Translated by Coldtaco
Edited by Aelryinth
Chen Mo continued, "I think many video game designers have this problem. They are unable to compete with B-grade and A-grade video game designers due to their limited ability, and yet they don't try to figure something else out, insisting on going head to head against them. That's just stupid."
After giving it some thought, Lin Mao replied, "I still don't quite understand."
Chen Mo explained, "Since we are close, I'll just give it to you straight. If you were a gamer, what type of games would you buy?"
Lin Mao was shocked. In his view this was a question with an obvious answer, so simple that he had never given it any thought.
After thinking it over, he replied, "Umm... quality? Sincerity?"
Chen Mo replied, "Sincerity is very intangible. If a video game designer uses feelings to promote their game it can only mean one of two things: they're past their prime time, or they are desperate.
"As for quality, you're a D-grade video game designer. Can your quality compare to a B-grade video game designer?"
Lin Mao's mouth was open, though nothing was coming out of it.
Chen Mo continued, "I'm asking why gamers would want to buy it, but really I'm asking if the game has any gimmicks. Does it have anything special to make it stand out?
"I think you haven't fully opened your mind. I'll use your game as an example, and give you a few perspectives for you to consider.
"One is from the coding perspective. You could spend another two months of time improving your combat system. Say you add another eight to fifteen weapons and over twenty different mobs."
Lin Mao asked, "But isn't that too complicated for a mobile game?"
Chen Mo shook his head, "It isn't. Do all mobile games need to be casual games? I don't think so. You should know that the simpler it is, the harder it gets. At this stage, I'd rather go overboard than stop now.
"Improving the combat system would be very complicated, but at least when it comes to advertising your game you could say 'A choice from twenty different weapons', 'Mind boggling combat, can you pick the right weapon every time?', etc."
Lin Mao looked like he was deep in thought.
Chen Mo continued, "A second scenario, in terms of difficulty. Make the game very difficult and add in unexpected traps."
Lin Mao asked, "Unexpected meaning?"
Chen Mo pointed at the game and said, "For example, it looks like a hill here, but once you step on it spikes will come out to kill the player. Or here, a seemingly unassuming NPC, but as you walk past them, they stab you in the back, killing you. Jumping behind him and talking to him from behind will also kill you. The only way to get through this would be to step on his head."
Lin Mao's mouth was slightly ajar, with a dazed expression saying 'Wow, mechanics like that?'
Chen Mo continued, "If you use the second method, you could say that the game is the most surprising game in history. You could even call it "Knight's bizarre adventure" or something like that.
"There's also a third way of thinking, from the perspective of the story! For example, you could let players pick a different story path at each point or react to situations differently. For example, before meeting an heavily injured opponent, you could choose to save or not to save. This would allow for many different paths to different endings."
"You could set up five to eight different endings, some succeeding, some failing, some totally unexpected.
"If you chose this path, you could advertise it as 'Eight different endings, dozens of options', or 'Can you see through the lies and discover the truth' or something along those lines."
Lin Mao scratched his chin. Chen Mo had dropped a knowledge bomb, which required some deep thought.
Chen Mo wasn't in a hurry, either. After eating another mouthful, he waited for Lin Mao to fully absorb the three scenarios he had just pitched.
What did designers in this world lack the most?
Open minds!
Chen Mo wasn't born with the openness, but had acquired it through his experiences in another world, during the birth of video games and their continued growth. From large titles, to browser games, to mobile games and indie games, he had witnessed all of it blossom.
Many video game designers were digging their brains, trying to get other gamers to notice their games and hand over the money in their pockets without resistance.
As for video games, creativity would always take the cake. Without a doubt, the top percent must have open minds. It was impossible for a videogame designer who lacked creativity to invent an immersive game.
Of course, creativity isn't all that tangible. Many ignoramuses referred to themselves as full of creativity and the ability to save the industry. However, their creativity was just hypotheticals. Before being realized, nobody could judge if their ideas would be able to succeed.
The three hypotheticals that Chen Mo put out might seem like it came from genius full of inspiration, but in his previous life, these were rules that video game designers knew deep down. They had been tested by the industry countless times, with many success stories.
Chen Mo knew that Lin Mao was an honest person and was the one he was closest to among his buddies, so he chose to nudge him in the right direction.
However, Chen Mo wasn't going to reveal any specifics. Up till now the end product was entirely dependent on how well Lin Mao understood that.
Lin Mao gave it a long and hard thought and said, "Right, I understand it, more or less. I think what you said made sense. Outside of my intended audience, it does lack something that will attract the attention of the other users.
Chen Mo nodded, "Yep!"
Lin Mao said, "I understand now, Chen Mo. Your three suggestions have widened my views. I think I have more ideas now. Thanks!"
Chen Mo waved his hand. "Don't mention it, it was nothing. All I did was point you in a direction. How you get there depends on you."
Lin Mao nodded, "Yep, I now know which direction I'm heading down. I thought the game was almost done, now it seems like completion is quite a ways away. I'll rethink the game when I get back."
Lin Mao relaxed his bunched eyebrows. He always felt that his game was lacking, but he didn't know what… and now he knew. What he lacked was a focal point, one that a gamer could see at first glance.
With a focal point, his game would now be able to differentiate itself from countless other games!
Zhao Zihao was shocked, and asked, "Chen Mo, you're pretty good! I didn't think you had so many ideas. Did you uncover your full potential recently?"
Chen Mo said seriously, "Not uncovered potential, but I was enlightened. The video game gods guided me in my dreams the night before the video game competition and sent me a video game designing handbook."
Zhao Zihao laughed, "Yeah, right!"
------
The three of them chatted as they ate, up until 10pm, ordering another four bottles of beer along the way. They were chatting happily, in the end all three of them getting tipsy.
Chen Mo wasn't much of a drinker himself, as drinking often isn't good for the brain, as it affects memory and thinking. Therefore a drinking habit wasn't desirable in a video game designer.
Zhao Zihao called a staffer from his company to drive him. Lin Mao, on the other hand, was focused on how to restructure and change the game he was currently working on.
After finding a designated driver, Chen Mo was at ease, sending them off after a few words of caution.
After returning to the experience store and cleaning up after himself, he went to sleep after receiving messages from Zhao Zihao and Lin Mao confirming their safety.
Chen Mo still needed to think about his next game. It was best that he got some sleep tonight to ensure a good mental status tomorrow...