I was in my final year of high school, and my deskmate found out I was writing a novel!

After the gameplay and art were finalized, the biggest challenge came: the random map generation system.

Ye Feng wrote it in great detail in the requirements document.

"Each map generates 10 rooms (3 normal rooms, 2 elite rooms, 1 BOSS room, and 4 resource rooms). The rooms are connected by passages, which are randomly generated with 1-3 obstacles (rocks/traps). The monster density in normal rooms is ≤5, elite rooms will always drop 1 type of elemental bullet, and BOSS rooms can only be unlocked by defeating the previous elite monster."

Chen Guowei's team wrote the first version of the algorithm according to the requirements, but the generated map often had problems such as "the BOSS room is directly connected to the starting room" and "the passage is blocked by stones".

After three days of continuous troubleshooting without success, Chen Guowei's voice became hoarse with anxiety on the phone.

"Brother Feng, there are too many randomly generated variables, and we can't control the room connection logic at all."

Ye Feng recalled the "node generation method" from the otherworld game and worked through the night to compile a document outlining his approach.

"First, randomly generate 10 'room nodes' on the map, set node priorities in the order of 'starting point → normal → elite → BOSS,' and then use an algorithm to ensure that high-priority nodes only connect to low-priority nodes; after the passage is generated, add a 'path verification' function, and if there are rooms that cannot be reached, automatically delete the obstacles blocking the way."

Chen Guowei's team reconstructed the algorithm based on this idea, first determining the node positions, then connecting the channels, and finally verifying the path, which finally solved the problem of "room disconnection". But a new problem arose.

When running on a budget phone, the map generation speed is slow, sometimes requiring a 5-second wait before entering the game.

After trying it out, Ye Feng discovered that the problem was that there were too many decorative elements in the room, such as shrubs and pebbles, which consumed too many rendering resources.

He immediately adjusted the requirements.

"Regular rooms only retain 2 types of decorative elements, while resource rooms and BOSS rooms have a maximum of 3 types. Moreover, the decorative elements are not subject to collision detection, only visual effects."

After Chen Guowei removed elements as needed, the map generation speed was increased to within 1 second, allowing even budget phones to run it smoothly.

Compatibility testing is also a tough nut to crack.

Ye Feng's requirements were to "cover Android 6.0 to 13.0 and iOS 12 and above, with a focus on testing commonly used student devices such as Redmi Note, Realme Q, and iPhone SE".

Li Hao bought eight second-hand test devices and tested them for five hours every day. He discovered a bug where the "element synthesis button is unresponsive" appeared on Android models below version 7.0.

After investigating for a long time, Chen Guowei discovered that the old system did not support the new touch event API.

Ye Feng's solution was very practical.

"For Android devices below version 7.0, we'll create a simplified interface, changing 'press and hold to merge' to 'select the element first, then tap the merge button.' Although it's a bit more complicated, it will cover more student users."

The team worked overtime to adapt the version, ultimately ensuring that 95% of the test devices could run normally.

A month before the first test, Ye Feng organized a small-scale internal test, inviting 30 student players (covering different majors and different mobile phone models).

Each person was given a "Test Feedback Form," which focused on collecting feedback on three categories: "Smoothness of Operation," "Funness of Gameplay," and "Bug Feedback." On the first day of the test, some players reported that "the elemental advantage/disadvantage relationship is not obvious."

"I don't know which bullets to use when fighting a boss." "It's too frustrating to start over after dying; I hope you can add a save point."

Ye Feng convened an emergency meeting overnight and produced the "Test Optimization Requirements V1.0".

"Add 'weakness hints' below the BOSS's health bar, such as 'Ice/Water elemental damage +20%' for the Fire Lord; add a save point every 3 rooms cleared, and allow resurrection from the most recent save point after death, but deduct 50% of current resources."

Chen Guowei's team completed the optimization in a week, and during the second test, player satisfaction increased from 65% to 88%. One player also offered a small suggestion.

"I hope you can add a 'campus leaderboard' so that we can compare our completion times with our classmates."

Ye Feng felt that this suggestion aligned with the market positioning of universities and immediately added to the demand.

"Create a leaderboard organized by school, displaying player ID, completion time, and element combinations used, and reset it weekly."

The pre-heating phase proceeded exactly as Ye Feng had planned.

The game is titled "Elemental Corridor: Bullet of Destiny," which not only highlights the elemental core but also subtly echoes the word "destiny" in "Ring of Destiny," foreshadowing a collaboration.

Online, he had his team post "element synthesis demonstration videos" on Douyin and Xiaohongshu. In the videos, 8-bit sound effects were paired with the text "Fire + Water = Steam Bomb, super useful for slowing down the BOSS". He also launched an event to "fill out a questionnaire to win 100 beta test slots". The questionnaire specifically included "the models of your commonly used digital products" to prepare for future peripheral collaborations.

Offline, Chen Guowei contacted the student union of Jinling University and posted a poster using a pixel art image of "the protagonist holding a thunderstorm arrow" designed by Ye Feng, with the caption "10 minutes between classes, play a game to relieve stress."

On the day the first test went live, Ye Feng stared at the backend data, his palms sweating.

The game held a "university-only first test" on TapTap and HaoYouKuaiBao, which was only open to students who had filled out the questionnaire, and also set up a dedicated server for universities.

The app attracted over 3000 new registrations on its first day, with a 75% retention rate on the second day. It also received an 8.9 rating on TapTap, and the comments section was filled with messages like "Element Synthesis is so addictive" and "I'm hooked on the campus leaderboard with my classmates." Some students even compiled "Complete Element Synthesis Table" and "BOSS Weakness Guide" and shared them on Tieba (a Chinese online forum).

As soon as the news spread, two game publishers approached him, wanting to discuss joint publishing, but Ye Feng didn't rush to agree.

He values ​​the game's independence and wants to optimize the public beta version at his own pace.

Zhou Ming called first, his voice filled with excitement.

"Brother Feng, your game is a hit! Wan Quan and I watched it, and all the students are talking about it. How about we collaborate on some merchandise? Like bullet-shaped power banks or pixel-style keyboard stickers? They'd definitely sell well!"

He paused, then sighed, "Speaking of which, our profits from secondhand recycling have been declining recently. Students are under a lot of pressure to buy new digital products, and old ones don't fetch a good price. We're really struggling to come up with a new idea."

He paused, then sighed again.

"Speaking of which, our profits from secondhand recycling have been declining recently. Students are under a lot of pressure to buy new digital products, and they can't get a good price for their old ones. We're really struggling to come up with a new idea."

Ye Feng held his phone and glanced at the test data of "Elemental Corridor" on his computer.

The backend data shows that 80% of players use budget phones, and 30% of them mentioned in the survey that they "want to change their phones but don't have the budget."

A thought suddenly popped into his head. He tapped his fingers on the keyboard, pulled up the "Student Digital Needs Survey" document he had previously compiled, and said with a smile, "Cooperation with surrounding areas is no problem, but Zhou Ming, I have a more specific idea."

Students face a lot of financial burden from buying digital gadgets, so what about renting? For example, renting a tablet for note-taking or a Switch for gaming costs only a few dozen yuan per month, which is much more cost-effective than buying.

Zhou Ming on the other end of the phone paused for a moment, then raised his voice: "Rent? Brother Feng, tell me the details! How do we do it? Should we do a small-scale pilot test first?"

Ye Feng leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the pixelated protagonist on the screen who was launching thunderbolt arrows.

The first test of "Elemental Corridor" is just the beginning, and the "digital rental" that I talked about with Zhou Ming is clearly another new track that meets the needs of students.

He opened a new document and began drafting the "Campus Digital Rental Business Requirements Framework." The first line read: "Core Objective: To lower the barrier to digital usage for students, covering learning and entertainment scenarios..."