March 16th, Wednesday... The mobile version of GOG had been updated, and a new event appeared. The fight for the Best of the Gods! The details of the event were written clearly. GOG's competitions would be held in seasons, with this year being the first. What's more, the Spring Competition for this year would end on March 29th, and all prizes would be distributed by March 31st. At that time, a total of 9.5 million yuan would have been given out to all the players who ranked 500th and above!
That was cash and not in-game currency!
The top player in the client and the mobile game would each get a hundred thousand yuan in cash! On top of that, all proud winners who have ranked 500th and above would be awarded cash of at least five thousand yuan!
The scariest thing was that GOG had not even released its client for computers. That was only going to be released next Monday. Next Monday was March 21st. From March 21st to midnight on March 29th, players just had to play as much as they could, so that they could stand a chance of winning a hundred thousand yuan cash! Everyone was shocked when they read the news. Some even suspected that it was fake. "They're crazy! They must be! They're giving out close to ten million yuan in less than a month?!"
"It's not just a one-time event either. They would give out close to ten thousand yuan every three months from now on. That's close to forty thousand yuan per year!"
"This game has already been very kind with its purchase options. I wonder if it can hang on if it's going to spend so much on the competitions now." "Tengda has always kept its word. It's very trustworthy; we don't have to worry." "I'm not worried about Tengda's reputation. I'm just worried about their cash flow..."
"It looks like Tengda is going all out this time. I think the higher management thinks highly of GOG. Otherwise, they would not have decided to spend so much money on the game. Obviously, they're out to squeeze IOI and Gods Rising out of the market." "Objectively speaking, Tengda's higher management is the most courageous higher management I have ever seen in my life. Every strategy makes me wonder if they're crazy. However, each time they do something like that, their business is taken to new heights!"
"That's Tengda's superpower. They don't earn a lot of money, but they dare to spend a lot! Even wealthier companies than Tengda do not have as much guts as they do!" "I'm not talking anymore. I'm going to download GOG now. I'll work as hard as I can this week. Even if I only win five thousand yuan, it'll all be well worth it!"
"I just pre-ordered an Otto E1 cell phone. I don't know when I'll receive it... it sold out at the worst possible moment. I knew this was hunger marketing from the beginning!"
"We can play the game on any cell phone, right?" "Yes, you can, but Otto's cell phones have a unique high frame-rate mode. How can one who, wants to emerge top among all the gaming gods, be held back by hardware? Of course, you would have to use a custom-made cell phone with the best skins!"
"There are too many people playing the mobile version. I don't think I stand a chance. I'm going to buy a new computer and wait for the client-side game. In any case, there'll be five hundred winners for the client as well. I'll just try to cling onto the great masters as much as I can!" "A few good friends of mine have a lot of experience playing Gods Rising and IOI as well. I'll ask them to move to GOG!" "After playing GOG all day, I think the game's success is no accident. It's a fast-paced game that had various mechanisms, lovable heroes, a good online environment, great stability, and the lack of bugs. Moreover, we can use our Tengda Games account to play with old friends. Compared to the two foreign games, GOG is much more convenient!" The internet was littered with discussions like that. In a single day, the game had become extremely popular! Of course, GOG's popularity was still limited within a small circle.
MMORPGs were still the clear winner in the games market. Gods Rising, IOI, and GOG had attracted considerable crowds. However, players of all three games overlapped. In other words, the three games were still fighting for the same group of players who were interested in MOBA games. More accurately put, IOI was trying to win over Gods Rising' old players while GOG was trying to win over Gods Rising and IOI's old players.
The flow of new players into this circle was still very slow. However, GOG's decision to distribute cash had proven extremely effective. Not only had it persuaded large groups of old players from IOI and Gods Rising to switch to GOG, but it had also caused many new players who had never played such games before to start with GOG first!
In the office, Pei Qian read the netizens' comments and felt both joyful and miserable. He felt joyful because he had found a way to spend all the money.
Yet, he felt miserable because he had caused such a huge positive reaction when he had only intended to make ducks and drakes of his money!
Everyone was reacting overwhelmingly well... However, on further thought, this made sense. The game had only been released a couple of days ago, and yet it was distributing cash like crazy. This was either unprecedented or very rare.
More importantly, most people were tempted to try their luck because the game had just been released.
If GOG was a game that had been released three or four years earlier, most players would already know how good they were at it. They would know their rough ranking, and they would not have unrealistic fantasies like 'I can make it as a Grand Master'. Naturally, they would not blindly take part in the competition either.
However, things were different. Everyone was starting from ground zero. Everyone thought that they stood a chance to emerge among the top one thousand. What's more, they would be able to see the results in just a week. This kind of wishful thinking pushed many gamers to download GOG and fight hard. Pei Qian wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He could no longer predict what the next cycle would look like. Perhaps it would be an unsalvageable mess.
Still, no matter what, it would be good if he could push everything to the next cycle. At the moment, the only good news was that Be Quiet was not selling very well. It was a long way from recovering the initial investment. "It should remain steady for the next two days, right?"
Pei Qian heaved a long sigh and accessed Aili Island, prepared to watch a couple of lame videos to calm his nerves. However, when he refreshed the page, he saw Teacher Qiao's new video on the homepage. It was the third episode of Products of the Gods: Be Quiet, the hard work and pride of an elite game designer! With a thud, Pei Qian threw his cell phone as far away as possible. He buried his head in his hands and closed his eyes. Oh, no, it's a nightmare! Pei Qian remembered the horrific 'support' that Teacher Qiao's 'Products of the Gods' series had brought to him when he released Game Designer and Repent and be Saved. He had thought that GOG would be the target this time, but since GOG was already that popular, Pei Qian had not been too worried about an additional video from Teacher Qiao.
He would never have thought that Teacher Qiao would let Tengda Games go and work on Shang Yang Games instead!
Pei Qian was speechless now. Do you have to pick on me like that?! Be Quiet is my last hope. Can't you let it be?! What's more, this is already the third episode of Products of the Gods. Why have all your episodes been about my games?! Have you heard of anyone else named a god so many times?! How can this be?!
Even if you're passionate about my games, you should at least make videos about other companies in the middle. After all, you can't keep shearing the same sheep, can you?! Pei Qian cussed non-stop in his heart. Still, after he calmed down, he quietly picked up his phone.
He was reluctant, but he still had to watch the video. He could not be like an ostrich. He had to find out what Teacher Qiao was praising, so that he could learn from his mistakes and not commit them again in the future.
"I know better than anyone that you're spouting nonsense, but I have to suck it up and watch..." Pei Qian resentfully hit the 'play' button.
"My dear daddies, greetings. I am still your Teacher Qiao. "You should know what this video is about since you've read the title. I'll be talking about Be Quiet today, which is also called 'Shh!' in Mandarin! "This game has caused a heated debate online recently because of its unique prerequisites for customers. Many fans have been sending me private messages, asking me to express my opinion on this. "All of you know that I've been participating enthusiastically in the game's ARG riddle ever since it was released. To tell you the truth, the first gamer to crack the code and make it into the game was yours truly. Ai, I'm sorry. "After playing this game intensely for some time, I finally decided to film a new video for the 'Products of the Gods' series!
"So, everyone, come and unveil this mysterious game together with Teacher Qiao. Are you ready?"
As he watched the introduction, Pei Qian only felt one thing: exhaustion. This Teacher Qiao has obviously misunderstood my intentions because of a rash design decision that I made for the game! Since this had happened twice before, Pei Qian already knew Teacher Qiao's set extremely well. However, it was no use. While the set was the same, the content was different each time.
The fans loved watching Teacher Qiao explain games with flowery language. What was Pei Qian to do? He was helpless. It was almost as if he could see what would happen next. Still, he braced himself and carried on watching.
"Before I analyze this unique online horror game, I want to jog everybody's memory. "Please recall the rage that you felt when you were playing Repent and be Saved. That's right. Recall that rage and compare that feeling to what you're feeling at this moment. Do you sense similarities to some extent?
"Some might try to argue and say that it's not the same, but I must honestly tell you: no, it is the same. "This rage can be summarized in one sentence: 'The world is not moving as I expected, and so I'm angry.'
"We expected Repent and be Saved to be a hack-and-slash game. "We wanted it to be like all the other games, in which we could choose the easier mode, pick up a formidable-looking weapon, and kill everyone and everything in our way. Yet, we were taught a serious lesson by the first monster at the grave. That was why we were infuriated.
"It's the same with Be Quiet. We wanted to buy the game, go in, and play it immediately, without having to go through any preparatory steps. "Yet, the developer insisted that we solve a prerequisite riddle and play an eye-tracking mini-game in the beginning before giving us the right to purchase the game. That's why we're infuriated.
"To this, I want to say that we're faced with the same problem. The key is in how we look at it. "You can choose to see it as an obstacle, but you could also choose to see it as guidance and a lesson.
"Let me raise two simple examples.
"In many battle games, we would be forced to go through tutorials when we enter for the first time. We can't skip it, and newbies would not be allowed to play with experts. "In real life, we would be forced to endure a complicated process to get our driver's license before we can drive.
"Many would say that they're different. You could hurt others' well-being and take their lives if you drive dangerously, but you can't hurt others to that extent in games. "I want to ask if you're sure. Are you sure that you can't hurt others by playing games? "We often say that we aren't afraid of going up against gods, but we're afraid of having noobs as teammates. Think back to a time when you had a noob as a teammate. Wouldn't you still consider being hurt emotionally and mentally?
"Imagine spending money on a game and working hard on it, only to have your gaming experience destroyed by other gamers who don't know how to play the game and who are not interested in learning?
"Wouldn't you be furious? Wouldn't you feel like you wasted your time and money? "Be Quiet put gamers through lessons and training before allowing them to enter the game. That's different from games that only train players once they enter. Be Quiet is not asking for a single cent as it provides the training. "Why are there so many restrictions in tournaments? That's because of the complicated gameplay. All the players in a tournament need to understand the rules well so they can compete perfectly and provide a good gaming experience for everyone else.
"It only takes one weak player to throw the balance off for the entire tournament and suck the fun out of the game for the other nine players. "In the same way, Be Quiet is an extremely complicated game. Beginners will not find it user-friendly. However, once everyone understands the rules well, the gaming experience can be perfect!"
Chapter 456 The Pain and Pride of a Producer
The first part of the video was strung together with other game materials and various sand sculpture emoji packs. The audience quickly entered into the state with Teacher Qiao's unique husky voice.
At the same time, the theme of the video became the theme of Be Quiet. Teacher Qiao was about to introduce the gameplay of this game!
"Many people did not experience this game because of anger and other reasons. I will introduce the gameplay in detail and talk about the highlights of this game.
"Please jump to the final conclusion if you already have an understanding of this.
"This is a multiplayer horror game that requires connection to the Internet. Therefore, everyone, please throw away all your stereotypes of standalone horror games from your mind. Let us embrace a new fear mode!
"Standalone horror games of the past only create horror effects in these few areas: setting and model, unexpected plots... unexpected surprises...
"There are often many terrifying scenes in these games such as misty mysterious towns, cannibal villages full of crazy villagers, laboratories full of zombies, etc. They create a visual and auditory impact through the setting.
"At the same time, these standalone games use plots to manipulate the players' fears. For example, NPCs will tie up the protagonist and then inflict various tortures on the protagonist such as gouging his eyes, pulling his tongue, and cutting his fingers-doing everything he can.
"When the player is brought into the protagonist's first-person perspective, you will also get a sense of extreme horror. The last would be some sudden shock such as a corpse suddenly falling down when the door was pushed and was suddenly caught by a monster while walking
"These are the horror we can experience in traditional standalone horror games.
"Of course, these are very classic horror game segments, but now, I want to point out the two shortcomings of this approach.
"First, the stimulation is too straightforward. To increase the horror effect, many manufacturers only blindly add gore to the game, make all kinds of disgusting monsters, and design all kinds of torture horror plots..." "But this kind of stimulation is mainly a kind of sensory stimulation, which may cause some physical discomfort. At the same time, too much sensory stimulation will also make the game itself appear too heavy and give people a feeling of crudeness.
"Real fear comes from the hearts of the people!
"Secondly, the repeatability of play is not high.
"Players will be able to get the ultimate shock effect when they experience the process for the first time. However, everything will become dull once the player clears the game.
"A normal gamer will not want to experience it a second time. It would become a parkour game[1]. The horror game will lose its original meaning
"And Be Quiet turned out to be a new way to solve these two problems that had never been solved. Fear is struck from the heart without seeing too many gory scenes and allows the game to be played endlessly at the same time!"
Next was the introduction to the basic gameplay of the game as well as the revisit by Teacher Qiao towards the gameplay.
Each round of the game was randomly matched according to the player segment. They were also randomly assigned onto the map. The players would be refreshed and spawn on a certain point on the current map.
The purpose of each room and props would be randomly refreshed on the map. However, relatively speaking, some larger rooms and more critical locations with better props.
The eight players would play the role of policeman, good person, mentally-ill patient, and ambitious schemer. No one could identify the others except for the policeman. Each had a different game goal.
The way to win for the police and the good person was relatively simple. The entire map was blocked. They had to search for decryption spells everywhere. A random exit would appear when a certain number of spells were activated, and everyone could escape at random.
Teacher Qiao divided the general process of the game into four stages.
The first stage was the free search stage where players were far away from each other at the beginning. They had to search for open spaces and roam around as much as possible to try to get as many items useful to their identity as possible. They would have to determine their next steps based on their items obtained.
Next would be the initial contact stage. Generally speaking, a small number of mentally-ill players would choose to become mad at this point in time. However, they might also be besieged by the police and many good people with props.
Some mentally-ill players would choose to disguise themselves as good people with props. A portion of the mentally-ill players would choose to disguise as good people.
Generally, the police would simultaneously summon other players to find the decryption spell hidden in the map.
However, the sanity meter in the game was set; the more people gathered in the area, the easier it was to activate voice chat. However, voice chat would cause the sanity meter to decrease.
Therefore, it was impossible for players to gather for a long time. They must be dispersed in a certain way, watch looking for the decryption spell.
The game would then enter into the third stage which was the chaos stage. At this stage, some mentally-ill people would attack good people frantically with all sorts of tools they had accumulated. The good people could also fight back. Of course, the mentally-ill people could also reduce the sanity meter of good people through some method and make them into mentally-ill people as well, forcing them to walk the madman's victory path...
In short, the game would be pretty chaotic at this point in time. Players could also sabotage one another.
The final stage was the closing stage. Generally speaking, at this stage, players had already been eliminated to two or three people. Most decryption spells on the map had been solved. Players would compete with the technology and tools they had through searching and obtain the final victory.
Qiao Liang then briefly introduced some of the more interesting situations he had encountered.
Of course, these replays were not particularly exciting in Pei Qian's eyes. There was always a limit to what the game would offer since players would not understand if it was too complicated. That would be embarrassing.
However, one would be able to get the most exciting gaming experience when one was in
it!
To Pei Qian, he had never experienced Be Quiet in depth before since it was a network game and he could not play it alone. Pei Qian finally understood that with Teacher Qiao's introduction.
The initial stage of the game was searching for items that were a little similar to eating chicken. The identity setting was similar to board games such as Three Kingdoms or The Werewolf Game. The battle portion was a bit like the asymmetrical competition like Dead by Daylight.
There were three aspects to the game itself:
First of all, its replayability had a certain degree of luck. Many people will pursue the sure win in the game. For example, a mental patient would find a house and tools with a sanity meter and health items.
They would unleash a massacre immediately; some people get the ultimate victory by following the police or playing well when the initial props were not good.
Second was a test of wits within the rules. Using limited language to command or mislead other players, guessing the identity of the other players was no different from that of a board game.
Lastly was to showcase operations like Dead by Daylight. Use props and techniques to defeat more powerful enemies. At the same time, a good player would also experience a special sense of horror.
Players would be cautious of each other. No one would know when they could be suddenly caught and attacked. They could only move forward in the dark, cautiously, not daring to make a sound.
Such horror would come from the other players, from the heart of the player. Therefore, it was scarier than standalone games.
For example, some mentally-ill players would purposely hide within a room. He would wait for the good men to search for the decryption spell and then suddenly jump out to attack!
In short, no matter how good the video was, it was certainly impossible to fully explain the feeling of playing it in person.
However, Qiao Liang analyzed the core cool points of this game through his own editing techniques and detailed analysis. Bullet screen comments with 'F*ck' instantly floated by when talking about the game. Everyone sighed; the game could be played this way?
Finally, the video entered its final stage.
"I'm sure everyone has a certain understanding of Be Quiet after watching this video. So back to the original question, why did the production team work so hard to make ARG and eye-tracking games?
"You have to know that they could have done nothing and start selling immediately. They could just put the players into the game at once."
"However, they created such a complicated puzzle-solving activity and added a threshold to the purchase of this game in the form of a game to ensure a certain degree of entertainment without charging a penny. "That is so that every player could integrate into the game with ease!
"If players spent money on the game-only to find the content unsuitable, they would have to ask for a refund, which was very troublesome. Therefore, the production team decided to do it outside the game so that the unsuitable players were saved from the tedious step of refunding.
"Someone would definitely ask... would he be suited for this game if he were to pass this test?
"I have to say, most likely but not definitely.
"Let us think, what is the most important quality of this game Be Quiet? It requires a certain IQ, good resistance to horror games, and a serious attitude towards learning. "Everyone should have discovered by now; the pre-conditions for the purchase happen to be the test!
"The puzzle-solving aspect of the ARG was to train IQ for the game; the eye-tracking game was to exercise the ability to resist the horror; and the entire test itself was to examine whether you had the patience and the attitude towards learning
"If you give up after encountering some difficulty or are not interested in puzzle games, or you might have completed the decryption but could not even be bothered to copy the homework, or if you cannot persist in the eyeball catching game... "Then, you will definitely not be able to enjoy Be Quiet. Instead, you will affect the gaming experience of the other players!
"This test can be said to be taking care of two types of players at once. To people who were suitable for this game, it guaranteed their gaming experience. For those who were not suitable, it saved them time and money.
"The only party that made a loss was the gaming company itself with a loss of income. "However, game companies are willing to give up this part of their income for the sake of a longer life of the game and a better experience for the players. Even when it caused heated disputes and was criticized badly, they did not come out to explain and accepted everything with silence.
"Therefore, many said that the game merchant is sick. They can just sell it directly, why did they need to set a precondition for the purchase? Wasn't it disgusting?"I want to say, it really is the case. It really is dissuading players in a certain sense.
"But, please calm down to think. What if the producers did everything not for themselves but for all the players to have a better gaming experience?
"Therefore, the title this week is 'The Pain and Pride of a Top Game Designer'!
"He worked so hard to set up so many complicated preconditions for purchase of the game, for players to have better gaming experience. At the same time, he is too proud to explain to all players, and so he put on a calm disposition: 'It doesn't matter if you understand me; praise me or scold me, the game is here.'
"I think it is the blessing of all domestic players to have such a thoughtful, individualistic, and conscientious game producer!
"Too many game dealers are trying their best to suck up to the players, the ballers. You can become a master and have your way in the game by paying money. They don't set up any obstacles or let you use your brain; they only give you some false experience points and props just by clicking the mouse... "But are you really happy? Is your wallet getting thinner? Is your thinking becoming more rigid? How long have you not experienced the shudder of the soul by solving a puzzle or discovering a kind of new gameplay? "Don't you feel that it's a pity that most local game designers are making such games? "So, I hope that students who are interested in this game can calm down, experience the designer's true intentions, patiently complete the prerequisites, and experience this complicated game in person.
"I believe you will be able to find a totally different world!"
[1] This refers to games where the player only runs and goes through obstacles with speed.
Chapter 457 Boss Pei's Skill in Turning Stone into Gold
Pei Qian fell silent after watching the video. Philosophical questions circulated in his mind.
Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
Teacher Qiao's words echoed in his ears.
The pain and pride of a top game designer? The fortune of domestic players? The shudder from the soul? Another wonderful world?
Muddled!
It was a misunderstanding, a total misunderstanding!
Dear Audience, please don't listen to the deceitful words of this wretched fat pig. Buy fewer copies of this game, please, I beg you!
However, the feedback from the bullet screen comments shattered Pei Qian's fantasy ruthlessly. "That makes sense!"
"Indeed, it's impossible for a developer to do such complicated steps just to dissuade players. Thinking about it now, it really has the effect of purifying the game environment."
"I can understand even if I still find it unacceptable."
"It sounds interesting! I really want to try it now!"
"I have been playing this game for several days. It is really interesting to play with a few masters who know how to play! I hope that Old Qiao can post the strategy and walkthrough live soon so that more people can feel the charm of this high-end game!"
"I'm going to complete the prerequisites, buy it, and play it!"
Pei Qian sighed helplessly and turned off the video silently.
At Shang Yang Games...
Ye Zhizhou and Wang Xiaobin were watching Teacher Qiao's live stream at the same time. Both of them nodded gratefully after watching it.
"The master is in the ordinary folks, and Teacher Qiao is worthy of being Boss Pei's confidant. He truly understood Boss Pei's true intentions," Wang Xiaobin said with emotion. Ye Zhizhou smiled. "It's really amazing. As the game producers, we only realized it after Boss Pei made the ARG. He's not that far behind us. How commendable for Teacher Qiao to understand Boss Pei's intention to this extent as a player.
"We originally thought that this game was completed when it had no bugs and had excellent horror experience. However, it was far from completion.
"That was because it was a game with such complicated gameplay. It might not be able to become a big hit immediately so the key is in how to allow it to operate in the long run!
"The game Be Quiet requires the player to be patient and willing to use their brains to delve into the settings of the game. Everyone will get the best gaming experience only when everyone is proficient in the game.
"We all knew this at the beginning of the game release, but we did not do anything. Perhaps we have not realized the importance of this matter or that we felt that this was an unsolvable problem.
"Fortunately, Boss Pei saw through this and helped us make up for it!"
Wang Xiaobin nodded. "En, using ingenious ARG and the eye-tracking game as the precondition for the purchase is indeed a good way to screen and train the players well.
"However, what I'm worried about is if there are hidden dangers in such a form of screening
"No matter what, this sort of screening would definitely wipe out a lot of new players who had fallen into the pit. Moreover, this is an online game. In the long run, there might not be fresh blood, and I'm afraid it will slowly become a ghost server..."
Ye Zhizhou smiled while shaking his head. "No! Do you think Boss Pei won't think of the problems you have thought about?
"In actual fact, Boss Pei's actions are not screening. You've misunderstood!"
"Old Qiao is just a UP Master after all, not a professional game designer. He only saw the current effects of screening on the players, not the future in the long run!"
Wang Xiaobin was taken aback: "Oh? What do you mean?"
Ye Zhizhou said confidently, "According to my understanding, Boss Pei's entire strategy should be divided into at least three stages!
"The first stage was a preliminary screening of players. It is to ensure that the first batch of players entering Be Quiet will be elite players who have the patience to study the gameplay and for higher IQ game. "Sales volume would be lost in initial stages, but keeping Be Quiet small and beautiful is more conducive to maintaining the player experience to a minority group and enhancing the reputation of the game. "The reputation of the game would continue to improve at the second stage, and there would be a continuous influx of new players.
"Before these new players enter, they will also go through this simple 'training'. Moreover, since the number of new players entering is small, they will quickly figure out the gameplay and integrate with ease under the leadership of the old players.
"New players will quickly transform into experienced players in the process. Therefore, this third stage will maintain the reputation of the game and the environment while attracting even more new players in!
"On the contrary, if many players were allowed to enter at will in the beginning, it would make the gaming environment chaotic. Novices would not be able to get the traditional excitement, and the masters would also be imbalanced by the novices. The whole game would be trapped. The heat would drop quickly in a disorderly state.
"In other words, Boss Pei didn't just sacrifice game sales to ensure the game environment but really achieve both! It just delayed the explosive growth of game sales in the early stage and spread it evenly every month after that!"
Wang Xiaobin suddenly replied, "That's it! Sacrificing this month's income to allow subsequent months' income to continue to increase; what a good 'delayed gratification' scheme!"
Ye Zhizhou turned his head towards the window and sighed, "Boss Pei might not personally participate in the development of the game, but he achieved the effect of turning stone into gold after playing the ARG for a few days. This skill is really amazing and hard to handle...
"We'll have to continue working hard behind Boss Pei!"
March 17th, Thursday...
Pei Qian stayed asleep until noon before getting up. That was because his Otto E1 phone arrived last night. He had to say that Chang You knew a lot about it. He sent one to Boss Pei as soon as the new batch of goods arrived.
Pei Qian played GOG until 2am before sleeping as a result.
Pei Qian only had one feeling when he woke up in the morning. Gaming was really harmful to his body! Especially for his liver!
MOBA games were worse.
However, the feeling was still rather impressive to play a game 'made by yourself with your exclusive skin on a cell phone made by you'. Pei Qian could understand now why a certain designer used the Blade Dancer several times a month and why some producers were so loyal to the Sledgehammer. When the designer himself was also playing a certain profession or hero in the game, it was difficult to design without partiality.
Of course, he did not intend to strengthen the hero Modest.
It would probably be snatched up if it was strengthened. Otherwise, it might be banned the second they went for ranked games, and he wouldn't be able to use it. It was best to maintain the current state.
He had to say that the coin-scattering effect was great. Pei Qian could intuitively feel more players. He needed to queue for about four to five minutes yesterday. Today, it had been shortened to about a minute or two. Sometimes, he could even enter in 20 or 30 seconds.
Of course, this was just an ordinary match. He would probably have to wait if he actually went for a ranked match.
Even Pei Qian himself was greedy for the 100,000 yuan bonus.
However, he knew that it was impossible. Boss Pei knew very well that he could not be ranked as a Great Master. On the other hand, it was because his company would make heaps of money if he were to concentrate all his time in ranking.
Therefore, Pei Qian still felt that losing money was more important after weighing! Playing games could only be regarded as a hobby after all. Losing money was his business.
As for losing money...
Pei Qian opened the platform and took a look at the data of Be Quiet. He found that while the sales volume was rising within an acceptable range even after Teacher Qiao's video was released.
However, the scoring of this game on the TPDb website has been rising and has almost reached 9 points.
Pei Qian originally thought about taking some remedial measures. However, it seemed as though it was not necessary, seeing how the sales volume did not skyrocket.
As for the word of mouth, let it grow. It would not bring about an additional burden anyway.
Pei Qian strolled to Fish-Catching Internet Cafe near Handong University. He planned while having lunch. He should have a quick treat-no, he should hold a celebration party.He would bring the staff who worked on the successful projects to Boss Li's Ming House to eat every day for at least a week without repeated dishes. They had too many successful projects so new reasons could be found every day. Ming Yun Private Kitchen was available on the 20th of this month, which was a Sunday. Pei Qian felt a little melancholy thinking about this. His staff might be big eaters, but they were better at making money! Counting on them to spend all the money from the profits of the projects would be like waiting for a cold day in hell.
Despair...
The waiter came over to clean up all the tableware after the meal. Pei Qian looked up at the sky sadly while sipping his coffee. He was feeling more inadequate as he realized that his knowledge could not match the losses required.
Someone suddenly sat down in front of him. It was Boss Li. They usually bump into each other in this store so Pei Qian did not feel strange at all. However, Boss Pei was in a bad mood recently so he just nodded casually without saying anything Boss Li's first few sentences shocked Pei Qian. "Boss Pei, Dream Realization Ventures' taichi is really too good. You're too clever. All the investors, including me for Top Student, Come Quick are really ashamed of ourselves!
"Therefore, I've decided. Even though I do not see any possibility of profitability in the Thriller Hostel, i'll invest a sum into it! The others will follow me into it if there is no accident.
"You won't mind, will you, Boss Pei?"
The hand holding Pei Qian's cup of coffee froze in midair, his whole being dazed.
"Huh?"
Chapter 458 Boss Pei, You Said You Won't Invest!
Boss Pei minded. In fact, he minded very much!
Why do all of you have to come and screw things up for me? I just want to find a place with no one and lose some money!
It was just a teeny weeny dream!
Why do you have to be like a b*tch and follow me wherever I go? I'm being forced by you to build a haunted house—what more do you want! Do I really need to build a rocket before you stop following me?
Pei Qian was utterly speechless. He would transfer money to people like Boss Li if he could to keep them away from him! However, Boss Pei was a cultured person after all. He had to maintain calm even if the other party said something so cruel.
Pei Qian sighed lightly. "Boss Li, I always wanted to say that there is a very serious misunderstanding between us. I have been trying very hard to explain, but you don't believe me.
"I told you a long time ago that my Dream Realization Ventures is just to invest for fun and to fulfill unfinished dreams. I have never expected it to be profitable.
"This situation is all because of a series of coincidences, do you understand?"
Boss Li smiled slightly and nodded. "I completely understand!"
Pei Qian, "?"
Do you really f*cking understand?! Boss Li ordered a cup of coffee as well and sipped on it leisurely. "The act of investing itself is filled with coincidence. Many a time even the smartest investors cannot fight luck. This is where man proposes and God disposes.
"That's why even a smart investor like Boss Pei is full of awe of the element of luck itself. This is a quality worthy to be learned by all of us investors."
Pei Qian, "..."
What you say might make sense, but are you sure you are referring to the same luck as I am?
Pei Qian fell silent. "I am not a smart investor; neither do I have any good methods."
Li Shi grinned slightly. "That's right, every successful investor is as humble as you."
Pei Qian, "..."
Li Shi continued speaking seeing how Boss Pei fell silent. "Boss Pei, how do you explain your moves in 'Top Student, Come Quick' if you say you don't have any methods in your investment?
"The person who decided to do this project was you. You were the one who gave the project its name; you are the one burning the money to make it popular; you are the one who decided to sell it at a high point; you were the one who found someone to buy back everything at a low price after kicking everyone out... "Boss Pei, please tell, if taking one right decision is luck; then what is a series of right decisions?"
Pei Qian could only sigh silently. "It's heavenly bad luck."
Li Shi couldn't help but chuckle. "Boss Pei, eh, Boss Pei, as humorous as ever."
"I know that you are always on the guard with other investors. Your clever maneuvers in 'Top Student, Come Quick' illustrated this point. However, we don't mind in the least. This is absolutely natural. We would not think you are a qualified investor otherwise, because that would mean you are not ruthless enough.
"In short, you are already very generous to allow us to take a sip from your bowl.
"Therefore, it is alright even if your words are always bordering between truth and falsehoods. I'm used to such a communication method."
Pei Qian, "..."
Are you crazy?! Boss Li, why did a CEO of a good investment firm like you suddenly become an extreme masochist!
Everything I told you is true, the key is whether you believe it or not!
Two creatures in the same world, same family, same program, same class, same species, same sex, speaking the same language could actually ignite a chain of suspicion?
How unbelievable.
Boss Li's lips turned upwards seeing how Boss Pei kept mum. It seemed as though Boss Pei was still pretending to be dumb. If that was the case, he could only deduce Boss Pei's methods to make him speechless!
Li Shi took a sip of coffee calmly. "Alright, if it was just the operation of the 'Top Student, Come Quick' app, I can still think it is just luck. But Boss Pei, how do you explain the shared phone booth project?"
Pei Qian, "That was all done by Zhang Wang. I was not involved at all."
"Em, ok." Li Shi still kept the faint smile on his face. "What about the Glory of Gods then? Was it all developed independently by the designer?"
Pei Qian nodded. "Yes!"
Li Shi's smile became even brighter now. "Alright, you want to attribute all the credit for these projects to your subordinates. Okay, but who is the one pushing behind the Glory of Gods, shared phone booth, and the Shared Top Student application?" Pei Qian cursed in his heart. He looked at Li Shi, his eyes widened and his face full of consternation. Was there a combined event between GOG, shared phone booth, and 'Top Student, Come Quick'?
What combined event? How come I don't know about it...?
Li Shi couldn't help but feel delighted with the crushed look on Boss Pei's face.
Boss Pei, eh, Boss Pei, do you think that you can hide from my eyes? You didn't think that I would be able to think of it, right!
Li Shi took an Otto E1 cell phone out of his phone with pride and showed Pei Qian a photo that turned his astonishment to speechlessness. The picture was a place very familiar to Pei Qian. It was on the top floor of Huanyu Tianjie. Modest's phone booth was there.
There was a long queue in front of the phone booth.
Pei Qian felt light-headed. That was because the photo was taken yesterday from the details of the photo!
What was this? Didn't the traffic for the phone booth stabilize? Why was there a need for the long lines?
What was this?
Li Shi smiled slightly. "Similar situations are happening for more than 20 other phone booths. These GOG players seemed to be taking photos with these heroes and getting a stamp with the heroes within.
"So, Boss Pei, decorating the phone booths with the theme 'GOG heroes' and having the heroes' stamps within are not your idea as well, right?" Pei Qian, "..."
Li Shi continued. "And, Boss Pei, if my information is correct, the shared phone booths have spread across all major shopping malls in Jingzhou. You're also entering the other cities with the franchise model.
"Major shopping malls place orders directly and are responsible for their own operation and maintenance, and they can pay back in a few months. However, the shared phone booth business has turned to selling phone booths and getting commissions to make a profit, right?
"The GOG-themed phone booths are so popular to the point where you can order a full set of GOG Heroes at once when you order phone booths. Originally, you only sold two or three, but now, it's more than twenty..."
"This has nothing to do with Boss Pei as well, right?"
Pei Qian flexed his mouth, but no sound came out of it. He cursed a million 'f*cks' in his mind. He did think that the GOG hero-themed booths would become an attraction when the game went live, but he did not take it to heart at all.
He originally thought that people would check in and take some phones with the booth. It would definitely have no impact on the income.
However, he never thought that it would increase the sales volume of the phone booth!
The other cities were now more included to purchase a full set of GOG-hero-themed phone booths together in the shopping malls so that the GOG players in the city could check in and for the sale of the phone booth to increase!
Pei Qian was now in a state of daze. He did not know what to say for quite a while.
Li Shi was more certain that he hit the nail on the head looking at Boss Pei's expression. He smiled and he continued. "Then, what about the 'Top Student, Come Quick' and the phone booth's combined event?"
Li Shi opened the 'Top Student, Come Quick' application on his cell phone.
"The advertisements of Xude Education were cleaned up, and reputation via word of mouth was quickly restored. The return of the previous users brought back not only users lost during the management of the Xude Education but also the students and their parents.
"The number of active users in the app showed a miraculous rapid increase in the short period when Dream Realization Ventures took it back. "Not only that, but the offline teaching section of the app would also automatically search for nearby Fish-Catching Internet Cafe and shared phone booths as meeting places to greatly reduce their expenses.
"As for the life section of the 'Top Student, Come Quick', it promoted Fish-Catching Take-Out, Zhongdian Chinese Network, and some light games under its charge under the banner of 'Work and Rest'. That has nothing to do with Boss Pei as well, right?"
Pei Qian was utterly speechless. To be honest, every single one of them had no connection with him! He did not even know some of them until Boss Li mentioned them.
However, Pei Qian finally fully understood what was going on, seeing Boss Li's expression.
Boss Li had his answers no matter what Pei Qian said!
Boss Li would only wear a meaningful smile on his face even if Boss Pei denied it. He would take everything as a kind of humor between friends. Or perhaps, even worse, he might take it as a form of... posture?
Pei Qian felt very tired. He did not even have the mood to settle the accounts with the person-in-charge of the 'Top Student, Come Quick' application.
Li Shi put on a victor's posture, his face full of pride.
See, Boss Pei's exquisite plans were seen through by me. He's rendered speechless! I don't feel as much happiness from gaining from my investments!
Pei Qian took another sip of coffee and calmed himself down. He then said very reluctantly, "So, how do you plan to invest?"
Li Shi smiled. "Boss Pei, don't worry, we will not snatch anything from you. We just want a teeny bit. We will definitely not invest blindly into the Thriller Hostel.
"We'll just pick a random plot in the huge industrial zone and open a small store like food, entertainment, or whatever. We'll definitely not make any trouble for you."
Pei Qian was utterly speechless.
You guys are already creating trouble for me by opening stores!
What could he say then? Pei Qian would not be able to swallow such a large piece of land in the old industrial zones even if he wanted to. Pei Qian had no reason to stop Boss Li and the rest from investing in the industrial zones.
He could not stop them even if he didn't agree to it.
"Alright, whatever you want. Don't say I didn't warn you if you make a loss," Pei Qian said helplessly. Li Shi laughed. "Of course, Boss Pei, we've been in this circle for so long. We have a clear understanding of the risks of investment.
"Moreover, Boss Pei has helped us earn so much money. We can only think of it as giving back to Boss Pei even if it makes a loss. What's there to worry about?"
Pei Qian, "..."
I don't have any counter-argument to that since what you said seems to make sense.
Chapter 459 You've Moved Over So Quickly?!
March 18th, Friday...
At Shang Yang Games...
Lin Wan held an Otto E1 in her hands, fiddling around with it admiringly.
"Actually, once I get used to it, it's not that heavy.
"What's more, I found it hard to navigate such a huge screen with a single hand in the beginning. However, I now find trying to see things on a smaller screen torturous.
"Once one has had a taste of screens with high refresh rates and powerful batteries, it's hard to go back.
"It looks like Boss Pei had thought of everything before setting the direction for research and development of the cell phone. He has a lot of foresight."
Lin Wan had been using Shenhua's flagship model before. When she switched to the Otto E1, she had found it difficult to adapt. However, the problem slowly dissipated over the last few days.
In fact, after playing GOG for a couple of days, she paid for all the skins as well.
Lin Wan could not have felt more grateful after completing this stage of work.
She had not had an easy time over the last few months. She had been in charge of Shang Yang Games and Otto Technologies at the same time, and it had been extremely difficult juggling both roles.
Shang Yang Games had been developing a horror game, no less. That made things all the more difficult. Luckily, after Lin Wan repeatedly visited a famous haunted house overseas with a few core members, got help from Big Boss Ruan Guangjian, and after having Boss Pei add finishing touches to the game; Be Quiet was completed.
Although sales had not gone through the roof, the game's reputation was extremely good. That could pay off for a long time in the future. Boss Pei would probably be pleased, right? As for the cell phone business, Lin Wan had had no choice but to trust Chang You because she could not juggle too much work.
Still, Lin Wan had to be given due credit for her hard work as well. She had suggested using Tengda's other arms to boost the value of the cell phone, and she had conducted the negotiations with the other subsidiaries. All in all, Lin Wan was very satisfied with her performance during this period!
Of course, there were some flaws. For example, Be Quiet's sales had not gone through the roof, and Otto E1 was mainly only selling in Jingzhou, especially to Tengda's gamers. The cell phone had not been termed a 'divine creation' or become a necessity in every household.
However, men should always leave themselves room for improvement.
Lin Wan saw herself as an ordinary person when it came to business. She could not peg herself against Boss Pei all the time, just because she was his employee. That would only hurt herself and destroy her motivation to work harder.
In any case, she was sure that she would never reach Boss Pei's level no matter how hard she worked. Thus, she focused on staying grounded and took one step at a time to do a good job. All research and development work was done for now, but there were still loose ends to tie up. For example, Be Quiet was an online game. On one hand, they had to keep repairing bugs and improving the system's functions. On the other hand, they had to keep releasing new content so that players would remain interested.
As for Otto E1, they had to do updating and maintenance work as well.
Obviously, her current workload could not be compared to that during the research and development period.
Lin Wan felt much more relaxed now. She could browse online shopping sites, buy bags, or play some games. One could say that she was very content.
At the same time, she had to wait for Boss Pei to give her a new task at any moment.
She recalled when Boss Pei had tasked her with two huge tasks: Shang Yang Games and the cell phone business. Lin Wan had thought that she would not be able to cope and that she would make a mess of everything.
Yet, everything had turned out well!
Lin Wan could not help but feel moved. It was almost as if Boss Pei had a keen eye for the upper limit of his employees' potential.
It was amazing! Lin Wan was already looking forward to informing her family of her achievements and showing off to Lin Yu especially.
"Can Shenhua sell its flagship model for more than eight thousand yuan? Can it?! Our Tengda can!"
Lin Wan imagined Lin Yu's blank expression and could not help but feel excited!
Just as she was fantasizing, she received a message on her cell phone: "Our workspace will be officially moving to Jingzhou tomorrow! We'll be neighbors from now on. Please look out for us!"
It was from Ruan Guangjian.
Lin Wan's eyes lit up. The big boss had finally dealt with all of his work in Shanghai? Great!
In December last year, Ruan Guangjian had come to Jingzhou to help with the concept art for GOG's heroes. At the time, Boss Pei had tried very hard to rope him in.
He had invited Big Boss Ruan to take roller coasters, showed off Tengda's benefits, and created a haunted house just for Big Boss Ruan. All of those actions pointed to one clear message:
'Come to Jingzhou! Jingzhou is a good place!'
Big Boss Ruan had understood that as well. After finishing the art resources for two games, he rushed back to Shanghai and spent some time finishing up his work there.
Now, he was finally done, and he could officially move!
Lin Wan guessed that Ruan Guangjian had already been in Jingzhou for some time. However, he probably knew that Tengda had been busy during this period and did not want to cause more trouble. Thus, he quietly managed his own rent, shopped for furniture and office supplies, and the like.
Now that all of that had been settled, he was officially informing Lin Wan.
Lin Wan quickly asked, "Does Boss Pei know about this?"
Ruan Guangjian answered, "I sent him a message, but he hasn't replied because he's probably busy."
Lin Wan nodded silently. Boss Pei was probably very busy, or he would warmly welcome Big Boss Ruan for sure. He would have planned a whole series of activities for him.
Lin Wan wondered what Boss Pei was busy with. Since that was the case, she decided not to disturb him.
Ruan Guangjian had offered a lot of help during the research and development stage of Be Quiet. As the head of Shang Yang Games, Lin Wan felt the need to welcome and thank Ruan Guangjian properly. "Big Boss, where's your workspace? I'll bring Ye Zhizhou and the others there to visit," said Lin Wan.
Soon, Ruan Guangjian sent her a location. Lin Wan clicked on it and grew stunned. "Eh? That's... just opposite Fish-Catching Internet Cafe's Handong University branch, right?"
At a two-story shop, just a street away from Fish-Catching Internet Cafe's Handong University branch... This had been a bookstore before. Its position close to Handong University gave it an advantage, allowing it to profit from the sale of best-selling novels and academic books. However, with the rise of online shopping, the bookstore's sales steadily declined.
This bookstore had held on for the longest among all the others. Still, it could not fend against the overwhelming online shopping trend. Thus, it silently closed down.
At that moment, all the books and furniture in the bookstore had been moved out. Some simple renovations had been done, and high-end office furniture now took their place.
A line of passers-by stopped to look into the shop, but they lost interest once they realized that it was not selling anything. The crowd slowly dissipated.
One street away-in Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, Pei Qian sat, sitting his coffee and pondering life.
The conversation that he had had with Boss Li the day before still hurt him today. Thus, Pei Qian could not help but disappear for the day.
He was not even in the mood to take revenge on He Desheng and Yu Pingan.
After thinking about it carefully, Pei Qian thought it would be weird to just punish the two of them since so many projects were now proving successful.
As the saying went, there was no point in worrying about one debt when there were so many others. Pei Qian had been backstabbed by so many employees that he was starting to have difficulty keeping track of his feuds.
He realized that there was a very serious problem with the management of the company.
First, the first-place-elimination system was no longer useful. In the face of so many profitable projects, eliminating the head of the most profitable project would not make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things.
He had to think of something else.
Pei Qian sipped his coffee, feeling melancholic as he tried to strategize. During his disappearance, a few people had tried to contact him. However, Pei Qian neither read their messages nor replied to them. He was mainly afraid that he would break down upon receiving bad news. That could hinder his strategizing and prevent him from thinking of ways to turn profits into losses.
His subordinates had obviously gotten used to Boss Pei disappearing from the face of the earth, too. Even if he did not reply to their messages, they would complete their tasks on their own.
As Pei Qian looked out of the window, he noticed some movement in the two-story shop across the street. The bookstore had already closed down two weeks ago, but the shop had undergone renovations two days ago. Pei Qian wondered who the brave warrior was.
In fact, this location was not that good. Otherwise, Pei Qian would not have chosen this place to set up a Fish-Catching Internet Cafe branch back then.
People were starting to find opening their shops here advantageous, only because Fish-Catching Internet Cafe had livened up the entire area recently.
Still, Pei Qian did not have high hopes for
them.
"The shop could fail in less than three months. We might not be neighbors for long. Ai, how I admire them."
Pei Qian had thought about taking over the bookstore before, but after several cycles, he was beginning to understand one foundational principle: most loss-incurring projects would generate profits once he took over.
At least, it had been like that for Shang Yang Games and 'Top Student, Come Quick'.
If Boss Pei just sat back to observe, the loss-incurring projects would continue to incur losses. However, once Boss Pei interfered, the project would start generating profits.
What's more, a bookstore would only be able to lose that much money in the end. Thus, Pei Qian did not take over it. Someone else did instead.
"Forget it. Whoever it is would have no relation to me whatsoever. I cannot incur the necessary losses just by taking over one rotten bookstore. I'd better think about how to incur losses before the end of this cycle..."
Pei Qian sipped his coffee and turned back around.
However, at that very moment, from the corner of his eyes; he noticed some familiar-looking figures walk towards the entrance of the two-story shop.
They were Lin Wan, Ye Zhizhou, Hu Xianbin, and Chen Kangtuo...
"Eh?"Pei Qian thought that he was seeing things. He turned back around and took a closer look. He was right; Lin Wan was heading the group!
What were they doing here?
Just as he was feeling confused, he saw Ruan Guangjian walk out to warmly welcome the group. Then, Ruan Guangjian led all of them into the shop.
Pei Qian's mind was filled with question marks. The scene before him felt like a dream.
He rubbed his eyes and then took a closer look at the sign hanging outside the second story. There were an artistic logo and beautiful words.
Halo Workspace!
The hand that Pei Qian was using to hold his coffee cup trembled.
Holy sh*t... you've moved over so quickly?!