Game Development: Starting with Recreating the Anime Game Style

Chapter 79 Confidence (4K)

The same method of offering free skins to drive traffic and app downloads.
If Xingchen and Wangyi were to do it, they might start out the same way, but Xingchen would be able to ensure that players would use it, rate it, and provide feedback after downloading it.

Players naturally believe that the software developed by StarCraft is of high quality.

However, if it's done by NetEase, most users will uninstall it immediately after downloading it.

why?
Holy crap, that's NetEase's software. Why aren't you uninstalling it? Are you just keeping it to take up memory?

The user base and reputation gained through low profit margins and high sales volume.

This is the source of Xingchen's confidence to challenge others.

Li Yifeng strongly agreed with this view, especially now that the Starry Sky Wallpaper app has become so popular.

Therefore, Li Yifeng naturally accepted his first task at Starry Sky Games: to build a team and develop a collection of "casual mini-games".

They are here today to prepare for this event.

then
Li Yifeng was stunned.

When he arrived, a beautiful woman handed him a stack of documents, saying that President Chen wanted them to look at them first.

We'll discuss the details when we get back.

The Tap team came from Xingdong Games, so they naturally understood game development. So after sitting down, they all went through the game development plan that Chu Chen had given them.

Jump Jump, Embroidery Needle, Doll, Climbing High, Lumberjack, Walking on Fire Hoops, Frozen World, Rhythmic Noodles, Celebration Day, Exam Simulator, Dinner Party Simulator, Let's Make Pancakes Together

These plans were very rudimentary, mostly only one or two pages long.

Some even have only one or two pictures and a description of the core gameplay.

For example, in the game "Jump Jump", players control an "i"-shaped character and control the force and distance of the jump by pressing the screen for a certain amount of time, so as to jump accurately from one platform to the next.

A successful score, a mistake, and the game is over.

It's so simple, so incredibly simple!

Li Yifeng almost subconsciously mimicked pressing a motion with his finger on the conference table.

Press and hold, then release... Press and hold, then release
The image of the little figure gathering strength, jumping, and landing instantly flashed into his mind.

What does this mean?

Embroidery Needle

On a rotating disc, players need to launch "embroidery needles" onto a sphere, but the "needles" cannot touch each other, otherwise the game is lost.

The player's goal is to launch as many "needles" as possible onto the ball.

The Doll

The setting is a Japanese-style room. Players need to find the "cursed" doll among a pile of "cute" dolls based on several clues in the room. If they find the wrong one, it will "attack" them while they sleep.

Once you find the correct one, you will proceed to the next level.

There are only 6 levels in total, but for some reason, the project proposal clearly states that the first five levels should be easy, while the last level should suddenly become much more difficult.
I don't understand. Is it to keep sharing so that players can gain "inspiration"?

Climbing High

The story begins in ancient China, where a tall log suddenly appears in a certain place, and the player is the person sent by the emperor to climb it.

The gameplay is simple: use various tools to climb upwards, but players will encounter many interesting things along the way.

The Lumberjack

Players control a lumberjack who must chop down a whole log and cut it into the desired shape within a limited number of axe strokes.

Walking on Fire Hoops

Kick a ring of fire, then control the ring to roll forward on a wooden plank high in the air. You need to slide it with your hand to accelerate it, and use the phone's gyroscope to control your balance. The plank will get narrower and narrower.

Rhythmic Noodles

Upon seeing this name, Li Yifeng's lips twitched involuntarily.

Simply put, this is a game where noodles fall onto the screen, and players need to control a little character below to open their mouth and move left and right in rhythm to eat the noodles.

Following that are "Dinner Simulator" and "Let's Make Pancakes Together".

The former isn't a problem; it's clearly stated in the proposal. The main thing is how the copywriter executes the copy.

The latter is a game that simulates a pancake stall. Players need to make pancakes, and earn money by determining the roundness of the pancakes based on the amount of batter used and whether they add the correct ingredients according to the user's needs.

Each of these plans was extremely brief.

Without exception, these games all have a certain "addictive" quality.

It looks interesting, at least the kind of thing you'd want to play in your free time.

For example, at this moment
Li Yifeng was quite interested in that Japanese doll.

The main problem is that this thing is so stereotypical: Japan, dolls, horror movies.
Moreover, the artwork in the proposal is also creepy. It's just a room with a row of dolls sitting on a table, but it still gives you goosebumps. It's really strange.

The only thing that's hard to understand is why Mr. Chen always includes some "counterintuitive" designs in these project proposals.

For example, the difficulty curve of "Dolls," or the global rankings in "Jump Jump"—keep in mind... this is a game on StarTap, even though StarTap is open to players worldwide...
Are there really any overseas players coming to play?

Hmm... Japan might be a good option.
For example, in the planning proposal for "Kicking the Fire Ring", Chu Chen clearly stated that a gyroscope and a motor must be used, and the precision of the gyroscope must be maximized.

This point has been explained.

It is said that during the later promotion and marketing phase, "tech bloggers" can be selected to use the game "Kick the Fire Ring" to test the gyroscope and motor when testing the phone.

"Welcome to Tech Forever! In the past, when we were testing motors, people always asked me, 'What's the difference between a rotor motor and a linear motor?'... Today, we'll use a game to show you the difference! Don't go away, the excitement is about to continue!!"

For some reason, a scene appeared in Li Yifeng's mind.

Then, his thoughts suddenly became clear.

That's it!

I understand now!

These games share a common characteristic: they are not only fun, but also generate buzz and encourage sharing.

The global rankings of games like "Jump Jump" and "Needle Embroidery," and the intense desire to revive and play another game after death to break one's own record—aren't these natural social driving forces?
Players will constantly try new things and share their "achievements" in pursuit of a higher ranking and to surpass their friends.

"The Doll" and "Ascending the Heights" – the former, with its unique art style and setting created by the Japanese-style room and the row of eerie dolls, carries a strong sense of the bizarre.

Wasn't Li Yifeng himself very interested in that Japanese doll?
This interest can easily turn into a desire to show off to friends, "Look at this weird thing."

The spectacular sight of the towering log in "Ascending the Heights" and the various "interesting things" that may be encountered during the climb provide players with plenty of material to boast about and share.

As for "Lumberjack," the haphazardly shaped and oddly formed pieces of wood that players create during the logging process are the best tools for sharing.

While it's certainly something to be proud of to carve out a perfect block of wood, wouldn't it be even more inspiring to share a crooked, comical "abstract" work?

"Look what I just chopped down! It's hilarious!"

This kind of self-deprecating and discovery-filled joy is all too easy to spread within small circles.

There's also the tech blogger's path to mainstream success with "Walking on Fire Rings," and the essence of the game "Rhythmic Noodles" lies not only in its music gameplay but also in its "abstraction" and "neuroticism."

That indescribable sense of ecstasy is itself a code for generating traffic. Players are amused, take screenshots, record screens, and post them online with captions like "What a silly game this is, but I can't stop playing," it's all very natural.

Each of these dozen or so games has its own unique "spreading genes"!
They are not just fun; they are topics of conversation, social currency, and "viruses" that players can spread unintentionally!
The moment he realized this, Li Yifeng suddenly felt all the hairs on his body stand on end. A chill mixed with an indescribable excitement shot up his spine, raising goosebumps all over his body.

So that's how it is! Those so-called "counterintuitive" designs were all designed to serve social media and publicity.

"That last level was absolutely inhuman!"

"I finally beat that insane sixth level!"

These emotions will become the fuel for spread.

Not every one of these chains may work, but as long as a few succeed, the traffic will be significant.
Li Yifeng raised his head and looked at his left and right hands. The three of them looked at each other, all seeing shock in each other's eyes.

Keep in mind that all three of them are veterans in the industry, but now, looking at this stack of proposals...

The word "damn" is not enough to express their feelings at this moment.

If you only look at one of these plans, they're all pretty good.

But when these dozen or so proposals are put together, it's a completely different story.

"This is terrifying! Have you ever seen a business plan like this before?"

“Never.”

"Is this something a human could do?"

"I feel like this scene is very similar to a dream I had when I couldn't write anything for a project proposal..."

"It feels like it only happens in dreams."

"Oh? What kind of dream?"

"President Chen!!"

With a cheerful voice, Li Yifeng and the other two instinctively stood up abruptly.

Chu Chen walked in with a smile on his face.

"How's the office environment? Is it alright? Is it far from home? Do you need the company to help you find a place to live?"

If the conversations of the previous two days had given Li Yifeng a general understanding of why Chu Chen was able to succeed, then now, Li Yifeng's feelings towards Chu Chen are entirely based on admiration.

After a few words of greeting and pleasantries.

Li Yifeng then steered the conversation back to work, and in some ways, at this point in time, he was probably even more excited than Chu Chen.
"Mr. Chen, these games..."

"For individual developers or small teams, it might indeed take a lot of effort. But for experienced and well-organized professional game development teams like ours..."

"The development difficulty of these games is actually not that high."

"I reckon that if I have enough manpower, I can make the simplest few games in a month!"

Chu Chen could naturally tell that Li Yifeng was very excited.

So he actually poured some cold water on the idea.

"There's no rush. Although these games are small games, they still need to be polished to be refined and made well."

"Moreover, team building takes time. You also need an adaptation process after coming to Xingchen. Some things can't be delayed, and some things can't be rushed."

"Right, Brother Li?"

Li Yifeng was stunned for a moment.

He quickly realized that his composure was not as strong as Chu Chen's; clearly, he had been too excited after reading the proposal.
"It's my fault, I got a little too worked up."

"Haha, what kind of question is that..."

The three chatted for about an hour. After finishing their business, Li Yifeng hesitated for a long time before asking a question unrelated to work.

"Mr. Chen..."

"I have a question."

"what is the problem?"

Li Yifeng pointed to the stack of project proposals on the table.

"To put it bluntly, if someone had bad intentions, they could take these plans and jump ship or start their own business. They might not become rich and powerful, but they could at least make a good living."

Upon hearing this, Chu Chen was slightly taken aback, then burst into loud laughter, a hearty and infectious laugh.

"Hahaha!"

He leaned back slightly in his chair, looking at Li Yifeng with clear and open eyes.

"Brother Li, what you're saying is true. I understand the simple principle of trusting those you employ and not employing those you don't trust."

Chu Chen's tone was relaxed.

“We talked for so long the other day, and I feel confident in what kind of person Brother Li is, otherwise I wouldn’t have let you bring your original team directly here.”

"So don't worry, we at Starry Sky don't do those kinds of things."

"I have only one goal: let's work together to make StarTap the best gaming platform in China, no, in the world!!"

In the more than ten years that Li Yifeng has worked in the industry, he has eaten at least ten thousand "boss pancakes" (a euphemism for groceries and flatbreads), and he has always felt that he is immune to these kinds of things.

But at this time.

He seemed to genuinely sense a unique personal charm.

At that moment, he vaguely understood what it meant to die for someone who understands you.

Chu Chen's words contained more than just trust. For a team that had just "failed" and been "acquired," it was a blessing to have such a boss.

What more could you ask for?
"President Chen...don't worry!"

"I, Li Yifeng, will dedicate myself to the cause until my dying breath!"

Chu Chen smiled and waved his hand.

"You're exaggerating, Brother Li. It's not that serious. We're starting a business, not going to war."

Chu Chen was telling Li Yifeng the truth just now.

Trusting those you employ and not employing those you don't trust—this is indeed one of his principles for employing people.

However, there is a deeper reason why he dared to be so "generous" in revealing all these "priceless" proposals in his opinion.

That is, for Li Yifeng, a time traveler, the commercial value of these game proposals was not as huge and irreplaceable as he had imagined.

These proposals looked plausible, but Chu Chen was absolutely certain that even if they were leaked, the final product they made would never be as good as what Starry Night Games made.

The gaming industry doesn't lack ideas; it lacks people who can bring those ideas to life.

This is where his true confidence lies.

(End of this chapter)