Age of Legends

Chapter 250 The Myriad Phenomena of the Martial World
A few days later, Jing Qinming and his two colleagues gave their feedback: according to the development plan, they needed to hire two more programmers to form the technical department.

A front-end developer who is proficient in ActionScript 2.0 and HTML 3.2 and can optimize low-bandwidth loading.

One is a backend developer capable of PHP 3.0 + MySQL development and command system implementation.

The team was led by Jing Qinming.

We need to recruit a graphic designer and an art specialist to be responsible for optimizing UI design, map and character design, etc., to form an art department. Zhang Chen will serve as the chief planner, and Jing Qinming will serve as the deputy chief planner.

The main person in charge of the operations and maintenance department is Luo Chengyue, who is in charge of Pentium III server maintenance and data backup, which can be done by Luo Chengyue and the programmers in the technology department.

The marketing department was assigned to Xie Yu and Wang Shuowei. Xie Yu, the department head, was mainly responsible for the operation of the forums/bbs and QQ groups, as well as negotiating cooperation with internet cafes.

Why did Zhang Chen think he could take advantage of the popularity of "Legend of Mir"? "Legend of Mir" had built a channel for selling game cards offline in internet cafes. It wasn't that he wanted to use "Legend of Mir"'s channel, but rather that "Legend of Mir" had opened up a paid model in this way, implanting the concept of recharging and buying game cards into the minds of a large number of online game players, directly and significantly reducing their marketing costs.

They can bring their own development equipment; each person has enough computers on hand. At most, they can purchase one or two more Pentium III computers. With Jing Qinming's connections, the price of one computer can be reduced to around five thousand yuan, which is the cost price.

Secondly, there's the server. The annual rental fee for a Pentium III 800MHz server is 18,000 yuan. Adding internet fees and license fees for genuine software, this totals approximately 25,000 yuan. Initially, one server is sufficient.

Using genuine development software, such as Flash 4.0, is also to avoid future troubles. It's fine to build your own private network and use pirated software, but when you're seriously leading a team to fight a war, this point is very easy to be attacked.

In summary, the initial preparation and launch period, staff salaries, technology costs, reserved promotion expenses, company registration and office rental will require an estimated investment of 150,000 yuan.

Jing Qinming and the other two could each contribute 10,000 yuan. Under the division of shares, Jing Qinming held 12%, Xie Yu held 10%, and Luo Chengyue held 8%.

This equity ratio wasn't unexpected for Zhang Chen. He also felt that Jing Qinming's team of three actually fit the mold of a successful startup team: the equity wasn't evenly distributed among them, but rather there was a hierarchy of ownership. They had internally recognized this.

Of the three, Jing Qinming came with the greatest enthusiasm, taking the initiative to become a key technical member. Moreover, this 10,000 yuan was probably all the savings he had accumulated since he started working.

Xie Yu, on the other hand, came from a relatively well-off family and was also enthusiastic. He asked his family for 10,000 yuan to invest, just like Jing Qinming.

Luo Chengyue was the wealthiest of the three, but he only invested 10,000 yuan, taking an 8% stake. He treated it as a casual startup and didn't really value it. It was only because the three had a good relationship and Jing Qinming encouraged him that he joined in. Without Jing Qinming, he probably wouldn't have invested in Zhang Chen's scheme.

Of course, none of that matters. The worst thing is if Luo Chengyue has money and wants to spend more money to take over the shares, then things will become much more complicated.

Xie Yu and Luo Chengyue both still have jobs. Basically, Jing Qinming resigned and took two programmers to be in charge of the development work. The computer store where he worked was an acquaintance. In fact, whether he resigned or not didn't matter. If the project failed, he could go back anytime.

Of course, none of the three knew how profoundly this path would change their lives.

The three of them contributed 30,000 yuan. Zhang Chen asked Wang Shuowei to contribute 20,000 yuan, and he contributed 100,000 yuan. That's how the setup was set up.

This is also the advantage of web games; with this amount of money, you can make a game. Zhang Chen simply found a precise entry point for the times.

Otherwise, the production cost of any single-player game would far exceed this amount, let alone online games.

Going forward, online games will be capital-intensive and asset-heavy, with production costs easily reaching tens or hundreds of millions. Without some prior capital accumulation, it will be difficult to afford to play them.

After determining the equity allocation and the company's main goals and plans, everyone began to rack their brains to figure out what to name the company they were going to establish.
“Actually, for us, coding during the day is like practicing swordsmanship, and game testing at night is like clearing levels. What else could we be but knights-errant? The name ‘Game Knights’ is actually quite good,” Jing Qinming said. “But there’s already a GamerSky forum, so we can’t use it anymore.”

By this time, Youxia.com had already been established, originally called "Youxia Studio," providing players with localization resources, patches, and cracked content, accumulating a considerable user base. Naturally, it was no longer usable.

Zhang Chen actually thought the name was good and appreciated Jing Qinming's aesthetic sense.

"How about calling it 'Game Star Tribe'? It sounds like we could conquer the galaxy," Xie Yu suggested.

"It's a bit strange. It doesn't feel like a game company; it's more like a forum or something." Wang Shuowei shook his head.

Xie Yu said, "Isn't it good?"

“Not ideal, but ‘Game Star Citizens’ can be considered as candidates. Those who are unsure can be included in the candidate pool, and everyone can vote later.” Jing Qinming then asked Zhang Chen, “What do you think?”

Zhang Chen tentatively suggested, "How about calling it 'Science Games,' or something like 'Game Science'?"

"That's too science-oriented. Making games is a scientific thing, everyone knows that, there's no need for double affirmation."

"I think it's a bit old-fashioned."

"It's too simple; it doesn't reflect our style."

Alright. With everyone talking back and forth, Zhang Chen thought to himself, "Good heavens, these idiots don't realize that a name that will become famous in later generations has been rejected by you like this. They're like wild boars who can't appreciate fine food."

“I actually think you guys are all too idealistic. ‘56K Overlord’ would be fine too. As long as our game can run on dial-up networks, that’s all that matters!” Luo Chengyue said.

That's quite fitting for the occasion.

But a few seconds later, the group voiced their opposition.

This is the problem: when making decisions widely, it's difficult to please everyone. Everyone has their own opinions and ideas. As a result, even though the game development plan is done, the business plan is done, and the equity structure is set up, no one can come up with a good name for a while.

……

They often discussed things on QQ, or they would meet up with Jing Qinming and the others after get off work, while Zhang Chen and Wang Shuowei were having lunch after school.

They still couldn't decide on a name while eating, and Zhang Chen and Wang Shuowei were going back to school. Jing Qinming, Xie Yu, and Luo Chengyue offered to give them a ride, since they had actually arranged to meet at a restaurant near Yude, and they would walk them back to school.

This scene, however, attracted curious glances from many people on the way back to Yude. Previously, Zhang Chen and Wang Shuowei had been close to a group of thugs in Rongcheng, and Bu Ruijie and Hong Yao didn't look like good guys.

Now it's different. Jing Qinming is carrying a briefcase, wearing a dark blue work shirt and jeans, while Xie Yu and Luo Chengyue are dressed in suits and ties, and they waved to them as they left, so it's very awkward.

"Ah, those were the wonderful high school years!" Jing Qinming waved goodbye to Zhang Chen. Turning around, he felt a pang of emotion. He was somewhat impressed that Zhang Chen, still a senior, had already started encouraging them to play games.

Shen Nuoyi and Zheng Xue were shopping at the stationery store near the entrance when they happened to witness this scene.

When we returned to school, I walked with Zhang Chen, while Zheng Xue and Wang Shuowei were playfully fighting behind us.

"Who are those people?" Shen Nuoyi asked curiously.

"Those are Jing Qinming, Xie Yu, and Luo Chengyue. Wang Shuowei met them through gaming. They graduated from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. Since they all like games, they chatted and decided to make a game together."

Shen Nuo was taken aback. Yude High School has computer geniuses. In addition to information competitions, there are students who can make Nike advertising light boards with Flash. Yude High School has programming classes in the first year of high school and has produced many students who are very interested in it. Some senior students have also reported good news in related fields.

But... to collaborate with USTC graduates to create a game while still in school... I'm afraid only Zhang Chen in front of me would do that, right?

"How many people make a game?" Even though Shen Nuoyi doesn't play games much, she has at least heard that making a game requires at least a few dozen people in the company, and that the production cost of a game is very high. She remembers that someone discussed a game called "Heaven's Scar" during class break, and that its production cost was more than six million.

So, Zhang Chen is also going to join this massive production?

Zhang Chen then said, "It's not a large-scale game. We plan to use current web technology to create a web-based game, which is actually the easiest type of game to get started with. It's not much more difficult to create than a small single-player game, but we can gain an advantage by leveraging the internet. A few people can put together a project like this."

"I'm just here to offer some ideas. I usually just have these kinds of ideas and then they just sit there, so I might as well do something with them," Zhang Chen grinned at her. "It'll be a good way to relax and have fun during our senior year of high school. I promise it won't interfere with my studies!"

This might sound offensive to others, but it truly was Zhang Chen's experience. He had lost interest in playing games; instead, this was a way of relaxing that provided immense emotional value and intrinsic motivation—combining some of his past life's insights and ideas with a test to see if it would work.

It's like for some people who love entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship is addictive. They can experience the immense pleasure of overcoming numerous difficulties to realize their ideas, the realization of value at the highest level of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which is more interesting than anything else.

As Zhang Chen spoke, he noticed Shen Nuoyi staring at him, which made him feel a little awkward. "What, do you think I'm exaggerating?"

“No,” Shen Nuoyi shook her head and looked ahead, “I just suddenly envy you. You know what you need right now, you know what you want to do, you have a clear direction, and you’re putting it into practice. I also wish I could be like you, have many ideas, and know my goals and direction right now.”

Zhang Chen smiled, "So you're admitting that your thinking isn't as quick as mine?"

As soon as Zhang Chen finished speaking, he suddenly felt the coldness around him. Shen Nuo stared at him with sharp eyes filled with coldness, her expression showing the concern she usually showed when explaining a problem to someone who didn't understand it for a long time.

"Tch!" She curled her lips. "How could that be! I just don't have a direction yet, unlike you. You play so many games, of course you have a lot of ideas about making games. If I could get in touch with so many things, maybe I would have a lot of ideas too."

Zhang Chen exclaimed "Eek!" Shen Dashen was actually starting to get a little competitive. She usually had a tolerant attitude towards everyone, but when Zhang Chen said that Shen Dashen couldn't keep up with her thinking, she got anxious. She started to get anxious.

Zhang Chen then laughed and said, "Then I'll teach you how to play games from now on."

Shen Nuo nodded slightly, "Okay."

Zhang Chen looked at her simple reply. He knew she wasn't interested in games, but because of him, she seemed to agree without hesitation.

And it's the same now. When I tell her I'm making a game, she just believes me without questioning whether I'm incapable of doing it or if it's just wishful thinking. She even starts to envy Zhang Chen's way of thinking and his drive, and hopes to have that ability to take control of her own life goals.

If there weren't so many people around, Zhang Chen would have loved to molest her delicate lips beneath those sharp eyes.

Seemingly sensing that Zhang Chen's gaze was somewhat uneasy, she trembled slightly and looked away, not daring to meet Zhang Chen's burning eyes.

"So you're forming a team? Have you thought of a name yet?" He started changing the subject.

"No, we just had trouble coming up with a name." Zhang Chen then recounted the naming difficulties they had all faced. "Those names were all rejected. I think Game Science is the best. What do you think?"

Shen Nuoyi shook her head. "So-so."

Zhang Chen was helpless. Well, well, another powerful person has been executed.

“So, what about ‘Pixel Jianghu’?” Zhang Chen said. “I came up with this name. It has the feel of a wandering knight-errant that I had in mind before, and it’s also related to games. But this name could easily make people think that we’re making a pixel-style game. Although many pixel-style games prioritize gameplay and graphics are not important, it can still be misleading.”

“You hope this game team can do more than just the game you're working on right now. Maybe in the future, everyone can work together on a game with the same goals, or even take over your college startup project…” Shen Nuoyi murmured.

Zhang Chen nodded, "So the name can't be too simple, but it also needs to have a grand vision. My naming anxiety is acting up again. It's so difficult... even more difficult than planning..."

Shen Nuoyi, who was helping to think, said softly, "Laozi said, 'It is better to forget each other in the rivers and lakes than to be mutually dependent in hardship.' And you call yourselves game heroes, so I think it is okay to have 'rivers and lakes' in your names."

'Pixel Jianghu' is indeed too simplistic. If you want things to go smoothly in the future, you should develop many different types of games, like science fiction and martial arts... That's quite a grand vision...

Buddhist scriptures say, "One is all," meaning one phenomenon encompasses all phenomena, one obstacle encompasses all obstacles. From phenomena, we can know the essence; from the essence, we can know phenomena. Therefore, adopting the Buddhist concept of encompassing all things, we can call it "the myriad phenomena of the world!"

Shen Nuo turned her head sharply, her fingers snapping unconsciously. Her eyes lit up, but she quickly realized she seemed to have lost her composure in front of Zhang Chen. She composed herself and hurriedly put her hand away. Not wanting to put it behind her back, she awkwardly lowered it, her eyes showing a hint of worry that her idea had been rejected. "How was it?"

"The myriad phenomena of the martial world..."

Zhang Chen realized what he meant, his eyes shining. "That's really clever... Great name! Let's call it that."

Haha! She's happy that she was able to help.

(End of this chapter)