Since we are both reborn, of course I would choose the rich woman!

Chapter 373: A Lesson Learned (6k views, please subscribe)

Long before, Lü Yao and Rong Nianqing had been preparing for the press conference after the 2017 Spring Festival.

Both sides devoted a lot of energy to this. Lü Yao held remote meetings with Lei Zong to help Rong Nianqing write articles and make PPTs. At the same time, Lü Yao was also using his game company to create momentum in advance.

The annual gala that Rong Nianqing just held was also a prelude to this event.

This is a huge issue.

It was a project that Lü Yao could never have accomplished on his own, and it was also a project that Rong Nianqing and her team could not have accomplished well on their own. That's why Rong Nianqing needed to use the name "Huasheng Holdings" to bring more people into this circle.

The online public opinion campaign has largely subsided. Netizens' emotions have been stirred up by Lü Yao's game update, resulting in a large accumulation of emotions and traffic on the internet. Even though competitors in the gaming and mobile phone manufacturing industries are using this event to attract traffic, while their efforts have not been entirely fruitless, the overall results have been less than satisfactory.

The reason why netizens have so much resentment towards Guangan is because Guangan is indeed dedicated to making games. Compared to game companies like Tencent and NetEase, which have a more unscrupulous business practices, Guangan's games are almost impeccable in terms of gameplay, quality, and attitude towards users.

Even though this quality upgrade has impacted and tested the performance of mobile phones for gamers, it cannot be said to be wrong.

The dissatisfaction of many players with mid-to-low-end devices is not due to dissatisfaction with the game itself, but rather because they cannot play the game!

Even if Guang'an releases a heavily optimized version with reduced graphics so that more players with mid-to-low-end PCs can enjoy the game, a large number of players will still be dissatisfied.

They would think—

Why can rich guys play such high-definition and cool games, while I can only play the downgraded version?

Especially now that the penetration rate of iPhones and tech phones is not low, and Douyin's game live streaming function has been launched and is mature, when players who originally had mid-to-low-end configurations enjoy the gaming experience of higher configurations, the sense of loss when they go back to playing those less impressive games is huge.

Human vision and hearing are theoretically very difficult to satisfy.

In pursuit of the ultimate sound effects, many audiophiles can even assemble equipment worth millions of dollars. However, once such equipment is accumulated to a certain extent, the subtle differences within it become difficult to perceive.

The actual sound quality of a sound system costing a few hundred thousand yuan may not be that much different from that of a sound system costing hundreds of thousands or millions of yuan.

But when you get used to equipment costing millions, the psychological gap can be huge when you experience equipment costing a few hundred thousand.

For enthusiasts who are used to equipment costing tens of thousands of dollars, the shock and experience of suddenly experiencing equipment costing millions of dollars will be unforgettable.

The reason why so many people are drawn into the "music equipment" pit is because of the magic of "enhanced sensory experience".

The visual effect is the same.

If you've experienced the ultimate graphics of Cyberpunk, can you still play Peacekeeper Elite?

This is the truth.

This time, Lü Yao aims to leverage netizens' pursuit of "sensory experiences" to drive traffic to the upcoming press conference.

Half a week later, online discussions and complaints about Guang'an's "Honor of Kings" had intensified. The resentment of a considerable number of Guang'an's "Honor of Kings" players was like a balloon that had expanded to its limit, ready to explode at any moment.

The most devastating way to deal with the crisis was because "Light Shore" failed to handle it properly.

It was under these circumstances that Lü Yao's official Weibo account, Guang'an's official Weibo account, and Guang'an's official Weibo account for "Honor of Kings" all released a message: an emergency live stream in which Lü Yao would explain the current situation.

Players who had been harboring grievances online for a long time finally found an outlet for their anger. Within just half an hour, Lü Yao's account, Guang An's account, and the official account of "Honor of Kings" were all flooded with messages.

"Lu Zei-style Company"

"Kowtowing to the rich guy's company."

"Learn from the penguins!"

"A despicable company that uses game development to sell mobile phones."

Such comments were commonplace, and some of the more offensive remarks made the Guang'an project team members increasingly annoyed.

Although the order was issued by Lü Yao, the Guang'an "Honor of Kings" project team was truly doing their best to optimize the current technology to a considerable level, and even brought Guang'an's software optimization of hardware to a very high level.

But the performance of mobile phone chips is what it is; what can they do about it?
Not to mention that domestic mid-to-low-end models have many problems due to issues with the system, tuning, and internal design, making them definitely inferior to Apple in terms of compatibility and performance.

Let's not even talk about Apple.

Even geeks can't compare.

Geek phones were originally designed for gaming. Larger sizes, thicker bodies, and larger, better screens can improve chip performance to some extent—the logic is simple: a larger body means more internal space, allowing for more rational design.

With better heat dissipation and longer battery life, the chip's performance can be maximized.

This is also why laptop performance is difficult to catch up with desktop computer performance.

Desktop computers have such a large internal space that they can secretly rotate the chip fans and case fans for heat dissipation, which can maximize the performance of the chips and graphics cards.

Not to mention that the Geek Phone's operating system is a redesign based on the Android system, and the development costs for this are quite considerable.

What about other domestically produced mobile phones?
Trying to copy Apple's design to make a thin and light phone, but lacking Apple's system ecosystem and Apple's own designed chips, results in a hybrid that is neither fish nor fowl.

In this situation, no matter how advanced their technology is, they can't close such a large gap.

Faced with a deluge of negative comments online, the members of the Guang'an "Honor of Kings" project team were seething with anger, but they didn't know who to vent their frustration on.

Because Lu Yao strictly forbade them from expressing any opinions to the outside world, all the major project teams of Guang'an entered a state of silence.

The live Q&A session announced by Lü Yao and Guang'an's official Weibo account will take place at 7:30 pm the following day.

Time flies.

Amidst everyone's busy preparations, the agreed-upon live stream time finally arrived.

Amidst the eager anticipation of countless Guang'an users and the diligent preparations of Guang'an employees, Lü Yao and the live streaming team were ready, and then began streaming directly at 7:30 PM.

This live stream was conducted on Douyin (TikTok).

When Lü Yao's face appeared in his official account's live stream, he said to the camera, "Good evening everyone, I am Lü Yao."

As he spoke, Lü Yao took two steps back, showing the netizens the environment behind him.

At this moment, Lü Yao was in the office of the "Honor of Kings" project team at Guang'an. Behind him, hundreds of employees were working hard in front of their computers, and various tests were being carried out in full swing.

After displaying this scene for a few seconds, Lü Yao said, "Recently, I've noticed that many Guang'an users on the internet have expressed considerable dissatisfaction with our company. Here, I'll read some of the comments online."

As he spoke, Lü Yao picked up the cue cards and read aloud the online comments criticizing Guang An into the camera.

After reading the key points of these comments, Lü Yao put down his cue card and smiled wryly at the camera: "Some of these online comments say that our company is just like me, Lü Yao, snobbish and greedy; some netizens even boldly speculate that I make games just to sell mobile phones."

"I don't actually deny that."

Lu Yao made a harmless joke at the camera.

Lü Yao's opening remarks ignited the enthusiasm of netizens.

Users of the "Rich Brother" faction expressed their opinions:

"Mr. Lü, you did a great job with this update. The mobile game is finally starting to look decent."

"The level of detail and quality in this update is a pleasant surprise—from geek1Promax"

"So what if you're a snob in business? Does that mean you have to help the poor? Are you gamers or gold diggers?"

Those from the "Poor Brother" faction started making sarcastic remarks:

"Oh right, we poor people don't deserve to play Guang'an games, let's play Penguin games instead, okay?"

"Although penguins are a pain, they don't mind that we're poor."

"I have to buy a phone that costs almost 10,000 yuan just for a crappy game? With that money, I could build a computer and play any game I want! Wouldn't it be more fun to just play League of Legends?"

Looking at the rapidly scrolling comments in the live stream, Lü Yao smiled wryly again: "I know many netizens are very dissatisfied with the lag caused by the update, but this is by no means the intention of Guang'an Games. Before updating the new version, we also tested it on low-end and mid-range mobile phone models. In the first two updates, although the game used a lot of performance, it could still run."

"It's just that this later update, because the previous updates were added together, ultimately became the key to breaking the limit."

Lu Yao frankly admitted to the camera: "This was indeed a mistake on our part."

After speaking, Lü Yao bowed deeply to the camera.

After standing up straight again, Lü Yao's expression turned serious, and he changed his tone, saying, "But I don't think Guang'an did anything wrong this time. Although games are rejected by the mainstream world and are considered to be a waste of time and a detriment to one's studies."

"However, game development has always been related to the world's top high-tech industries. Whether it's programming, visual effects, or the core chips that run games, they are all the crystallization of human wisdom. Therefore, Guangan's pursuit of higher game quality is not, as some people say, 'discriminating against the poor and favoring the rich,' nor is it for 'selling mobile phones.'"

Lu Yao's eyes grew increasingly determined: "We at Guang'an are climbing higher peaks of technology, and in the process of climbing, we are seeking a better path."

As he spoke, Lü Yao stepped aside, allowing the live stream camera to follow him as he toured the office area of ​​the Guang'an "Honor of Kings" project team.

After slowly showing the interior of Guang'an Company's offices, Lü Yao spoke to the camera again: "After the problem occurred, our project team actively sought solutions. All 397 employees in the 'Honor of Kings' project team, from project managers to programmers, have been doing their best to find ways to optimize the game. From the time the problem occurred until now, we have worked non-stop for over two hundred hours. In just over ten days, we have proposed sixteen solutions and optimized nearly a hundred issues, large and small." "Therefore, I am confident that in the next hot patch update, we will resolve the current lag issue while also ensuring that the game's quality does not decline too much."

After Lü Yao finished speaking, the live stream chat room immediately erupted in excitement.

The more ruthless those Black Light Shore people were before, the more they cheered now!

"Holy crap! Awesome!! Well done, Mr. Lü!"

"Very good! Mr. Lü looks very energetic!"

"Damn, why am I suddenly filled with respect for Guang'an? A game is actually taking up the banner of technological exploration? Could this be another marketing ploy by Lu Zhe?"

It has to be said that some netizens are quite astute. Based on Lü Yao's past actions, some astute netizens quickly deduced Lü Yao's true intentions.

However, such astute netizens are ultimately a minority. Even if they discover Lü Yao's true intentions, not many people take these words seriously—except for Lü Yao's business partners.

Meanwhile, many netizens also issued apologies, albeit belatedly:

"I was wrong [crying][crying], I shouldn't have criticized President Lü, I'm sorry President Lü, I was wrong."

"[Crying][Crying] I knew it was good that President Lü was pursuing this! He's the one who saved us from the ravages of Tencent! [Crying][Crying]"

"Alright guys, I admit I was wrong! I admit my previous attacks on Guang'an and President Lü were wrong. If we're wrong, we have to admit it. Tonight I'll livestream myself eating my secret-recipe mini burgers!!"

The comment above shocked many netizens, attracting far more attention than those who guessed Lü Yao's true purpose. After seeing the comment, viewers in the live stream exclaimed "Holy crap!" to show their respect, then liked and followed the blogger who posted the comment, ready to watch this bizarre internet spectacle.

This is also a way of choosing a phone number these days.

For many grassroots contestants who are not good-looking, have no talent, and can't even "giao" (a slang term for being outdone) by others, poop and pee are always the best way to get a number.

Amidst the enthusiastic discussion and joyful atmosphere, Lü Yao posed another question in front of the camera: "This time we exhausted all our wisdom and methods to optimize the game, but when we create an even better quality game, do we choose to release it or shelve it?"

"Or, let me ask it another way."

"What else can we do after we've optimized the software to its fullest potential?"

Lu Yao frowned slightly at the camera, and his question left the players in front of the screen completely bewildered. What was this guy talking about? Aren't they a game company? Aren't they thinking about a lot more things?
Ignoring the doubts of netizens, Lü Yao addressed the audience in front of the camera once again: "Perhaps, we can do more."

"Just like the mission of Guang'an—to let more people feel happiness, and happiness should not only be limited to the game itself. After the New Year, I will present the solutions I have come up with to everyone."

Finally, Lü Yao bowed again to the viewers in front of the screen to express his gratitude: "Thank you all for your love, support and criticism of Guang'an Games. See you after the New Year."

The live stream team then shut down the stream.

Many viewers who watched the live stream were confused. Why is Lü Yao acting so strangely? The press conference has ended, yet he's still leaving viewers with such a big mystery.

Fortunately, the Spring Festival is not far away, so let's wait and see what Lü Yao will do next.

There are only two weeks left until the press conference after the Lunar New Year.

Because it was the end of the year, the entire Dongda University was bustling with activity, both online and offline.

Major businesses are taking advantage of the Lunar New Year holiday to launch a series of promotions, with advertisements everywhere, both online and offline, all advertising Spring Festival sales and year-end clearance sales.

In such an atmosphere, netizens' memories are easily washed away by the various information during the Spring Festival, not to mention the absolute king of traffic during the Spring Festival - the Spring Festival Gala.

Maintaining public attention on Guang'an during such a high-energy period of information overload is undoubtedly a huge test of Lü Yao's marketing skills.

Fortunately.

The end of the year and the Spring Festival are also a time of celebration for major game companies.

Spring Festival events, Spring Festival skins, annual limited skins, and other activities can attract a significant number of users to the game. Through in-game splash screen ads, Lü Yao can attract a considerable number of users to the press conference where Rong Nianqing appears.

Lu Yao has already made plans for the upcoming marketing campaign.

After Lü Yao's live stream ended, many bloggers in the gaming and mobile phone industries on the internet started to capitalize on the traffic generated by Lü Yao's live stream and began writing articles about it.

Is the gaming industry taking the lead in technological exploration? Is it arrogance or lofty ambition?

"Looking at the Birth of a Great Company Through Guang'an!"

No wonder Guang'an was able to compete with penguins in just a few years!

Some self-help gurus even started riding on Lü Yao's coattails to embellish their own reputations—by claiming, "I Learned Eight Key Insights from Guang'an's Success!!"

Various internet media outlets capitalized on this trending topic for three days. After three days, the related hype began to subside. At this time, Lü Yao released an announcement from Guang'an's "Honor of Kings," announcing that a hot patch would be updated in three days. In addition, to improve the gaming experience for players, Geek's mobile phone coolers would be sold at a 50% discount for a limited time.

However, players can only obtain the exclusive discount link through in-game announcement emails.

The phone cooler developed by geeks is indeed useful. It uses solid materials and has a reasonable design, which can effectively reduce the problem of phone overheating. At the same time, the phone cooler developed by geeks is also very beautiful, avant-garde and full of technology.

However, its high price of 128 yuan has deterred many mobile phone users. Now, it is on sale for half price for a limited time, which has immediately attracted many non-geek mobile phone users.

Let alone non-geeky mobile phone game users, even many users who don't play games much are tempted.

Many scalpers even considered hoarding and buying up all the goods.

However, the purchase process, which involves linking identity information through game redirects, leaves most scalpers with limited resources unable to participate.

Lu Yao's "compensation" once again boosted the popularity of Guang'an's "Honor of Kings". The number of registered users and player recharges of "Honor of Kings" reached a new high during the year-end and Spring Festival period.

The extravagant annual meeting at Guang'an once again sparked public discussion and buzz online.

In any case, amidst the flood of promotional advertisements at the end of the year and the Spring Festival, Guang'an has always firmly occupied a place in the top ten of the internet's popularity rankings.

Such overwhelming popularity naturally brought about a huge positive feedback, and it wasn't just Guangan's "Honor of Kings" that saw an increase in revenue; all of Guangan's games experienced a surge in recharges.

Faced with this situation, the executives of several major domestic game companies are having a real headache.

Only now did some of the slower-reacting managers realize that they had previously thought this incident was Lu Yao's overconfidence after his "extreme success," a case of carelessness leading to disaster. Little did they expect that it would turn out to be a marketing event with an extremely unexpected twist.

Following this incident, some studios under NetEase and Tencent have been reflecting on the situation.

Should we learn from Nanguang'an and keep up with technological advancements?
But if you really want to learn it that way, the price will be too high.

The reason Shangnan Guang'an can do this is because they are willing to spend money. They have spent more than 300 billion yuan on system optimization and content optimization alone. Yes, the software engineering task force assembled by Lü Yao also participated in the optimization process, which enabled Shangnan Guang'an to complete the optimization in such a short time.

To address this, they almost completely rebuilt the game. Fortunately, the game uses independent code, which allows them to continuously solve problems through small updates.

But most importantly!

Players in the market really love Guang'an's "Honor of Kings" right now!

Even though the game experience was terrible before, they still didn't give up. After Guang'an gradually solved the problems, all the players who had vowed to quit the game before came back.

Many players who left even felt extremely regretful.

Because Guang'an gave away an epic limited skin called "Guardian" for free to all players who stayed in the game.

And one of the characteristics of Guang'an is—

Free limited-edition epic skins are definitely the best of the best, and their value is no less than that of legendary skins.

Five days before the Spring Festival, Guang'an finally completed all the optimizations for this update, and players with mid-to-low-end devices can finally play the game relatively smoothly at medium graphics settings. At the same time, the release of the "Year of the Rooster" limited edition skin directly propelled Guang'an's "Honor of Kings" to the top of the trending search list that day.

Weibo, Douyin, WeChat Moments, and official accounts are flooded with information about Guang'an's "Honor of Kings," as if it were an early Spring Festival.

The ultimate collector's edition skin for the Year of the Rooster doesn't require real money to purchase; players can obtain it simply by completing a few easy daily tasks.

This has led to Guang'an's "Honor of Kings" achieving the top position among domestic mobile games in terms of daily active users.

This is also one of Lü Yao's marketing tactics.

To claim this ultimate collector's edition skin, you need to complete various tasks according to the mission process. You can claim it on the 8th day of the Lunar New Year, which is the 7th day of the Lunar New Year.

That was also the first day back to work after the holiday...

Of course, some less standardized companies may resume work on the fourth or fifth day of the Lunar New Year.

But no matter what, the festive atmosphere was still there, everyone's enthusiasm was still there, and it wasn't so easy to get back to work. This period of time was enough to do the following marketing.

But before the Spring Festival, Rong Nianqing urgently contacted Lü Yao: "I think the time can be moved up a little!"

After seeing the message, Lü Yao asked, "When do you want to move it to?"

(End of this chapter)