Chapter 17 How to Retain Arena Players: The Seventeenth Chapter in Game Development...
"Because your cultivation is profound and your strength is immeasurable, recklessly using too much spiritual power would cause the game to crash. Therefore, the developers have limited your cultivation in the game. But don't worry, you can leave the game at any time." Little Ginseng appeared immediately and answered the question before Tongtian could even ask.
Tongtian also came to his senses at this moment, realizing that his cultivation and sword were still there, but he could not use them easily. Once he used them, he would be repelled by the formation.
This formation is truly profound; it even managed to trap him. That was Tongtian's first thought, and then he turned his gaze to the little ginseng in front of him.
"Neither demon nor spirit, nor bound by fate or karma, it is entirely a creation of an array." Tongtian was completely captivated by the little ginseng. He was skilled in using arrays, but he had never seen anything like the little ginseng before.
Indeed, the Tao is boundless.
I thought my skills in formations were already sufficient, but as soon as I left Kunlun, I discovered something in a small tiger tribe that my formations couldn't explain.
I really want to study this. Tongtian's gaze grew increasingly intense.
Feeling the intense gaze of the player before him, Little Ginseng secretly regretted that he shouldn't have sensed the player's profound cultivation level, thought he was a potential spender, and then left prematurely.
Now look what's happened, he's encountered a weirdo. He's just an ordinary guide NPC, but this guy in front of him looks like a fanatical scientist who wants to dismantle and study him.
However, he is no longer a newbie; he has three months of work experience and is an outstanding NPC who assists the game in completing major projects as a core member.
Little Ginseng tried to ignore the player's burning gaze: "Sir, do you have any questions about 'Welcome to Farm Battle'? If not, we can begin the tutorial?"
No, no, absolutely not. After guiding this player through the tutorial, the little ginseng that spent money on in-game purchases will have to be carefully hidden, since this player is quite intimidating. The little ginseng sensed something was wrong.
However, things didn't go as planned. Tongtian politely asked, "I know a little about formations, but I've never seen anyone like you before. May I ask how you were created? Or perhaps I can study you?"
The little ginseng smiled and said, "I'm sorry, sir, this is a trade secret and I cannot disclose it."
"In addition, as a game NPC, you are protected by the game rules. If you recklessly harm an NPC, you will be kicked out of the game and blacklisted."
"May I ask the creator of the formation? I'd like to discuss some principles with him," Tongtian asked further.
"I can't comment on that. Besides, the planner is currently in seclusion and can't receive guests." Little Ginseng had received strict orders not to reveal the planner's true identity to the players after this update.
Moreover, Yuan Yi is indeed in seclusion contemplating the development of a new game and would absolutely not be hosting guests.
It seems we won't be able to meet the mastermind behind this formation for the time being. Even the most shrewd diviners couldn't figure out the person's origins, only that we would inevitably meet again in the future.
It seems the time is not yet right, Tongtian regretfully put down the technique in his hand.
He examined the hidden formation again and found that the environment was so lifelike that it was almost identical to the primordial wilderness.
Is such a grand undertaking really necessary for a game? Tongtian also discovered many hidden formations, but they were not yet activated.
"Would you like to begin the tutorial now?" Little Ginseng asked again. If the player in front of him hadn't been so powerful, he would have forced him into the tutorial.
This NPC, who's supposed to be a tutorial NPC, is acting like customer service. I'm suffering in silence. I just hope this player spends a lot of money to soothe their traumatized heart.
"Alright." He wanted to see just how well this formation could function.
…………
The tutorial went by incredibly fast, so fast that Little Ginseng felt like he had just stepped into the field when the calamity was repelled, and he hadn't even had time to set up a protective shield.
The man in front of them, who called himself the nameless swordsman, fluently drew array patterns, shattering the aura of calamity.
He said, "It's all so realistic. If I could use spiritual energy and swordsmanship, I would really try to fight them."
A quintessential warmonger.
The little ginseng clearly noticed that the nameless swordsman's attention was focused on the hidden array patterns in the corners and on himself. He treated the core gameplay of farming perfunctorily, showing none of the eagerness or desire to continue farming that other players displayed after finishing their tasks.
Little Ginseng felt very distressed, after all, no one had ever quit or stopped playing the game in the three months since it was launched.
Because you can enjoy the beautiful scenery and idyllic farm life in the game, and you can also change your real-world residence and improve your spiritual power.
Of course, the players got more and more hooked as they played. They thought that the "player retention rate problem" that Little Ginseng came with was just Yuan Yi's unfounded worry, but they didn't expect it to actually come in handy.
The little ginseng couldn't help but bite its nails. This is a truly high-level cultivator, a future big spender. Is there really no way to keep it?
Tongtian was currently focused on the operation of different action formations. Although he didn't know how to draw them, he had already grasped about three-tenths of their meaning. He now held the "planning" mentioned by the little ginseng in even greater respect.
He had never imagined that an array could be made in such a way, and that it could perfectly replicate the land beneath him. If he were to bring this array to Kunlun in the future, he would definitely plant tiger tail grass all over the area where his second brother's cave was located, so that his whole body would be covered in hair.
The thought of Yuanshi, dressed in a dozen layers of clothing, having his face covered in grass clippings blown by the wind, his clothes and hair all covered in grass fluff, was quite amusing.
Unfortunately, the last time he captured a cub on Kunlun Mountain, he had just finished molting it and dyed it with fur when his two older brothers joined forces to send the cub down the mountain. His second brother even nagged him, saying, "It has fur and horns, and it was born from a wet egg."
Tongtian thought about bringing this game back to Kunlun in the future, so he could share this novelty with his brother. Therefore, he no longer focused his attention so intently on the little ginseng as he had at the beginning.
The little ginseng felt utterly miserable.
Oh no, this player really doesn't seem to like farming games. Even though Master Yuanyi taught us that every player has different gaming preferences.
But as a die-hard fan of Yuan Yi, Little Ginseng has always believed that the games made by Lord Yuan Yi are the best in the world, irreplaceable, and no one can refuse them. His three months of gaming experience in Qingqiu further solidified this belief.
But now, seeing the nameless swordsman in front of him with a perfunctory and indifferent expression, Little Ginseng couldn't help but use the knowledge in his mind to match the player's image.
It seems that using a sword, being warlike, and not paying attention to farming content makes him a typical arena player.
Can farming and life simulation games really retain arena players? Little Ginseng is secretly crying inside.
No, there's one last chance.
The latest update includes a new gameplay mode: stealing crops. Experience the thrill of being caught in a fast-paced, action-packed game.
"...As long as you go through this hole, you can randomly connect to a player's farm. When the farm owner is not around, you can harvest the mature spiritual plants." Little Ginseng explained conscientiously.
"However, even if the farmer is not around, you still need to be careful of the spirit beasts that the farmer keeps. Each farm can be equipped with a guardian beast. Guardian beasts are divided into levels and star ratings. The higher the level, the higher the probability of catching vegetable thieves."
"Since this is the player's first time unlocking this feature, a spirit beast egg is being given as a gift. We hope you will take good care of it~"
The little ginseng somehow brought out a giant white egg the size of his head and placed it on the ground.
As long as spiritual energy is input, the egg can be hatched, and the spirit beast can recognize the spiritual energy and identify its owner.
Tongtian got excited at this point; he had never known that formations could be used in this way.
Chat, steal vegetables, raise spirit beasts.
It seems interesting, so let him try the saltiness.
Tongtian channeled spiritual energy into the egg, causing it to emit a pale white light. A countdown timer for "2" appeared on the egg, indicating that it would take two more hours to hatch.
Below is a free acceleration offer for new users, and Tongtian naturally chose to incubate immediately.
The next second, a rustling sound came from inside the eggshell, as if something was gnawing at it.
First, there's a red, pointed mouth, then two small ears, followed by two fox paws and a coat of red fur.
What an adorable red fox, its color like fire, clever and cute.
The little fox knew who the master of this place was as soon as it hatched from its egg. Following the spiritual energy, it circled around Tongtian, its fiery red, fluffy tail swaying nimbly back and forth.
When Tongtian couldn't resist reaching out to touch it, the little fox used all five limbs to hook onto Tongtian's arm, making soft whimpering sounds.
A pair of clear eyes stared intently at Tongtian, and it rubbed its head and tail against his fingers.
Who could resist this? Tongtian had never seen such an active and eager cub with such soft fur that it was so easy to pet.
The key point is that it feels exceptionally good. Tongtian's hand remained on the fox's back the whole time, unable to stop.
So he's a plush toy fanatic. Little Ginseng completely saw through the nameless swordsman's nature: a warlike swordsman, but also a plush toy fanatic.
Although the owner of Yuanyi tried his best to reflect the characteristics of each spirit beast when designing them, there are very few like this fox that loves to be affectionate and is clingy from birth.
But the adults in front of them just fell for it, looking like they were absolutely smitten with the fox.
The little ginseng immediately seized the opportunity to win over players and get them to willingly spend money on in-game purchases.
"Congratulations, sir, on obtaining the spirit beast [Heart Moon Fox]. You can now set it as your guardian beast."
"Also, this spirit beast is still in its cub stage and at a low level. Do you want to purchase the [Spirit Beast Level-Up Pack] to turn it directly into a mature fox?"
Looking at the soft, adorable cub in his palm, Tongtian immediately refused, "No."
"【Heart Moon Fox】is currently at zero stars. Do you want to buy a spirit beast egg? There's a chance to draw the same spirit beast to upgrade its star level. For more details on gameplay, please check the spirit pet panel~" Little Ginseng kindly reminds you.
"Hmm?" Tongtian opened the little fox's panel. He saw that the level and star rating were listed in a column, but the word "Hunger" in red and bold was particularly eye-catching.
The little ginseng still smiled sweetly, but Tongtian seemed to see a fox tail wagging behind it: "Master, would you like to steal some vegetables to feed the little fox?"
A note from the author:
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Little Ginseng: It's hard to select PvP players in farming games, but you said you're a plush toy lover, so here you are! [doge]
Thank you so much for the nutrient solution, my darlings! Love you all! [heart emoji]
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