LifeAfter

"LifeAfter" is a doomsday survival mobile game operated by Hangzhou NetEase Leihuo Technology Co., Ltd. The game started unlimited testing for the iOS version on November 1, 2018, and unlimited testing for all platforms on November 6, 2018.

LifeAfter
Developer(s)	Hangzhou NetEase Leihuo Technology Co., Ltd.
Publisher(s)	Hangzhou NetEase Leihuo Technology Co., Ltd.
Engine	NeoX
Platform(s)	Android iOS Microsoft Windows
Release	November 2, 2018
Genre(s)	Survival game, Simulation game, Third-person shooter
Mode(s)	Massively multiplayer online game

The game focuses on wasteland cooperative survival gameplay, with the main concept of guiding players to help each other in the wasteland and overcome the harsh living environment. With camp construction, map exploration, resource collection, combat confrontation, etc. as the main means, it helps players gradually improve their abilities and manor levels

Game content

In the apocalypse after a virus outbreak, a large number of infected people are generated. The player is one of the survivors of this world and needs to try his best to survive in this desolate world full of various infected people and monsters. After the survivors arrive at the safe area, in order to survive, they need to explore the available resources and food in various maps, make various tools, weapons, and armor to face various challenges, and build their own manor. You can also choose to join a private camp and support each other with other partners. Although the game is in PVE mode in most cases, it has PVP mode in some scenes and activities.

Survivors can each choose a different profession. Different professions have different resources that can be collected and items that can be made. It is almost impossible to obtain all items by one's own efforts, so there is a trading system in the game. Players use gold bars as trading currency, which can be obtained by completing various tasks.

Background setting

Imagine if in a wasteland world full of dangers, some humans evacuated to safe areas, but there were still a large number of survivors left in dangerous areas. They have to survive in this desolate world and fight against various dangerous monsters. In order to survive and for resources, they have to help each other and set up self-help camps. Unity is the only password to survive.

Six major forces

Trade Alliance: Constructed by the once loose "civilian camps". The core city "Selection City" was established in Black Cliff Mountain, and its trade network and sphere of influence are close to the border of the Empire. The Trade Alliance is rooted in the West Land Plain. Neither the Empire nor the Ark Base can effectively intervene in this "abandoned land". This alliance is a player-selectable force.

Empire: Founded by Akiyama Saneyuki, who led the independence of Sakayoshi Castle, and the Goldman family of Jacardlinburg, relying on the North Army Military Base, it occupied a large number of areas in the North Land, and the White Tree Highlands and Dobe Snow Mountain were included in its territory.

Church: No one knows the reason for its establishment. More and more believers have appeared in Moss Swamp, Miska University, and even between various camps. They wear hoods and teach the teachings of the prophet.They wore hoods and imparted the teachings of the prophets.It is said that the church has rebuilt the Central Church in the Falling Fire Desert, but no one has personally confirmed this news.

Ark Science and Technology Association: Reorganized from the original virus research team of the Ark's co-governance government. As the resources of the old continent were occupied by new forces, the Ark's co-governance government was unable to return to the old territory, and its political influence gradually weakened. The Ark was extremely dissatisfied with the co-governance government's timidity in destroying the meta-virus incident. Soon the co-governance government was dissolved and reorganized by the original virus research team to perform the management functions of the Ark. It then announced autonomy and neutrality to the outside world and changed its name to "Ark Science and Technology Association". Explanation of the origin of the Science and Technology Association after the fifth season update on December 02, 2022 The survivors at sea were divided into two factions. One faction returned to land and established the Science and Technology Association, and the other faction established the Ark in the ocean.

Dawn: The organization of semi-infected people is a group of lonely hunters wandering between darkness and light, between humans and infected people. Although infected, they retain human memories and emotions, and their physical fitness has also been enhanced. The base is located underground in Happy 101. Semi-infected people can enter and exit freely, and humans need permission to enter and exit freely.

Ark City (Ark Knights): Founded by Captain Fred, the Ark Knights, and Constantine is currently the acting captain. Ark City uses the mother bodies brought by Captain Fred to manufacture mutant weapons to obtain mutant power. Ark City is located deep in the ocean and consists of the Memorial Square, Ark Plantation, Ark Research Institute, Knight Square, Control Room (for storing mother bodies), and Black Crystal Square. Survivors can go there by plane.

Development

LifeAfter was developed by NetEase. The game’s producer, Li Zhe, previously worked as a planner for Tian Xia 3 and as the chief planner for League of Immortals. Development for the game began at the end of 2015, after the completion of Fight of the Immortals 2. Compared to the mainstream MMORPGs available on mobile platforms at that time, the development team aimed to explore a niche market by creating a "minority genre" game. Li Zhe, inspired by survival games like Don't Starve, This War of Mine, and The Last of Us, believed after conducting market research that the genre had growth potential.

For the game’s core experience, Li Zhe referenced psychologist Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory: whereas traditional MMORPGs focus on socialization, esteem, and self-actualization—higher-level needs in Maslow's theory—survival games deal with fulfilling basic physiological and safety needs. Li reasoned that when players are pressured by these fundamental needs, the sense of accomplishment is greater when they overcome challenges and reach higher-level needs.

To create an "immersive post-apocalyptic world," Li Zhe required the game's graphics to realistically simulate the world: with features like day-night cycles, varied weather conditions such as rain, snow, and sandstorms, and physically rendered lighting effects for realism. Early in development, in 2016, the art and design teams even traveled to Ukraine, a region facing political unrest, to visit Chernobyl while wearing protective gear to make the world’s depiction more authentic.

After finalizing the environmental design, the development team focused on designing gameplay interactions. To complement the realistic environments, the game introduced various survival attributes that players needed to manage. To avoid repetitive interactions, the team held brainstorming sessions to build a material library—first listing various challenges suitable for a post-apocalyptic world, then devising over ten possible solutions for each challenge, from which the best options were chosen to implement in the game.

Testing Phases

Four rounds of closed beta testing were conducted before the game's release. The first round, in August 2017, involved around 5,000 participants in a small-scale technical test to gauge interest in the survival genre. The positive feedback boosted the development team's confidence. The second round, in January 2018, focused on testing camp-based social features and the early-game survival difficulty, with 15,000 participants. However, this test revealed that the survival pressure was too high: new players were often excluded by active camps and could not progress, while the blizzard conditions on the first map caused many players to die and quit. The third round, held in May, addressed these issues by adjusting camp roles to focus on socializing rather than character progression and reducing early survival difficulty. This test, which was the first to include the Android platform, attracted 50,000 participants, and player retention improved. The final round of testing occurred in August, with 120,000 players participating in a paid beta. Feedback from the third round indicated that the survival pressure had become too low, prompting the development team to reevaluate the game's positioning. In the final test, early-game survival difficulty was adjusted to a level between the second and third rounds. Players were divided into hardcore and casual groups for comparison, revealing that increasing difficulty led to a rise in hardcore players and a decrease in casual players. The development team sought to balance these two user groups in all their tests.

Configuration requirements

Configuration	Android	Apple
Basic Requirements	Snapdragon 660 or higher, Snapdragon 710	iPhone 6 or later, iPad Air 2
Recommended Requirements	Snapdragon 835, Snapdragon 845 or higher	iPhone 7 or later

Configuration	Minimum Requirements	Recommended Requirements
Operating System	Windows 10 64-bit	Windows 10 64-bit
Processor	Intel Core i5-7700K	Intel Core i7-7700K
Memory	16GB or more	16GB or more
Storage	100GB or more	100GB or more (SSD recommended)
DirectX	DirectX 11	DirectX 12
Graphics Card	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 or higher

Approval Information

On August 30, 2024, the game operating unit was changed from Hangzhou Han and Tang Culture Communication Co., Ltd. to Hangzhou NetEase Leihuo Technology Co., Ltd., and the application category added client and changed the operating version.

Game Reviews

If we only talk about the game itself, the game experience is far inferior to the masterpieces on consoles and PCs, but it is undoubtedly a very good work on mobile terminals where such games are rare. However, due to the current operating methods, the game lacks sufficient fairness.(by 17173.com )

Most of the equipment and props in the game need to be manufactured by synthesizing blueprints, and the blueprints can be obtained by synthesizing them with fragments and gold ingots or purchasing them in the mall. Unfortunately, the sources of gold ingots and fragments are quite scarce, which makes it more difficult to synthesize blueprints. If "LifeAfter" wants to gain more recognition from players, it still needs to make considerable changes.(by Youxia.com)