You said you were going to make games, how did you become the richest man without doing anything?

Chapter 432: Mr. Lu: Don’t stop, keep having fun (2 in 1 order required)

In the afternoon, Lu Yu was watching TV boredly in his villa in Taoyuan Township.

When the familiar Maozhiming logo appeared on the TV, Lu Yu's eyes were inadvertently attracted. He was watching a boring talent show bored, but he didn't expect such a news to appear next.

"Dear audience friends, we now bring you the latest entertainment news."

A beautiful female anchor looked at the camera with a smile,
"Recently, the highly-anticipated Taoyuan Township cat cafe, Mao Zhi Ming, launched a new 'Dream Customization' service, sparking a renewed frenzy among the city's young people."

The scene changed and a young man's excited face appeared.

"It's incredible! Mao Zhiming's new service is really eye-opening for me."

His eyes sparkled as he spoke, "In my dream, I actually experienced a leisurely stroll in a cloud garden, surrounded by a myriad of gorgeous flowers, their fragrance invigorating. It was like being in a celestial wonderland!"

"Not only that." The female anchor took over the conversation.

"According to our interviews, Mr. Liu from Taoyuanxiang Company and Ms. Lin Ming's Cat Ming team claim that they have mastered amazing dream rendering technology, which can perfectly present any dream scene that clients have longed for."

The camera turned and showed the client's technical director Zhang Fan, holding a strange device.

"Not only can we render real scenes from the real world into our clients' dreams, we can also restore the original appearance of fantastical scenes that have appeared in human literature and art."

Next to him, the company's technical director Chu Xiong also added:
"Whether you yearn for the majestic palaces and cities of Ashoka's time in ancient India, the enchanted forests of Western fantasy novels, or the more fantastical future worlds and outer space landscapes, just make an appointment and we can recreate them 100% into your dreams."

"It's amazing! Taoyuan Township's technology is really exciting!" the female anchor said in amazement.

"In this way, any wonders that people have dreamed of can be experienced in their dreams through their services! This new service is sure to create a whirlwind."

……

Lu Yu stared at the TV screen and couldn't help but widen his eyes.

As a colleague at Maozhiming Company and Liu Mengyuan's boyfriend, he was extremely shocked by the news.

The scene changed, and Liu Mengyuan and her dream control employees were confidently demonstrating the magical technology of rendering dreams.

Chuxiong, Zhang Fan...

Looking at the familiar face, Lu Yu first widened his eyes, then looked helpless.

He didn't expect that Liu Mengyuan had achieved this point without his knowledge, and he was kept in the dark.

"Damn, these guys did something amazing!"

Lu Yu muttered to himself, his tone full of laughter and tears.

Why are you guys always backstabbing me?

He shook his head helplessly, feeling a lot of emotions.

He certainly knew how difficult it was to render a dream.

The company had finally mastered the technology to render real scenes into the somatosensory cabin, but now Chuxiong and his team have achieved the perfect reproduction of any fictional dream.

This astonishing leap in progress was beyond his expectations.

It's like cheating.

He stretched, collapsed on the sofa with his back, and stared at the chandelier on the ceiling in a daze.

He recalled the first time he met Liu Mengyuan, and how that young but idealistic girl had grown step by step with her extraordinary talent to become the youngest and most promising leader of the company today.

She used to be his most capable assistant, but now she has quietly surpassed her boss in some aspects.

"Oh, Yuanyuan, now you can stand on your own. I wonder if those old-timers on your family's board of directors will start to look at you with new eyes."

He looked at Liu Mengyuan's profile on TV, filled with relief and pride. That sensible girl had finally begun the life of her dreams, achieving things she hadn't even dreamed of.

Although he is always backstabbed by his girlfriend, as her closest person, he feels extremely honored to witness her growth and transformation.

……

Just as he was sighing, the producers of "No Nights" Mo Xiaoxuan, Hua Wu and Wan Xiaotong found Lu Yu.

It turned out that the Xianxia somatosensory cabin open world game "Never Night" under development encountered difficulties during the development process.

Mo Xiaoxuan hesitated for a moment and said:
"Mr. Lu, when we designed this open-world Xianxia game, we were committed to giving players an unfettered exploration experience. In this vast virtual world, this boundless wonderland, we wanted to hide discoveries and surprises everywhere in the game.

Our original intention is to hope that players can roam freely in this dreamland and immerse themselves in the wonders that surround them, as if they were in a fairyland!
However, as development progressed, we faced a difficult dilemma!"

"Oh?"

When Lu Yu heard this, he immediately became excited.

He doesn't really want to hear any good news now. This "bad news" is really a timely relief, hahahaha.

"How to properly lay out the map and arrange quests in a vast open world has become a major challenge. An overly haphazard arrangement can easily leave players lost amidst the vast landscape, leaving them at a loss as to where to go. On the other hand, overly artificial guidance can ruin the joy of open exploration."

We've expended immense effort designing the intricate mountain ranges and wilderness, vast lakes and oceans, soaring cliffs and floating rock formations, and majestic palaces within this boundless wonderland. We've meticulously crafted each scene, striving for maximum detail and realism to deliver a truly immersive experience for players.

However, even these meticulously designed environments, without proper player guidance, can easily lead players to get lost, drifting aimlessly in a void of exploration. Recently, our testers have reported a similar issue: in highly realistic maps, lacking sufficient hints and guidance, they often can't find their next destination, leaving them wandering aimlessly, ultimately significantly diminishing the gaming experience.

If the mission layout is poorly designed, players will lose their way during exploration and become bored. However, if we add too many guiding elements, we may destroy the fun of open exploration itself. Finding the right balance between the two is a tricky problem.

You don't have a solution?

We've tried various solutions, like adding flags, adding NPC guides, and setting up interactive map interfaces, but we always feel like something's not perfect. Sometimes the guidance is too much, giving people a feeling of being overly cautious. Sometimes it's too obscure, leaving players with no clue what to do. We've debated this issue in several internal meetings, but we've never been able to find the right balance.

This situation puts a lot of pressure on me. On the one hand, we've invested a lot of time and resources into creating this realistic open world, but if the maps and missions aren't cleverly designed, all that effort could be wasted. On the other hand, even if our guidance is thorough, if players don't always feel the freedom and joy of exploration, then the game loses its meaning as an open world.

At one point, I wondered if there was something wrong with our entire design philosophy? Faced with such a vast open environment, was the traditional approach to map and mission design no longer feasible? I even began to worry that we might eventually have to make trade-offs with the open world, sacrificing certain areas or missions to ensure the overall smoothness of the experience.

……

Lu Yu couldn't help but laugh at Mo Xiaoxuan's gloomy and embarrassed face. This kid, it seems, has exaggerated this minor map mission design issue. He raised his hand and patted Mo Xiaoxuan's shoulder, his tone half teasing and half encouraging: "Xiaoxuan, I didn't expect that a director like you would still be so entangled in such a trivial matter. It really opened my eyes."

Mo Xiaoxuan frowned when he heard this and was about to open his mouth to refute, but Lu Yu took the lead and stretched out his hand to stop him.

"I know you're working tirelessly on the quality of 'Nightless,' but sometimes you need to learn to think from another perspective." Lu Yu stood up from his desk and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the city's myriad lights. His tone lightened slightly. "Look at the lights and scenery outside the window. It's just an ordinary street scene. Isn't there something fun to be experienced?"

Mo Xiaoxuan looked at Lu Yu in confusion. He knew that this boss always had unique ideas, but this time the implication was a little confusing.

"Everyone's pursuit of fun is different, and as game designers, our most important mission is to meet the needs and aspirations of different players." Lu Yu said, turning around with a smile on his face and a glint in his eyes. "No matter how huge and realistic our world design is, it's meaningless if players can't find fun in it."

Mo Xiaoxuan finally understood and nodded. As a seasoned game producer, Lu Yu had truly hit the nail on the head. They constantly pondered how to ensure players enjoyed their games, yet often overlooked the most fundamental and essential experience.

"So, perhaps what we need to do now is to re-examine the true meaning of the word 'fun'. Let's look at the world from a different perspective." Lu Yu said, his expression suddenly changing, his eyes radiating a warm light. "Xiaoxuan, do you think we can change the environment and rethink this problem in a more friendly and interesting way?"

Mo Xiaoxuan looked at Lu Yu in surprise, not understanding for a moment. At this moment, Lu Yu suddenly snapped his fingers and smiled: "I have an idea! Let's go out for a walk this time!"

"Go out? Where to?" Mo Xiaoxuan was stunned.

"Of course, we're going to the most fun place!" Lu Yu said with a relaxed expression. He picked up the key from the desk and waved to the door. "Follow me. I'll open your eyes!"

The other employees who were working overtime in the office heard the noise and looked over curiously. They didn't expect that the usually serious Mr. Lu would be so excited today.

"Let's go to Universal Studios now and let you experience firsthand what the true meaning of 'fun' is!" Lu Yu said in a heroic tone, striding out of the office first.

Mo Xiaoxuan and the others looked at each other in bewilderment. Before they could react, they saw Lu Yu had already turned back and spread his hands helplessly: "Why are you still standing there? Hurry up and pack your things and catch up. I'm going to pay for tonight's supper!"
The group drove out of the office building under the moonlight and headed for the famous amusement park. In the car, Lu Yu spoke eloquently, unpacking his thoughts: "Look, take the amusement park, for example. It cleverly combines exploration, challenge, and joy, allowing people to fully experience the meaning of fun while having fun."

“When we designed the open map for No Nights, we were able to draw on this concept. We wanted to allow players to experience unexpected surprises while roaming the world. Each landscape should not only be a realistic reproduction, but also contain a unique and fun experience.”

"Take an ordinary mountain as an example. Besides allowing players to wander and climb, we can also design it to hide rare treasures, or offer panoramic views of the peak, or make the mountain path winding and full of small surprises, and so on. Only in this way can players find unique fun while experiencing the world."

"Do you understand what I mean? An amusement park is to young people what a vast and colorful open world is to our games. They both embody humanity's purest joy and fantasy. Only by grasping this concept can we design a masterpiece that will make your blood boil!"

Mo Xiaoxuan was struck by a sudden enlightenment, gaining a new understanding of the philosophy behind Lu Yu's words. It turns out that the pursuit isn't just about realism, but also about incorporating elements of joy and fun, allowing players to gain a more meaningful and enjoyable experience while exploring.

Inside the train, everyone chatted excitedly about the park's attractions, their hidden surprises and delights. As we journeyed, the confusion in our hearts vanished, replaced by a surge of enthusiasm and fighting spirit.

Before they knew it, the car had arrived at its destination. The dazzling neon lights of Universal Studios shone brightly in the dark night. As the group gathered at the entrance, Lu Yu took a deep breath and said, "Alright, everyone! Let's dive into this paradise right now and experience the true meaning of 'fun' for ourselves!"

Everyone filed in, greeted by a cacophony of joy. The amusement park was filled with childish cheers and exaggerated mechanical sounds, while uniquely shaped rides loomed amidst the flashing neon lights.

"Look over there! That's a roller coaster!" an employee exclaimed, pointing to the steel monolith rising from the ground in the distance. The dazzling roller coaster resembled a mad steel python, winding through thrilling curves and vertical ramps, sometimes escaping into dark tunnels, sometimes soaring through the air, and soaring all the way to the sky.

"Huh? What's that?" a female employee suddenly pointed to the side. A space capsule-shaped amusement ride was spinning rapidly in mid-air, causing the crowd to gasp in surprise. Lu Yu added, "That's called the 'centrifugal rotating cabin.' It's one of the most popular experiences among young people. It's incredibly fast and creates a strong sense of weightlessness and imbalance. It's truly thrilling!"

Everyone smiled at each other, captivated by the creativity and novelty evident in this paradise. Mo Xiaoxuan suddenly had an idea: if these interesting elements were incorporated into No Nights' map and mission design, the open world would surely become vibrant and engaging, giving players ample motivation to explore and a thrilling experience.

(End of this chapter)