天平游戏1:抉择 news & patch notes

After collecting feedback throughout yesterday, on behalf of the development team, I want to thank everyone for your input. I’d like to share my personal thoughts in full below:

1. Expectations vs. Trade-offs (from the developer’s perspective) | Expectations vs. Disappointment (from the player’s perspective)

Feedback surrounding the storyline makes up the bulk of all comments, so I’ll break this topic down into these two angles for a detailed explanation.

Let’s start with the player side first.

When you booted up Inner Scales 1 and saw all your favorite voice actors featured in the title, it was only natural to anticipate a blockbuster experience paired with a gripping, well-crafted narrative—and I fully agree with this sentiment. I held the exact same expectations myself.

To draw a parallel: my eldest kid just sat for Shanghai High School Entrance Exams recently, and I hoped wholeheartedly they could get admitted to the "Four Top High Schools & Eight Elite High Schools", the collective moniker for Shanghai’s most prestigious senior high schools.

Unfortunately, the exam results fell short of our hopes. I got snide remarks from some relatives, while friends around me also voiced that the outcome failed to match expectations.

Truth be told, I felt no disappointment whatsoever. For years, my child has poured in every ounce of effort, and our family has done everything within our means to support them—efforts that no outsider gets to witness or appreciate.

The same applies to the storyline of Inner Scales 1. All I can say is we gave it our absolute best. It is completely reasonable for players to feel let down by the final story quality.

Your grievances and critiques are all valid, and I acknowledge every single one.

Now moving to the developer’s perspective, which is far more nuanced: expectations and unavoidable trade-offs.

I have no intention of demanding players sympathize with our team. There exists a clear boundary between consumers and service providers; product quality speaks louder than any explanation, and you are entirely right to hold us accountable.

That said, I am just an indie developer running a tiny, understaffed workshop. I do not communicate with players purely from a formal corporate standpoint. If I were adopting a standard official stance, I could simply issue a generic apology or stay silent entirely—tactics I am fully aware of. However, as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, these reflections are meant for long-time players who have grown from game consumers into mutual acquaintances. I open up about our real development constraints and decision-making process, while you share your honest feedback with me; that is the sole purpose of these write-ups.

Back to the original expectations for Inner Scales 1.

I foresaw this wave of negative feedback back in April, when we first drafted the game’s script—public reception has unfolded exactly as I predicted. We were upfront both on the store page and launch day, openly stating the storyline could be regarded as a weak point, yet I personally had a rewarding experience crafting this project (details can be found in our official announcement). This admission is never meant as an excuse for the subpar story quality; I have never shied away from taking responsibility for its flaws.

I know many of you are wondering: If you knew the story would turn out this way, why not polish it properly from the start?

Let me circle back to my child’s exam analogy: Why couldn’t they study harder to get into Tsinghua or Peking University? Was it a conscious lack of motivation?

The plain answer is a lack of capability—both my child’s academic capacity, and our capacity as parents. As ordinary salaried workers, we lack the spare time for intensive tutoring supervision, nor the financial means to afford full-spectrum premium extracurricular coaching to compete with other families. Short of being a once-in-a-generation prodigy, falling behind in such cutthroat competition is inevitable. This is the harsh reality of life. But does falling short of goals mean we stop striving entirely?

That is precisely why I push forward with game development as a startup founder: to earn more income, secure better resources for my kid, and support their three years of high school studies. I will keep fighting for my family.

By the same token, I have full confidence our screenwriter is capable of writing exceptional narratives. Regrettably, I cannot afford to reserve their services for a full year to refine a polished, sophisticated script. Given our tight budget, the most feasible solution we could devise was to allocate limited funds toward casting top-tier voice talent. The revenue generated from this installment will be fully reinvested as funding ammunition for Inner Scales II. This is the classic chicken-or-egg dilemma we are trapped within.

Most of you are seasoned interactive movie game players, myself included. Allow me to pose a few hypothetical scenarios for reference:

What would the final product look like if a beloved spy thriller masterpiece was only given a development budget of several hundred thousand RMB?

How would the sequel to a hit romance title turn out with merely a few hundred thousand RMB in funding?

What quality standard could a viral social-themed narrative game possibly hit under the same constrained budget?

(At this point, some readers will accuse me of playing the poverty card—and you are justified to feel that way. “If your games turn out mediocre, your financial struggles are your own fault.” I will not argue against this viewpoint.)

Hard choices had to be made. I had to prioritize certain elements to eventually deliver projects that meet my own quality standards.

Like most ordinary people, progress toward long-term goals is always winding and incremental.

My core trade-off for this title was focusing our finite budget and manpower on one standout highlight: our cast of professional voice actors. This has been our core priority from day one.

Only with this selling point could we generate sufficient revenue to iteratively upgrade every other component in future projects.

Information asymmetry has also created a lot of misunderstanding. One negative review assumed our three years of operation meant we owned a large, mature development team. To set the record straight: our team has shrunk from 5 members to 4, then 3, and now effectively only 2.5 full-time staff over these three years. I would update the UI assets if we had available personnel to handle the workload.

Aside from the storyline, nearly all other complaints have straightforward resolutions:

Bonus Video Access

We clarified this yesterday: veteran players gain full access to all bonus footage several hours in advance. New players unlock 3 videos on launch day, with the remaining 5 available the next day.

Some of you interpreted this policy as unfair differential treatment toward new users. It is intentional preferential treatment for our long-term supporters, which I believe is reasonable. We can brainstorm fairer reward mechanisms for veteran fans moving forward, yet I stand by the original design choice and accept all backlash it has caused. We will optimize this system in future updates.

Achievement Glitch

The eight problematic achievements were unintended bugs that were never supposed to go live. The issue has already been patched, so I will not elaborate further.

Story Tree Layout (a repeatedly raised complaint)

I have addressed this countless times in comment replies: our game does not adopt a branching narrative framework. What players perceive as a branch tree is actually one continuous linear timeline. Traditional branching systems display story paths horizontally, while our current save-file navigation scrolls vertically down a single storyline. We have built functional branching tree systems for our previous titles; the feature already exists in our codebase. We opted against implementing it here purely because the game’s content structure does not match that layout. This is purely a gap in shared information. I keep reiterating this explanation because many players have overlooked previous responses.

No other pressing issues come to mind for the time being, so I will conclude this statement here.

Once again, thank you to every player for your continuous support. If sales performance and crowdfunding returns for Inner Scales 1 exceed our previous projects, all additional revenue will be injected comprehensively into every development facet of Inner Scales II, as I promised earlier.

I understand most harsh criticisms stem from your genuine wish to see our work improve, and I hold no resentment toward these comments. We will press forward together. Perfection cannot be achieved overnight.

Longtime followers who have tracked our project iterations over the past three years can attest that I have been steadily seeking breakthroughs and building our technical capabilities to craft higher-quality games step by step.

Let time pass judgment on all disputes and disagreements.

Thank you for taking the time to read this lengthy note.

Humble as my station may be, I never cease to care for my cause; the merit of my deeds shall only be judged when my journey draws to a close.

(Original ancient poem: Low rank cannot erase devotion to duty; final verdict awaits the closing of one’s coffin)

We are delighted to share an update with everyone: our latest fan-oriented live-action title Inner Scales 1:Choice is officially available for purchase on Steam.

Thank you for your ongoing support and attention. We wish you a pleasant gaming experience.

I have countless things I want to say, yet I do not know where to begin, so let us focus on the product itself instead.

As usual, I will score this work from several key aspects.

Narrative

This title features no conventional plot; it merely depicts a single incident. Judged by the standard definition of a storyline, its score is practically failing, even a zero. This is not the screenwriters’ fault, but mine. Constrained by limited shooting time and budget, my only requirement for the filming crew and writers was to fully film this incident, nothing more. All criticism directed toward the writing team and production crew should be aimed squarely at me.

Gameplay

There is little to no dedicated gameplay mechanics built into this title. Our studio is actually fully capable of crafting robust gameplay systems, as proven by our previous releases: the structurally intricate Pact between us, as well as storefront-launched titlesWarrior Maiden and Pitch Girls. The lack of gameplay stems from my personal design philosophy. My core principle has always been clear-cut differentiation: works centered on viewing experience should prioritize branching narratives and multiple endings, leaning into the cinematic medium. Titles focused on gameplay ought to adopt structured game frameworks built around frequent player interaction. Hybrid designs are not unfeasible, but they stem from fundamentally different design mindsets, which is a tangent for now.

If the gameplay fails to meet your expectations—whether you hoped for match-three puzzles, tile-matching games, riddles, or even tactical wargames—rest assured our team has the technical capability to implement such features. I simply believe adding them would be superfluous and overkill. Put plainly, my design proficiency falls short of delivering satisfying gameplay within a movie-first interactive game framework. I will keep exploring better solutions moving forward.

Cast & Lineup

The cast lineup is outstanding, only one step away from being absolutely phenomenal—and that gap will be filled with Inner Scales 2 : The Chosen

(Development for Balance Game II: The Chosen One is currently underway, and I firmly believe it will see improvements across all fronts.)

Overall Experience

In my honest opinion, this stands as the finest work our studio has created to date, without exception.

Though the narrative structure is bare-bones from my perspective, the cast delivers stunning performances throughout.

While interactive gameplay moments are sparse, the cast’s on-screen chemistry and performances leave an indelible impression.

Even though this is not a romance-themed production, the affectionate lines delivered by the cast left me utterly captivated (it was immensely gratifying).

These are my genuine, unfiltered feelings toward this project.

Furthermore, this remains a low-budget production by our studio’s standards. Budget is a relative metric: this project represents our largest financial investment to date, yet it would be considered a modest production by competing developers. Every member of our team poured their utmost effort into development, the filming crew strived for quality during shooting, and every cast member gave their all to their roles. That is all we could offer, and we sincerely hope this work resonates with you. To those who feel disappointed with the final product, I offer my deepest apologies.

Lastly, we will keep pushing forward and refining our craft. Our founding mission has remained unchanged since January 2024. More than two years have passed, and we are endlessly grateful for your company as we forge ahead and look forward to you witnessing our upcoming projects together. The end results matter far less than the journey itself. Every remote interaction we share—whether while playing our games, reading official announcements, or chatting casually in our official community groups—binds us through fate and creates irreplaceable shared memories. And that is more than enough for us.

Thank you all, from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you again. Thank you so much.

To all our friends who have long supported and followed our studio,

After a lengthy wait, “Inner Scales 1:Choice” will officially launch at 17:18 on the afternoon of July 25th.

We are truly grateful for your sustained support and patient anticipation. We also wish to thank every member of the cast and crew for all their hard work behind and in front of the scenes. Thanks to your efforts, this project is ready for launch, and we strive to live up to everything you have contributed.

We have plenty we want to share with you all, which we will elaborate on in the official launch statement this Saturday. Final rounds of testing are currently underway.

We look forward to your engaging interactions alongside our eight actors cast members. See you all this Saturday!

Hey bros,

Our brand-new live-action premium title Inner Scales 1: Choice is now live on the Steam store! If you’re interested, head over to add it to your wishlist.

As usual, I’d like to share the story and feelings behind this project with you all.

First, huge thanks to every cast and crew member who worked on this film—especially our amazing actresses, whose professionalism was outstanding. It’s been such a pleasure collaborating with these highly respected performers.

After wrapping filming, my biggest takeaway is: these are truly the fan-favorite characters chosen by you, the FMV game community. Seeing them in action is even better than hearing about them.

As an official who loves writing these long notes, I just have to gush about how much I adore each performer.

(Ordered by their wrap date)

1. Ms. Chen Man

The first day of shooting is always the hardest and slowest. We had to set up lighting for every scene, make constant adjustments, and get the whole crew in sync. Normally, we never finish the first day’s scenes on time. But luckily, our first day was with Ms. Chen Man—every performance was perfect and smooth. She’s also incredibly gentle; I don’t think any man could help but like her.

2. Ms. Guo Xinyu

Ms. Guo worked so hard. We filmed in Hengdian, and she drove all the way from Shanghai to be there, then rushed back right after wrapping. Shooting went extremely late that day—she had to get up at 6 a.m. for makeup and kept going until the next morning. The most impressive part: no matter how late it got, once she stepped in front of the camera, she was full of energy and nailed every take. On a personal, non-official note: she’s exactly my ideal type. With the rescue choices in this game, I don’t think any guy could leave someone like her in danger.

3. Ms. Wen Jun

Our mascot, the beloved icon of the 《Back》studio—need I say more? All of Wen Jun’s scenes were shot at night, starting around 11 p.m. and going until the next morning. It was exhausting. If you notice any moments where she seems tired, please be understanding. In the escape scenes, she had to fall over and over again; it was hard to watch. She even hit her head a few times by accident. Personally, I’m definitely saving Wen Jun in my playthrough. Hope you’ll support our mascot too.

4. Ms. Tang Zhifei

Ms. Tang’s performance was a wonderful surprise. In her previous FMV work, she gave off a strong, confident “queen” vibe. But in our game, her portrayal of a fragile, helpless character was so moving it made every guy want to rush to protect her. Just imagining not saving her (speaking only for myself) makes me feel guilty.

5. Ms. Xiang Weijing

How can someone be so sweet, cool, and kind all at once? Our set had a very calm dog named Dengdeng (yes, that’s his name, not a filler word). When Ms. Xiang knelt down to play with him during makeup, it was such a beautiful, healing moment. Her confidence and coolness are obvious the second she stands up—truly one of a kind.

6. Ms. Yan Ran

Ms. Yan Ran… I just have to say… she’s absolutely stunning. I consider myself outgoing, but I got shy just looking at her. I couldn’t look away even if I tried. I wasn’t a fan before this project, but after working together, I became one instantly. One more time: she’s incredible.

7. Ms. Shen Yichen

Ms. Shen has a unique, elegant intelligence. If I had to sum her up in one phrase: Elegance is timeless. Maybe because we’re both from Shanghai, I felt an instant connection. With her perfect glasses style, she embodies “intellectual beauty” completely.

8. Ms. Wang Xingchen

Full disclosure upfront: working with Ms. Wang brought me three big surprises.

Surprise 1: She’s extremely tall. I’m 178cm, and I wore 8cm inner lifts because I heard she was tall… but I was still shorter. Her proportions and long legs are amazing. On day one, Ms. Chen Man even warned me: wait till you see her—you’ll know what real grace is. She’s breathtaking.

Surprise 2: She’s incredibly straightforward. I’d heard some rumors before, but after meeting and talking with her, I know she’s the kind of person who hates lying and speaks her mind. I have a friend just like her—blunt, honest, and easy to like. I relate to her a lot; I’m also honest, even if it offends people, including some in the industry. I can’t change that.

Surprise 3: Her acting is fantastic. As the last to wrap, she was super efficient. I hope we can keep working together long-term. (Only downside: hard on the photographers—she joked that cameras kept shifting from eye level to upward shots.) Another joke: when I said I wanted long-term cooperation, she told me to stop “drawing cakes” (empty promises). She’s had too many of those. But I never make empty promises. Unless I can’t afford her someday, I want to keep collaborating.

Of course, I also owe a huge thank you to the entire crew. The actors finished when their scenes wrapped, but our team worked nonstop throughout the entire Labor Day holiday. In the first three days alone, we logged over 60 hours of work. Honestly, I was there the whole time, but I crashed after the first two days and showed up late on day three. That’s why we keep working with this crew—their dedication is unmatched. Just like I’ve seen the unwavering support and patience from you, the FMV players and our official group members. I want to keep getting better with you all, growing and creating together.

Now, let’s talk about why we made Inner Scales 1: Choice.

I like to call this genre a premium fan-service title—and “premium” has three layers: