As Tengda Corporation expanded, Boss Pei's whereabouts became increasingly uncertain. There were fewer and fewer opportunities to meet him.
Apart from the fact that Boss Pei would visit the company every Monday, they would only be able to meet him face-to-face when the project was almost completed.
To the heads of the various departments, this was actually quite painful.
Boss Pei was a genius in business. It would be very helpful for the development of the department and for the improvement of one's abilities if they could communicate more with Boss Pei and listen to more of his words.
Thus, every time Boss Pei spoke, they had to take it seriously and try to understand the deeper meaning behind it!
Pei Qian looked around at the people in charge, smiled, and said, "Can anyone accurately and summarize what the Tengda spirit is? The best would win a week of paid leave for the entire department."
A week of paid leave for the entire department as a reward should be generous enough, right?
Even if you don't think for yourselves, you should think for your own employees, right?
Pei Qian's plan was simple and crude.
Since the Tengda spirit had been misinterpreted, it must have been done from the top of the pyramid. The person-in-charge of these departments had the greatest responsibility. The culprit must have been hidden among these people!
After all, the in-charge of Tengda's various departments were best at imaginations.
He would definitely want to get rid of all of them, but if he got rid of one every now and then, he would definitely miss out on some.
Now that they were all gathered together, the person who with the most detailed, most comprehensive, and most deviated understanding from the Tengda spirit was definitely the culprit!
What's more, Pei Qian felt that the culprit would definitely not let go of this opportunity to claim credit. If he were to add fuel to the fire with the enticing conditions of a paid leave, he would definitely be able to find more than one mole!
Who would take the bait now that the hook was out, ?
Pei Qian's smile widened.
The department heads looked at each other, but no one spoke.
A few people subconsciously looked at Hao Yun, but she also shook her head slightly. Thus, everyone remained silent.
The people in charge had different considerations, but there were three main reasons.
First, most department heads felt that they were not worthy.
Many people knew that Wu Bin had summarized the Tengda spirit. Everyone else had benefited from it.
It was not appropriate to jump out at this time to take Wu Bin's credit!
Everyone was reputable and had a bottom line. If they jumped out now, they would not be able to face the HR department in the future.
That was why many department heads looked at Hao Yun. Only the HR department had the right to accept the reward.
However, Hao Yun also felt a little embarrassed. That was because the credit belonged to Wu Bin. How could she claim it? If she emphasized that it was Wu Bin's credit, that would not be in line with Wu Bin's intentions.
That was because Wu Bin had repeatedly emphasized that his interpretation of the Tengda spirit was one-sided and incomplete. The Tengda spirit mainly relied on enlightenment. He did not want to take credit for it. Otherwise, he would not have remained so low-profile until now.
Hao Yun knew that Wu Bin did not want to stand out. It would be even more difficult for her and the other department heads to covet Wu Bin's credit. Thus, everyone fell silent.
Second, a week of paid leave was not that tempting.
Every department had a development plan. It might affect the work plan no matter whether the entire department took a paid leave or the person-in-charge took a paid leave for a week.
What's more, Tengda did not encourage overtime work. They had more than enough time to rest at night and on weekends. They would not feel at ease if they took a paid week off. It was better not to.
In the end, no one dared to show off in front of Boss Pei. What's more, the Tengda spirit was constantly changing.
Wu Bin had already analyzed the reason why Boss Pei did not spread the Tengda spirit by himself. He had instead used the Tengda spirit test to let all his employees understand it by themselves so that they would not be bound by rules and regulations.
If that was the case, wouldn't it be awkward to show off his shallow understanding in front of Boss Pei?
No one wanted to embarrass themselves in front of the others.
Thus, after Boss Pei finished asking, none of the department heads spoke. They just stared at each other and then turned to look at Boss Pei.
Pei Qian was stunned.
What's going on?
No one is taking the bait?
Are all of them so cautious?
Or could it be that all of you have already mastered telepathy?
Pei Qian frowned and said, "Why aren't you saying anything?"
Huang Sibo cleared his throat. "Boss Pei, our understanding of the Tengda spirit is too superficial and one-sided. We shouldn't embarrass ourselves."
Lin Wan nodded as well. "Yes, this problem is too complicated. I don't know where to start."
Ma Yiqun had an unfathomable expression on his face as he said, "It can only be understood but not explained in words. We can't go into details, it would be wrong once it is explained."
Xiao Peng: "Our understanding of the Tengda spirit is not even a ten-thousandth of the true Tengda spirit. We can't, we can't."
Only Ma Yang raised his long face, which was buried deep in his plate, and looked at everyone blankly. He had no idea what they were talking about.
He wanted to say something, but he had no idea where to start.
Pei Qian could not help but be flabbergasted.
I'm f*cking asking you to tell me about the Tengda spirit, not to discuss Zen!
Instead, I'm actually hearing things like 'We can't go into details, it would be wrong once it is explained"?
These people gave Pei Qian the impression that they were a group of old monks. They spoke in such a confusing manner that Pei Qian could not ask them even if he wanted to.
Pei Qian was a little helpless. "It doesn't matter. Everyone can speak freely no matter whether it's right or wrong."
The people in charge looked at each other but remained indifferent.
Huang Sibo, Lin Wan, and the other veteran employees looked especially determined.
A few of the more experienced people in charge wanted to say something, but when they saw Huang Sibo, Lin Wan, and the others' expressions, they immediately realized what was going on and shut their mouths obediently.
This looked like Boss Pei's test!
Those who spoke now were those who did not have a deep understanding of Boss Pei's intentions or the Tengda spirit.
The core of the Tengda spirit was to figure it out on your own and not talk nonsense. Wouldn't it be going against the Tengda spirit if you were to talk about your understanding of the Tengda spirit in front of Boss Pei?
Therefore, keeping silent was the right answer!
If Pei Qian had asked the question alone, he might have gotten something. Everyone had different thoughts after all.
However, all the people-in-charge were present now. Silence was contagious. Everyone observed the reactions of others, especially Lin Wan, Huang Sibo, and the other old employees. They all realized that silence was the right answer. That was why they responded with silence!
Pei Qian looked confused, his head filled with question marks.
???
What was happening?
He could not dig out a single word from these people in charge?
Pei Qian had wanted to name a few people so that they would say something. However, on second thought, it was useless!
These people-in-charge would definitely be able to say something, but that would not be of any help in finding out who the mastermind was. What's more, seeing how the people-in-charge were so resistant, forcing them to say something would only have a greater negative effect.
Pei Qian remained silent for a moment and sighed.
Alright, I'll have to carry out Plan B then.
Pei Qian had actually expected this possibility, so he had made two preparations in advance. Tang Yishu would be investigating in secret, and the possibility of finding the mastermind still existed.
On top of that, Pei Qian also intended to reverse the situation of the Tengda spirit from a higher dimension!
At that thought, Pei Qian cleared his throat. "Since no one wants to talk about it, forget it. However, I want to emphasize something to everyone. Please carry it out seriously."
"I don't care if the various departments publicize the Tengda spirit directly or indirectly. I don't care what this Tengda spirit that everyone has been advocating is exactly. I hope that everyone can stop doing this immediately."
"In other words, there is no need for Tengda Corporation to engage in spiritual building, understand?"
"Especially you, the in-charge of the various departments. You have to be responsible for the work of this department. No matter what the other departments do, you have to remember what I said."
"Have you carved it to your heart?"
The people in charge looked at each other in confusion.
What was Boss Pei doing?
Why did he emphasize that Tengda Corporation should not undergo any spiritual building? Didn't that mean that the Tengda spirit could not continue to flourish?
Other companies attached great importance to the cultural building of their businesses. They might be fake slogans but they still made their employees memorize them.
On the other hand, Tengda had such a good Tengda spirit, but Boss Pei did not allow everyone to learn and spread it?
Erm...
All the people in charge were confused. They even felt that Boss Pei's actions were contradictory.
Did Boss Pei really value the Tengda spirit? If he did not, why did he set the 'Tengda Spirit compatibility test' in the recruitment process? If he did, why did he strictly prohibit publicity and dissemination?
Pei Qian looked at everyone's expressions and immediately knew that they were imagining something amazing again. He quickly said, "You don't have to understand or understand why. Just execute it resolutely."
The people in charge nodded and said in unison, "Yes, Boss Pei!"
...
...
November 21st, Monday...
As usual, Pei Qian came to the office to see if there was anything he needed to do.
Not long after he sat down, someone knocked on the door.
Pei Qian looked up as Lin Wan pushed the door open and entered.
"What's the matter?"
Pei Qian was a little surprised since he had been to Shang Yang Games more often recently. At the moment, Shang Yang Games was in charge of two tasks. Ye Zhizhou and the others were in charge of the operations of GOG's international server while Wang Xiaobin was developing Tengda Games' downloadable content.
Logically speaking, there should not be anything that required special consultation for these two projects.
Lin Wan said, "Boss Pei, I'm here to report because IOI has made a new move."
Pei Qian: "Oh? Alright, tell me then."
Chapter 751: The Next In-Charge Of IOI Domestic Server
Pei Qian was more concerned about IOI's situation.
As the main competitor of GOG globally, IOI's actions directly determined whether Pei Qian could continue to spend more money on GOG. That was very important.
Ever since Eric left, the person-in-charge of Dayak Corporation and Finger Games in IOI's local server became Chrétien. There would probably be changes in the policy of promoting IOI.
On the other hand, Pei Qian was looking forward to the changes that Chrétien would bring to IOI's local server. He wanted to create some challenges for GOG in the domestic market, even though the chances of that happening were not high.
Lin Wan handed him a report. "Boss Pei, these are the few known measures that Chrétien has taken against IOI."
"Compared to Eric, he has placed his focus on modifying the game's content. This can be seen from the testing suit's update plan."
"The map of the game is relatively smaller. The soldiers' deny would complement the game, provide 70% of the opponent's experience and a small amount of money. After many deaths, the head would not be worth much. There would be an additional reward for obtaining the head. That would enrich the map resources..."
"On top of that, he seems to be planning to change IOI's local server to a lower price. The price of heroes and skins would be lowered to 1/2 to 1 /3 of its original price according to the situation. This is a feasible method that many games platforms have already verified."
"On top of that, there is news that Finger Games seems to be in contact with some large local games companies, hoping that they would be able to promote localized games. However, they have not decided on which company to work with yet. I will keep an eye on it."
Pei Qian flipped through the report Lin Wan handed him, his expression as per normal.
Logically, he should be overjoyed. These measures seemed to be in the right direction after all.
Shang Yang Games and Eric had used different methods to promote IOI's local server problem. However, they had not managed to gain success since the root of the problem was still the game itself.
GOG was Tengda's in-house game. During the promotion process, it could be modified according to players' feedback. It could even be used to collect hero creativity from players.
However, the authority to modify IOI was with Finger Games. Finger Games' main target was the European and American market. They had not been directly affected by GOG in the beginning. Thus, they felt that IOI was perfect and were unwilling to accept Shang Yang Games' suggestions for modification.
Therefore, IOI remained stagnant while GOG continued to evolve. The gap between the two sides grew larger. The players of IOI were snatched away by GOG, but GOG's players did not even spare IOI a second glance. As time went by, the strength of both sides were no longer on the same level.
The person-in-charge this time was a high-level executive of Finger Games. He had a lot of say in modifying the game. At the same time, he was someone who truly understood the concept of MOBA games.
What's more, GOG had already entered the overseas market and was rapidly taking over IOI's market share. No matter how slow and arrogant Finger Games was, they should have some reaction to it.
What Chrétien had done was to close the gap between IOI and GOG from the bottom up.
Changing the game mechanism so that IOI would be more in line with the gaming habits of ordinary gamers to attract more gamers. Change the IOI local server to a low-priced zone so that IOI would not be too much of a price disadvantage compared to GOG. Cooperate with large domestic factories to use the resources of these large factories to promote the game. At the same time, more and more suitable local advertising strategies could be introduced.
It was hard to say whether these changes were right or wrong. After all, the changes to gameplay would please a portion of people and offend another portion at the same time. It could not be perfect.
Every change was extremely risky. Sometimes, the starting point of some changes was good, but the final outcome was completely unexpected.
However, no matter what, these changes at least proved that Chrétien and Finger Games had gradually realized the root cause of the failure of IOI's local server and had begun to salvage it.
Of course, Chrétien had been relatively restrained when he made such corrections and did not do too much at one go.
The difficulty level of the game had been reduced to a limited extent. It did not directly cancel the deny but reduced it.
The prices of heroes and skins were not reduced to a minimum. Even if the local server was classified as a low-priced region, the price would not be as low as GOG. It took into account the feelings of other players in the region. If the effect was good, they could continue lowering the price.
What's more, these changes were done to test the players' reactions. If the feedback was good, they would be used officially.
IOI was a mature game after all. Any changes would be risky. He had to be cautious.
If GOG had not given them too much pressure, Finger Games would not have taken such a risk.
All in all, being able to recognize the difference between IOI and GOG at the bottom of the game and the selling price, and making the decision to modify it should be good news for IOI's local server. It would be much more effective than burning money previously.
However, Pei Qian was not optimistic.
That was because GOG's domestic market share had completely crushed IOI. Even if IOI made changes, would it have immediate results?
Not only did Pei Qian not have confidence in IOI, but he also did not have confidence in his own luck.
Lin Wan asked, "Boss Pei, should we take countermeasures to nip the potential threat in the bud?"
Pei Qian quickly raised his hand to stop her. "No need!"
Don't mess around. It wasn't easy for him to create a ruckus. How could we just extinguish him?
He had to give them some space so that they could rest and recuperate. It would be best if he could nurture a tiger to cause trouble. Once IOI recovered and developed, everyone would be able to burn money happily together.
Lin Wan nodded. "Alright, Boss Pei. We'll follow our original plan to promote GOG overseas. I'll keep an eye on IOI."
...
At the same time, in the HR department.
"There is no need for Tengda Corporation to undergo spiritual building?"
"Don't care about what the other departments do. Just follow Boss Pei's instructions strictly in your own department?"
"This..."
Wu Bin fell into deep thought after hearing Hao Yun's summary in the gathering yesterday.
Wu Bin was not the person-in-charge of the various departments for the gathering yesterday so he did not attend.
However, Boss Pei had mentioned the Tengda spirit during the gathering after all. The heads of the various departments could not figure out Boss Pei's true thoughts. Thus, Hao Yun had specially told Wu Bin about this after work today so that he could analyze it.
How could they not be curious even though Boss Pei emphasized that "You don't have to understand or understand why; you just have to act resolutely"?
There was a profound reason for everything that Boss Pei wanted to do!
These department heads were good at understanding Boss Pei's intentions. How could they be willing to give up and become tools?
Thus, everyone analyzed and interpreted Boss Pei's words in depth. They even analyzed and interpreted the deeper meaning behind the words 'Boss Pei thinks that no one needs to understand'.
In the end, they could not decipher it.
The people in charge felt terrible.
Boss Pei's seemingly ordinary request might very well contain a new strategy. This strategy might affect the future development of all departments, but everyone knew nothing about it. How could that be?
The strong desire to learn troubled the people in charge. Hao Yun was the same.
Therefore, Hao Yun secretly shared this with Wu Bin.
It was not confidential information after all. Boss Pei had not requested for it to be kept a secret. Wu Bin was a core employee of the HR department with a certain level of experience and had made outstanding contributions. It was reasonable for him to know about it.
Wu Bin frowned and fell silent.
Over the past few days, Boss Pei had been focusing on the Tengda spirit!
First, he changed the test questions for the Tengda spirit and added a part to explain their answers. Then, he asked all the department heads to discuss their understanding of the Tengda spirit at a gathering. Lastly, he said that Tengda did not need spiritual building and that all departments should not influence each other...
There must be something behind this!
Wu Bin's brain worked quickly. He analyzed Boss Pei's intentions through his deep understanding of the Tengda spirit.
"Let's start with the most unreasonable point: Boss Pei said that Tengda does not need spiritual building."
"How can there be no need for spiritual building? Other companies even had the face to get their employees to memorize a few idioitic slogans. Tengda obviously has such a good business spirit, but they did not promote it. Is that reasonable?"
"By promoting the Tengda spirit, you can increase employees' productivity, promote the development of the company, obtain more income, and contribute to society. Boss Pei has no reason to reject such a good thing, right?"
"Shaping the culture of the company and promoting the spirit of the company is not wrong in itself. Boss Pei's objection must mean that something went wrong in the process. He did not do his best at the execution level!"
"Combined with Boss Pei's previous modification of the Tengda Spirit compatibility test... I boldly speculate that our current interpretation of the Tengda Spirit has gone awry and made Boss Pei unhappy!"
Hao Yun was stunned. "Why do you say that?"
Wu Bin explained, "We all know that the questions for the Tengda Spirit compatibility test are random. There is no need to specially modify them to meet Boss Pei's requirements."
"However, Boss Pei still took time out of his busy schedule to edit the questions and added the subjective explanation of each question."
"This means that Boss Pei is dissatisfied with the high passing rate of the Tengda Spirit compatibility test! He thinks that some employees might have chosen the right answer, but they did not really understand the Tengda Spirit. Instead, they took the shortcut. That's why Boss Pei added the subjective section, hoping to find the problem."
Hao Yun's expression turned serious as he nodded.
Indeed, that was a problem.
At the moment, the elimination rate for the Tengda Spirit compatibility test was too low. The managers of the various departments could not bear to let their hard-earned employees be eliminated. Thus, they would give hints to make it easier for them to pass the test.
However, this way, many people would not be able to pass the test based on their own understanding of the Tengda spirit since they relied on the department heads to fill in the gaps.
Boss Pei had obviously realized this. That was why he asked the new employee to explain why he had chosen this option during the test.
That made sense!
Hao Yun quickly said, "How do you explain what Boss Pei said during the gathering then?"
Chapter 752: Officialization Of The Incubation Space
"Boss Pei did not want the Tengda spirit to become rigid and dogmatic. That was what Boss Pei emphasized from the beginning." Wu Bin replied.
"Cui Geng and I summarized the Tengda spirit manual so that we could better interpret Boss Pei's thoughts. We did not want it to become a standard answer. We did not want it to restrict everyone's thoughts."
"However, the Tengda spirit is still becoming rigid and dogmatic. Many departments are trying to pass the Tengda Spirit test by hinting and instilling the Tengda spirit with the same standard to replace the Tengda spirit that is free-spirited. This is actually wasting Boss Pei's efforts in preparing for the Tengda Spirit compatibility test!"
"Therefore, Boss Pei said that Tengda has no need for spiritual building. In fact, he meant that Tengda should not be like other companies to engage in direct, mental drilling. He's emphasizing that the process is more important than the results."
"Boss Pei hopes that all the new employees can freely understand the Tengda spirit in the atmosphere of the company and establish a diverse mindset. He does not want to lock everyone's understanding in one way or another."
"Why does Boss Pei want the departments to not interfere with each other and focus on their own departments?"
"On the one hand, it's to encourage diverse thinking and prevent the Tengda spirit from being dogmatic and becoming the only explanation;"
"On the other hand, it encourages the various departments to explain the Tengda spirit based on the department's situation and characteristics!"
"Different departments have their own focus. Gaming department, movie department, technology department, physical industry... Every department has to use the Tengda spirit to guide their work, but each department also needs a different Tengda spirit."
"Therefore, Boss Pei probably hopes that all departments can understand the Tengda spirit based on the situation and practical needs of their respective departments."
"As for why the person-in-charge of the various departments did not need to understand his orders, and only needed to execute it?"
"I think it's because everyone would understand this sooner or later during the execution process. Boss Pei's body told everyone that the Tengda spirit does not rely on drilling into our employees, but on one's own comprehension."
"It would only have a deep impression and build confidence when it is something that you have comprehended yourself!"
Hao Yun suddenly understood. "I see."
"Boss Pei felt that the Tengda spirit that he advocated was becoming rigid and utilitarian. That's why he decided to reorganize his thinking. It's not that he doesn't want to spirit building, but that he wants it to be built in a healthier and more subtle way!"
"Then... what should we do?"
Wu Bin did not hesitate. "Of course, we have to follow Boss Pei's instructions!"
"To be specific, I think there are a few points."
"First of all, don't spread the Tengda spirit's handbook and the specific interpretation of the Tengda spirit anymore. Don't give those taking the Tengda spirit test any more hints, especially those who find it difficult to pass it. Just let them be eliminated. If they can't understand the Tengda spirit under the influence of such a working environment, it means that their comprehension is not good enough. Their thinking is rigid and they should be eliminated."
"The Tengda spirit manual cannot be given to anyone who does not have a deep understanding of the Tengda spirit because that might stop him from exploring and thinking about the Tengda spirit."
"Only those who have a deep understanding of the Tengda spirit and are completely self-consistent would be able to obtain the Tengda spirit manual. They would be able to see new perspectives and new thoughts without affecting their original understanding."
"That way, the passing rate of the Tengda Spirit compatibility test would definitely be lower. However, that should be what Boss Pei wants."
"Second, the departments should not have too much interaction with regards to the Tengda spirit. Instead, they should combine the actual situation of the departments and dig deeper into the Tengda spirit that fits the department's requirements. Each person-in-charge should develop the Tengda spirit that belongs to the department based on the original Tengda spirit and try not to interfere with each other."
"Lastly, we have to be extremely cautious when it comes to developing Tengda's spiritual culture. We have to guide it and not instill it into others. We have to form a subtle atmosphere so that the Tengda spirit would no longer float on the surface. Instead, it has to sink it deep into the details of our work and into the bottom of everyone's heart. There is no need to talk about it."
Hao Yun nodded sincerely.
As expected of the person with the deepest understanding of the Tengda spirit. His analysis was reasonable and convincing.
"Alright, I'll share this with the other in-charge and strictly follow Boss Pei's instructions!"
Hao Yun suddenly thought of something and said, "By the way, Wu Bin, I gave up the seven-day paid leave on my own accord. Please don't mind it."
Wu Bin quickly said, "Giving up is definitely the right choice!"
"The other in-charges have a high level of understanding. They know that the Tengda spirit can only be understood and not explained. Once they say it out loud, it would change the meaning. That would restrict the thinking of others."
"These seven days of paid leave are probably bait thrown out by Boss Pei, waiting for the fish to take the bait!"
"To be honest, I feel that Boss Pei might not be happy with my current behavior. I might have been emphasizing that my interpretation is not necessarily correct and that I am trying my best to cooperate with Boss Pei, but I have more or less played a negative role objectively."
"Therefore, I'm not doing this to claim credit. I'm doing this purely for the sake of spreading the Tengda spirit If you give this credit to me, you'll be roasting me on the cross!""
"Don't mention my name when you encounter problems with the Tengda spirit in the future. This is the best interpretation of the Tengda spirit!"
Wu Bin's face shone with selflessness.
Hao Yun nodded, moved. "Yes, I understand!"
...
...
November 22nd, Tuesday...
At a high-end office building in Beijing.
Wu Zhicheng tidied his appearance at the door before walking in.
Today, he had specially worn a set of clothes that were relatively more expensive. He had even washed his hair before he left because he was afraid that he would look like a country bumpkin and pull down the classiness of the entire office building.
However, when he arrived at the office, he realized that he was still a far cry from the office building.
Two weeks ago, Qiu Hong went to Wu Zhicheng's residence to take a look and decided to include Wu Zhicheng in the investments for the Destitution Plan.
Apart from that, Qiu Hong also offered to provide him with an office space and some necessary help seeing Wu Zhicheng's miserable working environment.
After nearly two weeks of preparation, Qiu Hong called Wu Zhicheng yesterday, saying that the incubation base was ready. He even sent him an address, asking him to come to the incubation base tomorrow to take a look.
Wu Zhicheng looked at the address. It was only four stations away from where he lived. It was more convenient, so he came over.
Wu Zhicheng was not confident about this incubation base either.
It was good to have a proper office, but he still had to go to work every day. It was much better to be at home.
His house might be very messy, but it was very comfortable to stay at home. No gold or silver nest could ever be as good as his own dog nest.
Wu Zhicheng was an independent game designer. He was also considered a freelancer. Going out to work meant spending a certain amount of time on commuting every day. Putting aside fatigue and congestion, the amount of time spent on each day was not small.
Therefore, if there was no reason to be particularly attractive, Wu Zhicheng would definitely prefer to make games at home.
The first floor was a dazzling hall that required one to swipe their card to enter. Wu Zhicheng went up to the staff and explained the purpose of his visit. The staff asked him to register before entering.
"Remember to ask your company to give you an access card," the young lady reminded him.
Wu Zhicheng took the elevator to the 23rd floor and was shocked the moment he stepped out.
The office was so spacious!
There was a lounge area as soon as he stepped out of the elevator. There were many single sofas, coffee tables, large televisions, game consoles, and a bar counter.
The lady at the bar counter was also in charge of receiving customers. She smiled and greeted Wu Zhicheng when she saw him. "Hello, are you Wu Zhicheng?"
The incubation space had only officially opened today. They had only recruited independent game designers who had participated in the Destitution Plan with no office space for the time being. Thus, there were not many of them.
The receptionist quickly recognized Wu Zhicheng after reading everyone's information.
Wu Zhicheng stepped forward, a little embarrassed. "Yes, I'm Wu Zhicheng. Who should I look for now?"
The lady at the front desk knew what he wanted to ask. She smiled and said, "Wait a moment, someone from the administrative department will be here to guide you soon. Please find a place to sit down and have some coffee."
She saw the hesitation on Wu Zhicheng's face and quickly added, "It's free. If you don't want coffee, you can have tea or other drinks."
Wu Zhicheng quickly said, "Oh, give me a cup of milk tea then."
The receptionist nodded. "Alright, please wait."
Wu Zhicheng found an armchair and sat down. For a moment, he felt like he was in a high-end cafe. He was not used to it.
He raised his head and looked around the office space. There were two resting areas like this entrance, there was one in the deepest part of this office.
It looked like the resting area at the entrance was also responsible for receiving guests while the resting area inside was relatively private.
The two resting areas shared a bar counter, and there was ample supply of coffee and drinks.
The rest of the space was a working area. Wide desks were arranged in a sparse manner. Wu Zhicheng subconsciously felt that this was a huge waste of his work space.
There was no conference room, probably because there was no need.
That was because most of the people in the incubation space were independent game designers. It was rare for most of them to have meetings together. If two or three of them had a small meeting, they could chat while drinking coffee in the resting area. There was no point in forming an individual conference room.
The entire office space gave people a very free and open feeling. It was completely incomparable to the cramped and oppressive working environment of other companies.
Wu Zhicheng looked left and right, finding it unbelievable.
This was much better than he had imagined!
Chapter 753: Is This Heaven?
Not long after Wu Zhicheng received the milk tea, a young man with black-framed glasses and slightly curly hair came to him.
"Hello, my name is Xi Hao. I'm the person-in-charge of the administrative department here. I'll be helping designers with the development plan, budget, progress, etc. In short, you can treat me as your 'butler' at work. You can look for me if you need anything."
"I'll bring you to your workstation and familiarize you with the entire incubation base."
Wu Zhicheng quickly stood up and shook Xi Hao's hand. "Alright, nice to meet you. Please take care of me in the future."
Xi Hao patted him on the shoulder with a smile. "Don't be too formal. We'll be family from now on. I've only just joined the administrative department like the others. We're all newbies."
"What's more, the administrative department of the incubation base is not a management but a service provider. You are in charge of creativity, we are in charge of service, your work is much more important than ours."
The two chatted as they walked towards the office.
Apart from looking for office space, Qiu Hong had another important thing to do during this period of time for the entire incubation base to operate normally: recruitment.
It would be too inefficient if they sent their resumes to social recruitment. Therefore, Qiu Hong used his connections in the games industry in Beijing to select a group of people through internal selection.
Xi Hao had more than four years of game development experience and had been the chief planner of a small company. He was not the best in all aspects, but he was more than enough to satisfy ordinary projects.
What's more, even though Xi Hao lacked creativity in game design, he had a strong point: he was serious, meticulous, and very responsible towards his work.
Thus, after some consideration, Qiu Hong felt that Xi Hao was a good candidate and decided to let him be in charge of maintaining the normal operations of the entire incubation base.
The administrative department of the incubation base was not only in charge of administrative matters, but more like a Jack-of-all-trades.
There was a special finance, legal, and art requirement team here. At the same time, there were professionals in charge of development planning and project management.
In short, all the supporting departments that Qiu Hong had previously thought that independent game designers lacked had been included.
There were about 10 staff in the administrative department of the incubation base, while not too many, they had everything they needed. They were professionals with a certain amount of experience in the related fields.
Xi Hao brought Wu Zhicheng to a workstation near the window in the office. "This will be your workstation from now on. Your employment pass is still being processed and should be ready soon."
"This is an access card. If you come to work in the future, just swipe your card on the first floor. You don't have to register anymore."
"Our administrative department is near that window. If you encounter any problems at work, feel free to look for us."
"Transfer all the data and resources on your computer into the office computer here this morning. At the same time, follow the instructions on this piece of paper to access your internal communication account and project management rights."
"In the afternoon, we will have a small meeting to briefly talk about the game you are working on. That will make it easier for us to estimate the working period, develop a plan, and find suitable artists."
Xi Hao quickly explained everything he had to take note of in the incubation space.
It was similar to officially joining a company, but there was a difference between the work content and workflow.
After Xi Hao left, Wu Zhicheng turned on his office computer.
This batch of office computers had been provided by ROF Computer-Installation. They had been delivered directly from Jingzhou to Beijing. However, they were not using ROF's custom-made computers. There was no logo of ROF on the computers either.
Wu Zhicheng had never used ROF Computer-Installation before, so he did not think too much about it. He only thought that this was a high-end assembly machine that the incubation base had purchased on its own.
After turning it on, Wu Zhicheng copied the relevant data of "Black Ink and Clouds" onto the office computer, logged into the official development platform, and opened the internal communication account and project management rights according to Xi Hao's instructions.
Wu Zhicheng had never worked in a gaming company before. He did not know that this was the standard operating procedure of a gaming company. He found it very refreshing.
"Eh, the hardware is so high-end."
Wu Zhicheng was a little surprised. The computer configuration that he had used before was not bad. He had spent a lot of money on it. However, the budget was limited after all. He had to pay more attention to the cost-effectiveness ratio.
On the other hand, this computer was a perfect example of perfection. Wu Zhicheng was drooling with envy after looking at the configurations.
He was also very satisfied with the ergonomic office tables and chairs. There was also a bar counter that provided unlimited drinks and milk tea. The working environment was completely different.
In this relaxed working atmosphere, Wu Zhicheng began to sort out the contents of Black Ink and Clouds, including the expected number of stages, boss battle design, style, and so on. He did not want to be ignorant during the meeting in the afternoon and make a fool of himself in front of everyone.
...
Lunch was provided by Fish-Catching Take-Out.
Fish-Catching Take-Out had already left Handong Province and opened some shops in first-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai.
There was a very important reason why Qiu Hong chose the incubation base here. It was because there was a Fish-Catching Take-Out shop nearby that could easily solve the problem of food.
After Wu Zhicheng had his fill, he burped and drank his milk tea. What kind of heavenly work environment was this?!
Before this, he had been hesitant about whether he should work here. On one hand, he felt that it was quite troublesome to take the subway for four stations a day. On the other hand, he was worried that he would not be able to do things in a carefree manner.
However, looking at the working environment now, Wu Zhicheng only had one thought: Was this heaven?
In the afternoon, Xi Hao, Wu Zhicheng, and three other employees from the administrative department had a meeting.
Xi Hao briefly introduced the roles of these three people: one was in charge of resources statistics, planning and development nodes of progress, one was in charge of the proposal and communication of art resources, one was in charge of financial reimbursement, collecting data and printing, and various other tasks.
This was the framework that Qiu Hong had prepared for the incubation base after careful consideration.
There were three groups like that in the entire incubation base. Each group could be responsible for four to six independent game projects.
In other words, the entire incubation base could incubate 12 to 18 independent game projects at the same time under the most efficient circumstances, ensuring that these game projects would obtain the most perfect support.
The three people in the group had a clear division of labor. Basically, they were responsible for everything apart from the game design and the specifics of the game.
As the person-in-charge, Xi Hao had to understand all the independent game projects. He also had to plan and supervise the work of all the teams.
Wu Zhicheng was still a little nervous.
That was because he had been cooped up at home ever since he started creating independent games. He had very little interaction with others, especially when it came to work.
Now, he felt a little nervous facing four people who were taking notes seriously with a pen and paper.
However, Wu Zhicheng quickly adjusted his mentality and began to introduce the basic situation of Black Ink and Clouds.
"Black Ink and Clouds" is a platform action-based game. I have planned a total of ten stages. Each stage has a unique boss and small monster…"
Wu Zhicheng gave them a general overview of the contents like what he did with Qiu Hong.
The four people on the opposite side nodded as they silently noted down.
It was better to hear it from the designer himself even if they might already have some basic information about Black Ink and Clouds.
Xi Hao did not interrupt Wu Zhicheng. Instead, he waited for him to finish speaking before asking his question.
"Do you have a plan for the gaming duration?" Xi Hao asked.
Wu Zhicheng was stunned. "Er… I haven't thought about this."
Xi Hao nodded and explained, "Ten stages in the game is a more general concept. Ten minutes can be one stage, and two hours can be one stage."
"In order to ensure the content of the game and take good care of the gamers' gaming experience, we have to plan the gaming time first. Then, we can adjust the specific plan for the stages through the game time."
"Generally speaking, for independent, platform games like this, the better one would be eight to twelve hours long. It would not be appropriate for it to be too long or too short."
"My suggestion is that the standard game flow can be set at around 10 hours. The checkpoints must follow the principle of going from easy to difficult. Therefore, the later stages should be slightly longer."
Chapter 754: A Strategic From Soup To Nuts Planning Service
"In order to ease the players' fatigue, it is recommended to use a long and short game design. For example, the preface is a short game that can be used to guide players to adapt to the gameplay. It can end in about 10 minutes. The first stage is a long one. Complicated riddles have to be played before defeating the boss, that could be done in about an hour. The second stage can be a short one. You can directly enter the boss battle and then mix a few stages of riddles in the pursuit of the boss. The game time can be about 30 minutes. The third stage is a long one. The time is extended to 1 hour and 15 minutes. There will be more complicated riddles..."
"Through this design, we can adjust the flow of emotions of the players at different stages and create a relaxing effect."
"What's more, based on the length of the stage that we have decided on, we can decide which scene to use for a certain stage. We can combine the Boss' gameplay, the background of the stage, the length of the stage, and other elements to leave a deeper impression on the players."
Wu Zhicheng blinked. "Yes, that makes sense!"
In fact, he had not thought so much about it before. He had only planned for ten stages with the mentality of making up the numbers. Each stage would have a different background packaging.
However, after listening to Xi Hao's analysis, he realized that there were actually so many tricks behind it.
The length of the different stages could control the players' emotions and achieve the effect of relaxation. Then, players would not suddenly feel dull and boring in the middle of the game. It would bring them a better gaming experience.
What's more, the length of the game determined the format of a certain stage. Would it be encountering a Boss Battle after a long period of solving the riddle? Or meeting the Boss Battle directly? Perhaps it would be a Boss Battle split into multiple stages, with the elements of solving the riddle added during the transition stage?
The gamers would have completely different gaming experiences through different stages.
After Xi Hao's analysis, Wu Zhicheng instantly felt that the previously vague content had become much clearer, and the parts that he had no clue about were now in sight.
Wu Zhicheng quickly recorded it in his notebook, afraid that he would forget about it.
"I'm just making a suggestion. I'm not saying that we have to follow this plan. If you think it makes sense, we can plan it this way. If you have other ideas, we can discuss them." Xi Hao reminded him.
"At the end of the day, Black Ink and Clouds is a game designed by you. You have the final say. We are only suggesting from another perspective. Whether you accept it or not is entirely up to you."
Wu Zhicheng nodded. "Understood."
Wu Zhicheng was very satisfied with Xi Hao's attitude.
Obviously, Xi Hao had years of experience in the games industry, so he could provide a more professional perspective than Wu Zhicheng when he looked at problems.
Of course, Wu Zhicheng would gladly accept these better suggestions.
However, Black Ink and Clouds was a game designed by Wu Zhicheng after all. There was no doubt that he had the final say.
Xi Hao had no intention of interfering with Wu Zhicheng's design. This showed his basic respect for the creator.
Xi Hao looked at the contents in his notebook and said, "Do you have any expectations for the rough resources and development time of the game?"
Wu Zhicheng shook his head. "No."
Xi Hao did not show any signs of contempt. Instead, he said in a normal tone, "Then, let's make a simple plan. We can perfect the details later."
"According to our previous estimates of the 10-hour game time and length, there are roughly nine stages of different sizes. Apart from the preface and final chapter, there are also seven stages in the middle."
"There are about 15 types of big and small monsters inside. Eight of them can be used as basic small monsters, and the remaining seven can be used as special monsters under special conditions or circumstances."
"You can also use the same type of monsters to make them into different colors or skills. However, this type of replication needs to be restrained. What's more, it has to be consistent with the characteristics of the levels. You can't let the players feel like they are fighting the same monsters again."
"There are a total of eight stages from the first to the final chapter. We will design eight different Boss battles. The Boss in the first chapter can be reused and make a weakened version of the Boss to pass the plot."
"In that case, we can roughly estimate the scale of each stage."
"We'll set the art resource table according to these requirements and finalize the general workload. The game editor is ready-made, and platform action games are very common, so we can create them relatively quickly..."
"The estimated working period is about six months."
"You have completed a portion of the content at the moment, there is still sufficient time for modification. Therefore, we can set two temporary deadlines."
"The first deadline is two months later. We will try to complete the game content before the third stage. We can test the players' feedback through the trial. If the feedback is not good, we can still make changes in time;"
"The second deadline is five months later. We'll try to complete the game, fix all the bugs, and polish some details. That way, the game can be officially released."
"Maps, characters, monsters, special effects, and other related art resources have to be completed within this deadline."
"Based on our current resources, if we estimate the development cost... we should apply for a funding limit of 1.5 million yuan first. The art of this game is very important. We have to contact a few outstanding artists to choose the most suitable style. If we don't have enough money, we can apply for it later."
"Is this alright?"
Xi Hao looked at Wu Zhicheng for his opinion.
Wu Zhicheng immediately nodded. "Alright!"
Wu Zhicheng only had one thought for Xi Hao's speech: What a professional!
When he was talking to Qiu Hong previously, Wu Zhicheng had no idea how long the project would take or how much money it would cost.
He could not be blamed for his low level of business acumen. He was just an unorthodox person who had never worked in a proper gaming company. How could he understand all these?
Qiu Hong still decided to invest in the game under such circumstances. It was obvious that he really admired the gameplay of Black Ink and Clouds.
However, with Xi Hao's help, these details were easily solved.
Wu Zhicheng was quite satisfied with the current plan. He even felt that the plan had changed his thinking about the game and made it clearer.
What's more, this plan could be changed at any time. There would be a lot of freedom. He would not have to worry about his design being restricted.
Xi Hao continued, "Alright, we'll hurry up and come up with the entire development plan, the art resource, and the requirement form for you to see. If you have any problems, we can discuss and amend them."
"As for you, focus all your energy on the game design. If you encounter any problems, just look for us at any time."
"We will also gather some information or similar ready-made games online based on the genre of the game. We will provide them to you as reference and update you continuously."
"If you feel like you don't have any inspiration, you can take a look and get some inspiration."
Wu Zhicheng was pleasantly surprised. "Sure, sure."
He could not help but feel emotional. This was really a service from soup to nuts!
Someone was helping to design the game development plan, someone was helping to raise the demand for the art resources, and there was even someone who was helping to collect game inspiration!
Obviously, the task of this three-man team was to help the independent game designers complete various more time-consuming but essential tasks. They would serve four independent game designers concurrently.
The entire team's manpower could be fully utilised as long as there was proper time management.
The meeting was over in no time. The content that was not sure previously had been finalized.
The main reason Xi Hao participated in this meeting was to set a general direction with Wu Zhicheng. He would leave the rest of the work to his subordinates.
In two or three days, the development plan for Black Ink and Clouds, the preliminary planning of the stages, the art resource, the required documents, and so on would be uploaded. The relevant work would be pushed forward by professionals.
Wu Zhicheng himself only needed to do his design work well.
On one hand, it was to standardize and guide his original unorthodox path so that he could create games more efficiently under certain frameworks and not continue to run around like a headless fly.
On the other hand, it greatly reduced the burden on Wu Zhicheng. He did not need to do those inefficient but necessary repetitive tasks. He only needed to focus all his attention on the most creative game design work.
Wu Zhicheng returned to his desk and took a sip of his milk tea. He felt much more excited.
Why was he suddenly filled with motivation?
He immediately followed the details that had been finalized and began to redo the game's planning of the stages.