakness.

While Naruto does have the capacity to demonstrate Yu-Gi-Oh balancing, unfortunately as the show advances, it draws away from the idea of a big strength and a weakness into mundane DBZ style Bijuu fights where people just shoot big lasers and punch each other until they can't move anymore. The saddest thing is that at least on a micro-level, the show was engaging for much of its runtime.

4.  How I used Videogame Balancing to Improve Cryopod's Dynamics. 

The best part of videogame balancing is how it allowed, and still allows me, to enhance the factional dynamics on a macro and micro level by playing Cryopod like a game. In truth, while there's an obvious idea that Jason as the protagonist will win, everything beyond that is up for grabs. I intentionally created an atmosphere in the story much like Game of Thrones where you don't know who can and will die. Hell, even the love interests aren't safe.

Whenever I created a faction, I said to myself, "Okay, so if the factions are to have any longevity, they need weapons, powers, and secret weapons. Secret weapons need to be something with a big drawback that can turn the tides of battle, but are likely a double-edged sword as well."

Knowing this, what weapons do each faction possess, in addition to their double-edged swords that can bite the hand that feeds? I'll only list a few. It's up to the reader to guess the others.

Humans: Technology is their main weapon, but Umi is, in a way, the ultimate weapon, albeit unintentional. She is the definition of a double-edged sword, naturally, since she can turn against humanity at will. Her intentions are unknowable. She is an enigma.

Volgrim: They have technology, an ultimate totally-not-a-Death-Star-superweapon, and most importantly, the Sentinels. As Unarin explains, activating the Sentinels is the last middle finger to his enemies. He loses when he activates them, but so does everyone else. If his opponent fires the nukes, then by goddamn, so will he.

Angels: By every definition listed so far, Angels are inherently double-edged swords. Simply engaging in battle saps their life-force. For an ultimate weapon, though, Gabriel's Cosmic Form temporarily allows him unlimited energy to devastate a battlefield, at the cost of becoming completely immobile and defenseless afterward. Angels actually invert the trope, since their ultimate weapon temporarily is a single-edged sword.

Demons: They do not have the traditional ultimate superweapon like those above do, but instead, their own greed is their undoing. When Lords and Dukes are constantly jockeying for power and prestige, the worst thing an Emperor can do is weaken themselves in a battle and leave themselves ripe for the picking.

........................................................

Cryopod does, in fact, use some Shounen logic. As time goes on, the powers that be have to escalate their arms-races, but I mix in the Yu-Gi-Oh balancing by also making them suffer great damage at the hands of their weapons.

My first major story, of course, is not perfect. Hell, it isn't even finished yet. Still, when you realize that I'm primarily using videogame logic and seeking to balance things with the idea of creating upsides and downsides on the macro and micro level, I think you'll finally understand the inner workings of Cryopod, and my future stories as well.

Thank you for reading. I'm terrible at ending formal posts, so... this is the end.

Feel free to comment below if you have questions or thoughts!