Netmarble has once again brought loads of excitement and anticipation to avid fans of the Korean boy band, BTS, with yet another mobile game set to immerse players into the life of the band members. If you are one of the millions of players who downloaded and enjoyed Netmarble’s BTS WORLD, which was released last year, then you will certainly fall in love with BTS Universe Story.
Just in time for the recent successful release of the BTS documentary film, Break The Silence: The Movie, BTS Universe Story revels in a successful launch as well on both Android and iOS platforms. With well over a million downloads from the Google Play Store alone and respectable spots within top 10 lists of games on both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store, BTS Universe Story is backed with largely positive average user review ratings and a growing number of fans and followers.
Although it may be attributable to the explosive popularity of the K-pop band itself, Netmarble’s BTS Universe Story offers a perfect mix of exciting and immersive gameplay, top-notch graphics, and a ton of content for players of all ages to revel in.
Loyal members of the fandom, BTS ARMY, may already know what the BTS Universe is all about but if you are uninitiated in lore of the Bangtan Universe (BU), then BTS Universe Story the perfect game to introduce and immerse you into the fictional world. For new fans of the immensely popular K-pop group, though, some aspects of the story portrayed in BTS Universe Story may be a little too surprising to say the least.
The fictional universe crafted by BigHit for BTS has served as an avenue for the band members to explore and portray a wide range of characters that do not necessarily go in line with their actual personalities and life experiences. There are dark elements involved in these storylines that relate to some hardships and challenges experienced by today’s youth such as mental or physical abuse, depression, and even suicidal tendencies.
BTS Universe Story does not come with any tutorial of sorts and plunges you straight into its unique world. The unique interface can seem overwhelming at first due to the volume of on-screen content that greets you once you start the game. BTS Universe Story is a casual game that puts little to no pressure on you at all and aims to make the gaming experience as enjoyable as possible.
Suffice to say, BTS Universe Story is easy enough to pick up and play by just about anyone but if you need guidance on the mechanics of the game itself and the most efficient way to write your masterpiece, then check out this BTS Universe Story beginner’s guide. Our comprehensive guide has everything you need to write a better story and become a Pro Creator in BTS Universe Story!
1. Read Through The Prologue And Free Story
BTS Universe Story can be enjoyed in a variety of ways but the ultimate goal is to make your very own story. There are various tools and props at your disposal to help you create a masterpiece not just for your personal enjoyment but for other people who play the game as well. What sets these stories apart is the inclusion of decision points that supposedly influence the outcome of the story. Creating a story on its own can already be a challenge and incorporating multiple possible scenarios adds more excitement as well as complexities to the whole deal.
There are generally two requisites for you to create your very own masterpiece in BTS Universe Story. The creative aspect relates to the story you have in mind from beginning to end, how to divide it into chapters, and where to place in each decision point. The technical aspect of creating the story relates to the actual tools you need to make the story as well as the knowledge of how to navigate through it each step of the way.
While some people can readily come up with their own BTS stories from the top of their heads, others may have difficulty deciding on what to write about. Some people may have too few ideas on how to even start while others may have difficulty organizing plots and storyboards in due to its overabundance.
In any case, it is best to realize and accept that it is different for everyone but just the same, great stories can come out regardless of where you stand between the two scenarios. Anyone who loves a good story can have the potential to create one, so cast out any doubts about your storytelling abilities and let your creative juices work out for you.
For starters, going through the prologue and the initial free story, “How to Offer a Hand”, can provide you a solid idea of what a simple, yet immersive storyboard looks and feels like. As much as you can, take mental notes of how each scene in a chapter works, but do not let it prevent you from enjoying the story itself.
2. Explore Alternative Choices
One of the core features of BTS Universe Story comes with the decision points within each chapter and the stories officially created for BTS Universe Story can provide you with tough choices along the way. While some may easily appeal to you more than the other, there is no sure way of getting to the results you desire. As different decision points and choices branch out to different possibilities and alternate endings, the only way to determine which of the endings is the best one is to explore each choice yourself.
For one, BTS Universe Story makes it easier for you to progress through a chapter once you have already completed it. You can automatically skip the story part on your second run and be directed more quickly to the decision points. From a reader’s perspective, it can provide you with a different appreciation of the story itself and as a content creator, it will give you more ideas on how to work around the choice offerings you will include in your own stories.
What is surprising to discover in the introductory stories in BTS Universe Story is how carefully thought of each scene has been designed. If you have watched a lot of B movies, most especially within the horror or thriller genre and felt frustrated about how some characters react, you will not be treated to the same dissatisfaction in the short stories you will read through in the game.
Likewise, having a solid idea of the logical sequence of events that transpire after each decision point will give you hints on how to incorporate the same concepts in your future masterpiece.
3. Check Other People’s Stories
BTS Universe Story sets itself up to be more than just a game as hinted by its main interface that serves as a social media on its own. You can save and share your favorite screenshots and seamlessly interact with users who share their works and favorite scenes just the same. While being able to enjoy the in-game BTS stories is already a huge treat for fans of the K-pop band, that aspect of the game serves as a mere tip of the iceberg.
Once you finish playing the initial story, you will not be readily able to check the other official stories as you will need gems to unlock them. Though you will be awarded with some gems to begin with, it will not suffice to unlock a new official story yet. On the other hand, you will have enough tickets to spend on user-created content and with an expansive universe contributed into aby a growing community, you will surely be able to find a lot of stories worth checking out.
The recommended stories are at the top of the page on the home screen and beyond what you can readily see, you can search for more that can be delimited based on which character you want to be in the lead role. There are top stories per week as well and different tabs for different levels of the creators. There is hardly any limitations on the user-created content that you can read through so long as you have a ticket to pend for each story chapter.
Beyond earning coins from successfully completing a chapter, and the actual enjoyment or satisfaction you can have from the stories itself, reading through other people’s works will give you even more ideas on what you can do when it is time to create your own story. It goes beyond storytelling as well as players tend to add more fancy effects to their storytelling that you can pick up from as well.
As such, expend the tickets you have as they continue to replenish over time. As more ideas come in through reading more stories, the better your very own stories will develop over time.
4. Browse Through The Storytelling Guidelines
While you may already have some ideas in mind about a BTS story you want to create even before you dived into BTS Universe Story, your ideas can be molded further or influenced by the stories you read through. In essence, the stories you read should not delimit your imagination to conform with what you can see and instead push you further to think out of the box as you sculpt your very own story to perfection.
There is a huge amount of liberty afforded to content creators as far as the storytelling aspect is concerned. Liberty, of course, is not absolute as some content you might feel is okay to bring into the game is not equally regarded by its community. As such, one last detail to look into before you craft your story is to read through the storytelling guidelines to be aware of the prohibitions.
You can readily access the detailed storytelling guidelines in the game. By clicking on any question mark on any menu or window, you will be taken to a huge guide that covers every aspect of the game. From there, simply click on the “Creators” tab, then “Story guidelines”, and “Story guidelines” again.
You will actually be taken to a long list of “don’ts” and it may all seem overwhelming but to begin with, all these relate to the usual topics any story should prohibit from including especially in a medium that is accessible by all age groups. In this sense, it will not be necessary to memorize each prohibition as they are easy to understand.
Drugs, sex, and violence are naturally restricted content. Take note, however, that a lot of prohibitions use the term “direct” and “excessive”. Without spoiling any of the stories we have read so far, you should know that there are workarounds to present situations affiliated with restricted topics. The idea is to not dwell on it too much or vividly depict any portion of it to the point that the details or depiction becomes unnecessary.
If you are a huge fan of BTS but at the same time feel that a story about any of the band’s members should romantically be involved with one another, then simply think about how that would make the millions of other fans feel and how the actual members of the K-pop group would feel about it. This brings us back to the central aspect of the content creator part of BTS Universe Story and given that the market of every story you make are fans themselves, mere implications of these intimacies can be deemed offensive enough.
Discrimination and degradation are equally offensive by any measure as well, so it is easily understandable how these topics should be refrained from. Brands and advertisements are likewise prohibited as the creator platform should naturally be focused on BTS alone. Prohibitions relative to sharing personal information is actually for the users’ protection. There is actually no need for you or anyone to consider spreading such information through the stories you create.
Considering everything, it is fairly easy to understand the logic behind all the restrictions and prohibitions. If you feel that these considerations will delimit your story to the point that it becomes difficult to properly compose it, then you may need to browse through more stories for ideas. Additionally, considering the prohibitions as a challenge for your creativity to find workarounds in will make you appreciate your end product even more, perhaps even to the point where other users can appreciate your masterpiece as well.
5. Accomplish Achievements To Earn More Resources
The amount of content you can read through in BTS Universe Story continuously grows as more people play the game and start creating their own unique stories. Creating your own story also takes you through a lot of content to collect and use, and each background, costume, and accessory you earn contributes to the quality of the story you create. You will naturally start off with only a limited supply of props to work with but there are always plenty of opportunities to earn more.
Every activity you engage in within BTS Universe Story relates to an achievement objective. Initially, you might even be surprised that you have accomplished one or a couple of objectives before you even knew their existence. Before continuing further with you journey, though, it is best to check the achievements menu for the long list of objectives, as this is one solid avenue for you to earn various resources to help you make good progress in the game.
You can easily view the list of achievements by clicking on the main menu button at the upper left corner of the screen and then choosing “Achievements”. Note that there are numerous tabs that group objectives or goals by category. As each one relates to milestones you reach in terms of overall progress in your journey, you can expect as well that each one follows the activities you would normally engage in.
For best results, be sure to read through each of the listed objectives as some of them are easier to accomplish than others. Having a solid idea of which accomplishments to target first will bring you closer to earning more resources sooner and will help boost your overall progression rate.
6. Check Your Mail For Extra Rewards
A lot of the rewards you can earn will directly be added to the numerous in-game currencies you have. Coins can be used to purchase accessories and dance packs at the shop. Tickets are a common resource you need to be able to play through user-created content and while it replenishes over time, there will be instances when you just need more of it.
Gems are the premium currency you can spend on just about anything. Gems are expectedly more difficult to earn than other currencies but there are free ways to earn them as well.
You will see an indicator in your inbox within the main menu and once you do, be sure to check it out as there may be unclaimed rewards. There are regular events that can help you earn free gems so regularly visit your inbox and claim the rewards as soon as you can.
7. Visit The Shop To Plan Your Purchases
The coin shop where you can spend coins to acquire new accessories and dance packs is just a small fraction of the items you can collect in BTS Universe Story. A lot of the other collectibles can be redeemed using gems and given that gems are that much harder to earn, it is best to plan ahead of time on where to spend them on.
There are gacha draws available for new costumes and accessories and there are themed collections and packs you can purchase to provide you with even more props for your story. Be sure to also take advantage of the free jewel charge within the shop each day. You have 2 attempts to spin the wheel and earn 1 to 3 gems after watching a 15 to 30-second video ad.
8. Write And Publish Your First Story
Now that you have read some of the BTS stories in the game and have understood the storytelling guidelines, you are set to start your journey as a content creator in BTS Universe Story. Naturally, you will start as a Newbie Creator capable of creating up to 10 stories with 5 choice clips or decision points in each story. As you earn more views and likes, you will rank up to become a Skilled Creator, and eventually become a Pro.
As a beginner, what you would want to go with is a simple story that requires much limited resources. There are a lot of costumes, accessories, and backgrounds to unlock as you make progress, but the initial selection of props should be more than enough to provide you with a selection to fit basic stories. After all, your story can only be improved by the props and backgrounds but the plot and pacing on its own will be the greater basis of its success.
Each story can have as many as 50 episodes. While the plot may go different ways as you develop the story piece by piece, you should at least be ready with an initial concept and how the story ultimately unfolds. To start off, your first focus should be on the story’s title and synopsis. Fewer words make it easier for people as well as yourself to identify what the story is all about.
There are tags you can use to categorize your story for easier searching. This can include genre or the main characters in your story. You can still edit the title and accompanying details of your story by tapping on the drop-down button on the upper right side of the screen. Once all is good, you can start creating episodes.
Drafting episodes can be a lot of work and may overwhelm you at the start. You have to set costumes for each character, select an appropriate background, music, and even effects for each part of the episode. More importantly, outlining the script can be a long process as you would want to revisit each one time and again.
To make it easier, we recommend spending time with the Easy Editor first as it is much simpler to get accustomed to. Once you have fully grasped utilizing the Easy Editor, you can jump in straight to the Expert Editor to continue or edit your current draft.
In truth, it will take a while to understand the full extent of what the Expert Editor can do.
Writing a story is a work of art and, as such, should neither be rushed nor published until you deem it to be perfect. Once you are ready with your newly-created episode, it is time to publish your work. Whenever you tap on an episode within your progressing story, you will always have the option to edit and publish it. Note that there are minimum requirements for your work to be published such as having 10 lines of dialogues and so.
Do not shy away from liking the content other creators have made or even choosing to follow them if you love their work. These are the very same people who may come to appreciate your hard work and art so the more active you are relative to the social aspect of BTS Universe Story, the more likely your stories will be noticed as well. Just like the storytelling guidelines we talked about earlier, a detailed guide on how to navigate through the multiple tools at your disposal within the Expert Editor.
Even before you finish creating an entire episode, you can also play it to see how it goes. As another tip, we recommend focusing on the flow of the story and script first as changing costumes, accessories, and backgrounds are the easiest part. Once you are completely done with the story and props, then that should be the only time to consider adding in effects for that extra charm.
Note as well that you are not exclusively creating stories for self-fulfillment and entertaining fellow fans. Your story’s performance, as determined by the views and the likes, and even the premium choice options used by readers will earn you extra resources to help you boost your collection even further. More coins and gems mean more spending capacity at the shop so be sure to consider the overall impact and appeal of your story as it may just be your ticket to becoming a pro much quicker.
That covers all the tips and tricks we have for BTS Universe Story. We certainly hope that you learned a lot from the collection of tips we shared and that you enjoyed reading this guide. If you have made it all the way to successfully launching your first story and have additional tips for us and our readers, do not hesitate to share them with us through the comment section!