togophonebook #330 - There is a bug! The game becomes "The Desperate Detective"? Live broadcast begins!
#330 - There is a bug! The game becomes "The Desperate Detective"? Live broadcast begins!
So, Liu Mengyuan shared what Lu Yu had said to her during the hiking trip in the company's development group:
"Every corner is an adventure. Even if the path seems to lead to a dead end, new surprises will be discovered after the darkest moments."
Level designer Lu Rui:
"Is President Lu implying that the various details we uncovered during the hiking trip weren't quite perfect, and there's still more to explore in the current gameplay? Is that why President Lu said we'd discover new surprises?"
System planner Ding Shaofu said:
"So, President Lu means that even in constantly repeated activities, we can add new details?"
Amid everyone's excited discussion, a new plan for the game quickly formed:
Add a story mode where players can experience various city stories, such as love stories and crime thrillers, to increase the emotional depth and appeal of the game.
Add various hidden exploration challenges to allow players to experience excitement while exploring the city, increasing the long-term replayability of the game.
Design a comprehensive economic system where players can't just mindlessly buy things in the game; they need to earn currency by completing tasks and participating in activities to spend in the city's shops.
Finally, deepen the social interaction system to allow players to form real social circles within the game.
After the project team members proposed the above points, Liu Mengyuan nodded in satisfaction:
"Doing it this way will indeed be much more engaging than simply strolling around."
In the following period, the excited project team members began crunching to develop the game.
Liu Mengyuan happily watched the system's light screen continuously report data:
[Lu Rui's 'Level Design' skill proficiency increased to Lv5]
[Wu Siling's 'Character Art' skill proficiency increased to Lv4]
[He Chuming's 'Client-Side Programming' skill proficiency increased to Lv4]
......
The scheduled release date of the game, July 15th, was approaching.
On the day before the release, Liu Mengyuan was delighted. This game, which focuses on relaxation, leisure, warmth, and healing, would be hard-pressed not to become a hit if it caught the summer vacation season!
Just as she was secretly smiling, Hua Wu ran over with a pale face, almost crying:
"It's bad, President Liu, something happened! There's a major bug in the game!"
Liu Mengyuan didn't dare to delay and quickly ran to the project team's office area to inquire.
He Chuming said anxiously:
"President Liu, the game's economic system has an unexplained bug that causes all new players' initial funds to be forcibly set to 0."
Liu Mengyuan: "Ah? Isn't it simple to just change the initial parameters?"
He Chuming said: "President Liu, you don't know, we've also tried changing the parameters, but every time we change them, the game system forcibly balances them to 0 yuan. I suspect someone in the programming team was careless and bound the player accounts to something strange."
Liu Mengyuan: "How about redoing the underlying logic of the economic system?"
He Chuming shook his head: "It won't work. The underlying economic system involves the consumption of all cities and shops in the game world. It affects everything. The game is launching the day after tomorrow, and there's no time to check all the code now."
Liu Mengyuan was dumbfounded: "How did you write such a terrible mountain of code?"
Business operations Xu Lu said with a wry smile:
"President Liu, the company keeps adding the 'Carefree King' and 'Werewolf' systems, which means we only have 3 hours a day to actually work.
And recently, just as our efficiency was improving, President Lu started taking us out for strolls all the time.
Plus, Miss Hua Wu has that magical constitution that easily puts people around her to sleep.
The fact that we've managed to complete the project smoothly is already a miracle!"
Liu Mengyuan quickly consulted with the technical director, Chu Xiong.
Chu Xiong was lying on his workstation eating roasted sausage. Hearing Liu Mengyuan and the others' description, he wiped the grease from his mouth with a paper towel without panicking, and then shouted:
"Doraemon!"
Soon, Melissa appeared on the computer screen.
Chu Xiong explained:
"The game developed by Miss Hua Wu has a bug. Can it be fixed?"
Melissa smiled:
"There's no problem at all. Leave it to me. As always, I'll turn the bug into a game mechanic through non-invasive modifications."
Liu Mengyuan asked worriedly:
"But this time, the problem is with the underlying economic system..."
Melissa reassured her:
"President Liu, you don't need to worry. The 'Peach Blossom Spring' engine has fully integrated my AI large model. I'll make the game mechanics as self-consistent as possible."
......
The time finally came to July 15th. "City Travel Simulator" was quietly launched amidst various controversial voices, priced at 95 yuan.
Within the first hour of the game's launch, the physical and platform digital versions only had a meager 1,000+ sales.
At this sales trend, the game was destined to not even reach 20,000 sales on its first day.
The previous works of Peach Blossom Spring had all sold over a million on their first day. The performance of "Travel Simulator" was undoubtedly a complete flop.
Inside the company, Hua Wu and the others were also very dispirited.
While comforting Hua Wu, Liu Mengyuan turned on the large screen display in the office area.
Just then, on the front page of Bilibili live, a live stream recommendation for "Hua Guo BOY Super Gorilla" appeared.
"Hello everyone, I'm Hua Guo BOY Wang Hanzhe. Today, we're going to play a game that I've been personally looking forward to called 'City Travel Simulator'. The physical version of this game is also very easy to buy, no need to rush."
Someone in the chat reminded him: "Because no one's buying it. Have you seen Jian Feng's analysis from Zhongyuan Five?"
Wang Hanzhe: "This game has been quite controversial recently, but the theme really appeals to me because, as you all know, I'm a travel VLOG blogger who often likes to travel and film around the world.
So, today I'm going to try it out and see what this game is like."
Wang Hanzhe opened the game while patting the high-end clothes he was wearing:
"Everyone, look at what I'm wearing today! An LV jacket and Adidas Yeezy shoes!
Why am I dressed like this?
Think about it, the protagonist of this game must be a rich second generation.
Rich second generation, not lacking money, has everything except dreams, so they can just stroll around all day.
I'm dressing like this to add a bit of immersion."
The chat was amused: "The most important thing for a rich second generation is temperament, okay?"
The game's main interface quickly appeared.
The background is a modern city, with glass curtain walls of high-rise buildings reflecting the sunlight. The streets are wide and clean, with bustling traffic and a vibrant atmosphere.
In the distance is a lush park, with shady trees and fragrant flowers, where people stroll and relax.
On both sides of the street are various shops and cafes, with neon lights flashing and street performers performing at the entrances.
At the top of the main interface is the game title: "City Travel Simulator."
Wang Hanzhe rubbed his hands: "Tsk tsk tsk, a strong sense of petty bourgeoisie enjoyment, very authentic!"
He tapped the main interface, and suddenly, the game popped up a prompt:
【Envy this kind of life? However, all of this has nothing to do with you...】
Suddenly! The entire city scene began to change.
Cracks began to appear on the outer walls of the high-rise buildings, turning into mottled walls and dilapidated windows. The sky became dim and dull, and the pedestrians and vehicles on the street began to disappear.
The trees in the distant park began to wither, and the flowers withered, leaving only a desolate and bleak scene.
The appearance of the shops and cafes also began to fade their bright colors, and dim lights reflected the dilapidated signs at the entrances.
The street performers no longer performed happily, but left sadly, leaving behind dilapidated buildings and empty streets.
The originally cheerful piano BGM also turned into a lyrical erhu.
The game title font twisted and faded, changing from "City Travel Simulator" to "Runaway Simulator."
The entire game interface had a desolate feeling of a setting sun.
Wang Hanzhe was shocked: "What the heck? Did I buy the wrong game?!"
He took out the game packaging box and checked it repeatedly: "No, it's definitely the Travel Simulator."
Suddenly, he found a red warning sign on the cover, which read: "The main content of this game may differ from the cover. Please refer to the actual content."
At this time, the originally lukewarm chat in the live stream began to surge:
"What the heck? What the heck! What kind of crazy stuff is Peach Blossom Spring doing?"
"The game title can even change? This is the first time I've seen this in all my years of gaming."
"666, I underestimated Peach Blossom Spring. Streamer, quickly enter the game and take a look!"
After entering the game, a cutscene began to play:
In the CG cutscene, a drunken homeless man was sitting on a street corner.
【You are an investor who failed in stock speculation】
【In the last round of market, you invested all your assets with leverage, and then these fortunes evaporated overnight】
【Your credit is all red, and your house and car have turned into bubbles. To avoid debt collectors, you can't find any legitimate work】
【You are now penniless. The only thing you need to do is figure out how to survive】
Game prompt:
【Randomly selecting the character's starting point. Selection successful. Starting point is Linji City】
【Main Goal 01: Figure out how to wander and survive in Linji City for 10 days with no money】
Then, the scene suddenly opened up in front of Hua Guo BOY. He found himself on an empty street at night.
Clicking on the [Items] column in the lower left corner, the cash on hand was 0.
Apart from a tattered coat, the protagonist has nothing on him now.
The character status bar is in the upper left corner of the interface:
【Fullness】Eating can increase fullness, while strenuous activity will consume fullness. The character will starve to death if fullness drops to 0.
【Health】Players need to maintain the stability of their health as much as possible. After getting sick, stamina and strength will be greatly reduced.
【SAN Value】The player's mental state. Encountering supernatural events while wandering at midnight will reduce SAN value. Please be sure to stay in a safe environment.
A leaderboard is in the upper right corner of the interface:
【The leaderboard will be updated in real time every hour with the record of the highest number of survival days of global players. At the end of each season, the top players on the survival list will receive generous bonuses and exclusive souvenirs from the official Peach Blossom Spring】
The players in the live stream were collectively dumbfounded:
"What the heck, what happened to the decadent life of the petty bourgeoisie? How did it suddenly turn into running for your life?"
"Damn, penniless, and can't show your face to find a job to avoid debt collectors. How are you supposed to live?"
"But seriously, this setting looks much more interesting than just strolling around!"
Wang Hanzhe was quite excited: "Oh yo, there are things to get for hitting the leaderboard? Then I have to participate. Everyone, watch me, the wandering master, show you."
The chat was amused:
"You were just saying you were a rich second generation, and now you've directly transformed into a wandering master?"
The newest novels are first published at six/9/shu/ba/.
"A broke second generation is still a second generation, no problem."
Wang Hanzhe rubbed his hands: "When we arrive in a new place, we definitely have to find a way to inquire about the surrounding information."
Afterwards, he inquired at the shops on the street many times, but was chased out by various citizen NPCs.
Game prompt: 【Your current image has a communication difficulty of 100.】
Wang Hanzhe found a puddle on the street and used the reflection in it to take a look, and then he realized that his image was unshaven, disheveled, and looked like a wild man who came out of Shennongjia.
After all, he was a game streamer who had been baptized by various bizarre games for many years, and Wang Hanzhe quickly began to analyze:
"Audience friends, what is my biggest need now in order not to starve to death?
Find a way to get a source of income, and then buy a razor, an axe, and a flashlight.
An axe can be used for self-defense, and it can also be used to chop wood to make a hut. You can't do without a flashlight at night."
The chat was amused: "The problem is, you're penniless from the start. Where are you going to get money?"
Wang Hanzhe smiled: "Don't panic, everyone, I have a way!"
With that said, he came to a row of trash cans in front of a nearby residential area.
"This thing, in many people's minds, is a trash can. In fact, trash cans also have another name, called 'treasure chests'.
So, in the mouths of homeless people, the act of rummaging through trash cans is called 'opening treasure chests'.
In the treasure chest, you can find all sorts of strange things.
So, the first step in wandering is to start by opening treasure chests and getting some initial equipment!"
While explaining, Wang Tomato opened the trash can in front of him, and pieces of garbage were displayed in front of him:
【Expired Little Raccoon Crispy Noodles (2 months)】
【Slightly Rusty Razor Blade】
【Intact Old Clothing】
【Only Half a Bottle of Cheap White Wine】
【Low-Quality Imitation LV Leather Bag】
【Chipped Porcelain Bowl】
【Discarded Hardware Tools】
......
Wang Hanzhe said triumphantly: "Everyone, see, there's only what we can't think of, there's nothing you can't find in a treasure chest!"
He picked up the rusty razor blade and observed it for a moment, then threw it away:
"Of course, everyone needs to pay attention. You have to be careful when using some metal objects, because they come with tetanus enchantment. If you let your health go to 0, it will be more than worth it."
The chat was amused: "The streamer is so knowledgeable."
Wang Hanzhe said triumphantly: "That's right, I interviewed a professional beggar gang boss back then."
He waved his VR gloves, rummaged through the trash can for a moment, and pulled out three items:
[Empty plastic drink bottle (recycling price: 0.3 yuan)]
[Discarded cardboard box (recycling price: 0.7 yuan)]
[Discarded copper sheet (recycling price: 1.2 yuan)]
"You can put this kind of stuff in a sack and take it to the waste recycling station, they'll take it all."
Wang Hanzhe began picking up bottles in various trash cans in the nearby residential area.
"Tsk, these treasure chests don't have anything good.
Everyone, picking up cardboard and bottles isn't just about randomly searching any treasure chest, there's a special technique to it.
Remember, if you want to pick them up, go to residential areas with a lot of young people, because young people like to shop online, and online shopping accumulates a lot of empty express boxes, so there's more cardboard."
The barrage was amused again: "He really wants to teach us."
Wang Hanzhe carried a half-sack of waste products and came to a residential area across the road: "Now it's the evening rush hour for those getting off the night shift, and there are a lot of young faces in this residential area, which means there are more valuable treasures in the treasure chests."
He opened one of the treasure chests, and sure enough!
The drop rate of cardboard and empty bottles inside was at least several times higher than the previous treasure chests!
Barrage: "Damn, watching the streamer find valuable things in treasure chests is strangely satisfying, what's going on?"
However, before he could enjoy it for long,
Suddenly!
Several burly men, also dressed as homeless people, surrounded him.
The leader shouted: "Hey, hey, which Beggar Clan are you from? Who told you to open treasure chests in this residential area?"
Wang Hanzhe was dumbfounded: "I...I'm a freelancer, I haven't joined the Beggar Clan."
The other party's tone was even more arrogant:
"Haven't joined the Beggar Clan? Then who gave you the guts to open boxes here? The treasure chests in this residential area have been taken over by our Beggar Clan 'New Prosperity Harmony', get out of here!"
Game prompt:
[You have not joined the Beggar Clan or established your own Beggar Clan, and cannot initiate a clan war against the other party]
[If you fight back as a freelancer, it may cause a significant decline in your health, please be careful]
Wang Hanzhe clenched his fists, then relaxed them again.
"Brothers, let's call it a day for today, when I become the leader of a clan one day, I will definitely take back this residential area!"
The barrage flooded the screen:
"Hahahahahaha, I wouldn't know if I was watching a martial arts drama."
"Go for it, streamer, I believe in you!"
Afterwards, Wang Hanzhe carried the sack and found a nearby waste recycling station, selling the cardboard and plastic bottles in the sack for 30 yuan.
He went to a nearby supermarket, spent 20 yuan on a solar flashlight, 5 yuan on razor blades, and the remaining 5 yuan on a bag of noodles.
Wang Hanzhe: "I compared them in the supermarket just now, and these noodles add the most satiety."
Some people in the live broadcast room also sighed:
"Noodles are indeed a genius invention, such a small amount can expand into a big pot when boiled in hot water."
"Indeed, during the period when my salary was low, I relied on noodles and cabbage to avoid starvation."
After shaving his beard, Wang Hanzhe took out a chipped ceramic bowl from the plastic bag he was carrying.
"This is our exclusive tableware for this round of homelessness, I'll find a faucet to rinse it."
Unexpectedly, just as he put down the porcelain bowl, a young girl walked out of the supermarket.
She secretly glanced at Wang Hanzhe, put two eggs into the broken bowl, and quietly left.
[Congratulations, because you used a razor, your image has improved, and the willingness of others to interact has increased]
Wang Hanzhe was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed excitedly:
"Great, we're going to get food, brothers!"
The live broadcast room barrage was stunned:
"What the heck? This game can actually beg for food?"
"Based on the girl's appearance just now, I have to play this game!"
The game continues to prompt:
[Night is late, please build your shelter for the night]