Revisiting Future Path

The 137th online game is a service industry

Wei Dongsheng: "You two have the same problem."

Dong Xi expressed surprise: "One?"

Wei Dongsheng: "Many players subconsciously think that the more realistic the shooting game, the more fun the shooting game should be. There are always some planning, and there are always some players who want to create explosive shooting games through simple lifelike imitation. For example, bullets penetrate the human body, if you use a super high-speed camera. Shooting, various changes in details, it is very shocking to see for the first time. If the game company spends a lot of money to realize the model changes of bullets hitting the human body, steel, wood, ceramics, stones and other materials at various speeds, it will produce quite real special effects. Then push it to the market. Guess what it turned out?"

Dong Xi thoughtfully: "Isn't it a big seller?"

Wei Dongsheng: "The answer is definitely nothing."

Dong Xi: "Huh?"

Wei Dongsheng: "Because the sense of shooting and reality are two different things, and the shooting game experience of players and real shooting are also two different things."

Newbies who are new to the game industry often listen to various publicity stunts and fall into the real pit. In the previous life, Wei Dongsheng stepped into the game industry and once despised a group of CF players because of his CS experience. He felt that CF was stupid here and there.

After understanding the game circle and hearing the old man explain the behind-the-scenes story, you will know the truth is never easy.

The CF operated by Tencent is quite different from the original Korean CF. In fact, the original Korean version of CF was affected by CS and "Assault OL" and paid much attention to issues such as bullet effects, gun data, and human physics. Tencent introduced the test, but found that this is not possible. Players in China have no sense of bullet effects at all, and are unwilling to accept the delayed knee bending during the take-off action. During the trial operation period, CF players had very low acceptance, and they all said that the experience was not good. They scolded the sight for aiming here, but the bullet hit another place. Tencent has since drastically deleted a bunch of nuisances about the authenticity of false names, reduced the difficulty of ballistic control, and reduced the proportions of meaningless mannequins. Only then did CF slowly become a popular online game with millions of online games.

What the player admires and what the player wants are not the same thing.

Although the players keep talking about the realism, what they want is not the realism at all, but the realism they think and the realism they imagine.

Just like the scope of a sniper rifle, the actual operation is very complicated. In order to measure different distances, it is necessary to refer to the height curve to assist in ranging, and so on. If these steps are divided in detail and reflected in the game, the player may feel a good professional, but its operating data will be extremely miserable. The vast majority of players are very lazy, not many players are willing to spend a lot of energy learning real sniper techniques. In adversarial games, at least 90% of players don’t understand that your bullet’s trajectory is parabolic or other explanations. They firmly believe that if you aim in a straight line, you must shoot. Otherwise, it’s a garbage game that is not worth playing.

This is a problem that all game manufacturers need to face.

Even for light gun games and outdoor shooting games, manufacturers and operators will deliberately reduce the weight and recoil of the guns, so as to prevent players from throwing their arms and wrists in pain after playing two games.

In Wei Dongsheng's concept, online games belong to the service industry, and Chunqiu Network is also an online game operator serving players.

Chunqiu Network provides services to players, and players pay money to Chunqiu Network. This is the basis of everything. Since Chunqiu Software and Chunqiu Network are based on serving players, they will not set too high a threshold for players. Instead, they will try their best to reduce the difficulty of operation and strive to expand the target audience.

For example, the scope adjustment of a sniper rifle is automatically adjusted by the special effect animation by default. The player aims at an object and clicks the mouse or keyboard to shoot to complete a sniper. The detailed processing of "Legend of Survival" pursues the relative truthfulness of feedback, and at the same time reduces the player's contribution by a large proportion, and can become an elite sniper with the click of a mouse.

As for the killing pleasure that players are looking for, Chunqiu Software does not make decisions in the office for granted. Instead, it collects player feedback through internal and public testing and big data methods. Spring and Autumn Software retains ideas that players think are great. Some players suggest that Chunqiu software should be tested in a small range first, and the effect is poor or impossible or costly, and it is abandoned; if the effect is good, the players will support it with one heart, and Chunqiu software will be integrated into the next update. Since the public beta, Road to Survival has been updated fifteen or six times.

Chunqiu Software perfectly fulfills Wei Dongsheng's "online game is a service industry" philosophy, does its best to expand the audience, and quickly iterates and updates the way to meet the needs of players in a timely manner.

However, Chunqiu Software and Chunqiu Network are not limited to public players.

Zhiyu series companies have established friendly contacts with military departments through high-performance computers and chip businesses. During the development of "Legend of Survival", the active operation of Chunqiu Software led to the establishment of a military game development and management center in the Yanjing Military Region, which jointly launched a military game with Chunqiu Software and Chunqiu Network. Because the Yanjing Military Region’s funding allocation is small and cannot maintain the independent operation of military game projects, Chunqiu Software and Chunqiu Network integrated military game modules into "Leave to Survive", which is the so-called enhanced version of immersion.

The basic data of "Road to Survival" comes from the cooperation of the Yanjing Military Region.

For example, in the feedback of bullets hitting the wall, Chunqiu Software first cooperated with the Yanjing Military Region to establish a real model, and then optimized and weakened the player's experience and computer configuration requirements. This aspect was reduced to 1%, and that aspect was reduced to 10%. The public-facing "Legend of Survival" is first reduced from 100% to 10%, and then exaggerated rendering, allowing players to experience elite battles at the lowest cost; the enhanced version of "Left to Survival" for the public is reduced Without the invincible exaggeration, the key elements of various firearms are retained; the military version of "Road to Survival" for military departments retains more real elements.

The final operating result is also in Wei Dong's business plan.

The public entertainment version of "Legend of Survival" is the hottest. At the end of 2004, the highest number of simultaneous online users was 400,000. In May 2005, it broke the exaggerated record of 1 million simultaneous online. The immersive enhanced version bundled with it has a maximum simultaneous online record that has never exceeded 30,000, and the practice is maintained at about 10,000. Its contribution to the Chunqiu Network's operating income is even minimal.

However, the immersive enhanced version also has its advantages. It maintains the good reputation of "Left to Survive". "Counter-Strike" players disdain the public entertainment version of "Legend to Survive", and they can spit out whatever they want, but when they hit the enhanced version, they lose their confidence and can only talk about their feelings over and over again. Now that the shooting game player group is superior in the show, CS has lost its compelling style, and they claim to be the players of the enhanced version of "Left to survive", euphemistically proving that they are powerful and not vulgar.

Both the public entertainment version and the enhanced version of "Legend of Survival" have interference from charged items. Unless everyone is the same RMB fighter, the data enhancement of charged items will always be subjectively enlarged. Spring and Autumn Software has always considered the highly balanced competition mode, and it is also being tested in a small range.

However, Wei Dongsheng expanded the online game sector to collect money, and launched "Lead to Survival" to make money.

The monthly sales of "Legend of Survival" in May 2005 have quietly climbed to 91.068 million yuan. At the same time, the first month of "World of Warcraft" charging operation, May sales were only 78.995 million yuan. "Legend of Survival" is very likely to become the second or third version of Chunqiu Network's masterpiece with monthly sales of over 100 million yuan. For such a profit, Chunqiu Software and Chunqiu Network will not be indifferent. If the expected balanced competitive model cannot bring positive revenue growth to "Left To Survive", and even affect the current revenue of "Left to Survive", why did Chunqiu Software and Chunqiu Network risk launching it?

The balanced competitive mode is on the list of Spring Software's plans, and Spring Software is also actively inviting players to participate in the internal beta.

But its introduction must be as cautious as possible.

Wei Dongsheng, Luo Liluo, introduced a lot, but Huo Yongshan and Dong Xi were ignorant.

Huo Yongshan sees the essence through the phenomenon: "Chunqiu Network also values ​​e-sports?"

Wei Dongsheng revised and said: "It is an e-sports that emphasizes "Lead to Survival". If "Lead to Survival" wants to maintain a longer life, it is a good choice to try to develop competition. If it goes well, at the end of 2005 or early 2006, "Road" will launch a balanced sports version. Spring and Autumn Network will invest to promote the competitiveization of "Legend of Survival", maybe cooperate with some e-sports leagues, or personally fund the establishment of e-sports leagues."

A thought suddenly flashed in Huo Yongshan's mind, and he became interested: "Chunqiu Network is so optimistic about e-sports?"

Wei Dongsheng: "I can't say that I am optimistic, but I will never ignore it."

Huo Yongshan asked Wei Dongsheng: "Internet cafes have become increasingly profitable. I have been looking for a way out recently. High-level players in Panyang City, especially in Lutong City, have often contacted chain Internet cafes to ask me to sponsor e-sports competitions since last year. No, chain Internet cafes occasionally provide them with free competition venues; I have no investment, after all, Chain Lock Internet cafes cannot be built all over the country and do not need cross-regional advertising. Look at how important e-sports are. Very profitable?"

Wei Dongsheng shook his head: "On the contrary, it is difficult for the e-sports industry to see substantial profits in the short term. If you want to make money from e-sports, I am afraid that it will take five or six years."

Huo Yongshan hesitated: "Five or six years, I will consider it again."

Ending the topic of e-sports, all that is left is no-nutrition reminiscences.

During the small chat, Wei Dongsheng suddenly received a call from Zeng Liqing. After hesitating for two or three seconds, Wei Dongsheng said sorry to Huo Yongshan and Dong Xi, and connected to Zeng Liqing's call. On the phone, Zeng Liqing warmly condoned Wei Dongsheng: "Franco, the college entrance examination is over, right?"

Wei Dongsheng smiled and said, "It's over."

If you like to re-take the road of the future, please collect it: (wuxiaspot.com) Re-take the road of the future. The literature is updated fastest.