Why the bug I wrote became a core gameplay mechanic?!
Chapter 619 - 602: Taking Over ’Reverse Heaven

Chapter 619: Chapter 602: Taking Over ’Reverse Heaven

Everything’s messed up, all messed up.

Lilith’s original plans were completely disrupted!

She initially thought that Gan Di would try to defend himself in every possible way, from the underlying mechanics to the specific principles, and might even shift the blame onto other programmers.

Unexpectedly, Gan Di outright admitted it.

Yes, I’m the one who did it!

I didn’t expect this to happen, what’s the deal?

You don’t believe it? Believe it or not, I’ve resigned anyway.

With a sense of grandeur, as if taking the blame for a brother and then swaggering away.

As for resigning to take responsibility... well, that’s obviously nonsense.

Because Gan Di only planned to make this one game, regardless of whether it succeeded or not, he never intended to stay at Nitiandang.

Moreover, as the chief planner of this game, the bonus income alone from this year was enough for him to make a fortune and achieve financial freedom.

Why stay in this mess any longer? Of course, he’d go back to being a small-time streamer and enjoy life.

So, concerning Lilith’s anger, Gan Di didn’t care at all.

Lilith realized she was wrong, and very wrong at that.

Clearly, Gan Di and Gu Fan, or the other employees at Nitiandang, were entirely different.

Gu Fan signed a contract with Lilith, so he naturally had to be cautious in everything.

Other employees who wanted to continue working at Nitiandang would likely try to cover things up, find excuses, or attempt to pass the buck.

Only Gan Di, who neither signed a contract nor intended to continue at Nitiandang, was in an invincible state.

Moreover, before leaving, Gan Di obviously decided to take the full blame himself.

If he sold the program or tests, sharing the responsibility, perhaps there might have been room for negotiation.

But Gan Di didn’t; he just stayed silent and took it all on himself.

"Goodbye, President Li, President Gu!"

Gan Di returned to his room, picked up the suitcase he had packed long ago, and left with ease.

Lilith widened her eyes, watching Gan Di get into a cab, and then her twin tails drooped instantly, and she was deflated.

She sat on the couch, lost in thought.

Gu Fan found it a bit hard to maintain composure but also knew it wasn’t the right time to say anything, so he quietly waited on the side.

After a while, Lilith seemed to have finally recovered from the shock and looked at Gu Fan: "I’ve decided! Gu Fan, you will now immediately take over the development of ’Reverse Heaven,’ immediately, right now!"

Gu Fan was a bit surprised: "Me?"

Lilith nodded: "Yes! This time, it’s you who will complete the final touches for ’Reverse Heaven’!"

Gu Fan slightly shook his head, showing some resistance: "President Li, isn’t this a bit inappropriate?

"’Reverse Heaven’ has been in development for over half a year now and is already in its final stages. I haven’t participated in the development of this game at all. Is it appropriate for me to suddenly take over?"

Lilith’s expression was resolute: "If I say it’s appropriate, it is!"

Seeing that he couldn’t argue against her, Gu Fan could only nod: "Alright, I’ll go check on the project’s details tomorrow."

Clearly, Gan Di’s sudden departure had a significant impact on Lilith.

She suddenly realized a problem, a very serious problem.

That is, Gan Di’s behavior could very likely be emulated within Nitiandang!

Originally, Lilith thought that getting Gan Di into Nitiandang would give her complete control, but now she realized she was completely mistaken.

Although initially, the reputation of ’Endless Fantasy Legend 2’ wasn’t good, and Gan Di became a recluse on the internet, it was evident that Gan Di had not been behaving obediently but rather covertly making small moves in the game.

And as the game’s reputation improved, Gan Di had earned a fortune.

Not only did he gain a lot of fame as the chief planner of ’Endless Fantasy Legend 2,’ but the absurd revenue share also directly led to his financial independence.

Therefore, when Gan Di left, he had no psychological burden or hesitation whatsoever.

After making so much money, why not leave?

This peculiar gaming company filled with urban legends — I can’t stand being here even for a second longer!

And the other employees at Nitiandang?

After so many games, they haven’t earned a small sum!

Especially those employees in key positions who could serve as chief planners or chief programmers, each was quite wealthy.

If it was before, they might have obeyed orders just to keep their jobs at Nitiandang.

But now, whether they leave on their own initiative or get fired, they’re indifferent about it as they’ve already earned enough money to last a lifetime.

In this situation, are they still trustworthy?

Absolutely not!

Going round in circles, Lilith realized that at the moment, only Gu Fan was relatively trustworthy.

After all, no matter how wealthy Gu Fan is, he is bound by the contract and is someone whom Lilith can truly control.

Realizing this, Lilith hurriedly asked Gu Fan to take over the subsequent development and completion of ’Reverse Heaven.’

Even though all Nitiandang employees were suspected traitors, Lilith still wanted someone relatively easier to control, even if it might just be an illusion.

Gu Fan tentatively asked, "President Li, aren’t you worried that I haven’t developed a game in a long time? Wouldn’t my lack of practice lead to some unexpected situations?"

Lilith squinted her eyes: "No worries! I always believe in using people without suspicion, and never use people I suspect. Rest assured, I’m a considerate and reasonable leader.

"Besides, ’Reverse Heaven’ has a solid foundation. I have great confidence in the game’s design plan!

"As long as you don’t intentionally sabotage, methodically follow our initial architecture ideas, and go through all the current codes from start to finish, it should be solid!"

Gu Fan found too many flaws in Lilith’s words that he didn’t even know where to start critiquing.

In the end, all those words were condensed into one sentence: "Okay, President Li, I’ll give it my best!"

...

After Lilith left, Gu Fan opened the design document for ’Reverse Heaven’ on his computer and went through it again.

This project was established months ago, almost entering development status shortly after the launch of ’Endless Fantasy Legend 2.’

As for the game’s concept, it was, of course, provided by Lilith.

However, regarding the specific design of the game’s gameplay, others contributed collaboratively, offering quite a few constructive suggestions.

The scenario at the time was roughly like this.

...

"For the next game, I already have a great idea!"

"But the details still need to be discussed with everyone."

Lilith appeared very enthusiastic and self-confident.

At this time, ’Endless Fantasy Legend 2’ had just been launched not long ago, and Lilith was unaware of the numerous ups and downs it would face in the future, so she was still in a good mood.

Besides, judging from the concept, ’Reverse Heaven’ indeed seemed to be a game worthy of high hopes.

Gan Di cautiously asked, "What idea?"

At this point, he wasn’t sure how much ’Endless Fantasy Legend 2’ could actually earn, so he was living in the company with his tail between his legs, trying his best to downplay his own potential threat to Lilith.

"I want to make a monetized game!

"A pay-to-win game in terms of statistics!" Lilith’s eyes were full of confidence.

Gu Fan remained silent for a moment, then asked, "But President Li, didn’t we always not make such games because... wasn’t it that profits were not easy to control?"

Lilith waved her hand: "Of course, it’s because of improved technology, and my design philosophy has advanced! Oh well, just don’t ask any more questions. If I say it can be done, it can be done!"

Gu Fan nodded, holding back from saying more.

Gan Di listened somewhat bewilderedly on the side, not quite understanding what the two of them meant. However, he didn’t bother too much, given that such strange occurrences were not uncommon within Nitiandang, especially when they involved President Li.

Previously, strictly speaking, Nitiandang had never made a true pay-to-win game.

Simply put, it’s a game that "becomes stronger with money," a statistics-driven game.

Why not make them?

Because the mechanism for collecting negative emotions in such games is relatively complex, and Lilith thought the risks were high and difficult to control, so they didn’t make them.

Monetized games where spending money leads to power-ups, though cursed by countless players, still had a market, even becoming the mainstream among browser games and mobile games for quite some time in the past.

This indirectly proves that such games have a unique soil.

According to Lilith’s analysis, these types of games actually have a typical pyramid structure.

The tip of the pyramid consists of a small number of super whales. They spend money in the game to gain stats, enabling them to massacre and mow down others recklessly. Therefore, the Positive Emotion Value they get from such games could be hundreds or thousands of times what they obtain from other games.

The base of the pyramid includes many players who either don’t spend (zero spenders) or spend very little. They basically serve as cannon fodder at the bottom, relying on intense grinding and a bit of luck to barely keep up with mid-tier spenders; when they encounter super whales, they have no choice but to continuously get killed at respawn points.

However, zero spenders or low spenders might not generate many negative emotions.

Because they have a full psychological expectation of their situation, getting killed by whales doesn’t break their defenses and becomes something they are used to.

Meanwhile, the designers of these games will try their best to balance the gaming experience for zero spenders, as these players’ presence is essential to the ultimate gaming experience of whales. If all zero spenders leave, the whales will have no one to play with.

So, in this dynamic balance, even games where you become stronger with money have a positive overall emotional output. Some that manage to balance the feelings of top whales and zero spenders well can even generate a lot of Positive Emotion from whale players.

How about a slight adjustment to this system?

Is it possible to make both whales and zero spenders unhappy?

Obviously, that’s possible, but any adjustment may lead to unexpected outcomes.

So, before coming up with a particularly reliable idea, Lilith never considered making similar games.

This time, however, whether she’s improved her methods of collecting negative emotions, advanced in her game design philosophy, or perhaps feels that making such a game could single-handedly ruin Nitiandang’s reputation?

Anyway, she’s finally going to explore the realm of games where money turns into power!