Limited by their current capital, Fei Huang Workspace could not produce an impressive documentary.
Documentaries that Pei Qian recalled were considerably successful, such as 'A Bite of China' which spread like wildfire across the country, had huge investments. Not only did they have to explore the entire country to record their materials, but the filming equipment was also incredibly expensive.
Meanwhile, Fei Huang Workspace could only use 50% of the net profits from Boss Pei's Daily Life currently. That was only slightly more than a million yuan. That small amount was definitely insufficient.
It was absolutely impossible for them to film documentaries such as 'A Bite of China'.
However, Pei Qian did not let his guard down. Since Pei Qian had considered those problems, so would Zhu Xiaoce.
He definitely knew about these.
Zhu Xiaoce was a young and talented director. Since he wanted to film a documentary, he would only proceed with it if he felt that it could succeed.
Pei Qian had been duped once. There was no way he would be duped the second time. This video would most probably still make some money.
However, as compared to short videos, these documentaries which had little investments should earn much less. That sufficed.
Thinking about that, Pei Qian said, "Okay. I'll give you guys my support." His tone seemed dead and lifeless. After all, he wasn't speaking from his heart,
Huang Sibo was elated. "Thank you for the support, Boss Pei!"
After he hung up on the call, Pei Qian asked a few simple questions about what was happening over at Shang Yang Games. Assistant Xin did a brief report on the situation. Currently, everything was going smoothly. Pei Qian would be able to go over and meet his new employees on Monday and assign them their tasks.
Pei Qian contemplated for a while. "Monday… do I still need to be there on Monday?"
Assistant Xin coughed twice before replying, "Of course, you have to be there. The boss has a huge influence on the entire company. I think that it is still necessary for Boss Pei to be present and say something. Otherwise, if the employees at Shang Yang Games were left on their own, the situation might go out of control."
Pei Qian thought through her words and found that it made sense.
Assistant Xin said that Pei Qian should be there to give them assurance and set a direction for development for the entire employee population at Shang Yang Games. Meanwhile, Pei Qian was worried if these workers would cause any trouble for him. It was possible that they might turn the losses into profits by messing around.
Although he was taking the company overafter thinking through it carefully, he noticed that there were still some differences from the previous Shang Yang Games.
One was that old Liu had changed his job; Wang Xiaobin became the new chief planner. Another was that the boss Du Ruijie had run away. Those two people should have played a major role in the original process of suffering losses in Shang Yang Games.
Pei Qian was a little uneasy since those two people were not around. To ensure that nothing went wrong, Pei Qian decided to make a trip there personally. After all, this was the only time he would be there. He would never go back anymore in the future. He wanted to try his best to ensure that he did not influence Shang Yang Games.
After all, given what happened at Tengda Games, Pei Qian was never this unconfident with his game design skills. He wanted to play it safe.
It would be way too awkward if Pei Qian said some things in the heat of the moment and replicated the disaster with Ocean Stronghold.
"Sure. Come and fetch me on Monday morning. We will head over to Shang Yang Games first." Pei Qian sighed secretly.
It was so tiring being a boss.
Monday morning…
At Shang Yang Games…
There were still ten minutes to the starting time at Shang Yang Games, but all its employees were at the office already. They were all highly concentrated. They kept their backbones straight. They were observing the situation at the entrance while they were scanning through the documents or using the editor.
Shang Yang Games had changed its boss!
No one knew the temper and nature of the mysterious Boss Pei. Therefore, they keep themselves highly concentrated on the first day of work and were afraid of making a single mistake.
Everyone knew in their hearts how bad the previous operations at Shang Yang Games were. If Boss Pei decided to assert his authority today by finding an excuse to fire someone late, wouldn't the victim be terribly unlucky?
Therefore, everyone braced themselves and did not dare to make any mistakes.
Wang Xiaobin had the most pressure. He was supposed to save the company as the chief planner. However, he wasn't confident with his abilities at all.
Old Liu had found a new job. According to everyone's experience, it was indeed natural for Wang Xiaobin, who was the systems designer, to step up to the position.
Other people would not be able to shut everyone's mouths and gain Du Ruijie's trust.
Wang Xiaobin did not think through it too much. There was no way he could hide away from the job handed over to him since Boss Du had chosen him personally. Moreover, Shang Yang Games was at the brink of scattering at that time. He did not think that he would remain as the chief planner for long.
However, Wang Xiaobin knew clearly that while he was good at creating charts and assigning data values, he could not handle the responsibilities of consolidating the research tasks for the entire project and confirming the direction of the game development.
Therefore, Wang Xiaobin decided that he would tell Boss Pei the truth today. He hoped that Boss Pei could assign an experienced designer from Tengda Games to be the chief planner. He could then work under the new chief planner peacefully.
On the left desk behind Wang Xiaobin, a youngster was secretly replying to the messages on his phone.
Ma Yiqun's new message was shown on the chat. "How was it, Little Ye? Have the human resources department at Tengda called you?"
Ye Zhizhou replied, "No."
Ma Yiqun, "No way. I remember talking about you in front of Boss Pei. Boss Pei said that he would definitely ensure that you remain employed. Could it be that he has been too busy and forgot about that?"
Ye Zhizhou, "Boss Pei had acquired Shang Yang Games directly. Don't you know about this?"
Ma Yiqun,"???"
Ma Yiqun did not reply for a long time. It was obvious that he was shocked by the news.
What was Boss Pei planning to do?
He merely hoped that Boss Pei could help with his brother's employment problem. In the end, this was what Boss Pei meant that he said that he would 'definitely ensure that he remained employed'?
He had actually acquired Shang Yang Games!
Ma Yiqun and the rest had no idea about this. That was because Pei Qian felt that this did not concern them and so did not reveal this to them.
That made Ma Yiqun completely stupefied.
"Could it be that Boss Pei saw how capable Huang Sibo and I are and thought that the other employees at Shang Yang Games are equally capable? Therefore, he decided to just acquire the entire company.
"…What am I thinking? No way."
Ma Yiqun had just left Shang Yang Games recently. He knew exactly how terrible the company was. If he used two words to describe it, it would be 'beyond cure!!
What was Boss Pei doing by acquiring a company that was half a step into the tomb?
Ye Zhizhou looked at his watch and found that it was almost the starting time at the company. He replied quickly: "Brother Ma, I got to go. Boss Pei might be here very soon."
After putting his phone away, Ye Zhizhou continued pretending as though he was concentrating on working on his computer. Not long after, Ye Zhizhou felt that the atmosphere at the office space suddenly became tense.
He peered with the corners of his eyes. Boss Pei had indeed arrived!
Although they had met before, he still felt suffocated from Boss Pei's confident aura. Even though Boss Pei was still very young, he seemed to emit a unique disposition with his every move for an unknown reason.
How could he describe his disposition…?
Not lacking money? Confident? Benevolent?
Individualistic?
Those words all seemed unsuitable.
Anyways, from his disposition, Boss Pei did not seem like a Philistine person. He was the complete opposite of the original Boss Du. He then recalled Boss Pei's previously successful games. That put a halo on him. It was hard to look at him directly.
Indeed, this should be how a true leader behaves. Boss Du could only be considered an upstart. This should be how a truly talented designer should be! Ye Zhizhou exclaimed from his heart.
"Is everyone here? Let's have a meeting."
Pei Qian walked into the conference room. Everyone else quickly stood up and followed behind Wang Xiaobin into the conference room. They took their seats and squared themselves, their expressions solemn.
Ye Zhizhou could not help but feel moved.
Look at the scene!
In the past—when Old Liu held meetings, everyone would appear as if they were listening; but nobody actually paid any attention.
Everyone just wanted to hang around and take each day as it came. They purely did the work that they were assigned and nothing more. In any case, it was clear to everyone that in such an environment, it did not matter how hard they worked.
However, things were very different now.
The thought of Boss Pei becoming their new boss instilled new-found, genuine respect and submission in everyone. This was extremely impressive.
Pei Qian adjusted himself on his seat several times, feeling like he could not get comfortable no matter how he sat.
He could only say that Shang Yang Games was extremely stingy. Everything—from the seats at the work desks to the seats in the conference room-was very cheap. Nobody could feel comfortable on these chairs.
I just slashed Du Ruijie's price by four hundred thousand yuan. I can take this money to give these people a salary raise and change the work desks and seats in this place. Once I have access to the funds, I will take some time to renovate all of Shang Yang Games. That would also be a good way to spend more money before settlement.
The uncomfortable chair made Pei Qian all the more determined to quickly assign jobs and leave this place.
Pei Qian looked at his Rolex and then made himself look as though he were in a hurry. In actual fact, he had nothing else to do for the rest of the day. He was prepared to pay his sleep debt.
"There's not much time left. I'll leave you with a couple of simple points."
When they heard 'simple points', they immediately sat upright and prepared themselves to listen carefully to what was to follow. After all, leaders' 'simple points' could always drag on for several hours.
Pei Qian took one look around the room and asked, "Who is Ye Zhizhou?"
Ye Zhizhou was startled.
What is the meaning of this?! Why did Boss Pei call me out right at the beginning of the meeting?!
Ye Zhizhou quickly stood up. "Boss Pei, I am!"
Pei Qian was not used to this behavior. He quickly waved his hand, gesturing for Ye Zhizhou to sit back down. "Sit down and respond."
He turned to look at the chief planner and level designer, Wang Xiaobin. "Wang Xiaobin, level designing is an important job. It would be very difficult for you to juggle the jobs of both the chief planner and level designer."
"From now on, Ye Zhizhou would be the chief planner of Shang Yang Games. Wang Xiaobin, work with him on this." As Pei Qian talked, he observed Wang Xiaobin and Ye Zhizhou's expressions.
Ye Zhizhou was absolutely confused.
Wang Xiaobin was stunned, and then… he seemed to be smiling subtly? Although his smile contained a bit of worry, it looked genuine for sure.
Huh?
There was something wrong with the plot, wasn't there?
Pei Qian thought that pulling Wang Xiaobin down from the position of chief planner would cause him to feel stunned, shocked, confused, and then miserable. Now, there was none of that. Why was Wang Xiaobin so happy? He was not behaving as though there was infighting in this company
How terrible.
Pei Qian observed the reactions of others. A few older-looking employees looked awful.
This was normal. Ye Zhizhou had only joined the company several months ago. People like Huang Sibo were supposed to be in charge of chief planning. He neither had the skills nor experience. Who would submit to him happily?
After being stripped of his position, Wang Xiaobin probably felt happy because he had not thought he would not be up to the task all along. He had been afraid that he would mess the job up.
In actual fact, he did not think that Ye Zhizhou would be up to the task either. That was why there was worry in his smile, too.
Wang Xiaobin was a man without much ambition. That was why he could remain so nonchalant about this change.
However, older employees were different.
What right does this little brat have to become the chief planner? Why didn't he choose me?
The expressions on their faces were quite interesting to watch. Pei Qian nodded subtly. Indeed, this was the right reaction.
Infighting! Infighting! Infighting!
Pei Qian's heart began to dance. However, on second thought, it did not seem enough to do just this. These people were colleagues after all. They saw each other day in and day out. Jealousy alone was not enough to blow the conflicts up.
Pei Qian had to agitate them even more. He pondered for a few seconds and added, "Ye Zhizhou, each month, you will have the right to fire one person without reason. Just let me know via message who you want to fire."
Ye Zhizhou was even more confused. This was an imperial sword[1]!
This was not just about snitching; it was being able to fire people without reason. As long as he gave Boss Pei a name, the person would be asked to leave the company at once.
Pei Qian glanced at the older employees who already looked awful earlier; they were looking even worse now.
Not bad; this was exactly the effect he was looking for.
A chief planner they could not submit to had just been promoted. He was even given arbitrary powers to fire them without reason. He would surely use this power to take revenge on the older employees who had been bullying him. He would ask them to tie his shoelaces, he would flaunt his powers, and he would even threaten them with it.
As time went by, these people would be divided. Ye Zhizhou would be left alone as the leader, and he would leave behind an irreparable mess.
En, this plot was not bad!
Pei Qian looked at his watch. Time was running out. Although it was interesting to watch everyone's expressions, it was time for him to go. He had to hurry home and allow nature to take its course; he needed to take a nap after all.
"After this, Shang Yang Games will have a two-step strategy.
"The first step: we will make changes to our current games. We will get rid of all purchase options but one. As to which ones we will get rid of and which one we will keep, Ye Zhizhou will decide on his own.
"The second step: every one of you is to think of a plan for a new game. Create a design manuscript. I will choose the best one to be Shang Yang Games' new project.
"En… until the end of June, I want you to focus on the first step. In July, all of you will hand in your proposals. We will officially start on our new project."
Pei Qian scanned the conference room. "Do you have any questions?"
Ye Zhizhou was the first to raise his hand.
Pei Qian acted as if he could not see him. He nodded and said, "Alright. Be dismissed."
Boss Pei stood up and left the room chicly. Ye Zhizhou was left in his position with his hand still raised.
Everyone looked confused. Boss Pei said he had a few 'simple points'. He really did have those few simple points. He spoke a total of fewer than ten sentences.
Ye Zhizhou wanted to immediately turn down the position of chief planner, but Boss Pei seemed to have been able to tell what he was thinking. He did not even give Ye Zhizhou a chance to speak before he left the room.
At that moment, Ye Zhizhou felt the glares of several older employees. They felt like knives in his back. The atmosphere in Shang Yang Games was once like still water. Now, it was like burning flames, slowly intensifying.
After leaving Shang Yang Games, Pei Qian was in a good mood.
En, there is no problem this time!
Although Old Liu was gone, promoting a man who had just joined the industry a while ago to the position of chief planner should be able to achieve the same results.
What's more, this two-step battle strategy would ensure that the company would continue to incur losses for a while.
Firstly, in order to prevent Romantic Taoist and Bloody Battle Song from making a comeback, he had to take away all the purchase options and leave one. This would ensure that neither game would make profits. Then, he needed them to brainstorm to create a new game. Each person was to come up with one plan.
Pei Qian was considering whether he should pick the worst plan out of the lot or draw lots and leave it to chance. After careful consideration, Pei Qian decided to draw lots and leave it to chance.Read more chapter on
He could not trust his own taste anymore.
Each time he set the trash can as his goal, he would end up creating something wildly popular. It was all becoming too much to bear.
The Lonely Desert Road and Game Designer had given him enough lessons.
Thus, Pei Qian decided that when the time came, he would draw lots and stick to whatever he chose. Of course, if the chosen plan was particularly good, he would re-draw the lots.
Apart from these matters, Pei Qian would not return to Shang Yang Games. Not only would he be able to minimize his influence on the company, but he would also turn that place into a disorderly, dark forest. He wanted the rules in that place to revert to the laws of the jungle.
The place would be in a state of total disunity. Ye Zhizhou would not be able to lead anyone. That would be perfect.
This way, Shang Yang Games would surely lose everything… right?
[1] This is a Chinese metaphor that represents arbitrary powers.
Chapter 147 You Cannot Doubt Boss Pei's Foresight!
Shang Yang Games' office…
The atmosphere was slightly tense.
Everyone thought that they were given a new, beautiful beginning now that they had a new boss. They were looking forward to working alongside Boss Pei, developing good ideas, and working hard to create never-before-seen-type games to sweep the market.
It looked like none of these was happening.
Boss Pei showed his face but left after saying less than ten sentences.
He took the most experienced man of them all —Wang Xiaobin-down from the position of chief planner and promoted the man who was last to join the office to take his place. He even gave him the right to fire one person without any reason each month.
The plan for the future of the company was even more ridiculous. The first step was to take away all but one existing purchase option in their two current games. The second step was for each person to come up with a plan for a new game.
Apart from these, Boss Pei had no other opinions or advice. Would Boss Pei personally do any work? It seemed impossible.
Based on the 'imperial sword' that Boss Pei had given Ye Zhizhou, it looked like he would not return for a long time. Ye Zhizhou was probably going to become his spokesperson.
At first, everyone thought that Shang Yang Games was going to be revived from the dead and given a new lease of life. Yet, almost immediately, they were pushed back into the coffin. Boss Pei even seemed to hammer several more nails into the coffin cover.
The atmosphere would naturally be tense!
Of course, everyone knew that with Tengda as its backing, Shang Yang Games would not close down in the short-term. Their rice bowls were pretty much secure.
However, they could not be certain that this rice bowl would be sustained in the long-term.
Wang Xiaobin looked at Ye Zhizhou worriedly. He was seated with his head lowered, typing on his phone, not knowing who to talk to.
He could not be using up his first opportunity to fire without reason just like that, right? Wang Xiaobin was quite worried.
Now that Ye Zhizhou was the chief planner he had to be in charge of giving orders and assigning jobs to everyone. That was the responsibility of a chief planner.
If Ye Zhizhou did not say a word, everyone would be seated at their desks, idling their time away.
Wang Xiaobin was very uncertain about whether Ye Zhizhou would be up to the task, but what happened already happened. He could only wait and see how things would develop
Ye Zhizhou was sending Ma Yiqun a message: "Brother Ma, there is something I need to tell you, but I don't know how…"
Ma Yiqun's reply came almost immediately: "Go ahead. I am around; whatever trouble there is, we can face it together."
Ma Yiqun had not been given any job in Tengda. He was not even allowed to contribute to the plot of the new game. He was so bored that his head was hurting. That was why he could reply so quickly.
Ye Zhizhou hesitated for a moment and then began typing again. "Boss Pei just held a meeting and made me the chief planner of Shang Yang Games…"
Ma Yiqun, "??????????"
There were ten question marks in one line. Even through the screen, Ye Zhizhou could feel Ma Yiqun's confusion.
What was the meaning of this?
Ma Yiqun no longer understood this world.
Back then, he used to work with Huang Sibo at Shang Yang Games. They were friends through difficult times. In the blink of an eye, Huang Sibo had jumped over to Tengda Games and risen up the corporate ladder. From an administrative planner, he had become a chief planner.
Subsequently, Ma Yiqun continued to work at Shang Yang Games with Ye Zhizhou. They were friends through difficult times as well. In the blink of an eye, Boss Pei acquired Shang Yang Games. Ye Zhizhou rose up the corporate ladder and became the chief planner as well!
Only Ma Yiqun remained, still learning design concepts from Boss Pei each day. Until now, he had not done anything much worth bragging about.
Ma Yiqun was in a deep pit of self-doubt.
Why is it that, two times in a row, administrative planners turned into chief planners? Could it be that… I'm a Koi[1]? People who were friends with me through difficult times all became chief planners.
Then, why is it that I-a good luck charm to everyone around me-cannot get just as lucky?
Since Ma Yiqun did not say anything else for a long time, Ye Zhizhou began typing again. "Brother Ma, I'm under immense pressure now. I have never been a chief planner before. Can you tell Boss Pei to choose someone else on my behalf?"
Ma Yiqun was extremely furious.
You brat, you don't want to admit that you've been so blessed. That's too much!
Boss Pei allowed you to be the chief planner and you're not interested? Are you freaking trying to piss me off?
"Goodbye." Ma Yiqun immediately closed the chat window.
Ye Zhizhou quickly replied, "No, Brother Ma! I really think I'm not capable enough. How long has it been since I joined the industry? I don't know anything; how can I be the chief planner?
"Boss Pei gave me such a huge burden to bear. If I mess it up, what should I do?"
Ma Yiqun looked at the messages Ye Zhizhou sent and thought that this brat was worried about letting Boss Pei down.
En, he was teachable.
Ma Yiqun pondered for a moment and realized that he had been in similar circumstances before. A person who had been trained and crafted by Boss Pei for several months should be able to impart some wisdom and experience to an inexperienced, younger brother.
"Don't worry. Just relax and do your job. Do you know Huang Sibo? He was the man who quit before you joined the company. Both of us are good friends.
"At the time, he was an administrative planner, too. He did the exact same job as you did. Later on, he joined Tengda Games. Boss Pei made him the chief planner, exactly as he did with you!
"Guess what happened next? Ocean Stronghold was created by my brother, Huang Sibo.
"So don't worry at all. You can doubt yourself, but you cannot doubt Boss Pei's foresight!
"Until now, Boss Pei has promoted many people. In the beginning, everyone did not understand Boss Pei's intentions. However, they quickly realized that Boss Pei has unique wisdom and a sharp eye. He could see qualities in these people that nobody else could!
"You don't have to worry at all. Since Boss Pei said that you could do it, it means you can for sure!"
After reading Ma Yiqun's reply, Ye Zhizhou fell into deep thought.
So that was the case. This is not the first time such an unconventional move was being made. There was a precedent? What's more, it was a successful precedent?
Then, Boss Pei must have seen a quality in me. How come I don't know about it…?
However, just as Ma Yiqun said, Boss Pei could not have promoted me for no rhyme or reason. He even gave me so much power.
The more Ye Zhizhou thought about it, the more confident he became.
Since Boss Pei gave me so much power, he must have been hinting to me to be confident and do what I want to. If I become paralyzed by fear, wouldn't it be unbecoming of someone who works in Tengda? Wouldn't I be letting Boss Pei down?
I am now an employee of the honorable Tengda!
Just thinking about this made Ye Zhizhou feel overjoyed at once.
"Thank you for your guidance, Brother Ma!"
Ye Zhizhou opened his folder and confidently typed away at his keyboard. In the few months since he joined the company, Ye Zhizhou spent most of his personal time dissing these two games.
This was to be expected. If these publishing these two games could be likened to feeding gamers with sh*t, Ye Zhizhou was practically holding sh*t in his hands every single day. How could he not be disgusted?!
In Ye Zhizhou's eyes-or the eyes of most people in Shang Yang Games, there were many bad points about both of these games. After playing for just five minutes, he could point out a lot of problems.
However, no one improved on them. That was because everyone was just hanging around. old Liu did not give anyone anything to do, and no one was interested in asking for more work.
As for why Old Liu did not change these problems himself, it was simple: there was a huge amount of pressure in terms of revenue management.
At the time, the income the company earned from the games could barely cover the costs of maintaining the company. Where were they to get the funds to purchase art resources and change the gameplay?
There were many good ideas on the table. However, in order to translate these ideas into the game, one needed not just time but money!
Now, without Old Liu supervising Ye Zhizhou's every move, he could do things that he thought were most meaningful.
[1] This is a Chinese metaphor that means 'good luck charm'.
Chapter 148 A Problem No One Had Managed to Solve!
These two games were already rather dated; they had many problems, and it was a little hard to even think of where to begin. Fortunately, Boss Pei had provided a very good starting point: purchase options!
To remove all purchase options and only keeping one, this was a rather onerous task. Conservatively speaking, the two games had at least tens of purchase options in total. There were some charging and spending activities as well as normal items purchase; there were some system purchase options as well.
It could be said that wherever purchase options could be added, they had all been done so. To get rid of all these purchase options was not as simple as just closing off the entrance to a mall. These purchase options were connected to the entire system design.
To ensure that someone who topped up five hundred yuan could beat someone who only paid a hundred and for the latter to beat someone who had only paid thirty yuan, that required proper planning of the game's system design to ensure that every different purchase tier could have a corresponding enhancement to their experience.
Furthermore, these battle power systems were linked; the power scaling system was connected to the game environment. It was just like the carnivores and herbivores in the wild.
Hence, this was all in all a system design problem.
This was also why systems designers enjoyed such a high position in the country; it was only second to the chief planner. System designs would often determine the gaming experience of games with paywalls.
To change the purchase options would be akin to changing the system design. It meant that differentiating between players by the amount they paid needed to be done using a different method.
Changing a way of differentiation-if done wrongly, it could lead to the entire system design's collapse. No one would be able to repair the system then.
Just like the Bloody Battle Song before. After it had been scolded bloody, its revenue had fallen significantly. Old Liu had set the price of that saber too high and a simple system design problem had brought such an extremely negative effect.
Ye Zhizhou thought for a long time and still felt that this seemed beyond his means. Although he had some ideas, he couldn't be sure if he could really actualize them. As such, he printed out the document and went to look for Wang Xiaobin to discuss it.
Wang Xiaobin was an experienced systems designer. After hearing Ye Zhizhou's idea, he couldn't help but frown. Such a change could not be done at a whim.
If it was before-putting aside Old Liu or Wang Xiaobin, any experienced planner would feel that changes could not be done like this. They would have immediately shot down Ye Zhizhou's proposal.
However, Ye Zhizhou was now the chief planner, and no one could do so. Furthermore, Boss Pei was the one who had suggested this! Since that was the case, they had to think of all ways to complete this. They had to do this no matter what!
Wang Xiaobin said dejectedly, "I seem to feel that this is a rather ridiculous thing to do. However, since Boss Pei had suggested this, he must have his reasons. I'll do my best to finish this."
Just by removing all the purchase options, that was akin to redoing the majority of the game's content. This was different from an FPS like Ocean Stronghold.
Although Ocean Stronghold had the Red Kilin, it was a competitive game where one went up against one other. No matter how rich a baller was, it was not possible for him to fight two other enemies of the same caliber.
However, Bloody Battle Song was a classic game with paywalls. Ballers could fight twenty at once, what more two. This was an absolute unbalance. Bloody Battle Song's entire game content was built on this kind of unbalanced gameplay.
If all the purchase options were removed, there must still be a way to differentiate between players. If it wasn't money, then it could only be time or luck.
To change the entire game to one solely based on the length of playing? The game would then become a Liver Emperor's heaven.
Of course, changing it into a refill card game would also be possible. However, it would not be compatible with Bloody Battle Song's original design. If it was really turned into a refill card game, it would be no different from remaking a new game. It was evidently not realistic and would not fulfill Boss Pei's requirements.
To change the game into one based on luck? That would become the Gambling Emperor's heaven.
If such changes were made, it might actually still be similar to the current game style. It would still be unbalanced while most players' gaming experience would not be changed for the better.
Ye Zhizhou and Wang Xiaobin were really racking their brains over this.
This was a problem that no one in the domestic gaming industry had managed to solve.
Of course, no one was willing to solve this as well. After all, cutting out purchase options would mean people no longer coveted money. Even if some crazed chief planner wanted to do this, his boss would definitely slap him awake.
Games with paywalls were doing rather well and earning much money; who was so free and would want to try and look for an alternative?
However, the more Ye Zhizhou and Wang Xiaobin contemplated this, the more they felt this was very meaningful.
If they could come up with a doable solution -even if it was a half-baked one, it would also be the only one in the entire country!
Indeed, a comment by Boss Pei could actually encompass such a profound theory!
Ye Zhizhou raised a few suggestions but were all rejected from Wang Xiaobin from an XXX point of view.
However, Ye Zhizhou didn't feel dejected. Finally, he smacked his head. "Brother Wang, I have another new idea. What if we give everyone the chance to 'act' as a baller? What do you think?"
Wang Xiaobin was stunned for a moment, "Act as a baller? How does that work?"
Ye Zhizhou was very excited as he wrote on a piece of paper and explained, "Actually, the problem we have been grappling with is but one to do with game experience.
"Our game experience can be simply split into three types.
"One would be as ballers; they have the most amount of charged up money and have the most powerful battle powers. They can enjoy the satisfaction of one fighting ten in battle.
"Another would be organizers. They have a lot of time and are very active; they are responsible for managing guilds and to attract new members. They have the satisfaction of being in command and directing others.
"The third would be the ordinary players. They don't have the means to fight ten at once, and they aren't managers as well. However, these people can slowly be converted into one or the other; or they could also follow ballers and after winning the war, they could bask in the ballers' glory as well and gain rewards.
"These three gaming experiences are now differentiated by 'money' and 'time'.
"There is no need to change 'time'; in that case, organizers and ordinary players' identities do not need to change. The only one to change would be the ballers. We have taken away the purchase options, and they don't have something to spend their money on.
"In that case, let's directly choose a few players during war to be boosted and have high battle strengths to experience what it feels like to be a baller. Wouldn't that solve our problem?"
Wang Xiaobin was still a little confused.
Ye Zhizhou continued, "After we remove all the purchase options—all in all, players' battle strength would more or less be the same. The players with more time and better luck would be slightly more powerful than other ordinary players, though this won't be that much higher as well.
"However, during wartime, we will randomly choose some players to act as ballers. These players would directly gain battle strength that only ballers would possess.
"To guarantee that every player has a chance to be chosen, we will give every player an individual 'Chosen One' system. Everyone's probability of being chosen will start from zero and accumulate from there, with the system randomly making its selection.
"Those who didn't get chosen will have a higher chance the next round; when they were finally chosen, this value would go back to zero and restart again.
"As for the rate of increase in the chance of being chosen would be dependent on one's degree of activeness and contribution to the game. We can use this as a way to encourage our players to go online and participate in more events.
"This way, we would be able to ensure the original gameplay doesn't change while a majority of players could take turns to experience how ballers used to feel. We can also fulfill Boss Pei's request and get rid of almost all the purchase options!
"Killing three birds with one stone!"
Wang Xiaobin went deep into thought.
Ye Zhizhou's concept theoretically could be realized. However, it was very risky and unorthodox; it was akin to setting the present gaming industry on fire!
Nevertheless, to fulfill Boss Pei's requirements of getting rid of the purchase options without causing the complete collapse of the entire game's system design and gameplay… this was actually a viable solution.
Wang Xiaobin nodded. "Alright, let's try this out. I'll come out with a system design model, and you can try to figure out more of the specifics when it came to the rules and conditions. Oh, why not we hold a meeting first and simply explain this idea to everyone?"
Ye Zhizhou nodded as he reorganized his thoughts properly as he stood up.
"Everyone, head to the conference room. We'll discuss the changes to our game."
For some reason, Ye Zhizhou felt rather confident at this time. It seemed as if he had gotten used to being the chief planner!
Chapter 149 Let Them Do as They Pleased
In the rental home…
Pei Qian-who had just woken up from a noon nap-turned in his bed as he grabbed his cell phone and took a look. There was an unread message:
"Boss Pei, sorry to disturb you so abruptly. We have encountered a problem that we wanted to consult you. The conclusion from our current discussion is that getting rid of the purchase options of the game would make the ballers unhappy; could we ask how to resolve this issue?"
Pei Qian rubbed his eyes gently as he murmured, "Who's this from?"
After taking a closer look, Pei Qian realized it was Ye Zhizhou who he had just promoted to be the chief planner at Shang Yang Games.
Pei Qian had given him an 'imperial sword', allowing him to rat out his employees or immediately fire people. Pei Qian naturally had to befriend him so that it was easier to keep in contact.
In the end, Ye Zhizhou had not contacted him to talk about firing others but had asked him a question regarding one of the games.
Pei Qian reread the question once again.
Question: Getting rid of the purchase options of the game would make the ballers unhappy; how could we resolve this issue?
This was understandable. Bloody Battle Song was a game with paywalls, and ballers might have spent thousands or ten thousand on this game to suppress all others when it came to battle power.
If 'plonk' and the purchase options in the game were removed and they were no longer going to experience the satisfaction of killing people at whim, wouldn't they rage and ask for a refund and quit playing this game?
Of course, Pei Qian was never going to allow for a refund.
Every debt has a debt collector. This money had been collected by Du Ruijie; you guys should look for him for the money.
As for quitting the game…
That would be fantastic; please do so!
Boss Pei didn't care about such people who threw money at him and his company. He still maintained the same stance: People wanted to donate money to Tengda? Dream on!
You ballers can either be obedient and become players who didn't pay a cent or stop playing this game.
Yes, that would be perfect!
Pei Qian held his phone and typed groggily, "Let them do as they please."
He then tossed his cell phone next to his pillow as he continued to nap.
In Shang Yang Games' conference room, everyone was waiting for Boss Pei's message. Ye Zhizhou sat at the head of the conference table as he stared at his phone screen, waiting for Boss Pei's reply uneasily.
Boss Pei did not reply immediately; he must be busy working
After all, Shang Yang Games was but one of Boss Pei's many endeavors. It also wasn't one very close to Boss Pei's heart and was probably on the bottom of the priority list.
As for everyone else, they all had differing opinions.
Some had heard Ye Zhizhou's plans to change the game and felt that it was rather interesting; they were raring to go. Others were still not very happy with Ye Zhizhou but didn't dare to voice their comments out loud.
After all, the design team veteran Wang Xiaobin had decided to work with Ye Zhizhou on this; even if the rest wanted to pull a stunt, they wouldn't be able to achieve much. Furthermore, Ye Zhizhou actually had a direct line to Boss Pei; that was a huge deterrent.
Some people even suspected that Ye Zhizhou had purposely asked Boss Pei this question during the meeting so that he could establish his authority! He was hinting to everyone he could directly contact Boss Pei and for everyone to behave themselves.
Hence, the atmosphere in the conference room was rather serious, and the new boss Ye Zhizhou could still hold the fort.
Ding
A notification sound rang as Ye Zhizhou hurriedly read Boss Pei's reply. There were only a few words: 'Let them do as they please.
That… was it?
Ye Zhizhou was a little stunned.
Wang Xiaobin was sitting next to Ye Zhizhou and leaned in as he asked attentively, "Has Boss Pei replied?"
Ye Zhizhou turned his cell phone screen to Wang Xiaobin, "He only said this. Brother Wang, this…"
Ye Zhizhou was a little lost for a moment. By right, he should faithfully execute orders from Boss Pei. However, to completely ignore the ballers; wasn't that courting death?
In a war game like Bloody Battle Song, the amount that ballers spent was around eighty percent of all the top-ups that players did. To disregard the ballers would be losing eighty percent of income.
This wasn't cutting off an infected limb to save the entire body; this was suicide!
This was precisely why the discussion had gone on for so long without finding a perfect solution. Getting rid of the purchase options would definitely affect the interests of ballers. If ballers were not happy, the game's income would drop drastically.
That meant that no matter how they looked at it, Boss Pei's way would lead to a huge fall in gaming income; the two games that were already tanking would suffer even more.
As he was out of options, Ye Zhizhou had finally decided to consult Boss Pei.
In the end, Boss Pei had only replied with these few words. The final solution was actually… to not care? To completely abandon these ballers?
How…
Daring was this?!
Wang Xiaobin's knitted brows steadily grew wide. "Boss Pei is indeed a courageous person; I'm impressed! These words actually contain such wisdom!"
Wang Xiaobin sighed with emotion.
Although he didn't really understand, Ye Zhizhou felt that this was something awesome. Indeed, a seasoned veteran was valuable for his experience and insights. Such a deep matter could only be deciphered by someone of Wang Xiaobin's experience and wealth of knowledge!
Wang Xiaobin cleared his throat and said, "There is no need to discuss this anymore. Boss Pei had sent us a solution: 'Let them do as they pleased'! That also means that we do not need to consider the impact of our changes on ballers.
"After the new edition goes online, the stats of the ballers in the old server would remain as such. However, no more purchasing options would be available, and they would no longer be able to elevate their battle powers using money.
"As for the new players in the new server; they would all be at the same starting point and will follow the rules of our new edition."
Everyone exchanged confused looks. This was it? Didn't the problem still remain? If the ballers stopped playing and no more top-ups were done, what was going to happen?
Wang Xiaobin smiled, "Boss Pei has already helped us to solve this problem. Removing purchase options would definitely affect the interests of the ballers; that is a given. We have tried our best to think of a solution to this; however, there is actually no possible way to resolve this!
"This is a revolution from the bottom-up; since we are attacking the interests of ballers, why do we still need to consider how they feel? This is not necessary. Boss Pei's intention is very clear; for them to stew in their own juice!
"We have been so conflicted for a long time; a word from Boss Pei had cut the Gordian knot and given us a solution; this is the difference between us and him!"
Everyone was enlightened.
Just like a complicated knot that was cut into pieces, this seemingly unsolvable problem had been so easily resolved by Boss Pei!
However, while it was easy to say this, it was rather hard to do this. Who would have the courage to directly cut off eight percent of one's income?
Boss Pei!
Thinking of this, everyone started to admire Boss Pei even more. He was willing to let go when need be, without hesitation. Indeed, this was the level of attainment of a true master!
Ye Zhizhou was also emotional as he rapped the table, "Alright, our last problem has been solved. Let's… get to work! We must follow through with Boss Pei's thinking and revive these two games!"