Why the bug I wrote became a core gameplay mechanic?!
Chapter 321 - 330: Regain Ground with the New Version!

Chapter 321: Chapter 330: Regain Ground with the New Version!

Clearly, Kang Yong was starting to freak out.

Because not long after he arrived at the office today, he saw a piece of negative public sentiment regarding Shengjing Group.

Upon closer inspection, he realized this negative sentiment actually stemmed from an interview at last night’s Magic Capital International Game Art Festival Expo!

By now, the official expo video featuring Lilith’s interview had inexplicably skyrocketed to the top of the video website’s trending list, gaining tremendous popularity.

Originally, Kang Yong didn’t pay much attention to it, thinking it was just an ordinary interview video, but once he looked closely at the comments section, he immediately lost his composure.

"Shengjing Group: you might as well just publish my social security number!"

"Who is this ’competitor’? I really can’t guess! Could it be, Shengjing?"

"This move, ah, this move is Nitiandang teaching Shengjing how to make games!"

"The ones who previously defended the company, come take a look? Didn’t you say Shengjing Group had no other methods, only able to fix bugs? Didn’t President Li just slap you in the face? There are clearly plenty of options, but you’re just incompetent and can’t come up with them. Who can you blame for that?"

"That’s why they say you can’t beat the original with a knockoff. ’World of Star Spirits’ might surpass ’Shadow World’ in popularity with those minor, superficial optimizations in the short term, but it will soon run into operational mishaps due to outdated principles and collapse utterly!"

"I can only say, they are not on the same level! Nitiandang’s approach to these traditional domestic game publishers is like fighting from another dimension."

"Now I’m even more excited about the new version of ’Shadow World’! Anyway, it doesn’t matter whether Nitiandang’s games are updated; as long as the gameplay is enjoyable, what difference does it make if it’s updated or not? Blundering updates like Shengjing’s are what truly ruin a good hand!"

Upon seeing these comments, a huge question mark appeared above Kang Yong’s head.

What on earth was going on?

Wasn’t this supposed to be an interview about Nitiandang’s game? Why is the comments section full of people trashing Shengjing Group?

Are we getting shot even while lying down?

Full of doubts, Kang Yong watched the interview video from beginning to end and immediately became infuriated.

He nearly passed out from anger!

And his anger was twofold.

On one hand, he was angry at Nitiandang; if you’re going to interview, just do the interview, why throw shade at a competitor? Shengjing Group is innocent!

Especially when he thought about that past event that, on the surface, appeared to be Nitiandang unconditionally driving players to Shengjing Group. But after the operational mishap occurred, a massive number of players migrated from "World of Star Spirits" to "Shadow World," and in the end, it was Nitiandang that reaped a huge advantage.

This made Kang Yong’s teeth itch with rage.

On the other hand, what Lilith had said was really hitting a nerve.

As the saying goes, lies don’t hurt people, but the truth is a sharp knife.

Originally, as he watched the falling active user data of "World of Star Spirits," Kang Yong could still console himself, believing that fixing bugs and balancing the game was necessary, and player loss was inevitable.

But now, President Li brutally pointed out that in fact, there were other ways.

Whether fixing bugs or balancing the game, it was possible to take more measured approaches that considered both the game’s balance and the players’ experience.

And judging by the enthusiastic response in the comments section, it’s clear that the players were on board with this.

What did this mean?

It implied that if Kang Yong and Ji Heng had grasped this concept earlier, perhaps "World of Star Spirits" could have retained more players, and these players would represent tangible active data and revenue...

That was truly heartbreaking!

For Kang Yong, taking a few insults was bearable, but knowing that his company had missed out on making money was more distressing than death itself.

"Shameful! To be made an example of by our competitors, and to even have so many users liking it, I’m embarrassed for you!"

"Reflect on yourself, think carefully about how you’ve been the producer of ’World of Star Spirits’!"

"How could you not have thought of this method before!"

Kang Yong was furious and gave Ji Heng an earful.

Ji Heng was reeling, clearly not accepting of the seemingly baseless criticism he was receiving.

You’re saying this is still my fault??

Of course, if you were to ask whether Ji Heng should take the blame, of course he should bear some of it. After all, as the producer, he indeed failed to come up with the best solution.

As for why, it can only be said that years of operating games had created a kind of inertia in his thinking.

But to be fair, the solution Ji Heng came up with was not the worst by any means.

From the beginning, Ji Heng said that the bug must be fixed immediately, and sufficient compensation should be provided to the players.

If they had followed Ji Heng’s method, ’World of Star Spirits’ would still have been criticized and a small portion of players might have left, but it would not have escalated to the current situation.

If President Li’s approach was the best choice, a 100-point answer, then Ji Heng’s method would also have scored around sixty or seventy points.

If the bug had been fixed immediately, most players wouldn’t have even experienced the power of Infinite Starlight Healing, and they would’ve been able to get by with playing traditional healers.

But Kang Yong made a rash decision, wanting to have it both ways: first letting players enjoy the bug, then slashing it down. Although it initially attracted players by riding the wave of excitement, the gains were quickly lost and it was certainly the worst choice.

So, Ji Heng was unconvinced.

My plan was a solid C or D, and you turned it into an F, and now I’m to blame for that, how is that fair!

But Ji Heng dared not say anything since Kang Yong was his direct superior, the vice president.

At times like this, there was no choice but to silently take the blame for the leader.

"Yes, President Kang, the operations this time indeed had issues. I will seriously learn from this lesson, thoroughly summarize my experience, and strive not to make similar mistakes in the future..."

Hearing Ji Heng admit his mistake, Kang Yong’s expression softened slightly.

"Going forward, ’World of Star Spirits’ must also release a new version. This new version must be well thought out and well executed, understand?"

Ji Heng quickly nodded: "Understood!"

’World of Star Spirits’ didn’t need to rush out a new version, as it’s normal for a game like this to update a major version once a year.

But the problem is, ’Shadow World’ has already overshadowed ’World of Star Spirits’ in terms of popularity, and ’Shadow World’s’ new version release is set.

There’s still a glimmer of hope for ’World of Star Spirits’ to turn things around if it follows suit.

After all, a new version is like a new beginning; if executed well, it could win back quite a few players.

If ’World of Star Spirits’ doesn’t follow up, it’s almost certain to be doomed. Players are likely to be taken by ’Shadow World’.

Luckily, although time was tight, there was still a chance.

Since ’World of Star Spirits’ is an old game that has been operated for a long time, the test server of the "Holy Spirit Project" actually only utilized a part of the original game content.

For the upcoming new version, it would just be a matter of transferring over the existing game content.

Kang Yong advised, "Take a good look at how ’Shadow World’ does it and learn something! This new version must turn things around no matter what!"

Ji Heng wiped the sweat from his forehead and nodded, "Okay, President Kang, I will do my best!"