"Damn it, I haven't even figured out the charge for the card. What's going on with Bomi's dance troupe?"

"I can't understand it, but I can't understand..."

The colleagues at Xishanju said they couldn't understand it.

It has only been more than a year since the first domestic online game "The Stone Age" was launched in 2001.

I don’t even understand the charges for point cards in China. Now Bomi has made a free game, which can’t be understood by any game developer.

Game payment has always been deeply rooted in people's hearts.

Since stand-alone games, China has always taken the paid route. This thing is similar to selling books and movies. We produce content, and then players pay.

Then it was launched last year in the Stone Age, and it also followed the time charge model.

Games are equivalent to selling time and experience. The longer the game duration, the more players pay.

In 2002, point-to-card charges were still the mainstream, and even game manufacturers had not thought about the model besides point-to-card charges. Only the Stone Age made a lot of money by selling pets. Most game vendors were on the sales time, that is, the point-to-card charges model.

Because if we leave this set of [Time is Money] model, then all economic systems and numerical combat systems in the game will undergo earth-shaking changes.

A fact recognized in the gaming industry is that

All the values ​​in the game are virtual, only [time] is real.

Time is the only thing that will not be changed by humans, and it is also the only thing that synchronizes with reality.

Therefore, when all games in this era formulate numerical systems, they are designed based on time. How much time costs should players pay, how much profit should they get in the game...

And plan the player's game time and game life based on these benefits...

So if one day, a game appeared on the market, telling you that [no longer charge with point cards], but the whole process is free, which will inevitably cause an uproar.

This shows that the [time-based] numerical system will be broken, and the game needs a brand new numerical architecture to frame it.

This principle is easy to understand. If you pay for time, you will pay more time than others, and you will gain more.

One day, the game time will no longer be charged, and another situation will occur-

The more money a player pays, the more he will gain than other players.

This is simply a subversive concept for game developers, and it directly conflicts with the concept of "game is a time experience" that was pursued in the past.

Only when a weird thing like "Stone Age" has caused the collapse of the entire [time-based] numerical system because of the plug-in impact, will you think about making money by "selling babies".

It can be said that the Stone Age accidentally created the path of krypton gold as the king, or it can be said that it is the originator of krypton gold.

However, except for the Stone Age, other domestic game manufacturers are not willing to do this, because the biggest damage caused by selling game attributes is that they destroy the original numerical system and lead to a decrease in the game life.

Bomi is even more bizarre now—

I just got rid of all the charges for the point card.

...

The operation department of Huayi Company was also shocked.

"Damn it, I can't understand it. What's the matter with Bomi? It doesn't sell point cards or game attributes. Can you really make money by paying for the appearance of the game just?"

Huayi Company can be said to be the originator of selling attributes. They basically launch a new pet that is officially sold every month. The numerical growth and combat power of the new pet must be stronger than existing pets, so that players can be stimulated to pay.

At the beginning, it was a little more expensive, and it could sell 168 Phantom Wolf. Then the next pet came out, and the previous Phantom Wolf was sold at a discount, and it could make another wave of money.

However, the Jin Dance Team has no room for numerical growth, and players compete for hand speed and reaction ability.

Therefore, Huayi Company is used to selling numerical values ​​and cannot understand this model of making money by looking at the appearance.

"Yes, it's hard to sell attributes and values ​​now, let alone the Jin Dance Troupe's model that does not sell attributes at all, but only sells avatar?

Players can pay for being stronger. Are there really people pay for just to look good?"

"Just... I can't understand at all. If I were to look good, why would I spend money in the game? Wouldn't it be good for me to buy a beautiful set of clothes directly in reality?"

...

NetEase, the team of Westward Journey, which had just returned to recreated, was also confused after playing the latest "Dance Team" launched by Bomi Company.

However, compared to large companies, NetEase Games is still a cute newbie now, and she is watching with a humble attitude of asking for advice.

"Bomi is really brave enough this wave," said Zhan Zhonghui. "I don't even dare to think about it. I actually use the free online game model and I don't know what the final profit will be."

Zhan Zhonghui is the number one figure of NetEase except Ding Sanshi, and can be said to be the second-in-command of the company.

Even the prestige of the game department is still above Ding Sanshi, and the employees like him very much. Zhan Zhonghui is always full of enthusiasm and firepower, and has a deep understanding of the game. He maintains a strong curiosity and enthusiasm for the game. Therefore, when Dingdang left NetEase in his previous life, NetEase's stock price fell, and countless people sighed.

Even NetEase’s programmer Niu Yunfeng said that if there is someone in the world who deserves your life for him, then this person is Dingdang.

At this time, Dingdang was just a newbie.

Others frowned and said, "So what is the meaning of this?"

Dingdang shook his head, "It's hard to say that since its establishment, Bomi Company has taken every step it seems messy and does not play according to the routine, but the effect is very good every time.

I suggest you wait and see for a while and do a good job of analysis. Maybe we can also use the free game in the future."

"But..." The planner of the Westward Journey 2 frowned in discomfort, "We are now halfway through the game, and it's not easy to adjust the numerical value."

Dingdang smiled, "It's not that this game, Dahua 2 will definitely not be changed. The numerical system will affect the whole body. Let's talk about the next one or the next one."

...

The peers from other companies also expressed their doubts about the game "Jing Dance Team":

"Isn't the operation of this game too simple?"

"You can't say it's simple, you can only say it's meaningless. I played it yesterday and pressed the spaces up, down, left and right according to the instructions... Basically, you don't have to think about it, and it's not much fun."

"Yes, this QTE is too stupid."

QTE, full name: Quick Timer Event, responds to events quickly and in a short time.

This word first appeared in a console game "Shenmu" developed by the island country in 1999:

When the protagonist collects intelligence, an emergency occurs, which requires the player to quickly and accurately press certain keys to complete certain actions.

Generally, QTE needs to be pressed one key at a time.

In Shenmue II, a higher difficulty QTE is shown that requires players to press a series of keys quickly in succession.

When such QTE appears, the action screen will pause, the controller panel appears and indicates the order of the player's keys.

Once QTE fails, most situations have the opportunity to challenge again. In some cases, the plot will continue to develop with QTE failure, and the events that occur will change.

Later, the game in the God of War series promoted QTE. Players not only needed to press a specific combination of keys in a short time, but also needed to press the keys for a certain length of time, or to rotate the rocker back and forth.

If the QTE is completed, the reward the player receives is-

You can see how Master Kui slaughtered violently, and he was so happy.

"This is just a dance machine with your fingers?"

"Yes, it would be strange if the Jin Dance Team can become a successful game."

"I bet it won't make much money. If it can get a big fire, I'll go eat shit!"

...

In short, after Bomi's "The Dance Team" was released, industry insiders were basically not optimistic about this game.

There are several reasons for not being optimistic:

First, I don’t know how to make money, so I don’t even have a point card, which means that the dance troupe can only rely on props to charge.

Second, the number of people who like dancing machines is very niche, and most of them are women, and they are still the kind of players who are popular in three minutes. It is still a mystery how many players the Dance Team has.

In reality, not many people play dancing machines, let alone on the Internet?

Third, the game of Jindiao Group basically has no depth, so there is doubt about the player's viscosity.

For games like Stone Age, Legend, and Three Kingdoms Online, one of the most basic goals of players is to upgrade. The character's attributes will be enhanced after each upgrade.

At the same time, it will also cooperate with the growth of pets, equipment...some series of numerical systems, and the player's combat effectiveness will be significantly improved.

In the early stages of game development, a classic theory used in the industry came from Freud's [Candy Effect]: Every time a player completes something, you will give him a certain reward, and the player's brain will secrete a large amount of dopamine and continue to play.

The deeper the pits digging by numerical values, the easier it is for players to fall into it. The deeper the numerical pits are, and at the same time, the longer the life and playability of the game. The more numerical pits, the deeper the pits, the more systems in the game, the richer the gameplay they can provide, and the more growth and fun players can get in the game.

Therefore, there is a reason why industry insiders are not optimistic about Jin Dance Troupe. Jin Dance Troupe has no numerical pits, only appearance props, and a game without numerical pits, the player's sense of goal is very weak.

Before the Dance Team, players knew that they would fight monsters and upgrade, change equipment, and change better equipment in the game.

This is a very virtuous cycle, but after the appearance of the Dance Team, the player has no main target, only one experience level upgrade. However, compared to the numerical pit, the experience level, which does not place any attributes at all, has a very weak attraction.

Therefore, the big guys in the industry are more worried about the retention of the game "Jin Dance Team".

One of the planners even said directly, "It would be strange if the retention of this game is good. If the retention of the Dance Team can exceed 20% the next day, I will go and eat shit!"

Fourth, the gameplay is too simple, and the fun of the game is questionable.

The way to play QTE is that players only need to press the keyboard according to the instructions. This kind of game is not like an online game at all, but more like a puzzle game played by children.

...

Therefore, except for the employees of Bomi Company, all of whom are very motivated and excited, the relevant personnel of other companies are not optimistic about the game "Jin Dance Team".
To be continued...