Age of Legends

Chapter 249 The Helmsman

"Then what about war? If both sides enter the war interface, how will the tactics be implemented? And since it's a web game, how will the matchmaking be handled if two players are fighting? They can't be online 24/7, can they?" Xie Yu, nicknamed "Chai Chai," values ​​the combat system the most. When he talks about designing the combat system, he trembles with fear.

Who understands the thrill of designing a game and incorporating your ideal battle scenes?

"That is indeed a problem. The players are the ones fighting each other. When the players log off, should the system be automated? That's not easy to design. If it's fair, the automated system might not be able to beat real players who are good at finding bugs and exploiting vulnerabilities in the system," Jing Qinming said.

"Moreover, I estimate that web pages cannot support a map-based campaign mode like Romance of the Three Kingdoms, as the amount of information that needs to be processed in real time is too large." Luo Chengyue also expressed concern about this crucial step in the game.

Zhang Chen pondered for a moment and then said, "Cut it off!"

"Cut it off?" Jing Qinming asked in surprise.

"Cut off the tactical interface?" Xie Yu felt like the sky was falling!
Zhang Chen nodded, "All offensive and defensive battles will be calculated using the dice-rolling formula from D&D games!"

Dungeons & Dragons (DND) games, also known as the Dungeons & Dragons series, originated from European and American tabletop games. Similar to strategy games, they digitize all attack, defense, and spells, and use dice to fight, with the result determining the outcome of each battle.

This is a so-called dice-rolling game that's similar to a gambling mechanism and can be quite addictive.

You might be decked out in top-tier gear, but if you happen to throw out a "1," a card representing a weakness, you'll be instantly killed by a monster. Conversely, you might live a life of unbridled indulgence, riddled with weaknesses, yet manage to throw out a "9," creating a devastating situation and defeating a monster far beyond your level.

Of course, the basic attributes also determine the bonuses from the dice, which is why dice games that are popular all over the world at this time, such as Baldur's Gate and Fallout, belong to this category.

These people are all seasoned gamers; they understand immediately.

"Speaking of D&D rules, they're really interesting. Spells have to be prepared in advance, and you can prepare a few each day. But once you encounter a monster, they're gone after you've used them all. And when you're meditating on spells, you might encounter strange events, like being targeted by an evil god from another dimension. Now, those games with mana bars, where you can just throw spells as long as you have mana, it's like an idiot game." Jing Qinming started talking.

"We need to adapt to the times. The D&D rules are too complex, which is not conducive to the game's spread." Zhang Chen thought to himself that Western fantasy RPGs are actually based on the Dungeons & Dragons rules. Initially, they were very complex, making it difficult for players to get started. Then Blizzard Entertainment came along and released Diablo. When it was released, it was heavily criticized by traditional D&D players, who said it broke the rules. However, the Diablo series swept all the fantasy game charts, and its sales skyrocketed. Later, Blizzard launched the online game World of Warcraft, which took ease of use and operation to the extreme. It was truly a groundbreaking game and ushered in a long golden age for Blizzard.

Unfortunately, all legends must come to an end. Zhang Chen came from an era of falling stars and witnessing various miracles, and now he only feels that this drowsy new century is exuding a fatal allure.

Luo Chengyue nodded: "Actually, that works too! Basic troop types can be simplified into numerical values, while generals can provide bonuses or effects to soldiers. We calculate these in the background. The basic values ​​plus the dice rolls are essentially the unpredictable factors on the battlefield. Players can understand this. No matter how well prepared you are, without the east wind, you can't achieve the Battle of Red Cliffs. So, luck is a very important factor when rolling the dice."

Zhang Chen thought to himself, "It's so easy talking to these gamers who graduated from USTC. They understand everything so quickly and can expand on their knowledge. No wonder they were able to help Wang Shuowei make a fortune in the future, only to lose it all so quickly after making a mistake. Exciting."

Wang Shuowei was almost ready to applaud. "So the battle unfolded in written form, like a mud game. For example, XXX used an ambush and killed XX general's soldiers. XXX fought one-on-one and was cut down, and morale collapsed! These lines of text could explain the battle situation and make it easier to summarize the battlefield afterwards."

When Wang Shuowei talks about games, he gets incredibly excited and wants to talk about them for a whole day and night.

have to.

These guys are really cut out for making games!

"I still want to demonstrate tactical skills!" Xie Yu couldn't get over that hurdle in his mind.

Xie Yu, he must be born in the Year of the Ox, how come he can't get it right?

Zhang Chen had no choice but to further persuade them: "It's impossible! We don't have a client, so all calculations have to be done on the server side. Real-time calculations on the server are extremely resource-intensive, and then there's the latency. When there are a lot of troops, the process of troop deployment alone will cause both sides to be stuck halfway!"

“Chenchen is right to cut it! We can’t do it, so let’s make the game first. Web games can’t handle these things, so how are you going to make it work?” Jing Qinming was quite convinced by Zhang Chen.

Xie Yu was initially confused, then nodded. "Oh, right, the latency issue. If the latency can't be resolved... then forget it. What you said before is also acceptable!"

This is incredible. A seasoned strategy game enthusiast is unwilling to give up on realizing tactical ideas, but even the most experienced strategy game player's eyes instantly clear when the topic of latency and the lag caused by big data processing consumes computer resources is mentioned.

It's more effective at bringing him back to his senses than slapping him.

"Tactical aspects can be achieved using D&D dice rolling and text explanations similar to Mud Game, which I think is sufficient. The main gameplay lies in internal affairs and resource management, as well as diplomacy and player interaction, alliances, and nation wars! In fact, once a basic gameplay is established, web-based online games still focus on player interaction. Through player intrigue, backstabbing, and alliances to defeat powerful enemies and ultimately form a unified force, that's the charm of the game! And that's where our profit lies," Zhang Chen said.

Yes.

Ultimately, the goal is to make a game that generates revenue. Only by making money can a game be sustainable; it means players are paying real money to endorse your game, which is the true form of voting power.

"Since the focus is on domestic affairs development and resource management, the benefits players can gain here are twofold. One is the card-drawing system! You draw cards to get generals. However, the chance to draw cards is paid. The other is spending money to buy time. For example, the construction of domestic cities takes time. A farm might initially take a minute to upgrade to level 2, but upgrading from level 2 to level 3 might take 10 minutes. And the further you go, the longer the upgrade time becomes. At this point, if you need to quickly improve your strength, you need to use in-game gold to speed up these processes. This will allow you to strengthen yourself faster."

"Secondly, waging war takes time. The farther your troops travel, the more food you consume and the longer it takes. Other players can use strategy to observe your troop movements and attack you when your defenses are weak. Therefore, you can sell items such as 'Marching Tokens' to shorten marching time, 'Harvest Tokens' to instantly harvest farmland, and 'Resource Packs' to obtain copper coins and wood. This is a way to make money through item purchases."

What Zhang Chen said made the group feel as if a huge sum of money was about to be dumped on them, which made them all very tempted.

When it comes to designing games, they're all incredibly enthusiastic, but when it comes to monetization, they rack their brains. Then Zhang Chen simply offered a few solutions, and they immediately thought it was fantastic! Was Zhang Chen born to make money? He had a whole set of ideas for getting money out of players' pockets!

Wang Shuowei's statement, "I have a friend," is absolutely true!
Anyway, Zhang Chen threw out a few more prospects, outlined how profits would be generated, and painted a rosy picture for everyone, making everyone feel very motivated.

He then said to Xie Yu, "I understand your regret. This game is just the first one we've made together. Once we've opened up the market and built a reputation among players, we can make some money and then further develop it. For example, we can stop making web games and switch to client-based real-time strategy online games. If mobile phones become more advanced in the future, we can also develop mobile-based online games. That's all!"

Xie Yu nodded emphatically. He understood Zhang Chen's meaning, but he was still somewhat puzzled. "Playing online games on a mobile phone? These kinds of games? Are you kidding me..."

What if mobile phones become more advanced in the future?

You're talking about American science fiction movies, right?

"I can't imagine! But if it's a handheld game console that can connect to the internet, then it's possible!"

As everyone chimed in with their own opinions, Zhang Chen's vision for the future was met with resistance.

Zhang Chen didn't argue, and said, "You guys refine the design details next, and then we can start setting up the company."

"Set up a company..." The group was still somewhat bewildered and hadn't quite grasped the situation.

“Yes,” Zhang Chen nodded. “We need to start building the team. You will build a team of programmers, then graphic designers, and then planners who are familiar with the historical texts of the Three Kingdoms. Then there will be sound effects artists and music producers. These can probably be outsourced, you can consider that.”

The three of them immediately became excited.

Zhang Chen then said to Jing Qinming, "When you're working on this, it's best to create a development plan, specifying what to develop first and what to develop later. For example, when can the command system be completed, when can the battle system be completed, and what about the core gameplay SLG map system..."

Luo Chengyue said, "Yes, there's also a chat room system! Chat rooms for national wars, diplomacy, and alliances can be modified based on the IRC protocol. I made an intranet chat room when I was in college. I'll go back and see how to modify it. Maybe it will be suitable for use after modification!"

Zhang Chen nodded. "You guys build the team, and then we'll discuss the funding. We might need to rent servers first, starting with a small one and upgrading as the player base grows. Next, give me a detailed list of the personnel you need for each position. Also, provide the necessary hardware for the technical implementation so I can make a budget. Then we'll decide on the initial investment. How about our shareholding structure?"

Jing Qinming nodded, "Okay! Let's go back and organize this, compiling a budget table of the personnel and expenses we need for each development step. Then we can discuss the follow-up."

A budget and a plan are necessary to understand the expenses at each stage of the project and to calculate the initial investment.

This is because it involves the company's capital injection. Of course, Zhang Chen's idea is to take a 50% stake by investing more capital, leaving 30% for Xie Qinming's team of three and 5% for Wang Shuowei. This is to get Wang Shuowei involved and also to get him to open up his slush fund to prevent him from spending it recklessly.

The remainder can be held as reserve shares to incentivize future employees.

Of course, this is the ideal situation. Even if the three have objections, Zhang Chen must ensure absolute control and his absolute say.

Simply put, only with him at the helm can he prevent the team from going astray. Who knows when they might stumble and capsize?
(End of this chapter)