Why the bug I wrote became a core gameplay mechanic?!
Chapter 281 - 290: Official Cooperation?

Chapter 281: Chapter 290: Official Cooperation?

In the initial exploration stage, players might be excited when they discovered new BDs, but as the optimal gameplay emerged, they would eventually grow tired of it.

And at that time, the disadvantage of Nitiandang not being able to make balancing adjustments would become apparent.

Issues with balance would then lead to problems with gameplay optimization, as well as more detailed subsequent issues.

If they wanted to rectify the imbalance among the various BDs, it would be necessary to develop new BDs or at least to make numerical adjustments to the existing BD builds.

But Nitiandang was incapable of doing any of that.

On the other hand, "World of Star Spirits" could make balance adjustments at any time and develop new gameplay. In the long run, it was highly probable that the student would outdo the master.

Apart from that, "World of Star Spirits" could also optimize the gameplay itself.

All skills in Shadow World had to be learned from Skill Trainers. After learning a Priest’s skills, if you wanted to learn a Mage’s skills, you had to traverse nearly half the main city map, running from the Priest Trainer to the Mage Trainer.

This was obviously somewhat anti-human, with the running process being completely pointless.

But there was no choice because Gu Fan had to make the "All-Class Gameplay" seem like a bug, so that was the only way to go.

If the All-Class Gameplay could be used as a core selling point, then it would be entirely possible to create a dedicated page, for example, pressing the N or T key (Talent page) to directly pop up a list for learning skills and talents.

The list would show tabs for all professions, with the main body featuring skills and talents. The interface at the bottom could also show the currently available Skill slots and Talent Points in real-time.

This way, all costs would be clear at a glance.

"World of Star Spirits" could indeed overtake its rival through such optimizations.

If a player experienced both "World of Star Spirits" and Shadow World, or played "World of Star Spirits" before Shadow World, they would certainly feel that the operation in Shadow World was cumbersome and that BDs lacked variety, thereby generating some negative emotions.

And those old players of Shadow World might also become uncomfortable readjusting after trying "World of Star Spirits."

So... could this really be a viable strategy?

Although it wasn’t possible to induce negative emotions in players by changing Shadow World, it was feasible to first provide a better experience in other games through comparisons, and then create negative emotions through the disparity!

By now, Lilith was very cautious about Qin Fengliang’s suggestions, but after careful consideration, she recognized that this was clearly a disadvantage to capitalize on. Even though it might not necessarily bring any benefits, it certainly couldn’t do any harm.

Why not give the competitor a little exposure? It wasn’t a big deal.

Thinking of this, Lilith immediately decided, "Alright, since Shengjing Group is so cooperative, we cannot be lacking in vision. I’m going to draft an announcement right now! It will be released tonight!

"By the way, I’ll also ask Shengjing Group if they are interested in official cooperation with us!"

...

...

January 15th, Thursday.

a.m.

In the office of the Vice President of Shengjing Group, Kang Yong and Ji Heng wore identical expressions as if carved from the same mold.

They frowned deeply, gazing at the notice in front of them, their faces filled with bewilderment and confusion.

Kang Yong reconfirmed multiple times, "Are we sure about this? This is Nitiandang’s official account, right? It hasn’t been hacked by us, has it?"

Ji Heng was just as speechless, "President Kang, we are a legitimate company. We might skirt the rules, but we wouldn’t dare do something illegal like hacking accounts!"

Kang Yong then took out another document, "Look at this too. This is also a document sent by Nitiandang, isn’t it? It’s not forged, right?"

Ji Heng nodded, "It’s not forged..."

Kang Yong was absolutely perplexed, "So what exactly is Nitiandang trying to sell here?"

Ji Heng shrugged, "I have no clue either!"

The moment Shengjing Group decided to copy Shadow World, they sprang into action, announcing the new version and starting to build hype online. At the same time, Ji Heng personally tried the gameplay of Shadow World, identifying its less user-friendly elements, ready to optimize them all.

The design group was working overtime to develop design plans, and the programming team was on standby at all times.

The news had hardly been out for two days when Nitiandang responded.

When Kang Yong first heard that Nitiandang had posted a message on their official platform account, he was a little nervous.

Could it be a moral criticism of us?

For Kang Yong, the best response from Nitiandang would be no response at all, so that Shengjing Group could happily hitch a ride.

If Nitiandang chose to confront them head-on and directly accused them of plagiarism, although Shengjing Group was not at all weak in their response, it would still somewhat tarnish their reputation among the player base.

But unexpectedly, a third scenario unfolded!

Nitiandang actually sought collaboration!

Firstly, Nitiandang released a statement on their official platform account. But this statement wasn’t accusing other MMORPG games of plagiarizing the full job gameplay of Shadow World; instead, they expressed in a very magnanimous way that they supported the development of similar gameplay by these games to bring more joy to players.

This was almost equivalent to an official endorsement, and one could even say they had made the gameplay "open source," available for anyone to use.

If that was all, at best it could be seen as an act of generosity with great grace.

But the next move left both Kang Yong and Ji Heng utterly puzzled.

Nitiandang actually approached Shengjing Group seeking cooperation, hoping they would authorize some backend account data.

Initially, Kang Yong was very cautious, worried this was some new type of corporate warfare. Did Nitiandang intend to poach their players? To get internal data on their players?

However, after taking a close look at the cooperation proposal, Kang Yong was confused.

In fact, Nitiandang seemed to have no interest whatsoever in Shengjing Group’s player data.

They only hoped that players could use their Nitiandang game accounts to log into "World of Star Spirits," and once players reached level 30 in "World of Star Spirits," upon returning to Shadow World, the official system would automatically issue 10 Double Experience Potions to that account as a reward.

Double Experience Potions were a type of special item in the game, originally purchased with Gold Coins or through charging.

But now, just by playing "World of Star Spirits" and reaching level 30, players could get 10 bottles for free.

This didn’t seem like they were digging at "World of Star Spirits’" player base; it was more as if they were actively pushing their own players into Star Soul World.

Since the activity was one-directional, Shadow World players could easily enter "World of Star Spirits," but "World of Star Spirits" players received no benefits or conveniences when entering Shadow World.

This looked like a purely loss-making deal.

Even more importantly, with no plans for subsequent updates or balancing adjustments, Nitiandang seemed resolute in letting Shadow World live or die on its own.

A stagnant Shadow World versus an always updated and adjusted "World of Star Spirits"—which one was more appealing hardly needed saying.

Of course, Shadow World had better art, but art might be its only advantage.

At this moment, Kang Yong’s expression was like someone ready for a fight, only to have the opponent offer apologies while making threats, a behavior filled with absurdity.

"So, what do you think we should do?"

Because it was so outrageous, Kang Yong felt like it was a trap, and he hesitated to agree.

Ji Heng, after all, was a designer and had confidence in that area. He looked over the cooperation plan several times and said, "Agree to it! Why wouldn’t we agree to such a good deal?

"No matter how you look at it, it’s all benefits with no downsides for us!"

Kang Yong couldn’t help but muse, "Honestly, ever since the Shengjing Group’s game business was established, we’ve copied countless games and had run-ins with many gaming companies.

"But this is the first time I’ve seen a company that we copied not only not get angry but instead comes to seek cooperation with us...

"Especially when it’s a smaller company that is not as big as ours..."

Anyone with a little common sense knows to be cautious in collaborations between a small company and a large one since the large company has more resources and users. Even in a normal collaboration, it’s very easy to be devoured without realizing it.

Yet Nitiandang seemed to have not considered this at all, behaving like an innocent little lamb, willingly offering up their wool for the visit to the big bad wolf’s den.

If that’s the case, refusing to cooperate might just make Shengjing Group look too foolish.

Kang Yong immediately nodded, "Alright, let’s collaborate! We’ll follow their proposal. Our side won’t offer any benefits, not even a public announcement of the cooperation. I want to see what they are really up to!"

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