CounterSide Developer Note

New Collaboration Announcement

A new collaboration is coming to CounterSide in January 2025!

We’ve put a lot of thought and discussion into bringing you this new collaboration.

First, we aimed to find an IP that many of our CEOs would enjoy collaborating with. All the CounterSide development team members actively participated and gave their opinions.

From the selected candidates, we selected the best fit that could blend well with CounterSide and contacted the IP holders to discuss the possibility of a collaboration.

In addition, the development team has done the best to develop a collaboration that will satisfy both our CEOs and fans of the original IP.

We are unable to reveal the collaboration partner yet, but we plan to announce it in January.

Please kindly understand that the January preview will inevitably be released along with the announcement of the collaboration.

In this collaboration, along with a collaborative story, new Awakened Employee, Operator, and SSR Employee will be released, and various in-game and community events will be held, so we ask for your keen interest and anticipation.

New Alternium Reactor

The first Alternium Reactor of 2025 will be given to Storm Bringer Jake Walker, Rita Arsenico, and Lee Yuri.

Both Storm Bringer Jake Walker and Rita Arsenico specialize in anti-Mech combat, but they have recently faced difficulties in countering Mech-type employees.

To address this, we have determined that both anti-Mech specialists need enhancement with Alternium Reactors.

•  Storm Bringer Jake Walker’s Alternium Reactor will grant him Stun◇ Immunity and an uncancelable ASPD buff when using Special Skill. This will allow him to deal with Mech-type employees more effectively.
• Rita Arsenico’s Alternium Reactor will grant her Special Skill to inflict a DMG Taken AMP debuff on her target and the debuff will be even more potent against Mech-type employees. After using Special Skill, her basic attacks will be upgraded to enhanced attacks. This change will enhance her overall power with a focus on countering Mech-type employees.
• Lee Yuri will take a different approach, specializing in countering Counter-type employees. When she uses Special Skill, she will gain immunity to Hitstun from Special or lower skills and a buff to increase Anti-Counter DMG.

Future patch notes will provide additional information about the new Alternium Reactors.

World Map Raid

As announced in our November developer’s notes, the World Map raid improvements will be implemented in January 2025.

Firstly, to address the increased fatigue that CEOs experience after the maximum level of World Map raid bosses is raised, we will introduce a raid wipeout function.

This raid wipeout function will unlock once CEOs achieve a certain amount of damage within a season, allowing CEOs to instantly deal the highest amount of damage CEOs have dealt to the boss during that season.

Please note that the damage dealt to the raid boss will be saved for the ongoing season and will be reset when the season changes.

We expect that the raid wipeout function will significantly reduce fatigue in World Map Raids.

As for the direction of the Info consumption reduction, as previously announced in the developer’s notes, it will be slightly adjusted.

We have received feedback from CEOs stating that there is a lack of motivation to continue challenging raids after obtaining all the rewards in the Plaque Exchange.

Therefore, the development team plans to reduce the Info consumption after reaching the Raid Points needed for all the rewards in the Plaque Exchange and add repetitive rewards to encourage CEOs to continue challenging raids throughout the season.

We hope that these raid improvements will make raid bosses more enjoyable.

Regarding Gauntlet Ranked Battle

Next, we are preparing several improvements for the Ranked Battle, which is the most played and anticipated by many CEOs.

Unlike other content that can only be played once or a limited number of times, Ranked Battle is always accessible, making it a popular choice among CEOs.

However, many CEOs feel a barrier to entry when it comes to Ranked Battle and avoid playing the content altogether.

To alleviate the pressure CEOs feel about Ranked Battle, the development team has tried various methods such as adding limited rewards or reducing the maximum points deducted for defeat.

Despite the adjustments, new CEOs still find it difficult to compete with CEOs who have been playing Ranked Battle consistently, and many give up before reaching the Diamond league, which is the cutoff for limited rewards, or stop playing Ranked Battle after reaching the Diamond league until the end of the season.

We have determined that while the existing Ranked Battle offers great satisfaction when winning through intense competition, the frustration of losing is the biggest obstacle. Therefore, we plan to improve this so that CEOs can achieve the satisfaction of winning without the pressure of losing.

First, we will change it so that Victory Points are not deducted upon defeat, reducing the pressure of Ranked Battles.

Also, as it will be easier to reach higher leagues without Victory Points being deducted, we will adjust the criteria for receiving limited Gauntlet skins upward to encourage CEOs to challenge themselves to reach higher leagues and increase the sense of achievement when they do.

To reward CEOs who are dedicated to Ranked Battle and continue to play, we will also strengthen the ranking rewards so that both existing CEOs and new CEOs can enjoy Ranked Battle.

We hope that these changes to the Ranked Battle environment will have a positive impact and allow all CEOs to enjoy the content without feeling pressured.

Observation Mode – Draft Pick and Ban

We are excited to announce that the highly anticipated [Observation Mode – Draft Pick and Ban] feature will be updated in January.

[Observation Mode – Draft Pick and Ban] will go beyond the limitations of the existing observation mode, in which you can now observe how other CEOs compose their squads and what they choose to ban, allowing you to learn from their draft strategies.

Originally, we had planned to release this update in November, but due to bugs discovered during development, we had to inevitably postpone the update schedule, causing some disappointment among CEOs who were eagerly awaiting the new observation mode.

We apologize once again for any inconvenience this may have caused, and we hope you will continue to show your support for this upcoming feature.

S-Fusion Core Crafting Limit Accumulation

We understand that many of our CEOs have expressed frustration over the weekly crafting limit for S-Fusion Cores since the maximum employee level was increased to 120.

We implemented the weekly crafting limit to prevent a significant gap between long-time CEOs and newer or returning CEOs, as the number of Fusion Cores each CEO has varies greatly depending on their play style and time invested. Without this limit, those who have been playing for a longer time would have a significant advantage over newer CEOs.

 Considering that many CEOs now have the certain number of 120-level employees and that there could be a growing gap between long-time and newer CEOs after the level 120 expansion, we are considering changing the S-Fusion Core crafting limit to a cumulative system, which we plan to implement around Origin 2nd Anniversary next year.

With the cumulative system, the weekly crafting limit will accumulate each week from the implementation date, allowing new and returning CEOs to more easily develop their employees and challenge various content.

Please understand that the crafting limit before the implementation cannot be retroactively applied.

Operator Collection

We understand that our esteemed CEOs enjoy learning about the various fascinating employees in CounterSide through the [Collection]. However, the [Collection] doesn’t provide detailed information about operators.

Considering that operators are just as appealing as employees, we believe that CEOs who favor operators might feel a sense of incompleteness.

To address this, we are considering adding a [Collection] for operators similar to the one for employees, allowing you to explore more information about them.

While we cannot confirm whether we will add an operator [Collection], we are currently exploring the possibility of including it in Origin 2nd Anniversary update.

We will provide more details regarding the cumulative system to the S-Fusion Core crafting limit and the operator [Collection] in the next developer’s notes.

Regarding Mainstream Progress

CounterSide has established its world through various seasons. In the current season, many employees are connected to the main storyline, driving the narrative forward.

However, as the story progresses, we realize that it would be excessive to unfold the stories of all the key employees involved in the central narrative solely through the main episodes. At the same time, we didn’t want to sacrifice the depth of these employees for the sake of a faster-paced story.

Therefore, we’ve decided to elevate the Substreams to a level closer to the main episodes, allowing us to develop the narratives of key employees simultaneously.

The current focus of the main episodes is to unravel the core mysteries of CounterSide, such as Tammiel and the Qliphoth Game, while also providing a satisfying conclusion to the arcs of key employees who have played significant roles in the Substreams. Our ultimate goal is to successfully bring the CounterSide story to a satisfying conclusion.

We understand that it might be inconvenient if you need to understand specific Substreams to progress through the main episodes. To address this, we will do our best to provide clear guidance, such as the [Related Episodes] function.

In this season, you, the Administrator, will take center stage and work to resolve the conflict with the new Demon Lord while uncovering the true purpose of Tammiel and the forces behind it.

The new recruit of Fenrir Squad is now at the center of a massive whirlwind. Not only Yoo Mina, but many other employees will jump into this whirlwind in pursuit of their desires.

Some will seek revenge, others will strive to change their fate, and still others will take on the role of villains to end this vicious cycle, hindering the Administrator. However, not everyone will get what they want.

We hope you will continue to follow us as we reveal how the Season 3 story unfolds and what lies ahead.

Regarding Balance

We’ve been enhancing the abilities of employees by providing them with Alternium Reactors to compensate for their weaknesses and improve their overall competitiveness.

However, we’ve received feedback that some employees simply receive stat boosts, failing to showcase the unique characteristics that Alternium Reactors are supposed to offer.

To address this, the development team plans to implement a differentiated approach to balancing employees starting in 2025.

First, Alternium Reactors will be used to add additional functions to the target employee’s skills, thereby enhancing their unique characteristics.

Additionally, for cases where only stat increases are needed, we will implement balance patches to reflect the value of the employees you already have without requiring additional resources.

Rewarding New SSR Employees

Looking back at 2024, we believe one of the biggest concerns among CEOs was the fact that most new SSR employees were released exclusively through the Counter Pass.

In 2024, we released various skins to showcase the different charms of existing employees. However, in the coming year of 2025, we plan to focus more on releasing new recruitable SSR employees.

Given our focus on new employees, we anticipate that we may not be able to produce as many skins as we did in 2024.

We kindly ask for your understanding in this matter. We will do our best to reward you with employees that have diverse and appealing characteristics.

Increased Sources of Training Data

We have received numerous suggestions from CEOs through our customer support regarding improvements for new and returning CEOs.

The most common feedback was that new and returning CEOs were finding it difficult to train their employees due to a shortage of Basic and Prime Training Data.

The development team understands these concerns and has prepared measures to increase the supply of these materials.

As a first step, we have added Prime Training Data to the existing Substream event shop in the December 10 update. In the future, we plan to add even more Basic and Prime Training Data to the shops of newly introduced Substreams.

We would like to thank all CEOs who have provided valuable feedback for the benefit of new and returning CEOs. We will continue to strive to make CounterSide a more enjoyable experience for everyone.

Increased Punch-In Rewards

In addition, we will increase the rewards for daily punch-ins to facilitate your acquisition of resources and materials.

While the daily punch-in system allows you to earn various rewards every day, we have determined that the perceived value of these rewards has decreased over time due to the long service period. Therefore, we are preparing to modify or increase these rewards.

We will provide more details about the specific changes to the rewards in the patch notes when each punch-in is updated.

Regarding Bug Fixes

We appreciate that many of our CEOs have been reporting various bugs they’ve encountered in the game and suggesting improvements. However, we understand that some CEOs have expressed frustration that certain issues have not been resolved as quickly as they would like.

We acknowledge that the time it takes to fix each issue varies, and this may lead to questions about whether reported issues are being addressed. 

Recently, we have received reports of various problems, such as discrepancies in battle outcomes based on deployment in the Danger Close’s play speed, issues with Choi Ina’s Special Skill decreasing ally employee’s Iron Wall count or causing the boss to target the employees who received Choi Ina’s Special Skill effect, and instances where Ultimate Skills fail to activate or where lifetime contract animations do not change as described. We understand that these issues are causing concern among our CEOs.

The CounterSide development team actively monitors the game and investigates reported issues. All reports submitted through the customer support center are immediately forwarded to the relevant departments. These departments then reproduce the reported issues, identify the root causes, and implement fixes.

However, it may take longer to resolve issues that occur under specific conditions or involve multiple factors that cannot be easily reproduced internally.

Regarding the issue with lifetime contract animations after equipping skins, we are currently investigating the problem and expect to have a fix in place by January 2025.

While we are working diligently to resolve all reported issues as quickly as possible, we understand that the time required to fix each bug varies. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the delay in addressing these issues. We will continue to strive to resolve all reported issues as efficiently as possible.

User Feedback from AGF (KR)

Each CEO I spoke with left a memorable impression, but the one that stood out the most was the winner of Championship Season 1. (Allow me to take this opportunity to once again congratulate you on your victory. You mentioned that my expression became tense when you asked your question, but that was because I was carefully listening to your feedback as the championship winner and sincerely considering my response. I deeply apologize if my demeanor made you uncomfortable.)

Regarding Fusion Cores, we have implemented several adjustments (such as enhancing Fusion Core challenges and removing Unique Catalysts). Currently, we are closely monitoring the impact of these changes. Additionally, through irregular event rewards, we plan to further supply Fusion Cores to help facilitate smoother employee Limit Fusions.

As for the low participation in the championship mentioned by the winner, we are exploring solutions by standardizing all employees at level 120. We hope this new format will capture your interest.

I was also deeply impressed by the consortium representatives and allied members who visited. One representative requested the release of the “Knight of the Lake,” and we will review this possibility with the scenario team to see if it can be released within 2025.

Following the release of the Alternium Reactor for Awakened Jake, we will implement performance enhancements for mechanic employees as needed. In addition, we aim to improve the versatility of mechanic decks by introducing a general mechanic employee in 2025.

Some CEOs also expressed opinions about the Alternium Reactor for Awakened Nequitia. While this has been reviewed internally by the planning team, given Nequitia’s traits, we believe it remains effective even if specific units, such as Awakened Nayubin, are banned. Furthermore, when used strategically, it still provides a reasonable chance of victory. Thus, granting an Alternium Reactor to Nequitia may risk creating an overbalanced unit akin to the Goliath of the past. We kindly ask for your understanding regarding our cautious stance. If further balancing adjustments are needed in the future, we will indirectly enhance units by granting Alternium Reactors to supportive characters like Luna.

One CEO also suggested adding a 3-second Immunity to hitstun from Special Skills upon deployment for Awakened Alice. Awakened Alice was initially designed to deliver significant damage in a short time, which comes at the cost of lower survivability. Considering that Alice is still considered strong enough to face a first-ban in December, granting her even a brief survivability boost upon deployment might allow her to deal overwhelming damage upon redeployment. Thus, we are proceeding cautiously with balance adjustments. If we later assess that rapid attack-oriented squads, such as Rush teams, have become relatively weaker, we may consider introducing specific immunities, like immunity to sleep effects, upon deployment.

Lastly, the most heartfelt feedback was a request to ensure Counter:Side remains a long-lasting game. I was deeply moved and grateful to see so many of you expressing your affection for Counter:Side, traveling long distances, and taking time out of your schedules to visit and share your requests for the game’s future. We are committed to making Counter:Side a game that continues to serve you and remains a source of joy for years to come.