booktalesy Chapter 218 You Haven't Taken a Shower
Chapter 218 You Haven't Taken a Shower
In the afternoon, Lu Ran sat at his workstation with three screens in front of him.
On the left is the Weibo Games Center interface, on the right is the beta version of TUTU Games Center, and in the middle is the activity plan just sent by the operations team.
He scrolled through Weibo while silently making comparisons in his mind.
Weibo Games Center offers ten games, all of which are single-player, with no social features or interaction.
TUTU Game Center offers thirty games, online multiplayer battles, friend rankings, an achievement system, points redemption, and a rabbit-themed skin collaboration.
This is no longer a matter of difference.
This is a dimensional reduction attack.
He recalled the internet wars of his past life, the massive cash-burning subsidies, and the products that were once incredibly successful but eventually disappeared.
Sometimes, winning isn't necessarily because you did a great job, but because your opponent did a terrible job.
Of course, this shouldn't be said aloud, as it would seem too arrogant.
As he was thinking, his phone vibrated.
It was a message from Shen Yuege:
[Didn't Weibo release a new game? How's it going on your end?]
Lu Ran replied:
[Just finished inspecting the enemy situation, feeling pleased.]
Shen Yuege replied instantly:
【? ? ? 】
[Why are you enjoying playing games when people are just playing?]
Lu Ran typed:
[Thanks to the contrast provided by our competitors, I have even more confidence in our product.]
Shen Yuege sent a speechless emoji:
Look at how smug you are.
Lu Ran laughed out loud and replied:
[By the way, the game center launches tomorrow. Want to come to my company for a look? Maybe I can invest some money while I'm at it.]
Let me tell you, my company doesn't easily accept investment, unless it's from my wife.
Shen Yuege:
【cut.】
I happen to be free tomorrow afternoon, so I can come over. Let me check your thirty games first; are there any that I could get addicted to?
Lu Ran:
Don't worry, it definitely exists. How about learning about gold miners?
Shen Yuege:
How do you play it?
Lu Ran:
You'll find out tomorrow.
...
Putting down his phone, Lu Ran leaned back in his chair and stared blankly at the ceiling.
While Weibo's move seems aggressive at first glance, upon closer examination, it actually exposes a problem—
They don't have their own gaming DNA.
Weibo is a professional when it comes to social media platforms; it's also a professional when it comes to content distribution.
But making games?
They don't understand.
They thought that games were just "gameplay + graphics," and that copying a few classic gameplay elements and adding decent graphics would be enough to retain users.
But what they don't know is that the true appeal of games lies in their "addictive mechanisms".
Why can you spend an entire afternoon playing Gold Miner? It's not because the old miner is handsome, but because of the psychological hook of "almost catching it".
Why would two people argue while playing Fire and Ice? It's not because of the beautiful graphics, but because of the social aspect of "you have to cooperate to pass the level".
Why would the rolling sky make someone as rational as Zhou Mingzhe want to restart? It's not because the track design is particularly ingenious, but because of the competitive spirit of "I refuse to believe I can't get through it."
Weibo doesn't understand any of this.
They only saw the surface of the game, not its core essence.
"Let them continue to be ignorant," Lu Ran muttered to himself. "Once the game center goes live tomorrow, they'll know what a real game platform is."
...
In the evening, the setting sun bathed the office in a warm yellow light.
Lu Ran was packing his things to go home when Zhou Mingzhe suddenly walked over and sat down next to him.
"There's something I'd like to discuss with you."
"explain."
"Regarding 'Seven Heroes of the Jianghu'," Zhou Mingzhe pushed up his glasses, somewhat embarrassed, "the progress is a little slower than expected."
Lu Ran raised an eyebrow: "How much slower?"
"About a week," Zhou Mingzhe said. "The main problem lies in the online multiplayer module. We underestimated the complexity of cross-network latency, and some technical challenges will take time to resolve."
Lu Ran thought about it and realized that this problem was indeed quite difficult to solve, so he nodded: "Then let's take it a week slower. Quality first."
After all, when it comes to online multiplayer games, latency is something you can't afford to be careless about.
The reason why online games are difficult to develop is that many details need to be carefully considered.
The team is currently facing this problem, which is a good opportunity to gain experience in this area. Lu Ran will also encounter this problem when developing design-related games in the future.
"Aren't you in a hurry?" Zhou Mingzhe asked curiously. He felt that Lu Ran had been in a great hurry when he sent over the game a while ago.
He was prepared to be criticized, since he had made a promise to Lu Ran, but now he couldn't complete it on time.
"What's the rush?" Lu Ran laughed. "The game center launches tomorrow, which should keep Weibo busy for a while. By the time they react, 'Seven Heroes' will be almost finished."
Lu Ran stood up and patted Zhou Mingzhe on the shoulder: "Old Zhou, don't feel too much pressure. Don't treat me like a boss, just treat me like a friend."
"If I can't finish on time, I'll have some of my salary deducted."
"Then why do I feel more like the boss?" Zhou Mingzhe replied, listening to Lu Ran's obviously joking words.
"You're the boss, after all." Lu Ran stood up, patted him on the shoulder, "Alright, you keep an eye on the technical stuff, I trust you. Add people if needed, raise salaries if necessary, don't skimp."
"understood."
Lu Ran walked to the door, then suddenly turned back: "By the way, the game center launches tomorrow, so don't push yourself too hard. Take a break, there are still tough battles to fight."
Zhou Mingzhe: "Are you... concerned about me?"
"Nonsense, if you collapse from exhaustion, who's going to write my code?" Lu Ran walked away without looking back.
Zhou Mingzhe watched his retreating figure, a slight smile playing on his lips.
This boss is quite humane; I can't let him down again. Zhou Mingzhe turned on his computer and his fingers flew across the keyboard.
...
At nine o'clock in the evening, Lu Ran returned home.
Shen Yuege was looking at her phone on the sofa when she saw him return. She looked up and asked, "How did it go? Are you confident about tomorrow?"
"Chance?" Lu Ran sat down next to her, casually picking up an orange from the coffee table. "It's not a matter of chance, it's a matter of crushing the competition."
"So confident?"
"It's not confidence, it's a fact." Lu Ran peeled an orange and handed her a segment. "Those five new games on Weibo are just for show. Once our game center goes live, they'll know what a difference there is."
Shen Yuege took the orange and looked at him thoughtfully: "Have you ever thought about what if Weibo adds social features later?"
Lu Ran nodded: "I've thought about it. But it will take them time to add it. That'll be enough time for us to lock in the users."
He paused, then said seriously, "Besides, even if they add social features, they still can't catch up. Because they don't have rabbits."
Shen Yuege was taken aback: "A rabbit?"
"Yes, a rabbit." Lu Ran smiled. "We've raised our rabbit for so long, feeding it, petting it, and talking to it every day. Users have already developed an emotional attachment to it. Even if Weibo creates an identical pet, users won't switch—because they can't bear to part with their own."
Shen Yuege exclaimed, "That was a ruthless move of yours."
"That's called emotional bond." Lu Ran proudly raised his chin. "A required course for capitalists."
"Besides, I suspect they won't add it to Weibo at all. The mini-games were originally their surprise tactic, but since they're not working, they'll definitely change their approach and won't stick to this one thing."
"Sigh, it's really unfortunate for Weibo to have a rival like you," Shen Yuege sighed with a smile.
The two leaned against the sofa and chatted casually.
The city of Shanghai outside the window was brightly lit, and on the office buildings in the distance, the huge poster for "Reign of Assassins" had been replaced with a trailer for the new movie.
Looking out the window, Lu Ran suddenly recalled the days when he had just transmigrated to this world.
At that time, he had nothing but a system and a contract.
What now?
He has TUTU, Super Girl, That Rabbit, the upcoming game center, Shen Yuege, and a group of people willing to follow him and cause trouble.
The launch of the game center tomorrow is just a small step in a long journey.
But he took this step very steadily.
"What are you thinking about?" Shen Yuege's voice pulled him back to reality.
"I was thinking..." Lu Ran turned his head and looked at her, "How lucky I am to have such a good wife."
Shen Yuege slapped him and said, "Are you trying to die?"
"If you're going to die, die a romantic death." Lu Ran said with a wicked smile, then turned around and pounced on Shen Yuege: "As the saying goes, dying under a peony flower is a romantic death."
"Get lost." Shen Yuege gently pushed him away.
"You haven't taken a shower."
...