Why the bug I wrote became a core gameplay mechanic?!
Chapter 219 - 218: You’re Clearly Laughing at Me!

Chapter 219: Chapter 218: You’re Clearly Laughing at Me!

"Eh? How can it still be like this?"

Zhuge Jun was somewhat puzzled because the situation was indeed abnormal, and he had never encountered it before.

Why hadn’t he encountered it?

Obviously, it was because he would have crashed before reaching this long...

Zhuge Jun started playing Road Rage Simulator right after its release, but there had been frequent minor accidents before.

Although Zhuge Jun is a diehard fan of racing simulation games and has played many similar games using controllers and steering wheels, even drifting with a steering wheel, he was still very unaccustomed when he first started playing Road Rage Simulator.

The reason lies in the fact that the game’s design philosophy differs from the traditional racing games.

Moreover, Zhuge Jun played in the dorm yesterday without a steering wheel, only with a controller, which made operating the game even more difficult.

Today he came to the experience store, firstly because he had roughly gotten used to the rhythm of the game, and secondly because he switched to new equipment, with the steering wheel providing more precise control, enabling his excellent driving skills to be fully utilized.

With a touch of luck added to the mix, he somehow managed not to crash for such a long time.

But it was precisely for this reason that Zhuge Jun discovered an even more preposterous problem with the game itself.

That is, the system intentionally spawned more uncivilized driving cars around him!

Not only did the number of idiotic drivers increase, but their level of idiocy gradually rose as well!

Clearly, there seemed to be a dynamic balance mechanism in the game, which, as the player’s time without accidents increased, made the entire environment more perilous. It wasn’t until the player had their next collision that this dynamic balancing mechanism would reset to zero.

Zhuge Jun drove on, and beads of sweat began to drip down his forehead.

"Hey, isn’t this a bit too much?"

"Is anyone going to do something about this? All these cars are driving dangerously!"

He had maxed out his defensive driving skills, not only maintaining a safe distance from the car ahead, always on guard for sudden stops but also keeping an eye and ear out in all directions, watching for traffic from behind and turning vehicles, steering clear of any suspected idiotic cars to avoid getting hit.

Unbeknownst to him, Lilith and Gu Fan had already stood behind him, eagerly watching him play.

But unexpectedly, Zhuge Jun was performing above his level, with numerous close calls as other vehicles whizzed by, yet he miraculously avoided collision.

Lilith had been waiting to reap a wave of negative emotions but hadn’t received any, leaving her somewhat speechless.

She wasn’t in a hurry, though, because the longer the time spent accumulating, the more negative emotions she would collect.

And she knew that Zhuge Jun couldn’t hold on for too much longer.

Zhuge Jun, relying on his defensive driving, managed to hang in there for about ten more minutes. After that, the game seemed to enter an entirely new phase.

A rather expensive-looking luxury car caught up from behind at an extremely high speed and then illogically swung in front of Zhuge Jun, with the brake lights suddenly lighting up!

"Hey! Isn’t that going too far! Not even trying to hide it, huh?"

This was blatantly cutting him off!

Zhuge Jun was prepared, though, and he quickly hit the brakes hard to a stop.

But immediately afterward, the luxury car started up again, continuing to leisurely drive in front of Zhuge Jun, frequently weaving between lanes without signaling, and often pressing the brakes inconsistently, causing the brake lights to flicker on and off.

"What, are you performing some American traffic stop here?

"What? Is this some kind of ghost riding?

"Doesn’t anyone care, this is dangerous driving!

"Shouldn’t this kind of person be immediately taken down by the police at the speed of light?"

Zhuge Jun was at a loss for words, desperately wanting to vent but the gameplay was too tense and thrilling for him to even open his mouth.

He did want to leave, to switch lanes, but even if he did, the luxury car would quickly catch up and then continue with its fancy cutting off and baiting.

Does this kind of situation occur in real life?

Yes, but rarely.

If such an incident were to take place, the footage from the dashcam would surely be uploaded online, and the driver of the car in front might even be detained for dangerous driving. If not detained, at least a serious penalty or traffic violation would be recorded.

Unfortunately, in the game, these dangerously driving vehicles were part of the game’s mechanics, so there would be no police making a speedy appearance.

It was only after the player had an accident that the police would show up.

Another two minutes later, Zhuge Jun reluctantly ended up colliding with the luxury car, concluding this absurd scene once and for all.

"Damn it!"

Zhuge Jun was so angry he hammered the desk and finally began to vent his frustration.

If previous in-game accidents could be attributed to his lack of skill, this time it was completely because of the other driver’s dangerous maneuvers. He had done his utmost but still crashed, how could he not be angry?

Just then, he heard a "pfft" from behind him.

Lilith struggled to control herself, but still couldn’t help laughing out loud.

"Sorry, keep playing," Lilith said with pursed lips, trying hard to suppress the corners of her mouth from turning up.

Seeing the explosion of negative emotion at the moment of collision, Lilith really couldn’t control herself.

Zhuge Jun’s face turned dark with anger, you’re really being too impolite!

Clearly mocking me, and you haven’t stopped!

He turned to the two people standing behind him with a darkened face, "Is this also something Nitiandang’s game team purposely designed?"

Lilith nodded proudly, "Of course, this is a special mechanism that exists within the game!

"To put it simply, it adjusts the driving AI of NPC vehicles based on the player’s driving strategy and accident-free duration, in order to further trigger the road rage effect in players.

"It seems, at present, this feature is quite effective."

Zhuge Jun was dumbfounded, good gracious, they admitted it just like that!

Utterly shameless!

This doesn’t make any sense at all!

He looked at Lilith, then at Gu Fan.

Hmm... judging by the looks of it, these two are indeed insiders of Nitiandang, although I’m not clear on what their specific roles might be, but judging from the certainty in their tone, they must be privy to certain inside information.

But, why can they talk so calmly about such a mechanism that clearly disgusts players?

This clearly contradicts Nitiandang’s design philosophy!

Could it be... there’s actually something more to it?

They laugh; are they laughing at me because I’ve yet to master the correct way to use this mechanism?

Thinking from a different perspective, Zhuge Jun suddenly found himself at the gateway to a new world.

There is such a possibility!

You have to know, Nitiandang’s games are always known for their unexpected twists. The previous games almost all had some special hidden mechanisms, maybe this game has one too?

Zhuge Jun suddenly felt his thoughts clear, but the only problem was, what could be the correct way to use this mechanism?

With several guesses in mind, Zhuge Jun drove off again.

Just like the last time, Zhuge Jun was determined to maintain his record of zero accidents, pushing his defensive driving skills to the max, steering clear of all the demons and monsters on the road.

True enough, after persisting for a while, the surrounding traffic conditions changed again.

More idiotic vehicles appeared!

Zhuge Jun persisted, until another car that was clearly a "super idiot" luxury car appeared.

Clearly, according to the game’s mechanism, once a player persists for a certain time, such super idiot luxury cars will appear.

Because ordinary uncivil driving was no longer a threat to the player.

It had to reach the level of "road rage" or "dangerous driving" in reality to cause the player to have an accident.

But this time, Zhuge Jun was prepared; he was on high alert, determined not to collide with that car!

At first, Lilith looked on with a smiling face, utterly unconcerned because she thought it was only a matter of time before Zhuge Jun would crash.

And once he did crash, it would mean all his efforts were wasted, and she could beautifully harvest a wave of negative emotions.

But unexpectedly, what followed was completely beyond her expectations.

The "super idiot" luxury car started swerving left and right, trying to attack Zhuge Jun at all costs, and the movements became more and more outrageous!

At first, Lilith didn’t think there was anything wrong with it, but soon, an accident happened.

The luxury car came up to the side rear of Zhuge Jun’s vehicle, slammed on the gas pedal attempting to hit Zhuge Jun; however, Zhuge Jun remained vigilant and likewise floored the pedal, avoiding it!

The luxury car wanted to continue the pursuit, but this was a city road, after all, with very complex conditions.

Another car appeared in front, the luxury car swerved to avoid it, but the next second, its tires skidded violently, lost control completely, and then crashed into a tree by the roadside with a "bang"!

On the other hand, Zhuge Jun parked his car steadily by the road, completely unscathed.

The world quieted down, the previously chaotic traffic seemed to have improved, and Lilith’s smile froze on her face.

Zhuge Jun excitedly slapped the table, "That’s right! It’s just as I guessed!"

Now according to the game mechanics, he still needed to immediately get out of the car to provide aid to the injured.

But this time, the mindset of getting out to provide aid was completely different!

[Zhuge Jun’s negative emotions -20!]