Why the bug I wrote became a core gameplay mechanic?!
Chapter 218 - 217: You’re a Hammer, the Former Head of Nitiandang!

Although the product had already been officially released, and Zhuge Jun had been keeping an eye on it, he had never quite made up his mind to purchase it.

The main reason was the steep price, which was slightly out of budget for a college student.

If it turned out to be not so useful after buying, wouldn’t that be a waste of money? It would be better to directly buy a controller from The Big Three!

But now that the store had one, it was a perfect opportunity to try it out before deciding.

Soon, Zhuge Jun went through the usual set of frustrations at the Nitiandang experience store, including the inability to insert the connector and incorrect passwords, which caused him a small amount of frustration.

But obviously, the tolerance of Nitiandang gamers in this aspect was much stronger than that of ordinary people like Hou Ji, generating only one or two points of negative feelings.

However, Lilith didn’t pay much attention; one or two points was still positive, after all!

Moreover, the main clientele of the experience store was certainly innocent bystanders.

After all, if they were true fans of Nitiandang games, they would have already bought the equipment for home use and wouldn’t have needed to come to an experience store for a trial run.

Most of those who came to the experience store were just there for the excitement or had doubts about the product. These people were quite reliable in producing negative emotions.

Lilith was pleasantly surprised to find the snack and drink coolers next to the counter and simply sat down at the counter to feast.

Gu Fan had no choice; he was planning to close up shop for the evening, but the arrival of a new customer meant he had to work overtime. He had to sit by Lilith’s side and wait patiently.

...

Zhuge Jun, brimming with enthusiasm, sat on the double sofa and tried out the brand-new miniature gamepad steering wheel.

Meanwhile, Hou Ji sat beside him, somewhat bored, watching him play.

Actually, this kind of double sofa and large TV setup was mainly prepared for two-player games, such as fighting games or cooperative games.

For instance, "Ascension" could actually be played in this mode.

But Road Rage Simulator didn’t support two-player mode, and Hou Ji wasn’t interested in Nitiandang’s games at the moment, so he simply watched Zhuge Jun play.

"I really don’t get it, Jun brother. Isn’t there a real simulation steering wheel over there? Why don’t you play with that?"

Obviously, compared to the comfortably gripped and responsive direct-drive steering wheel, this miniature steering wheel seemed very toy-like.

Zhuge Jun chuckled, "What do you know! I’ve played with direct-drive steering wheels enough; they all feel more or less the same. But this is the first time I’ve seen such a well-made miniature steering wheel!"

He quickly started the game.

Clearly, as a loyal fan of Ascension games, Zhuge Jun had played Road Rage Simulator before.

However, he must have used a standard gamepad previously.

Now with the miniature steering wheel, his handling was still proficient, and he adapted quickly.

The taxi he was driving weaved through city streets, and he managed to complete several trips without an accident.

There were several close calls, but he miraculously avoided them all. It was unclear whether it was due to genuine skill or pure luck.

Hou Ji, feeling sleep-inducing boredom, said, "Jun brother, what’s so fun about this game? Why don’t you find a racing game to speed in?"

Zhuge Jun chuckled, "You don’t understand the fun of this kind of game! Plus, I didn’t say I don’t play racing games. I want to try this gamepad first to see if it’s good. If it is, I plan to buy one."

Hou Ji was skeptical, "This gamepad... can it be any good? It doesn’t look very serious!"

"You try it." Zhuge Jun handed the gamepad over to Hou Ji.

Hou Ji gave it a try and immediately caused a car accident.

"Damn! It’s really hard to use, Jun brother!!"

Hou Ji was somewhat speechless; as soon as he got a hold of it, he felt like his thumbs were fighting each other. Especially when turning the steering wheel, extending his fingers to their fullest could only turn the wheel by a quarter, making it impossible to execute wide turns or U-turns.

Zhuge Jun shook his head, "That’s because you don’t know how to use it! Look, this is how you should do it when making a U-turn."

While speaking, he demonstrated.

First, he pushed the 3 o’clock indentation up with his right thumb until it reached the 12 o’clock position, rotating it a quarter of a turn. Then, using his left thumb, he pushed down on the indentation that was originally at 12 o’clock but had been pushed to 9 o’clock, rotating it another quarter turn.

A simple relay by the two thumbs quickly rotated it half a circle. If it were an F1 steering wheel, half a turn was already enough to make a U-turn.

Moreover, this action could be performed continuously and non-stop. Once mastered, it was possible to rotate a full circle quite quickly.

Zhuge Jun continued, "And, you can also do it like this!"

He demonstrated two different methods of control.

For example, simply lifting the right hand and using the index finger to press and twist the indent on the steering wheel, you could spin it as many times as you wished, just like steering a car with one hand.

Although both methods posed safety risks related to potentially losing grip on the steering wheel, the movements were unexpectedly skilled and pretty cool!

Not only that, Zhuge Jun also showed Hou Ji what could be considered advanced maneuvers.

"Pardon my showing off!"

Zhuge Jun furiously turned the steering wheel at a corner, and then his right index finger forcefully pressed the trigger button, causing the taxi to immediately roar into a tailspin!

Then, at just the right moment, Zhuge Jun released the miniature steering wheel, and instantly, under the reaction force of the motor, the steering wheel began to spin back while the car’s front wheels naturally turned in the direction of the drift, tracing a perfect line on the ground.

Hou Ji couldn’t help but widen his eyes, "Holy shit! It can drift??"

Obviously, Zhuge Jun’s control technique was the same as with a real steering wheel, and the miniature motors on the controller ensured that such maneuvers could achieve the same effect.

Zhuge Jun expertly pressed down on the rapidly spinning steering wheel with his finger, elegantly straightening the wheels and perfectly completing the drift.

But then, the next second, the taxi collided with a private car that happened to pass by.

"Bang!"

Handsomeness lasted for a mere three seconds.

Zhuge Jun scratched his head awkwardly, "That was a drift, wasn’t it..."

Showing off may be thrilling for a moment, but the price paid could be utterly devastating. Watching Zhuge Jun clean up the mess, rescuing passengers, and dealing with fines, Hou Ji found some perverse delight in the idea of charging for two hours only to play for five minutes.

After watching for a while longer, Hou Ji sighed, "Brother Jun, I know you want to recommend Nitiandang games to me, but if you keep up this kind of promotion, I’m afraid it’s going to backfire..."

"Up until now, I still can’t see where the fun in this game lies. Not only is it not fun, it seems like the game designer is doing their utmost to create obstacles for players..."

This question actually stumped Zhuge Jun.

Because so far, the few fun elements he experienced were all inherent in driving simulation games, yet all the annoyances were original features of Road Rage Simulator.

If it weren’t for his trust in Nitiandang, if it had been any other company, he definitely wouldn’t have persisted this long. But doesn’t this prove that the game actually isn’t very fun?

"Alright, I must admit, this game really isn’t very fun."

As Zhuge Jun continued playing, he looked at Gu Fan, who was completely indifferent, "Excuse me, are you the manager of this store?"

Gu Fan nodded, "Yes, what can I do for you?"

Zhuge Jun paused for a moment and said, "I was wondering if you could pass along some feedback to the development team at Nitiandang. I feel like this game isn’t fun at all!"

Gu Fan chuckled, "Of course, I’m actually the former head of the Nitiandang game development team. But as I said, the former head.

"But as for giving feedback, I think it is quite unnecessary, as in this world, there will always be some games that are either joyless or where the fun simply can’t be found!"

Zhuge Jun’s mouth dropped open, momentarily speechless at Gu Fan’s words.

Good lord, you’re the former head of Nitiandang games?

What the hell!

How does a former head end up demoted to a store manager, is this like being downgraded three levels? What did you do, make some egregious mistake that angered your superiors, or what?

Zhuge Jun didn’t believe a word.

But clearly, this manager shared something with the developers at Nitiandang—stubbornness to a fault!

It is well known that even if Nitiandang’s games are harshly criticized, they would never update them. This kind of stubbornness is unique within the industry.

Zhuge Jun felt like he was playing music to a cow and could only sigh, choosing not to speak any further.

He checked, and only half an hour of free trial time had passed, so he might as well play for a full hour before leaving.

Once again, he was driving on the road, picking up passengers.

However, this time he did have some good news—he was becoming more proficient with the miniature controller steering wheel, and it did give him a feeling of having an extension of his own body.

With the addition of defensive driving skills and being on the lookout for dangers, Zhuge Jun actually didn’t get into any more accidents, running for over ten minutes without incident.

But just then, the game’s uncooperative system kicked in.

Zhuge Jun suddenly discovered more and more system vehicles appearing around him, and these cars were becoming increasingly aggressive, engaging in more and more uncivil driving behaviors around him!