https://files.catbox.moe/b4x91u.jpg

Summer Event Exclusive Interview
Enter the extraordinary "Longitudinal Strain"

THEME AND DESIGN

Q: Why did you suddenly decide to leave the original storylinne after the end of the Germany arc and begin a new story on the train?

Writing Team: Well, it wasn't all that sudden. You could say the main storyline has been proceeding at a fixed narrative tempo, and especially after entering the final chapter, every stroke of the pen is finely calculated.

As for why we chose to open the chapter in this way, we believe that it is essential to develop the GF universe. This is the final preparation for the impending ending, it develops the unique world which the Commander finds himself in, and it is also a bold attempt by the writing team in telling this story. For all the abovementioned reasons, we chose to set the story on an intercontinental train travelling the breadth of Eurasia.

In the 2060s world of GF, intercontinental trains run through contaminated and noncontaminated zones of their time. As passengers board and leave, those characters who briefly linger and meet through fate and destiny create developments of their own, making it the perfect stage upon which to expand the setting.

Q: On the subject of trains, some of our train fans have said that the old-style train that appeared in the PV was a major red herring. Now that we know it's actually a neural cloud space for Maggie, we'd like to know why she chose to theme it in such a way. Also, the Future regularly travels the intercontinental railway; how did you come up with this idea of putting trains in trains?

Writing Team: The use of an old-school Western train as her neural space theme stems entirely from Maggie's own preferences. She's very much a fan of the old ways, in more ways than one. The aged train cars reflect Maggie's previous experienes and views (I'd like the chance to have her explain all this). She's also a big stickler for ceremony. Polite guests might receive polite treatment, but troublemakers might be tossed out directly (like Lyudmila and Erma).

The Future is a passenger carrier that is quite new to the line. Its name roughly refers to how everyone will choose the Commander of the future, and that a train full of hope will bring everyone to a wonderful future (I think?).

Putting trains in trains probably came from the moment we saw Maggie. We wanted to design for this Doll girl to lay down her burdens and relax, as well as a Doll black market that was operated on a train. The two trains running at the same time would showcase the different events occuring in reality and in her neural cloud, so it was also a narrative consideration of sorts.

Just about every single stage is named after a piece of classical music. Then there's the name Longitudinal Strain; may we know what they have to do with the theme of the story?

Writing Team:

The use of classical music for stage names is related to the plot and the mood of the chapter in question. For exammple, the "5-β5 Danse Macabre". The Danse Macabre is also known as the Dance With Death. It starts out quietly, and as it continues, it grows more and more intense. it gives the impression that one is going deeper into hell and seeing a denser and denser crowd of skeletons. In this chapter, Maggie and Catherine are going to make a deal with Gray, and as the deal progresses, Maggie learns more and more secrets, and she becomes more closely tied to Paradeus. For her, she is going deeper and deeper into Hell, and more and more grim reapers are surrounding her.

Longitudinal strain is a fairly broad physical phenomenon, referring to how when an object is subjected to strain that deforms it, each different point inside it deforms to a different extent. The mechanical quantity used to describe the degree of deformation at a specific point is known as the point strain. Meanwhile, the different ways in which everyone reacts to the application of a mechanical quantity is the point of the entire story. The train incident is the starting point for a whole series of changes in the Commander and Paradeus. As for the exact nature of these changes and how they will clash in the end, all I can say is keep following the story~

PLOT AND CHARACTER
Q: The story this time round features an ensemble cast with lots and lots of characters, and several groups have left quite an impression. Could you tell us how you designed them?

If the setting is the stage, then the characters would be its stars. After the theme of the performance was decided, we thought long and hard about which characters would better convey our themes. We had to consider age, sex and social status, then ensure they were all balanced.

Trains make for an excellent microcosm of society. First, we need to consider the kinds of people in the different train cars. To that end, the very first plot detail we decided on was the ticket price. Lyudmila, who's travelling from Moscow to Berlin on a first-class ticket, would be paying 45820 credits. Maggie's dining car ticket from Warsaw to Poznan costs 8650 credits, while Erma's ticket from Warsaw to Berlin would only need 10900 credits. After finalizing the ticket price, the cast naturally divided themselves into what class of tickets they could afford. For instance, the good doctor would naturally be taking the first-class car, while poor Pavel would only be able to afford the cheapest ticket

In addition to their social status, we also needed to consider the cast's relationships. There are two main types fo these; the first was the temporary relationships, which largely revolve around their physical proximity to each other; when two people are in the same place, they naturally tend to interact. Our main aim in that aspect was to bring out the interesting parts of these interaction; for instance, Susannah and Katherine, Pavel and Maggie.The other kind was the deep relationships, formed from their various experiences and ideals. For instance, Lyudmila and Erma, or Eugene and Lucas.

Q: Did you decide on the three protagonists first? Were there any changes during the design process?

Writing Team: We decided on the protagonists first. The three protagonists were the underpinnings of the story, anchoring three different routes through the story that would finally intertwine aboard the train. Meanwhile, the other characters were branches and derivatives surrounding the three main plotlines. For instance, Nikolai and Tareus only exist because Maggie does, while Pavel and Catherine only exist because of Erma (that's right, Catherine was actually designed as a character in Erma's storyline, but she ended up becoming more and more detailed due to her ties with Maggie's plotline. Eugene and Baba Lyuba are clearly tied to Lyudmila's storyline.

The cast's personalities didn't change much during the design process, but their life choices and history were tweaked as events and the mood progressed. For instance, Dr. Eugene was originally intended to be more on the evil side, with a bigger part in the story. Even his ending was much different from his current incarnation. In the end though, we cut back on his parts and how he was presented in order to better serve the story and the mood as a whole. Another example is Susannah; in her case, you could say she got a bigger and bigger part. At first, she was meant to be a background character, since she was just a staffer. However, after the train derailed, we felt that she was the best choice to represent the collective perspective of the train passengers as a whole, which was why she had a scene where she went from car to car looking for people.

Q: Why did Catherine use MP41's CG? Did she not deserve a new body?

Writing Team: MP41 was a fairly common civilian Doll model before joining Griffin. Naturally, there would be other DSolls like her and Catherine was one of them. While they're not the same Doll, they carry themselves un similar ways. The initial design conception for Catherine was simply a scalper who worked with Maggie on a train, but with the struggle between various factions as a backdrop, her relationship with Maggie slowly came to prominence and her important gradually rose, and so her story became more and more fleshed out. When we were designing her, we didn't expect that she would end up with such a big part...

Q: There are many Doll designers in GF's world, and Professor Humes who showed up in this event is without doubt the most mysterious of the lot. Who WAS Humes, and will more of this works be showing up>

Writing Team: The relationship between creator and created is fascinating, no? Such relationships get a lot of focus in GF. As a Doll designer, Humes was more paradoxical than others; or rather, he was more realistic. He had talent and a unique understanding of personality design. To him, Dolls did not exist to replace something that already existed. Dolls had meaning of their own just by existing. He was also very proud and believed that his creations were irreplaceable, and that his was the right way for Doll technology to proceed. As a result, he branded his design philosophy on Instructor "Я", making it impossible for her to be formatted and writing a dual personality into her. He was desperate to be acknowledged and poured his life's effort into Erma, hoping that one day she would shock and astound the world. Unfortunately, he got the attention of a greedy cult instead...

Such a creator would surely have created many extraordinary Dolls, and the appearance fo these Dolls would surely shake up the era. After all, Lyudmila's serial number is 63-Я-180; Erma must be incredibly proud and thinking, "I'm the Big Sis of this family!"

Q: When will Erma bring Maggie to Griffin? Does she still remember Lyudmila? Erma, how will I live without you...

Writing Team: Given the speed of the Elmo, she ought to be there soon enough! Unfortunately, due to secrecy issues, Lyudmila was not backed up in Erma's neural cloud, so they will probably not remember each other for a while. However, we must have hope; Erma's amnesia is not incurable, and one day, Professor Persicaria will make a discovery about it.

==========================================================

https://files.catbox.moe/r29hy5.jpg

DEVELOPERS' SECRETS

Q: What obstacles did you face when you decided to move away from SKK's POV?

Writing Team: The biggest obstacle was probably a lack of popular characters to use. Even during internal discussions, our colleagues in other departments expressed their doubts; would the players really want to read this if we used a brand-new cast?

Fortunately, everyone was determined and confident about it all from the initial decision, throughout the creative process and until the end of production. We believed that GF's universe was very compelling and that we could portrayt that. When I look back on it now, I'm very glad we made that decision. In truth, the Commander has always been a perspective for "me", and careful players will notice that Lyudmila's codename of "Я" means "me" in Russian, and she is a self-insert we designed for the audience.

Q: Which characters do the designers like best? Which crack pairings are your favorites?

Writing Team: We often fight a lot due to crack pairings, and so we will anonymously showcase our opinions below.

ANON 1: Maggie. For CPs it would have to be Maggie and Catherine, they're just perfect together. Waht else could be more compelling that absolute loyalty between two scammers?

ANON 2: Catherine. She's weak and fragile, but she gives her all to seek a better life and such characters appeal to me. As for the second part of the question, it would have to be Maggie X Catherine. In the cruel jungle of society, they lean on each other to survive, sharing their laughter and tears and all. I believe there is no doubting how real their feelings are.

ANON 3: Maggie. I've had enough of being a goodie-two-shoes; who DOESN'T want to be a charming, cunning, yet deadly femme fatale (even if I can't be her, liking her counts, right?) Asfor CPs, without have to be Maggie and Catherine. Both of them are unscrupulous, wicked women who are always plotting against others, yet they're concerned for each other, they keep each other company and so on... Ah, how wonderful it is, bad girls really are the best after all.

ANON 4: I like all the characters, but my favorite would probably have to be Erma. To me, Erma is a novel and interesting character. As for my favorite CP, it would have to be Maggie and Catherine. I just like how they support each other even as they struggle through the mud. It seems more reliable than some great heaven-shaking event.

ANON 5: Catherine. She's the one bright spot in the story, and the only light in my life of rushing out scripts! Also, Maggie X Catherine. I believe that Catherine is Maggie's light, just as Maggie is Catherine's light. Mutual salvation numba wan!

ANON 6: Maggie. She's a cool, stylish and unrestrained villainous big sis. Who doesn't like that? Also, Lyudmila X Maggie; they're two hardcases who are often at odds, both enemies and friends. They're each other's most dangerous opponents and also quite possibly the people who understand each other best in the world.

ANON 7: Maggie. I like tricksters who keep their distance; every single word she says could be a lie, but who's to say there's no truth mixed among them? As for CPs, my oshi is Erma x Lyudmila (never shall they be broken up)! They're a match made in heaven, IMO; I'm bigger than you, but younger than you, your first and your last companion, and I could write a galaxy's worth of stories from all the memories you lost, that sort of thing.

ANON 8: Lyudmila! Also, Lyudmila X Erma, Lyudmila X Maggie, Lyudmila and Ange (lolwut), Lyudmila X everyone! I'm a big fan of strong people like her who stay calm and collected while lending a hand to the people around themselves without changing their expressions, even if her fighting power is just average.

Q: The ED song is just wonderful. What did the composer and lyricist have in mind while making it?

Ghostfinal, Composer: After getting the event theme and the story summary, I thought of a story that took place on a train. Considering how this event's story was sadder than most, I started considering using piano-only accompaniment to depict the sorrow of the song. But after composing the melody and doing a draft with just the piano, I had a discssion with the writing team and felt that the piano alone couldn't convey enough feelings and that it seemed too plain and thin. It conveyed some sadness, but it could not convey the full story that took place on board the traun, Thus, I went back to the drawing board and thought aboout how to portray the feeling of the battle aboard the train, and so I rewrote the song into a steadily-escalating structure, whiel also speeding up the latter half, so it would convey a sense of a train gradually picking up speed until it was running at full tilt, while also further elevating the feelings conveyed by the entire song. Also, while making this ED song, I added in elements of the other BGM tracks for the event. In particular, the three protagonists' themes and the main menu theme were used in the ED song, I wonder if any careful players have spotted it yet XD

Of course, just the song wouldn't be anywhere near enough. I was lucky to have Daikyu/Dajiu and Kinoko working with me on this. Dajiu's lyrics perfectly encapsulated the theme of the event and gave the ED wings, while Kinoko's vocals further elevated it. We used many different tones and inflections while recording to represent the different feelings of the three of them, and the final section had a lot of harmonies in it, giving it lots of tension. I hope everyone likes my song~

Kinoko, Singer: When I first leearned about the theme, I thoguht about how the voice design would need to have a steady progression as well as marked divisions in it. Of course, Ghostfinal-sensei already did the overall framework of the song, so all I had to go was finetune my expression of the music's feelings; from the quiet, sad opening to until it changed tempo in the middle, become more high-strung and hopeful, with the number of voices and vocal elements building up bit by bit, before finally returning to the initial chanting of the beginning. In truth, there were different melodies added to the middle portion, which made it feel like a temporary close to the story compared to the sensation of being drawn in for the first part of the song.

As for singing it, I slowly tightened up my pitcj and put more power into my voice as the tune progressed. Compared to other event theme songs that I've done, this is probably the one with the biggest difference from the beginning to the latter half. even before counting the sizable number of harmonies in it. All the details in the vocals were designed to go with the music that the two senseis created, and to better complete the complex and fulfilling train journey of this story.

==========================================================

https://files.catbox.moe/0d10it.jpg

"Longitudinal Strain" Interview Special Edition:
Exclusive! Knocking on the Art Team's Door

Q: Baba Lyuba's dazzling portrayal that nobody could look her in the eye (or rather, that's so weird, I can't help looking at it), but after reading the plot she strikes me as a very complex character. How did you design someone like her?

Lin+: Actually, the writers were very kind and said "you just need to change this picture a bit", and the art team did use that picture as a base. But upon studying the requirements closely, we had the feeling that something was wrong. When we drew Ilya in the past, we wanted to emphasis that she was a rich person and had a lot of plastic surgery done, hence the scars, but that did not suit a bloodthirsty Vor like Baba Lyuba, so in the end we decided to make a new picture. I've always liked drawing old people, so I enjoyed drawing her~ Thanks to the writing team for always coming up with interesting characters and events!

Q: Yet another new Nyto appeared in the summer event, and everyone likes Ta-chan's image. The art team has always been able to create Nytos that made a deep impression; could you tell us the thought process that goes into creating such characters?

Lin+: Ta-chan was the result of a group effort. The initial deisgn was done by an outsourced artist following out requirements, and then we added further details to her while homogenizing the artstyle with our own. Ta-chan's mech was done by another artist, and the writing team's exciting lines were the icing on the cake. Nytos are created by consulting previous design example, as well as the character design and plot requirements for each event. They are a joint creation combining the personal styles and preferences of many artists, which is how we can create unique Nytos whose nature and attack methods are instantly obvious at a glance~

Q: Since the summer event took place on a train, did you do any research on the subject matter before beginning the creative process?

Lin+: Well, when it comes to train stories, the very first thing everyone thinks of is Murder On The Orient Express, which also solidified the notion that the train's interior should not be too modern. In any day and age, comfortable leather seats and warm lightning are elements which always work to inspite a sense of safety and comfort in others. In turn, the second-class cars ought to emphasize functionality and be a little more run-down and dirty, a design decision that reflects the clear division between the classes. We also added retro stylings to the difficulty selectors and the character tickets (there are no toilets in Nightmare mode), while the exterior of the train cars used the existing Siberian train designs as a base, and then we up-armored them like an armored train, to fit the plot detail that it would have to pass through Red Zones and other dangerous places.

Also, we used Warsaw Central Station as the blueprint for certain designs.

The distinctive UI design came from the writing team presenting a complex, multithreaed narrative. We thus used background information to convey how things were changing as the story progressed and came up with a plan as to what the chibi characters would be doing in an actual train. This not only fleshed out the setting and heightened immersion, but also made it easier for players to join up the plot threads by using the easily-recognizable chibis as a starting point. All in all we're rather happy with this design and we'll keep using it in future, if we have the chance.