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

Planner Mo Xiaoxuan added: "Yes, especially for novice players. If we don't give them a clear 'goal', they might not even explore the plot and might just give up on the game."

Lu Yu pondered for a moment and slowly said, "Freedom and guidance are not inherently contradictory. A truly good game should allow players to 'feel free,' but in reality, the game world is subtly guiding them."

He pointed to a map on the screen and said, "For example, we can set up 'environmental narratives' at key locations. During exploration, players can inadvertently discover fragments of information, allowing them to piece together the story themselves, rather than being forced by the game."

"In this way, players will feel like they are 'discovering' the plot rather than being 'told' about it, and this sense of immersion is the most real."

In the conference room, everyone nodded, seemingly lost in thought.

After a long silence, Lu Yu took a deep breath and said slowly: "We must return to the players' emotional experience and find a core concept that can truly drive players."

He picked up a water-based pen and wrote a few keywords on the whiteboard -

"Immersion", "Emotional Resonance", "Desire to Explore", "Self-Growth"

He turned around, looked at his team members with a burning gaze, and said firmly: "What we want to create is not just a 'fun game', but a world 'that players want to live in'."

"We want them to experience real growth, real challenges, and real emotional ups and downs in the game."

"Rather than simply 'playing a game'."

Everyone in the conference room was silent.

But this time, their eyes were no longer confused, but gradually ignited a new light -

That is the hope of breaking through difficulties!

……

Late at night, the lights of the Magic City are still brilliant, and vehicles are passing through the streets, casting a colorful light and shadow.

In the meeting room of Taoyuan Township Studio, the atmosphere was terribly depressing.

The air was filled with the smell of cold coffee, and plans, code notes, and model sketches were scattered on the table. Almost everyone had dark circles under their eyes and looked exhausted.

The entire team has been working overtime for half a month and is on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Planning Director Mo Xiaoxuan rubbed his temples and said hoarsely, "...So, to summarize, we encountered three core issues: insufficient emotional resonance in the worldview, conflicts between freedom and guidance, and a lack of immersion in the core game experience."

"If we don't address these issues, it will be difficult for the game to live up to our expectations."

After he finished speaking, he looked around.

No one answered.

Everyone was silent, with empty eyes.

"..."

Mo Xiaoxuan sighed, put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes tiredly.

This is the reality of game development - the road to innovation is always full of challenges, and when you try to subvert the rules of the industry, it will be ten times more difficult than you think.

"...Brother Lu, what do you think?"

He turned his head and looked at Lu Yu who was sitting at the front of the conference table. He expected to see a serious and thoughtful face, but in the end—

Lu Yu was actually laughing.

It wasn't a sneer, nor was it a self-deprecating laugh, but a genuine, heartfelt ecstasy as if one had won the lottery.

"Great!"

Lu Yu slammed the table, his eyes shining like stars in the night sky.

Mo Xiaoxuan: “?”

Zhang Qiqi: “?”

Chu Xiong: “?”

Everyone in the conference room was stunned.

Very good?
What's so good?

We have encountered so many difficult problems, and you actually say it’s great?
Are you crazy?
"Sure enough, the best solution is to lie down!" Lu Yu stood up and stretched, looking relaxed as if he had just solved a world problem. "Yes, our game has indeed encountered a big problem, and it cannot be solved in a short time."

"so what?"

He looked around at everyone in the conference room, the corners of his mouth slightly raised: "We - won't solve it."

The conference room suddenly fell into deathly silence.

After a few seconds, Chu Xiong frowned, suspecting that he had misheard: "...What did you say?"

"No solution." Lu Yu said as a matter of course, "Since it can't be solved in a short time, then let's not solve it for now and wait until inspiration comes later."

The corners of Mo Xiaoxuan's mouth twitched slightly: "Are you serious?"

"of course."

Lu Yu said with a smile: "Since the problem can't be solved in a short time, why don't we take the opportunity to enjoy life?"

As he spoke, he opened his phone and clicked on the calendar, his eyes full of excitement. "Come on, everyone, take a look. There are a lot of fun activities in Shanghai recently. We can take this opportunity to relax!"

"For example, there's a huge game expo going on right now. We can go and have a look at what our peers are up to."

"Also, I heard a high-end Japanese hot spring resort recently opened. After working on games to this extent, how can I be kind to my shoulders and neck if I don't go soak in a hot spring?"

"Besides, who hasn't heard of that new barbecue restaurant on Night Snack Street? Grilled lamb chops, spicy crayfish, oysters and ice-cold beer... Guys, shouldn't we treat ourselves?"

"Oh, by the way, there's a super exciting sci-fi blockbuster showing in the cinema recently, with amazing IMAX special effects. Should we go see it?"

"Also, there's another thing! There's a really popular escape room recently. I heard it's incredibly difficult. Should we give it a try?"

"At worst, we can go to the suburbs and rent a B&B, go fishing, barbecue, drink, play games, and completely let go of ourselves and feel the beauty of life!"

In the conference room, everyone looked at him in amazement, as if they were seeing a monster that had completely let himself go.

【Team Collapse vs Heartbeat】

"...Brother Lu, are you serious?" Zhang Qiqi asked in shock.

"Of course." Lu Yu nodded confidently, "Work is important, but life is more important."

"We don't make games to suffer. We create happiness for the sake of happiness. Now that we're no longer happy, it means we're heading in the wrong direction. It's time to stop and make adjustments."

Zhang Qiqi: "..."

Mo Xiaoxuan: “…”

Chu Xiong: “…”

Everyone looked at each other, as if they wanted to refute something but were unable to speak.

because……

It seems... makes sense?
They have been working overtime for half a month in a row. Their brains are about to explode, their creativity is exhausted, their thinking is rigid, and every day when they open their eyes, they think about code, plans, bugs, and optimization. They have become like zombies.

But now, Lu Yu suddenly told them——

Take a vacation! Have fun! Enjoy life!

Their reason tells them that this is not right.

But the body...has begun to honestly desire it.

Hot springs… midnight snack… movies… escape room… picnic…

It seems like it’s really cool?

【Final decision: lie down! 】

"Everyone votes within five minutes." Lu Yu said with a smile, "Either continue to work overtime or go out and relax. The decision with the most votes counts."

"But I have to remind you, if you choose to work overtime, don't even think about taking a vacation for the next month." Everyone: "..."

Five minutes later, the voting results were announced——

Everyone supports lying down!

Lu Yu nodded with satisfaction: "Very good, the plan is officially launched!"

"Everyone has a day off tomorrow morning! We'll go to the hot springs at noon, try the escape room in the afternoon, and have a barbecue supper in the evening!"

"The day after tomorrow, we'll go to the game show in the afternoon and watch a movie in the evening!"

"The day after tomorrow, I'll rent a suburban villa, drink wine, eat meat, and enjoy life!"

"In short, everyone's mission is to completely relax and return to their best form!"

There was a burst of cheers in the conference room.

Everyone instantly became refreshed, the fatigue on their faces disappeared, and their eyes were full of anticipation.

At this moment, everyone understood one thing——

Lu Yu is not giving up, he is using the most extreme way to help the team regain creativity.

True inspiration is not forced, but lived out!

Outside the window, the night view of Shanghai is still bright, but the atmosphere in Taoyuan Township Studio has become more relaxed than ever before.

This "lying down plan" is about to be officially launched!

……

The long table was filled with various documents, and the electronic screen on the wall was playing a publicity and promotion cooperation plan. Lu Yu, who was sitting in the main seat, raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.

His fingers tapped lightly on the table, his eyes fixed on a man in a suit sitting opposite him.

The man was in his early thirties, with his hair combed meticulously, a professional smile on his face, and a hint of shrewdness and calculation in his eyes.

"Mr. Lu, what do you think of our promotional plan?"

He leaned forward slightly, his tone respectful, but his eyes flickered with anticipation.

Lu Yu narrowed his eyes and the smile on his lips deepened a little.

"The plan is very good, very good." He nodded, his tone sincere and flawless. "I think this may be the most perfect promotional plan I have ever seen."

When the other party heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Really?"

"Of course." Lu Yu smiled, his tone firm. "I even feel that your plan is so perfect that it makes me a little uneasy - because it completely exceeded my expectations and can be called a work of genius."

The other person's smile grew even brighter, and the confidence on his face visibly doubled.

He waved his hand and said modestly, "Mr. Lu, you're too kind. We're just doing our best and hope to bring the most publicity to Taoyuan Township's game."

Lu Yu nodded slightly, with a barely perceptible hint of teasing in his eyes.

Do your best?

Haha...you really are trying your best.

[Publicity and Marketing Plan: The higher you blow, the harder you fall]

The partner this time is a domestic public relations company specializing in game promotion and marketing. It is known as the top in the industry and has managed marketing campaigns for games from many major manufacturers.

But Lu Yu was very clear that their plan was completely setting a trap for Taoyuan Township.

why?
Because their publicity and promotion strategy is not a steady and cautious approach, but an extremely exaggerated "myth marketing".

According to the content of this plan, Taoyuan Township’s new game has been touted as a “groundbreaking masterpiece” before it was officially launched, and even “a disruptor of the global gaming industry” has become one of its promotional slogans.

“This game will completely change the future of open world games!”

“It’s not just a game, it’s a technological revolution!”

"It will surpass 'Abyss,' 'Void Edge,' and 'Quantum Rift,' and become the world's recognized number one!"

"After playing this game, all players will never be able to accept other games!"

Lu Yu looked at the "domineering" slogans on the publicity plan, and the smile on his face grew deeper and deeper.

——My goodness, are you planning to directly place Taoyuan Township on the altar and then throw it down hard?
These days, players' expectations are a double-edged sword.

The higher you blow, the harder you fall.

If the game can really reach such outrageous heights, everyone will be happy.

But the problem is that the game is still in the development stage. Even if all the members of the Taoyuan Township team work hard, it is impossible to truly achieve "epoch-making subversion" in a short period of time.

This publicity and promotion plan is ostensibly to build momentum for Taoyuan Township, but in reality it is creating a "bubble of player expectations."

Once the game is officially launched, even if it is really excellent, it will inevitably be compared by players with these exaggerated publicity.

——If anything fails to meet expectations, you will be criticized.

By then, "masterpiece" will become "thunderbolt", "subversion" will become "fraud", and the backlash of public opinion will be devastating.

Of course Lu Yu could see that this public relations company was not here to help, but was being instructed to praise and destroy Taoyuan Township.

But he didn't expose it. Instead, he smiled and went with the flow.

“This plan is really great.”

"I never expected that our game would be rated so highly by you. I am flattered."

He sighed, with just the right amount of "admiration and trust" in his eyes.

The other person's smile grew even brighter. "Mr. Lu, you're too polite. Your game deserves such an evaluation!"

"Then let's follow this plan." Lu Yu smiled and decided, "We will go all out in publicity and promotion, and at all costs, push our game to the top."

The other party was stunned, as if he didn't expect Lu Yu to be so straightforward.

"Really?"

"Of course." Lu Yu nodded, his tone firm, "Since you are all so confident, then of course we have to trust the judgment of professionals."

“…Haha, that’s great!”

The other person was grinning from ear to ear, with a glimmer of triumph in his eyes.

Very good, the plan is half successful.

When the game is officially launched and expectations are dashed, the players' anger will completely engulf Utopia.

By then, no matter how much Lu Yu explained, he would not be able to reverse the tide of public opinion!
Chuxiong's doubts

After the people from the PR company left, Program Director Chu Xiong frowned and looked at Lu Yu with confusion on his face.

"Brother Lu, are you really going to follow their plan?"

"Why not?" Lu Yu looked at him with a smile, his tone as relaxed as if he was talking about the weather.

"But... there's clearly something wrong with their plan! They're completely over-hyping it!" Chu Xiong couldn't help but say, "Our game isn't at that level yet. If player expectations are raised too high, the consequences will be disastrous!"

Lu Yu shrugged his shoulders, his expression indifferent: "The higher you blow, the harder you fall."

Chu Xiong was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized what was happening, his pupils shrinking slightly: "...Did you do this on purpose?"

"Of course." Lu Yu smiled, his eyes deep, "They want to dig a hole for us to jump into, so we will go with the flow and dig the hole a little bigger."

He paused, a meaningful smile curling up at the corner of his mouth. "When they realize that the pit they're in isn't for us, but for themselves...it's going to be exciting, right?" (End of this chapter)