He switched on the television and was just in time for the second GPL competition.
Stronghold's downloadable content kept replaying in Qiao Liang's mind as he ate Fish-Catching Take-Out and watched the GPL competition.
"Despicable cliffhanger ending!"
Qiao Liang was confused by the plot, but his gaming addiction was completely aroused.
He suddenly realized that the downloadable content of the few old games that had been updated over the past few months were linked and had something to do with Tengda's new game!
Or it could be said that it was publicity and warm up.
The new downloadable content of The Lonely Desert Road had a new car skin. It was a mini spaceship with a sense of technology. There was also a new game setting on the surface of a dark red planet filled with sand.
There was an assistant in Game Designer, AEEIS. The facts had proven that it was an artificial intelligence in Ocean Stronghold's new plot and was also the voice assistant in Otto Technologies' cell phone.
Ocean Stronghold's new story mode was equivalent to a large-scale plot preview. Qin Yi and this team's mission plot was so random. It must have something to do with the subsequent game plot. The new epic weapon was the standard weapon for the Cloud Sparrow Battle Armor (weakened version).
The only thing he did not know was the connection between Repent and be Saved's downloadable content and the new game. However, it was likely related to the new sci-fi game based on Zergs.
Qiao Liang quickly found the answer online.
Some gamers started playing Repent and be Saved's reincarnation mode the moment the downloadable content was updated. They relied on their exquisite skills and good luck to obtain the reward for completing the game in the reincarnation mode: a set of Zerg-style clothes and weapons.
This set of clothing seemed to be made from the shells of Zergs. The weapon in his hand was a huge, curved, and strangely-shaped Zerg claw.
Compared to the costumes in other games, this set of clothing had good defense and low burden. It was very useful. On the other hand, while the weapon's value was not as perverted as the BUG weapon Pudu, its attack movements were unique and very handy.
At this point, Tengda's new downloadable content was completed. It enriched the gameplay and game content while collaborating with the new game and advertising it at the same time.
Qiao Liang could not help but feel emotional. "Boss Pei is so crafty!"
"These are obviously the models and scenes of the new game. They could be used to make downloadable content for the old game if they were slightly modified. That would save resources and publicize the new game.
"I just want to say... please increase your strength!"
There might be suspicions of saving resources but it was still satisfactory overall. That was because the quality of the downloadable content for this update was indeed very high and the price was very good.
The only thing he was not satisfied with was Ocean Stronghold's downloadable content's cliffhanger ending.
Even though he knew that this was a very good publicity method, it was still very uncomfortable to not see the plot at the end. He could not wait for Tengda's new game to be officially released tomorrow.
One could only say that good works always had a love-hate relationship, making people desire them. If Tengda Games had made trashy games, then no one would not have such high expectations for it.
Qiao Liang casually browsed the gamers' comments online and found that most of the gamers were very satisfied with the update. What's more, they were really looking forward to Tengda's new game.
"The new downloadable content is too good-hearted! Especially the new plot of Ocean Stronghold. It would be no problem for it to sell for about 45 yuan per game. It's akin to giving it away for free!"
"What do you mean free? Didn't they charge 888 yuan for an epic weapon? Whales spend money and commoners benefit from it."
"You might not believe it even if I were to say it out loud. At the moment, the most conscientious FPS game in the country is Ocean Stronghold that sells the 888 yuan Red Kilins. That's ridiculous."
"I feel like Tengda is really playing a huge game of chess. The downloadable content of so many games is all to promote the new game. This new game must be very impressive! Could it be that they invested hundreds of millions on it?"
"Probably not a few hundred million, but the scale is definitely not small from the looks of it. Can any big boss guess what type of game this is?"
"That's hard to say. From the theme, it must be a sci-fi, a war theme between humans and Zergs. Logically speaking, FPS games should be the most likely. However, Ocean Stronghold's downloadable content is already FPS. Wouldn't it be a little repetitive if it were to be made again? It's quite hard to guess."
"I also think that FPS games are the most likely. The other genres are getting rather cold. I don't think it's possible to make them, right?"
"I don't really understand this plot. Did Qin Yi die in the end? Did the decapitation strike succeed? It might look like it succeeded but what does the story want to express if it really succeeded? Something's not right."
"I think it might not have succeeded. There will definitely be a follow-up plot. Just wait patiently."
Many gamers made use of Ocean Stronghold's plot to brainstorm and try their best to find clues left behind by the designer. They also tried to guess the direction of Tengda's new game story.
However, these speculations were not convincing to the players and contradicted the designers' intentions.
However, everyone continued to guess tirelessly. After all, the process itself was quite interesting.
Suddenly, Qiao Liang saw a post. His eyes lit up. "Holy sh*t! I realized that the AEEIS on Otto's cell phone has a special function. It can actually be a match to the lines in the game!"
Qiao Liang was a little surprised. He clicked on the content of the post and realized that the original poster was using Otto Technologies and said a line from Qin Yi in the game to AEEIS on a whim. AEEIS immediately followed up and perfectly replayed the conversation in the game unexpectedly!
There were many replies below. Many gamers who used OTTO cell phones discovered this function as well. Some even said that the AEEIS Fully-Automated Smart Bickering Machine had the same effect, and the effect was better.
"Eh? That's right. AEEIS seems to be part of Boss Pei's plan!"
"Wait, what is the AEEIS Fully-Automated Smart Bickering Machine?"
Qiao Liang also owned an Otto E1 cell phone and had just updated the new system. He did use AEEIS, but because he did not have the habit of using voice assistants and had not taken the time to experience it.
The promotional page of the AEEIS Fully-Automated Smart Bickering Machine was hidden in the application of Otto Technologies' shopping center. Qiao Liang usually did not buy anything in this shopping center, so he would not pay attention to it.
It was only when he saw this post that Qiao Liang realized that Otto Technologies had actually released such a thing.
Qiao Liang clicked into the shopping center with some curiosity and quickly found the Fully-Automated Smart Bickering Machine.
It looked similar to the original bickering machine, but it was obviously much longer and much taller. Its specifications and parameters were clearly written on the product's details page. Strictly speaking, it should be an echo wall.
Qiao Liang could not help but feel shocked. "There's an upgrade? And it's an echo wall?"
He looked at his big television and then at his first-generation bickering machine.
Then, he decisively ordered a new one.
"It just so happens that I need to surround sound when playing games. It's just right for a big television. I'll order one!"
"It actually has the function of exchanging the old for the new to get a discount. That's quite humane."
Qiao Liang looked at the time. It was already night time and it would only arrive tomorrow morning even if the goods were delivered from Jingzhou's local warehouse.
That made him feel a little regretful. He felt that it would have been better if he had discovered this Fully-Automated Smart Bickering Machine earlier.
Wouldn't it have already arrived if he had placed an order at noon?
From the looks of it, he could only try it out tomorrow and then think of a video to introduce it to his fans.
...
...
January 13th, Friday...
Pei Qian was checking on the progress of various tasks in the office.
He had to pay attention reluctantly to the projects now that the exam was finally over even though he felt that it was very troublesome. He had not asked about these projects because he had been busy preparing for the exam.
It was not that he was afraid of something happening, but he was afraid that nothing would happen.
Based on his previous experience,these projects would one day bring a huge amount of System Funds to him if Pei Qian did not care about these projects at all.
Thus, he had to discover it early and treat it early.
It was Friday today, and it was almost the weekend. Pei Qian planned to do a background check on the various projects on Friday, understand the situation, and organize his thoughts. He would rest for two days on the weekend, and welcome the 'high-intensity working conditions' on Monday.
Pei Qian first checked on Qiu Hong's incubation base in Beijing.
Previously, Pei Qian had asked Tang Yishu to make a trip to Beijing. At the same time, he had dealt a heavy blow to Cold-Faced Lady and greatly affected the incubation base. Many bugs had appeared in the independent game that was being developed, and they had no choice but to spend more effort to modify them.
At the same time, the incubation base followed Pei Qian's instructions and organized independent game designers to play games together, greatly delaying their research and development time.
Thus, most of the games that were originally scheduled to be released last month were pushed to the middle and end of this month.
Those with more serious repercussions would skip to the next month or even the following month after the next month.
However, the incubation base was similar to Dream Realization Ventures in the System. These independent game designers were like the start-up companies that Dream Realization Ventures had invested in. Their products were not directly produced by Tengda, and would not affect the settlement.
As long as the incubation base and Dream Realization Ventures were still operating normally and the companies that they invested in were still operating normally and working, the system would be more lax on them. They would not be as strict as Tengda's direct department.
That was also the reason why Pei Qian was increasingly passionate about giving money to others to spend.
Among the many games in the incubation base, only two had been released under pressure. However, from the looks of the current situation, they were far from being successful. The art style of one of them was not pleasing to the eye, and it could be said that no one was interested in it. The other one had a good reputation, but its sales were not good. It was a classic example of good but not good enough.
All in all, he did not earn any money at all. He did not even make back the investment that the incubation base had invested in these two games.
Qiu Hong also felt ashamed. His guilt and lack of confidence could be felt through the work week report.
However, Pei Qian was very satisfied with this.
Great, didn't I say that there are many talents among independent game designers. There would always be people who could make loss-incurring games!
The incubation base was indeed a good idea!
According to Qiu Hong's thinking, there was no need to continue investing resources and time into games that had already been proven to be failures. He would arrange for these two independent game designers to start planning and developing new independent game projects.
Pei Qian decided to give Qiu Hong a call to correct his wrong thinking at that point.
How could he give up on such a good project?
He had to continue investing as much resources as he could! The more he invested, the better!
Chapter 816: Street Food Contest?
At that moment, Qiu Hong was fretting in the incubation base of the 'Destitution Plan' in Beijing.
That was because he felt that the game produced by the incubation base was not good enough.
It had been two months since the incubation base started operating. What's more, many independent game designers had already developed their games for a period of time before they arrived at the incubation base. Logically speaking, it was time to produce some results.
They were independent games after all. There was not much investment and work involved since they were meant to be small and beautiful games.
However, just taking care of the BUGs was enough to tire everyone out.
Two games had been released, but for various reasons, the response was not good.
Qiu Hong summarized it briefly and felt that it was mainly because of his ability.
They might have provided relevant supporting support to the independent game designers, but it did not mean that the game they created would be successful.
That was because creating games had a very low chance of success, and it was even more so for independent game designers. Independent game designers were inspirational, passionate, but lacking in ability. Otherwise, they would have gone to work in a proper game company. Why would they have to choose an independent game that was neither profitable and very tiring?
However, that put Qiu Hong under a lot of pressure.
He knew that Boss Pei had high hopes for this independent game incubation base. He never hesitated to provide money. He himself was a slightly famous successful game designer. Yet, he did not achieve anything after working for so long. It was really embarrassing.
The few games that Qiu Hong had been paying attention to, such as Black Ink and Clouds could not be released for the time being because of various bugs and details. They might have to wait until next month.
No matter how anxious Qiu Hong was,it was useless if he had no games he could publish.
At that moment, his cell phone rang. It was Boss Pei.
Qiu Hong's heart dropped. Could Boss Pei be here to hold him accountable?
He had a bad feeling when he submitted the work week report for the incubation base. Boss Pei was now calling him personally. Did this mean that the premonition was real?
Qiu Hong quickly picked up the phone. "Boss Pei!"
Over the phone, Boss Pei's voice was very kind and even a little cheerful. "Boss Qiu, I understand the situation at the incubation base. It is very successful! The situation is very good. You have to continue, understand?"
What?
A question mark floated above Qiu Hong's head. He almost thought that he had heard wrongly or that Boss Pei had called the wrong number.
However, on further thought, he did not make a mistake. Boss Pei was talking about the incubation base.
The situation is very good? It is very successful?
Qiu Hong was very confused. "Boss Pei, you call this situation very successful? Is there a deviation in my definition of 'success'?"
"The two games that we released did not sell well..."
Pei Qian sniggered. "Of course this is considered very successful!"
"Boss Qiu, it's obvious that there's a problem with your evaluation criteria. You should think this way: These independent game designers could not even complete the game and distribute it previously. With the help of the incubation base, they could complete the game and bring their games to players. Isn't that a huge improvement and success?"
"Don't think about how many marks you'll get for this paper first. At least you'll be able to complete the entire paper on your own. You've already answered all the questions that you need to answer. Handing in the paper normally would make it an improvement!"
"Everyone has to take it slow. How can you start earning money after building an independent game incubation base for two months? You're too eager for instant benefits! That's not a good attitude."
Qiu Hong listened with a foggy mind and looked confused.
What Boss Pei said made sense but it still felt strange.
Could it be that my work is actually very outstanding? I just don't feel it?
The sudden compliment almost made Qiu Hong waver.
"However..." Pei Qian changed the topic." There are still some problems with your work. I have to point it out now so that you can correct it as soon as possible."
Qiu Hong heaved a sigh of relief. That's right!
How can my work be perfect? I don't believe it myself.
He quickly said, "Boss Pei, please speak. I'm all ears."
Pei Qian said, "I read from your work report that you plan to let the creators of these two games rest for a while before continuing to design and develop the next independent game? That's not appropriate."
After a moment of silence, Qiu Hong said, "Boss Pei, you mean..."
"I should fire them?"
Boss Pei was obviously dissatisfied with his arrangement after hearing what Boss Pei said.
The game of these two designers had already been completed. The market's response was not good. Thus, Qiu Hong intended for them to start making new games immediately. The incubation base could not keep idle people.
However, Boss Pei felt that this was not appropriate. Could it be that he felt that these two people were useless and wanted to kick them out to replace them?
Pei Qian nearly choked on his breath.
What kind of comprehension ability did Qiu Hong have?!
How could you fire such trusted aides?
Pei Qian quickly said, "Your understanding is ridiculous! What I mean is to modify, optimize, and redo these two games until they are recognized by the market, understand?"
"Every independent game is the condensation of designer inspiration and wisdom. If the game is not popular with gamers, it does not mean that the idea is bad. It only means that the way to express this idea is not mature enough!"
"How can any idea succeed if you give up after trying superficially?"
"If you don't succeed, then spend money to redo it until you succeed!"
Qiu Hong was stunned.
Other games companies would cut down failed projects in time to stop losses. Yet, Boss Pei was trying his best to extend the lives of failed projects!
Logically speaking, this was a very stupid act. After all, the game itself had already been rejected by the market. It was better to make new ones instead of making huge changes.
However, Boss Pei's tone was extremely firm and confident. It made Qiu Hong feel that what he said made sense! So he was the one who was wrong?
Qiu Hong pondered for a moment. "Then... there has to be a limit to the investment, right? One million? Two million? There can't be more for independent games!"
After a moment of silence, Pei Qian said, "Don't let money limit precious imagination."
"If a game can only achieve the best results by investing five million yuan, and you set a limit of two million yuan for it, how can it succeed?"
"Since you've decided to do it, you must do your best. Do you understand?"
Qiu Hong: "...Alright."
...
Pei Qian continued to read the reports from the other departments after hanging up.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door. It was He Desheng.
"Boss Pei, I'm here to briefly report the situation with the Cold-Faced Lady. I can't explain it in a few words, so I think it's better to report it in person."
Pei Qian nodded. "Okay, speak."
He Desheng briefly introduced the situation with the cold-faced lady.
After Meng Chang sold all his shares, he completely cut off all ties with the cold-faced lady and left it alone. However, a large portion of the cold-faced lady's original employees remained.
The company was running out of money and there was a delay in their salaries, they could not jump ship so quickly either.
Many people heard that the company had failed. They were looking for a job dejectedly, but before they could find a new job, they heard that their original job had been saved.
This group of people had already been resettled and returned to their workstations. Cold-Faced Lady's shop should be able to open soon and start operating normally.
Of course, Dream Realization Ventures had also taken out a sum of money for the operations of Cold-Faced Lady's shops.
He Desheng asked, "Boss Pei, are we still doing the marketing activities that Cold-Faced Lady did previously?"
Previously, Meng Chang had been spending money like water. It was mainly because he had spent too much on marketing. He had bought all sorts of hot searches, advertised, and booked a venue for a speech.
If it was just subsidies to maintain the daily operations of the shop, the spending would be quite slow.
Pei Qian pondered for a moment and said, "Let's set everything aside for now and think about it at length."
It would be faster to continue spending money on these marketing activities, the boss of the Cold-Faced Lady had now changed from Meng Chang to Tengda. Considering Tengda's influence, if they were to really publicize it, it might have some unknown impact on the Cold-Faced Lady.
Thus, after some thought, Pei Qian decided to observe the situation first. It had not been easy for him to find something that could steadily incur losses. He did not want to lose it as soon as he took over.
What's more, many marketing activities could not be done without Meng Chang. Take the speech for example. Pei Qian could not possibly take it up himself. That would be ridiculous.
He Desheng hesitated for a moment and said, "Boss Pei, the other marketing activities are easy to deal with. The only thing is that there is a 'Street Food Contest'. We have spent a lot of effort to find some vendors from all over the country. The competition will be held next week. Do you think we can still hold this competition?"
Pei Qian was stunned.
A Street Food Contest?
This Meng Chang was quite capable. How did he come up with such a marketing idea?
Pei Qian immediately thought of Meng Chang's intention: He wanted to invite vendors from all over the country to make some delicacies to serve as contrasts for the cold-faced lady. This would definitely be a good topic and the advertisement would not be bad.
Pei Qian was quite interested. He nodded. "That sounds good. Let's go with the original plan."
He Desheng nodded. "Alright, Boss Pei. There's nothing else."
He was about to leave when Pei Qian stopped him.
"What is Meng Chang doing now?"
He Desheng answered, "He seems to be looking for investments, but has been rejected by all of them. The chances of him making a comeback are slim."
"Some failed entrepreneurs look like they have a chance to turn things around, but in fact, that's because they either have a good family, connections, resources, or fans... In fact, Meng Chang has nothing but his own ability. That's very fatal."
"However, if Meng Chang puts down his pride and does some jobs that he doesn't like and works hard for more than ten years... he should be able to pay back the money."
After some thought, Pei Qian said, "If he really has no other way out, I can consider giving him a job."
He Desheng: "Alright, Boss Pei. Should I let him be in charge of the cold-faced lady?"
Pei Qian shook his head. "No. We'll talk about it when the time comes."
Chapter 817: Strongly Recommended Bickering Mode!
"Your express delivery."
The young man from Upwind Courier stations politely moved a huge box to Qiao Liang's door. The Fully-Automated Smart Bickering Machine that he had ordered last night had arrived.
Qiao Liang was elated. Upwind Logistics' speed and service were as good as ever.
"Help me remove the packaging," Qiao Liang said.
The delivery man opened the package outside the door in a very considerate manner. Qiao Liang carried the new bickering machine in and placed it in the living room. Then, he took out the old bickering machine and handed it to the delivery man.
Tengda had provided a service where the original version could be exchanged for the new version which would also entitle them to a discount. Qiao Liang felt that there was no point in having two Bickering Machines at home, so he replaced the previous one.
Qiao Liang began to size up the new bickering machine after closing the door and sending the delivery man off.
His first impression was that this thing had grown taller and was quite heavy.
The original Fully-Automated Bickering Machine was not light either because it was filled with metal parts. Now, with the addition of the sound system, it became even heavier. However, it could still be moved.
Qiao Liang took the two small speakers out of the bickering machine and played with them. He found them very interesting.
He had read the introduction of the new Bickering Machine before on the information page. He knew that there were two removable surround sound systems here, but he still found it interesting to play with them.
It looked very different from other smart speakers or echo wall products from the surface.
He placed the bar-shaped sound system under the television, and the main part of the bickering machine next to the television cabinet. Then, he placed the two removable surround sound systems on the bookshelf behind the sofa, one on the left and one on the right.
"Play a movie to feel it." Qiao Liang casually turned on a movie from the television, preparing to test the effect of the sound system.
The echo wall had advantages and disadvantages compared to traditional sound systems. The sound quality of the echo wall would definitely not be comparable to traditional speakers of the same price, but it would be much better in terms of surrounding and setting.
What's more, the echo wall on the Fully-Automated Bickering Machine was priced at about two thousand yuan. In the eyes of true sound enthusiasts, it was only at the level of "listening to sound". The sound quality was not that good either.
However, it was definitely much better than those smart speakers that cost hundreds of yuan or the sound system that came with the television. To ordinary people, the improvement in the sound quality was obvious.
The movie began to play. The sound effects from all directions quickly surrounded Qiao Liang. Compared to the sound system that came with the television, the biggest advantage of the echo wall was the layers of sound it could produce.
If the voice before was an ordinary cake, then the echo wall would be a thousand-layer cake.
Qiao Liang could not help but feel regret when he felt like he was in the same situation.
He regretted not buying it earlier!
Qiao Liang did not watch television when he was in Beijing. While he did watch a little television when he arrived in Jingzhou, he did not have much interest in the quality of the sound. However, after hearing the sound of the echo wall, he immediately felt that he had been watching television for nothing.
It would be a waste if such good quality video could not be matched with good sound!
What's more, the Echo Wall had 13 megaphones. They were arranged in a formation with the principle of real reflective surround sound. In other words, while there was a delay to control the sound of each megaphone, the strongest point of the sound wave would be superimposed to form a sound line, creating a real surround feeling.
Qiao Liang immediately switched off the movie and turned on the game console.
Now, many overseas Triple-A games also supported the sound of Dolby Atmos surround sound technology. This was especially true for gunfight games. After using the echo wall, the sound came from all directions, and the immersion was instantly maxed out.
While FPS games were best played with earphones, the main game was not a competitive game. It was not convenient for the main computer and television to pair with earphones, so most people would not wear earphones when playing.
Thus, after changing to the echo wall, the effect was obvious.
Qiao Liang changed several games in a row, but he had not enjoyed enough of it.
"Alright, this money is worth it. However... How did Boss Pei think of combining the Bickering Machine with the Echo Wall? It's a genius idea!"
After experiencing it for a while, Qiao Liang picked up the manual and flipped through it carefully to see if he had missed any key functions.
"Eh? There's even a bickering mode?"
"What model is this? Am I supposed to argue with this thing?"
Qiao Liang was shocked when he saw the contents of the instruction manual. He almost thought that this was a prank. He tested the waters and said, "Enter the bickering mode."
...
Fifteen minutes later, Qiao Liang's face was flushed red. He almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
His blood pressure nearly shot off the charts!
At first, Qiao Liang thought that this function was meant to be a joke. To argue with artificial intelligence? Wasn't this bullying it, oh no, bullying artificial intelligence?
Did the staff who developed the Fully-Automated Smart Bickering Machine confirm that AEEIS could understand what people were saying?
However, when they really started fighting, Qiao Liang realized that he was no match for AEEIS at all!
This AEEIS was not only mean in its speech, but it was also extremely sarcastic in its unique and indistinguishable electronic voice. It made people want to smash this thing on the spot.
If not for the fact that this thing was priced at more than two thousand yuan, Qiao Liang suspected that he might not have been able to hold himself back.
What was even more outrageous was that because it was actually an echo wall, even the mocking sounds were coming from all directions!
This feeling was like AEEIS's virtual image was circling around you while mocking you from every angle. It was unimaginable.
Qiao Liang managed to endure it even though he thought he could not endure it anymore.
This Bickering Machine was the same style as before. As long as the user wanted to bicker, they would continue to do so. It would never admit defeat. They were in an endless loop whether it was the mechanical structure of the Bickering Machine or the voice bickering.
Qiao Liang spent a long time mentally preparing himself before he finally stopped. He also decided not to provoke AEEIS in the future.
They had to get along well now that they were under the same roof.
"Oh, right. someone mentioned online that this can match the lines."
Qiao Liang found the dialogue between Qin Yi and AEEIS online and played with it as though he was undergoing a Pubscent Crisis.
However, this function could only be considered a small combo with the game, a small Easter egg. To Qiao Liang, the three most useful functions of the Fully-Automated Intelligent Bickering Machine were the surround sound effect of the echo wall, the decorative effect of the Bickering Machine, and the smart speaker controlling the smart home in the room.
The Sloth Apartments came with some smart apartments which could be controlled by AEEIS. All he had to do was shout in the living room.
However, the popularity of smart devices had not risen yet, so there were not many smart home devices that could be controlled. They could continue to expand in the future.
"This sound system is really not bad, especially this bickering mode. What kind of genius designed this! I have to publicize it!"
Qiao Liang immediately took out his cell phone and posted a Weibo message.
"I strongly recommend Tengda's new Fully-Automated Smart Bickering Machine, especially the Bickering Mode. It's especially fun. You have to experience it!"
...
At Shang Yang Games...
Wang Xiaobin was happily reading the gamers' comments on the downloadable content of the games. He was overjoyed.
The downloadable content of the update this time was quite good, and it had a good reputation as well. It could be said that he had completed the task given by Boss Pei perfectly!
This was a huge improvement and breakthrough for a designer like Wang Xiaobin who was not good at playing games.
He really wanted to show off to Ye Zhizhou, but when he turned around, he realized that Ye Zhizhou was still in Los Angeles.
Among the many posts praising the downloadable content, there were also many people recommending the new Fully-Automated Smart Bickering Machine.
There was no way to find out how it became popular, but it was obvious that more and more netizens were discussing it online!
What's more, everyone was giving 'strong recommendation'.
"Is the new Bickering Machine really so fun? I must buy it!"
"Yes, just like before, full of philosophy!"
"It has been injected with a soul."
"With this bickering machine, my temper has improved visibly. I feel like the distracting thoughts in my heart are getting lesser and lesser, and I'm about to float..."
"If you are an old user who values its philosophical meaning, you must get your hands on a new model of the bickering machine. That is because it is more philosophical than the old model. If you are a new user, you must get your hands on one because it will be an unforgettable experience."
Wang Xiaobin did not know whether to laugh or cry at everyone's discussion.
The mentality of these people was the same as spontaneously promoting sadistic games. They all had the mentality of 'I'm not going to suffer alone'.
Wang Xiaobin could not help but feel emotional. Boss Pei's Bickering Machine and smart speaker were one and the same. He had given the Bickering Machine its soul!
Its greatest advantage was that it was special and recognizable enough among the smart speakers. It had a good appearance and practicality while also satisfying people's curiosity.
"Could this be Boss Pei's ultimate grasp of the consumer mentality?"
Pei Qian's status in Wang Xiaobin's heart had risen again.
Chapter 818: The Hibernating Eric
Los Angeles Time, January 14th, Saturday morning, January 15th, in Jingzhou.
Today was the day of the IOI International Finals' semifinals. FV Team was ready to go.
In the hotel, Ye Zhizhou, Bao Xu, and the other team members waved goodbye as they watched them board the minibus.
The backstage of the competition venue was limited and could not accommodate so many people. On the other hand, Ye Zhizhou, Bao Xu, and the others' data analysis work had come to an end. They could take a break.
As the coach, Old Zhou brought a portion of the tactical team to the venue so that Ye Zhizhou and the others could move around freely.
Of course, if new tactics appeared after the semifinals, they would still have to continue analyzing and provide tactical support for FV Team.
It had been a week since the top eight competitions. During this week, many European and American teams had sent FV team invitations to the mock competition. FV team's reply was the same: Sorry, our mock competition schedule is full.
That was not a lie. FV battle indeed had a full mock competition schedule with SUG and their own team. They had more than ten hours of training every day.
It was just that FV Team was not willing to change their training schedule and play against these European and American teams.
"Shall we go for a drink?" Ye Zhizhou suggested.
The others agreed readily and went to a small bar nearby which would stream the IOI International Finals live. They would drink and watch the competition. It was simply beautiful.
However, they did not notice a slightly bald Western man silently drinking his coffee while paying attention to FV Team's situation in the corner of the resting area on the first floor of the hotel.
Eric looked at FV Team's huge logistics team and fell into deep thought.
Some time ago, Eric's failure to promote IOI's local server had disappointed Dayak Corporation. Thus, they had Chrétien to be in charge of the operations of IOI's local server.
The domestic market was too huge. No multinational company wanted to give up.
After taking over the position, Chrétien made a series of drastic changes, including modifying IOI's gameplay, working with Long Yu Corporation, and so on. At the very least, the momentum had started even though it was hard to say if he had succeeded or failed at the moment.
Thus, in the eyes of the upper echelons of Dayak Corporation, their trust in Chrétien was unprecedentedly firm.
That made the situation very difficult for Eric.
He was also one of Dayak Corporation's senior executives. It was impossible for him to be demoted all the way. His rice bowl and position in the company would be preserved no matter what.
However, those who were able to climb to such a position were all ambitious. Eric saw Chrétien doing better in his previous position. It must be very difficult for him to accept.
Eric did not give up. Instead, he chose to lie low and watch the battle between GOG and IOI quietly while waiting for an opportunity to strike.
The situation seemed to be very passive for Eric. In the eyes of the outside world, he had no possibility of turning the situation around, however, Eric himself did not think so.
That was because before he returned to Los Angeles, he had seriously and deeply investigated Tengda's various methods of promoting GOG. He had even spoken to Boss Pei once.
Eric knew very well that Chrétien could not succeed even though he was doing very well now.
That was because he had no idea how scary Boss Pei was.
Eric knew very well that the methods that Chrétien was using now, including changing the game, organizing the competition, and so on, had all been used by Boss Pei. How could you succeed using Boss Pei's methods to deal with Boss Pei?
Obviously, Boss Pei's counterattack had already begun unknowingly. FV battle team was the way Boss Pei found to break out of the situation.
From the qualifiers of domestic IOI to the series of "performances" by FV teams in the international competition, Boss Pei's presence was vaguely felt. However, Eric did not intend to tell Chrétien or the higher-ups of Dayak Corporation about his judgment.
Eric's own interests were far greater than the interests of Finger Games. If he handed over the precious information now, he would not be able to obtain the biggest bargaining chip for himself, and it might not be accepted.
Eric sipped his coffee and got up to leave.
The second round of confrontation between Dayak Corporation and Tengda Corporation should be done after IOI's global finals ends this time.
...
At the same time, in Jingzhou...
Pei Qian had already woken up. He ate his breakfast while waiting for IOI's global finals to begin.
The competition time was much friendlier to domestic players after entering the semifinals and finals. They only played one BO5 a day after all and would have more flexibility to arrange the timing.
"The opponent in the semifinals looks quite fierce. They should be of some use, right?"
"It's not too much for you to win a small game against FV Team, right?"
Pei Qian felt an inexplicable sense of anticipation.
There was still some time before the competition began. The screen was still playing the FV and the opponent's exciting performance in the top eight.
Pei Qian ate his breakfast as he read the bullet screen comments in the live-stream.
"FV, charge! All the best!"
"I don't need you to improve anymore. Just stay where you are in the quarterfinals. Give me another 3-0!"
"Come on, come on, come on!"
However, even at the critical moment before the start of the foreign war, there were still haters who kept causing trouble and continued to spam words like "GOG is entertaining itself".
Pei Qian could not help but feel emotional. These fake reviewers were quite professional. Long Yu Corporation must have spent a lot of money on them.
Of course, some people might not be fake reviewers but pure haters.
However, the fake reviewers were paid to do things, and the haters were not paid to do so yet they poured their hearts out. That was very puzzling.
Pei Qian had just taken a sip of his drink when he suddenly saw a bullet screen. He nearly spat out all the drinks in his mouth.
"Flamers, stop arguing. If you want to fight, fight with the bickering Machine!"
"AEEIS Fully-Automated Bickering Machine will satisfy all your requests for bickering!"
"The Bickering Machine is fun. I suggest that the haters get one each."
"There are still so many people who have been caught by the haters? Too inexperienced. Buy a Bickering Machine to train your mentality. After you're done with the Bickering Machine, you'll think that the haters' rankings are too low. They're not worth a fight!"
Pei Qian was dumbfounded as he watched the bullet screen change direction for no reason.
"What's going on? Why did the topic change to the bickering machine?"
"There wasn't much sales volume when I looked at it last Friday, wasn't it?"
For the past two days, Pei Qian had been busy checking on the work situation of the various departments. He had not been concerned about the bickering machine. In the end, he had been careless and something had happened!
He quickly took his cell phone and opened the shopping center to check. He realized that more than three hundred of them were sold on the phone's Shopping Mall application!
What's more, this was only the volume that OTTO cell phone owners were buying. The Fully-Automated Intelligent Bickering Machine was also being sold on other shopping platforms. The official website of OTTO Technologies was also selling it. If all of these were added together, the sales would be very impressive!
"Could it be that Chang You did not listen to me or did he publicize it?"
Pei Qian quickly checked the internet but could not find any advertisements for the Fully-Automated Bickering Machine.
"This is strange. It seems to be getting popular for no reason. What's more, it seems to be coming from the game forum?"
"F*ck! Old Qiao!"
Pei Qian finally found Qiao Liang's Weibo post after searching for a long time. He gritted his teeth in anger.
However, after taking a closer look at the comments and reposts of the Weibo post, he realized that it wasn't very high.
Obviously, Qiao Liang had been adding fuel to the fire in the Fully-Automated Bickering Machine, but that was not the main reason.
This thing seemed to have gained popular naturally. There were no obvious broadcasting nodes, but everyone seemed to be particularly convinced by it.
Pei Qian was completely confused as well. He really could not understand why everyone liked this crap.
The competition officially began in Pei Qian's confusion.
The two commentators were also in peak condition. They tried their best to liven up the atmosphere in the venue and praised FV team generously.
IOI officials might not like FV Team but they were the only team left from the country after all. Were they to brag about foreign teams if not about FV? That would definitely not be appropriate.
Pei Qian could only comfort himself. "It's alright. You guys do your best. Try your best to make FV Team suffer..."
The competition quickly entered the BP page.
On FV team's side, Coach Old Zhou was holding a small notebook, his expression relaxed and indifferent. The players were also chatting and laughing, looking like they were not under any pressure.
The mentality before the competition was very important. It was important to be serious but if they were too tense, it might cause the players to be restrained and perform badly.
What's more, FV team had already made ample preparations in terms of tactics. The members were also in high spirits, so of course they were filled with confidence.
On the other hand, his opponent was also brimming with confidence.
That was especially so for the other team's coach. He stood behind the team members with a small notebook in his hand, looking like he was in high spirits and devising strategies.
The coach looked to be in his early thirties. His beard was neatly trimmed, and he was dressed in a suit and leather shoes. He looked very reliable.
Pei Qian heaved a sigh of relief. They were already in the semifinals; there were indeed no weak teams.
The top eight matches had been played a week ago. The other party must have repeatedly studied the competition recordings and found a way to deal with FV Team.
Everything was normal in the Banning segment. The opponent had eliminated the hero that FV Team performed well in the top eight. It was FV Team's turn to choose first.
Then, FV Team chose a hero with zero appearance in the international competition.
The camera panned to the other coach. The confident coach's expression changed from confidence to suspicion and confusion.
He looked at the game screen in disbelief and almost thought that he had seen wrongly.
Then, he began to communicate with his team members.
Even though he spoke in English and the contents of the exchange were not released, the audience could roughly imagine what he was saying.
"Can you defeat this hero?"
"What skills does it possess?"
"This should be targeted at popular heroes, which is it targeted at..."
The coach was confused. He did not understand why FV wanted to snatch this hero. What's more, he had never fought with this hero in the mock competition!
The opposing team obviously did not manage to figure it out as the time for selecting heroes passed. In the end, they chose two versions of the powerful heroes that they thought were the best and were most familiar with in terms of tactics.
However, this seemed to be exactly what FV Team wanted. Old Zhou got his team members to lock down two more heroes, specifically targeting the tactics that the opponents were good at without any hesitation!
This One Second Lock produced a strong psychological deterrent effect.
One side considered it over and over again, and only locked the hero when the time was up. The other side did not hesitate to lock the hero in seconds, the winner was obvious.
Pei Qian sighed melancholically, deeply worried about the other team's fate.
Chapter 819: FV's Tactical Reserve
Three hours later.
"Let us congratulate FV team for the crushing victory of 3: 0 and successfully entering the finals!"
"In a situation where the domestic teams are unanimously pessimistic, FV Team has relied on their extraordinary performance and bottomless tactical reserves to surprise us time and time again. I believe that they will be able to perform as well as they did today on the finals stage next week..."
"Please take a break and don't leave. FV team members will be interviewed later."
The two commentators who were broadcasting in the country were very excited. After they finished explaining FV Team's final 3-0 score, they felt that one of the commentators was almost out of breath. They could not help but want to give him an oxygen tank.
However, this was understandable because FV team played too well!
The pressure from the snowball was too suffocating!
Previously, many people were still worried that FV team was able to achieve 3-0 in the top eight because their opponents were too lousy.
The team in the top eight was also a Western team. While they had won in the group stages, BO3 and BO5 were two different games. Many people suspected that their opponents in the group stages might have been too weak?
However, after the semifinals, no one discussed the strength of the opponents anymore. That was because there would definitely not be any weak teams in the semifinals!
This time, FV's opponent had also been baptized in the top eight competitions. Even though the opponents entered the top four with a 3: 1, no one doubted their strength.
On the other hand, FV team had ended the battle with a clean 3: 0. They had not lost a single small battle until the finals. This was enough to prove that their strong dominance had begun to show!
There were already people discussing FV Team's "champion look".
Pei Qian looked at the bullet screen filled with comments like a party. He looked at the unprecedentedly high popularity of the live-stream, which was at least two or three times more than the group stages. His feelings were very complicated.
Logically speaking, every e-sports enthusiast should be celebrating the fact that domestic teams in the e-sports field had won against foreign teams and entered the finals.
As an E-Sports enthusiast who unconditionally supported domestic teams, Pei Qian should also have had such a mentality.
However, Pei Qian could not feel happy at the thought that he had shares in FV Team.
FV team was in danger now. Pei Qian could foresee that even if FV team lost the finals, as long as they did not lose too badly, they could still become IOI's number one team in the country after returning to China!
Most people thought that the runner-up was the biggest loser in eSports but there were prerequisites and context to this.
The key was still the audience's expectations. If the audience felt that there was hope for winning the championship and ended up with a runner-up, they would definitely curse. However, if the audience felt that it was difficult to qualify for the group stages and finally won a runner-up, that would far exceed their expectations!
It was mainly because the other two teams were good green leaves that they were eliminated in the group stages. That greatly lowered the expectations of the audience and gave FV team a wider stage.
After the exciting scenes of the competition, the screen switched to the interview booth. The official host and translator of Finger Games was ready. The target of this interview was FV Team's captain, Pan Ying.
There were interviews after winning the quarterfinals. However, the host of Finger Games and the members who were interviewed were obviously not well-prepared, especially the host. She might not have expected FV to win.
Thus, the interviews were all very conventional questions. They did not have much effect on the program and did not have much impact.
The host had obviously come prepared this time.
After a simple introduction and greeting the audience, the interview officially began.
Host: "We saw that in the two competitions, you have defeated your opponents cleanly with a score of 3: 0. May I ask if you are surprised by this ending? After all, your opponents are also very strong teams. What are your own estimates before the competition begun?"
Pan Ying was still the same as before. He was silent and did not look too excited. After listening to the translation seriously, he said into the microphone, "It's not surprising. The estimate was 3: 0."
The host was a little surprised. "Are you that confident? As far as I know, there are usually two styles to the battle team's tactics: one is the pre-prepared type, which is to study a few systems and consider all unexpected situations in the competition in advance, so that the competition will always develop according to their own tactics; the other is the improvised type, the coach will care more about the player's state, choose the best heroes for the celebrity players, and make some changes on the spot. May I ask which FV team is more inclined to?"
Pan Ying said, "99% of the time it would be the first situation."
Host: "That means everything that happened in these two competitions was actually part of your plan, right?"
Pan Ying nodded. "Yes."
The host was even more surprised. "Has the team coach never acted according to the team's condition and lineup?"
Pan Ying thought for a moment and said, "Coincidentally, the other party's performance was all within our team's expectations, so there's no need to improvise."
The host continued to ask, "FV team has used 22 different heroes in these six small competitions. Is this part of the plan?"
Pan Ying nodded. "Yes."
Host: "Is this all of FV Team's tactics? Or are there still many tactics that have not been used? Will you consider using new tactics in the finals?"
Pan Ying: "Let's see how it goes."
The emcee smiled awkwardly. Pan Ying was like an interview black hole. He would answer in short responses so the interview was rather strenuous.
However, she was an official host after all and she had to continue to be professional. Finally, the interview was almost done. The host said, "One last question. Choose someone who has always supported you. Tell him something."
Pan Ying thought for a moment. "I'll say something to Boss Pei."
"We are very grateful for Boss Pei's tactical guidance. Without Boss Pei's guidance, encouragement, and support, without Boss Pei's help to build our confidence, we would never have made it this far!"
"We will definitely prepare for the competition seriously and try to get good results in the finals to repay Boss Pei for his support!"
The interview ended. The excited audience had yet to recover from the joy of victory as they sent bullet screen comments to interact.
"Say a few more words! The host is speechless. The black hole can't be moved!"
"Haha, Pan Ying is really a man of few words. However, he might be tight-lipped so as to not reveal his tactics, right?"
"Say one more word and consider it my loss!"
"Why do I feel like he's putting on an act? The two 3: 0s that FV team had won were actually within their expectations? They don't even need to improvise on the spot?"
"How many new strategies has FV come up with for these two competitions? They are different teams with division, there are early-stage infiltration suppression... In the end, isn't this all the strategies?"
"They used 22 different heroes in six small competitions. If I were the opponent, I would have already vomited. How can I play this game, how do I ban the heroes?!"
"The opponent's coach has already fainted today. FV snatched a hero that no one has ever used before. The other party was so embarrassed that it felt like the entire week of preparation was wasted!"
"Isn't it a little too utilitarian to thank Boss Pei in the end? Boss Pei is the boss. He might be a sugar daddy, but how could he give them tactical guidance? Could it be that Boss Pei is a hidden gaming expert?"
"Boss Pei is the designer of GOG. What's wrong with giving FV Team some tactical guidance? Don't be deceived by Boss Pei's identity as an entrepreneur and investor. His original job is a game designer!"
"Boss Pei is behind this? Boss Pei is everywhere!"
"Didn't Boss Pei come to support FV Team during the qualifiers? That's not strange at all!"
Pan Ying's "black hole-style interview" quickly spread across the entire internet, especially FV team's tactical reserves. It also became a hot topic on the internet.
Others might not understand what Pan Ying meant, but Pei Qian could.
Thank you for your support. This was obviously talking about business class tickets and Ritz Carlton Hotel.
Thank you for the tactical guidance. This was obviously referring to the tactical options of the qualifiers previously!
When they were competing for the top seeded spot in the qualifiers in the country, FV team had fought ten rounds and was in a difficult situation. Some players had doubts about Pan Ying's playing style and felt that it was not easy to win.
It was Pei Qian who stood his ground and decided to continue playing this way. That was how he unified the team's thinking and allowed Pan Ying to continue leading and improving the team.
What's more, it was Boss Pei's decision to let Ye Zhizhou, Zhou Pengyuan, and the others lead the team and perform tactical analysis.
That was why Pan Ying thought that Boss Pei was the most helpful to FV!
However, Pei Qian felt really hopeless.
I didn't mean that at all!
He did not expect that a casual sentence from him would give Pan Ying so much confidence. Through a series of coincidences, he managed to create a monster team like FV!
Fortunately, the audience did not know about this.
Most people were still immersed in the joy of winning the competition. They were mainly discussing the exciting operations and tactical details in the game. They did not pay much attention to Pan Ying's interview and Boss Pei being mentioned in the interview.
Pei Qian heaved a sigh of relief. That was a blessing in disguise.
However, he suddenly saw a new post on the forum just as he was about to turn off the television and the forum for lunch.
'FV team is obviously using a variant of GOG's tactics!'
"Previously, I felt that FV team's playing style was very familiar. Now that I think about it carefully, whether it was the line infiltration or team battle coordination, they all seem to have the shadow of GOG's playstyle! The tactics of a few veteran GOG teams have all been used for practical use. It's just that they were playing IOI competitions, so it's not that easy to tell!"
"You should know looking at the head coach of FV Team, Old Zhou is a celebrity player in GOG, one of the 10 veterans in DGE. He is using GOG's tactics to play IOI!"