While Professor He Cheng was reviewing the design draft for "Ordinary Life," Lu Zhixing was also pondering what that person from Changteng Entertainment had said.
"A game with the same name as 'Campus Talent Show,' the design draft is only just being finalized now, can we really finish developing it in such a short time?
"Moreover, it's being made by Professor He?
"It feels like Professor He is not very devoted, it seems more like he's just lending his name to the project. It's even possible that he didn't write the design draft himself, maybe he just provided an overall direction, and his graduate students did the rest."
Finding Professor He to name a game after "Campus Talent Show" is actually quite a common occurrence in the industry.
Clearly, Professor He Cheng wasn't very keen on taking this project, he had already made a name for himself and wasn't short of money, but sometimes social obligations aren't so easily declined.
However, Lu Zhixing wasn't too concerned about this matter. With his current abilities, he wasn't quite qualified to challenge "Campus Talent Show," even though both its variety show and game versions were just tools for Changteng Entertainment to shear the sheep.
It wasn't long before Professor He Cheng finished reading the design concept draft for "Ordinary Life."
His brow frequently furrowed and relaxed.
Afterward, Professor He Cheng looked at Lu Zhixing with an expression of complicated entanglement.
"Your design draft... how should I put it...
"The format is standard, the content solid, the details appropriate, the logic clear—in short, many experienced game planners in the industry don't even measure up to your attention to detail.
"Especially considering that this draft was completed within a week, that makes it even more impressive."
In his heart Lu Zhixing chuckled silently, correcting: Actually, it could be done in three days.
"But..."
Professor He Cheng's tone changed: "The draft is very well written, but the game itself, how should I say it...
"The game aims to comprehensively simulate the life of a worker, turning real-life jobs like brick moving and security into gameplay modules, with survival game elements added in—can this really be fun enough for the players?
"Real life is hard enough, and most people play games for fun. To find out they have to move bricks in the game as well, that's a bit...
"Of course, I'm not saying that it absolutely won't work. It's a fair attempt to differentiate from other games on the market.
"But more importantly, when designing this game, did you not consider the issue of cost control at all?
"The first lesson for a game designer is cost control. If this isn't done well, no matter how good the designs are, it's meaningless, do you understand?
"Your design draft includes such an extensive amount of game content, from brick moving to delivery to security—each gameplay type necessitates different scenes, models, animations. If it were a standard PC version it would be manageable, but you're even planning a VR version?
"How many hundreds of millions are you planning to invest in this game?
"Moreover, the campus section alone includes content like the protagonist organizing an evening party, singing songs, rehearsing sketches—where do you plan to source these materials from?
"Are you going to buy the rights to ready-made works, or hire someone to customize them? I fear that no matter which option you choose, the expense will be huge.
"I did a rough estimate, and to fully realize your design, even some of the major gaming companies would have to think twice about whether they could recoup the costs.
"I did say I would help the top three finish their games, but your proposal..."
Professor He Cheng was obviously struggling.
To say that the design draft wasn't good, well, it was written quite comprehensively; but to say it was good, not a single bit of cost control was done. Investing so heavily in it would most likely result in a loss.
Where to find such an investor willing to take such a loss?
Lu Zhixing was listening intently on the side, nodding from time to time, but inside, he wasn't the least bit worried.
Just as he had guessed, Professor He Cheng indeed brought up the issue of cost control.
But in reality, this was not an issue for Lu Zhixing at all.
As long as he could successfully complete three role-playing tasks, Lu Zhixing could harvest materials for an hour, quickly collecting all the materials he would need.
As for the campus content like organizing an evening party, singing, rehearsing sketches, these can all be exchanged for points, without any need for customization.
To others, realizing this plan would require investing a huge sum of money, but for Lu Zhixing, it would be almost costless.
Of course, he couldn't reveal any of this to Professor He, so Lu Zhixing could only respond with a smile.
Professor He Cheng looked at him: "Are you listening seriously?"
Lu Zhixing immediately responded, "Of course, Professor, I fully understand the issue of 'cost control' that you mentioned."
Only then did Professor He Cheng nod with some satisfaction, "Hmm, then how do you plan to revise it?"
Lu Zhixing's expression was unchanged, "I don't plan to change it."
Professor He Cheng was stunned, "Huh? Is that what fully understanding means? Did you just dismiss all I've said into thin air?"
Lu Zhixing shook his head, "That's not what I meant, Professor.
"I'm well aware that this design document might not be particularly successful commercially, but I still prefer to write out the gameplay of this game in full, to push the limits of the designs I can do, rather than cutting it down to a compromised inferior product to cater to investors' needs.
"If that's the case, I might as well design another game entirely."
Professor He was momentarily at a loss for words. Looking at Lu Zhixing, it took a while before he nodded in understanding, "I see, you've got that artistic temperament flaring up.
"Ah, it's normal, I was more of an idealist than you when I was your age.
"But, Lu, you have to understand that having a unique individuality is actually quite a luxury for a designer. Only some of the very top geniuses have the privilege to be capricious.
"But most people in this world aren't geniuses, you see. As ordinary people, we still have to be realistic.
"Do you have a developer account on the official platform? Log in, I'll show you just how costly these materials can be."
Professor He, of course, also had a developer account on the official platform, but as a senior developer, the pages he viewed were different from what Lu Zhixing would see.
He could access some internal materials which were cheaper than what the average user might see, along with other resources, so to make his point effectively, he had to use Lu Zhixing's own basic creator account.
Lu Zhixing hesitated for a moment, "…Professor, there's really no need for that."
But Professor He had already stepped away from the computer, "No, it is necessary! The reason you have this idea is fundamentally because you haven't experienced the pain of 'cost control' firsthand.
"Once I show you how expensive these materials on the official platform are, you'll understand how unrealistic your ideas are."
Helpless, Lu Zhixing, urged by He Cheng repeatedly, had no choice but to log into his developer account.
Professor He immediately started to reveal various resources in the editor, "Look, such a simple scene costs tens of thousands, and this well-captured motion needs several thousand as well.
"By this calculation, how much money is your game going to cost to make? Even if you manage to make it, how can you ensure the quality?
"Or do you plan to build your own team and support an entire programming and art group? That would be even more expensive...
"Look, I'll just create a new project to give you a visual feel for it..."
While speaking, Professor He opened the list of creation projects; however, the next second, he was stunned.
Instead of the anticipated empty list, there was already a completed project.
And the project's name was oddly familiar.
"'Zen'???"
Professor He was dumbfounded; he initially thought that this was a project Lu Zhixing tinkered with as a hobby, imitating that game, but upon opening it, he realized that it indeed was that very game!
It was already released, and the materials inside were exactly the same as in the game!
Then he glanced at the username in the upper-right corner: Stranger.
Professor He, with a flabbergasted expression, turned to Lu Zhixing, "You're 'Stranger'? You made this game?"
Lu Zhixing coughed twice, "Yes, yeah, it's me."
Professor He was at a loss for words, "Why didn't you mention it in class!"
Thinking back to when he earnestly advised the game's creator, Professor He felt the involuntary urge to curl his toes in embarrassment, drowning in a sense of awkwardness.
Lu Zhixing also felt a bit embarrassed.
This was what you insisted on seeing; I tried my best to dissuade you...
"Professor, I did hint at it during class, but you just didn't understand, and I was too embarrassed to bring it up again."
Professor He's lips twitched slightly, "So you really didn't know this plant is a loquat tree?"
Lu Zhixing was very honest, "I really didn't know."
"Then where did the materials for this game come from!" Professor He was on the verge of losing his temper.
Lu Zhixing looked down slightly, "Well... I found some materials in reality and searched for some pictures online, then I drew them myself in the VR version of the editor."
"Drew, drew them??"
Professor He's expression became blank, and he looked again at the materials for "Zen" in the editor, "You're telling me you drew these high-precision models yourself?"
Lu Zhixing's righteousness defied all logic, "Right, I actually self-taught a bit of drawing and modelling."
Now, even if the professor asked him to reproduce it, he could do so. Of course, that was limited to the materials already available in "Zen."
Professor He fell silent, clearly, everything that was happening was too fantastical for him to accept at the moment.
Initially, he just wanted Lu Zhixing to log into his creator account to show him how expensive these materials were and how crucial game cost control was.
Previously, he advised earnestly, saying that having a unique personality is actually quite a luxury for designers, and only the top geniuses have the privilege to be capricious. Ordinary folks should live more realistically.
In the end, after all that advising, the joke was on himself.
At this moment, Lu Zhixing seemed to stand before him saying: Right, I am precisely that kind of genius, is there a problem?
Outrageous!
In the silence, Professor He Cheng pointed towards the office door, "Get out."
Lu Zhixing coughed twice, "Um... Professor He, about me being 'Stranger,' please keep it a secret for me."
He was not yet ready to face social death before all his classmates.
Professor He glared at him, and Lu Zhixing quickly beat a retreat.
Only after Lu Zhixing left did Professor He Cheng look at the design draft for "Ordinary Life" in his hands, his face betraying a contemplative emotion.
"This kid..."
Professor He had wanted to persuade Lu Zhixing to be more realistic, as he'd seen too many ordinary people enter the gaming industry with enthusiasm only to be badly hurt by the reality; he didn't want him to follow the same old path.
As he had said earlier, having a unique personality is actually quite a luxury for designers, granted only to the top geniuses who earn the right to be self-willed.
But now, Lu Zhixing had indeed shown some qualities utterly different from others.
And this youthful exuberance revived a certain long-dormant feeling in Professor He.
Every game designer's original dream was to use games to change the world, not just to buy houses and cars, or make more money. It's just that, as an ordinary person, after many ups and downs, one has to unwillingly compromise with the world.
"Youthful indeed.
"But for a true genius, youthful exuberance might not necessarily be a bad thing.
"Since that's the case, I'll lend you a hand. How far you can go depends on you."
Professor He Cheng looked at an email on the computer; one of them came from the official platform operations team, and the subject was "Taiqing Editor Level 1 Authority Internal Test Qualification."