Chapter 250: Crush! Heartbroken!
Facing Liao Feng's anger, Wu Lingxi did not say anything, but just stared at him, motionless.
Gradually, Liao Feng calmed down.
"You should at least discuss this with me." Liao Feng said gently, "Wouldn't it be better if we discussed it and then made a decision together?"
For some reason, Wu Lingxi particularly dislikes hearing the word "discuss" now.
Because Liao Feng is too shrewd. Once the negotiation begins, even if it is for the good of the company, there will be a price to pay if you want him to agree to any conditions.
He always manages to use his rhetoric to turn the right things that you should do into his efforts, making you owe him something.
So, Wu Lingxi resisted instinctively.
After a long while, Wu Lingxi said, "Everything, let's wait until Yang Zhiyuan and Son Zhengyi visit, and until we are sure to get the investment, then we can discuss these things, okay?"
Liao Feng: “Of course!”
"certainly!"
He smiled at Wu Lingxi, trying very hard to be gentle.
……………………
This temporary suspension of service has brought huge complaints.
There was another barrage of curses in the gaming community.
But the entire top management knew that they had escaped this time.
Fortunately, this malicious bug was discovered within two hours of its appearance, and the server was immediately shut down to fix it. If it had been discovered five or six days later like the last time, the consequences would have been disastrous.
Let’s not talk about the rollback data.
The key is that it will really bring a devastating blow to the entire game.
Because what is the ultimate goal of players playing this game? Isn't it to get the best equipment? Once these top equipment can be directly copied, it means that all the potential of the game is overdrawn instantly, and players no longer have a goal to strive for.
At that time, even rolling back the data would be of no help.
Therefore, the "Perfect World" game operation team has a feeling of surviving a disaster.
Liao Feng also knew this very well. If he continued with his previous style of doing things, blindly using force and oppression and firing people at every turn, the consequences would be disastrous.
This time it was Wu Lingxi who stepped in and saved the game.
However, after a series of changes, the number of online users of "Perfect World" has dropped from a peak of 350,000 to around 180,000, but this is still a very successful result.
"We must find a way to push the number of online game users back to over 200,000." Liao Feng said: "Although 180,000 is already a great success, it is still not impressive enough in front of Masayoshi Son and Zhiyuan Yang."
Renren does have some tricks to stimulate the number of online users.
For example, distributing point cards, giving out props, or organizing large-scale activities can all increase the number of online users.
After all, this game still has some stickiness, and players have already invested more than 20 days of time and energy in it.
Wu Lingxi: "Wait a minute."
"Zhu Xian will be closed beta today. Let's see how effective the game is and then decide on the intensity of the game activities."
"But Mr. Liao is right. When Masayoshi Son and Zhiyuan Yang visit Renren, we must show them the most successful data."
………………………………
"Zhu Xian" officially started closed beta at around 2 p.m.
A total of 5,000 places are available.
These players downloaded the game long in advance, and many even waited in front of their computers two hours in advance.
Li Qing, the chief planner of "Perfect World", as well as the backbone of the team, and even Wu Lingxi and others, were also sitting in front of the computer waiting for the server to be launched.
In fact, the entire Renren Group was very curious and puzzled as to why Lin Xiao could be so patient?
"Zhu Xian" was started more than two years ago. The cost, manpower, and time invested far exceeded that of "Perfect World", so the degree of completion is definitely higher.
Therefore, as long as Lin Xiao is willing, he can launch the public beta before "Perfect World".
However, he did not do so, but allowed "Perfect World" to take the lead and seize the title of the first domestic 3D game.
finally……
Two o'clock in the afternoon arrived.
Wu Lingxi logged into the game almost immediately because her computer configuration was extremely high and her network environment was excellent.
You don't need to create an account, you can log in directly with your Facebook account.
However, after entering the game, you need to start the face-shaping process.
Moreover, the level of face-shaping is already very, very high, which is completely different from other games of the same period.
But at this time Wu Lingxi really didn't have the patience to pinch her face, so she randomly used an image and entered the game.
Then...
It is a CG that lasts for three minutes.
Suddenly...
Wu Lingxi was stunned.
Because the quality of this CG is simply amazing.
It could almost be an animated film.
A grand scene with a sense of animal hair.
The facial expressions of the characters.
A scene of heaven and earth collapsing.
It's simply epic.
Whether it's the graphics or the dubbing, they're all epic.
It's really like watching a fantasy blockbuster.
Lin Xiao, are you crazy? Spending money on this, do you really think you are Blizzard? As we all know, Blizzard's most powerful thing is not making games, but making CG animations.
For each generation of World of Warcraft, players are very much looking forward to its trailers. Even before the game has been tested, these CG trailers have been everywhere. Of course, it's not just World of Warcraft, but also Warcraft and StarCraft, whose CG is also very well done.
But the most amazing one is "World of Warcraft". These CG promotional videos have shocked countless players around the world.
Even people who don’t play World of Warcraft are deeply moved by these promotional videos.
"Well said, but it's meaningless!"
"You are courting death!"
"The day you were born, the forests of Lordaeron whispered the name: Arthas."
These classic dialogues are also familiar.
Lin Xiao almost copied this fighting style in "Zhu Xian". There are three large-scale CG animations in the entire game.
These three large-scale CGs alone cost tens of millions!
Of course, this is certainly not as much as the $20 million cost of Wrath of the Lich King.
But this cost is completely unique in the domestic gaming industry, and even very crazy in the world.
Wu Lingxi had played "World of Warcraft" before, and she was already shocked.
At this time, almost all players in the country had never played "World of Warcraft" and had never experienced such shocking graphics.
Suddenly...
Players who participated in the closed beta test were completely shocked and amazed by the opening CG animation.
There's even a creepy feeling.
Fuck!
This CG animation instantly kills countless animated movies.
This texture, this picture, this epic feeling.
Especially the depiction of the fantasy world of immortals and heroes is so amazing.
Lin Xiao really reviewed the script and storyboard of this CG again and again, and almost drove the art team of the Lightning game to death.
Because he had really eaten fine bran, his requirements were particularly high.
It is really very difficult to fully display the world described in the book on the screen.
World of Warcraft has done it, and there is another game that has done it very well, which is Game of Thrones.
But what impressed Lin Xiao the most was "Elden Ring". The world in it is truly the best fantasy world. It really perfectly presents the world described in the book, even beyond imagination.
For example, the Eternal City in the underground world, and the map of the world of scarlet corruption, really brought a huge perceptual impact to Lin Xiao at that time.
After rounds of rejections, and then repeatedly proposing the images and the world he wanted, and cooperating with the company's best art designers, he finally finalized the CG storyboards.
The fantasy world in "Zhu Xian" is materialized. (Similar to the fantasy of "Black Myth: Wukong", or even more cruel) Currently, many players' concept of the graphics of Xianxia games almost all comes from the stand-alone game "Chinese Paladin", which of course does not mean that it is bad.
Rather, these games all have a shortcoming, which is that they overly pursue aesthetic images and a fairy-like feeling, which will lose the sense of reality, especially the feeling of paper people.
Even the later Sword Three is like this.
Even the later "Sixteen Sounds of Yanyun" is still like this.
Black Myth: Wukong is definitely a game that truly breaks away from this false sense of oriental aesthetics.
Of course, it’s hard for Lightning Games’ Zhu Xian to completely break away from this false aesthetic.
But at least, it will be one step closer to the truth.
In CG, the majestic, dark, terrifying and epic feeling is more prominent.
Therefore, the shock it brings is unparalleled.
After watching the three-minute CG, Wu Lingxi was still not satisfied and even wanted to watch it again.
She even paused the game.
I was in a daze for a while.
With such stunning CG and such a shocking opening video, why didn’t Lin Xiao make it public before?
There is already YouTube and Renren Video.
As soon as this CG is released, it will immediately shock the entire gaming industry and amaze countless players.
Even with this CG, we can regain the title of the No. 1 domestic 3D game.
But Lin Xiao didn't do that, as if he wanted to give all the surprises to the players at once.
After entering the game.
Wu Lingxi discovered again that this... didn't seem like an online game at all.
It's more like a 3A stand-alone masterpiece.
In a normal online game, as soon as you enter the novice village, you will be guaranteed to see densely packed players with all kinds of names above their heads.
There is certainly a sense of prosperity, but... there is also a sense of absurdity.
In the first hour of "Zhu Xian", you can't even see other players. It is completely a stand-alone game.
It is to let you enter the world of the game, enter the plot, and understand the world view.
The plot of the mission in the first hour is also full of ups and downs and shocking.
The script is extremely well-written.
This is completely different from all current games, even World of Warcraft.
Even more extreme than World of Warcraft.
That ultimate sense of immersion and the construction of the entire world view.
This tragic, terrifying world.
It takes a full hour of playing the prefix story before you can actually enter the novice village.
Wu Lingxi even forgot why she came here and immersed herself in the game.
Until you finish the prefix task and enter the Novice Village.
Then, she began to observe the mission modeling, architecture, landscapes, plants, etc.
You won’t know until you compare.
In comparison.
The graphics of "Perfect World" were originally pretty good, but... compared to "Zhu Xian", the gap is really too big.
Wu Lingxi even dared to be sure that the graphics of "Zhu Xian" were even more extreme than those of "World of Warcraft".
This is certainly not to say that Blizzard's technology is bad, but that Blizzard has to make a balance and take care of as many players as possible.
But Lightning Games seems to be different. It is striving for perfection, and doesn’t even care that a large number of players cannot play this game due to insufficient configuration. It doesn’t even care that the computer configuration of many Internet cafes is difficult to play this game smoothly.
It's all about showmanship.
So it is almost completely different from the original "Zhu Xian".
Its entire structure is actually the same as World of Warcraft.
It has a vast world view, extremely rich plots and texts, and many bizarre worlds.
To some extent, it even transcends the plot structure of the original work.
There has been a certain upgrade in the world view.
However, it won't be as long as World of Warcraft. World of Warcraft has more than a dozen expansion packs, while Zhu Xian will only have five at most!
And it will give a shocking ending at the climax.
Yes, even if it is an online game, there must be an ending.
…………………………………………
About two hours later! Li Qing and others came to Wu Lingxi's office, looking depressed.
"Mr. Wu, this is simply not a product of the same era."
“Whether it’s the graphics, the world view, or the script, the game structure is not from the same era.”
"I really feel that Ergou doesn't want to make a game at all. He just wants to show a world. He is heading towards the ninth art."
"He didn't even think about how long the game would be. He just crammed all the good stuff into it. I just wanted to make this version of the game good. I didn't care what to do in the future or how to improve it. I won't do it in the future. I have to make it perfect now."
“No wonder it took more than two years to make it, no wonder the budget more than doubled, and no wonder we invited EPIC and Ubisoft teams to provide support.”
"He doesn't even care how many players won't be able to play."
"Anyone with normal aesthetic sense can clearly see that these two games are not at the same level at all."
"Who dares to compete with him for the No. 1 domestic 3D game? If we rashly come out to grab this banner, we will simply bring disgrace upon ourselves!"
"He was just trying to do World of Warcraft and didn't even think about competing with us."
Wu Lingxi said slowly: "I understand. You can go and report to Mr. Liao."
Then she sat quietly in front of the computer without saying a word.
This was another subversion of her thinking.
Before, she always thought that this world was about business and capital.
The so-called products are all games of capital.
There is nothing that capital cannot do, capital is supreme.
So she forced the merger of Renren.com through the game of capital. By relying on the game of capital, she directly maximized the traffic of Renren.com.
They also used capital to snatch the "Perfect World" that belonged to someone else, and released it in advance, thus cutting in the gap with "Zhu Xian".
On Lin Xiao’s side, products and content are paramount.
The so-called capital completely serves the products and the content.
I don’t know whether it makes money or not.
But what I make has to be awesome.
In fact, Wu Lingxi had already begun to doubt herself in the competition between Facebook and Renren.
And this time, the suspicion was even more thorough.
Is this path I'm taking really the right one?
Capital first or product first, which one is the best? Of course, whether it is right or wrong, do I have a chance to start over?
…………………………………………
Li Qing came to Liao Feng's office.
"You don't need to tell me how good and awesome "Zhu Xian" is. I know it. I've seen it. I have good eyes."
"Just tell me straight out, how much impact will this have on our Perfect World?"
Li Qing was silent for a while, then slowly said, "Mr. Liao, what I am going to say next may not be politically correct."
“This world is mostly made up of idiots.”
"Most players can't actually enjoy games that are too high-end."
"So, as long as we cater to the majority of idiots, our game will still be successful."
"But in terms of reputation, we will be completely crushed."
Liao Feng: "I don't care about fame, I just want commercial success."
Li Qing: "World of Warcraft uses a time-based point card charging system, and Zhu Xian also uses a time-based point card charging system. Let these two games fight it out."
"We adopt a free system, charge for props, and let players spend money."
"As long as you cater to the emotions of many players, you can still make a lot of money."
"We let them upgrade and make them happy, rather than...showing a world to others."
"Also... don't worry about the Ninth Art."
Liao Feng: "Nonsense, of course I don't care about the bullshit ninth art?"
………………………………
That day!
Almost all the gaming forums were blown up.
Even the chat area within the "Perfect World" game exploded.
"Damn, this is such a masterpiece!"
"Fuck, the 3-minute CG animation at the beginning just blew me away. It was totally unexpected, and it just appeared right in front of me."
"It soaked my diaper."
“That’s awesome.”
"Can games be done this way? Can anyone tell me how much the animation at the beginning costs?"
"It cost tens of millions. It took several months just to write the script and storyboard, and we also hired a foreign team to help with the production. Lightning Group is going to make the animated film Kung Fu Panda, so they formed a team early on and started with this CG animation."
"There were dozens of people doing this for about a year and a half."
"Can anyone tell me if this is still an online game? I'm young and haven't seen the world, so why can't I see any other players in the first hour? And can an online game have such an awesome plot and such an awesome text?"
"I never read the plot when I play games, but... for a whole hour, it taught me how to be a person and a player."
"Has anyone played World of Warcraft? Is it that awesome?"
"Damn, even though I'm not very experienced, I can see that, by comparison, Renren Games' Perfect World is a piece of shit!"
"Not really, not really. The beginning of Perfect World was pretty good, but... it's still a typical online game after all. It's just that Zhu Xian is too awesome."
Although there were only 5,000 people participating in the closed beta test, word of mouth exploded on the Internet in a short period of time.
If we say that "The Journey" enjoyed the same treatment as "The Wandering Earth".
Then "Zhu Xian" also enjoyed most of the treatment of "Black Myth: Wukong".
However, when Black Myth: Wukong was released, domestic stand-alone games had lagged behind the rest of the world for a long time. Countless players had already seen a lot of big games and played many world-class 3A masterpieces.
And in 2005.
Domestic players have not seen much of the world and have been influenced by 2D online games for several years. More importantly, they have never played "World of Warcraft".
So this wave of impact is a bit big.
Moreover, compared with "Jian Wang 3", "Zhu Xian" has a natural advantage in world view.
After all, Jiansan is a martial arts world, and there is not much room for creativity, so the impact of the graphics is not that great.
When Lin Xiao was playing World of Warcraft, his favorite thing was to ride a flying mount and travel around the world.
Especially in the "Wrath of the Lich King" expansion, he flew to Icecrown Citadel again and again, deeply feeling his own insignificance, and feeling the magnificent building and its grand momentum.
While playing "Elden Ring", I experienced the magnificent and bizarre world again and again, and felt more deeply my own insignificance.
Therefore, throughout the entire game, it pursues the shocking and epic feeling of the pictures.
And his pursuit runs through the entire game.
This magnificent, bizarre and magical world can only be presented in "Zhu Xian".
His next and more shocking game, Fallout 3, will not have the opportunity to showcase such wonders, but its worldview will be even more first-class.
………………………………
Although there are still many online players on the "Perfect World" side.
Liao Feng even launched his first gaming event with great fanfare.
Although there were only 5,000 people participating in the closed beta test of "Zhu Xian".
But... "Perfect World" has lost all its momentum.
Almost everyone admits that "Zhu Xian" crushes "Perfect World". There is no need for comparison at all. It wins in all aspects.
Not only do all the players think so, but even the top management of Renren Group themselves think so. They quietly removed all promotional slogans such as "The First Domestic 3D Game", "National Game Banner", etc.
No more sentimentality.
Focus on making money.
On the evening of May 16th, early tomorrow morning, Masayoshi Son and Zhiyuan Yang will come to Shanghai for a visit.
And Lin Xiao sent a text message.
"Let's have one last chat. See you at the old place?"
Wu Lingxi did not reply.
But at eight o'clock in the evening, she and Lin Xiao appeared in the restaurant almost at the same time.
Then, the two of them were silent for a long time.
"Have you launched a fatal attack on Perfect World?" Wu Lingxi asked.
Lin Xiao: “No.”
Wu Lingxi: "Why? I don't believe you don't have any means of attack."
Lin Xiao: “No reason.”
Then, the two fell silent.
Lin Xiao suddenly said, "You, Renren.com, are increasing traffic. Even if you are very clever at it and sponsor the CCTV Spring Festival Gala on a large scale, which makes traffic reach its peak, it directly covers up the fact that Renren.com has been declining."
Wu Lingxi: "You are so powerful, cunning as a devil!"
After she finished speaking, she realized that her tone was wrong.
Lin Xiao: "Did you throw away that SIM card?"
Wu Lingxi: "I can throw it away if I want to."
Then, the two fell silent again.
Wu Lingxi: "Speak up, you usually talk so much, and you are so skilled at sexual harassment, why don't you talk when you meet?"
Lin Xiao: "You've become an idiot."
Wu Lingxi: "Tell me honestly, has Facebook's traffic exceeded Renren's?"
Lin Xiao: "We surpassed us more than half a month ago, and we still surpassed us after the split of YouTube. But later you spent a huge amount of money to sponsor a lucky draw during the Spring Festival Gala, which boosted your traffic and surpassed us again. Later you increased your traffic to cover up the decline, so now your data is still very prosperous on the surface, and you still surpass us Facebook."
Wu Lingxi: "You have a deadly weapon in your hands to attack Perfect World, right? Perfect World is only a semi-finished product, full of loopholes, why don't you attack it? We are using Renren.com to increase traffic, why don't you expose it?"
Lin Xiao was silent.
Wu Lingxi: "Talking is so annoying!"
Lin Xiao: "I want you to join me, but I want you to join with honor, not to flee in embarrassment. I want you to make your own choice at your peak, instead of having nowhere else to go!"
Wu Lingxi raised her voice: "Naive, childish, soft-hearted, must die!"
"Is this a business war, or a game of house?"
"Have you finished speaking?"
"goodbye!"
Wu Lingxi stood up without eating a single bite of the food and walked away.
Run into the car.
"Go back to the company, hurry up!" After Wu Lingxi gave the order, she instinctively covered her heart.
Then close your eyes and take a deep breath.
After a long while, she opened her bag and found a recorder inside, which recorded all the conversations that had just taken place.
Put on your headphones and listen to the entire conversation again.
The original intention was to record Lin Xiao's flaws and handles.
However, after thinking for a while, she began to delete the recordings. Even the previous paragraph where Lin Xiao indirectly admitted to sexual harassment, she deleted it all and only kept the last sentence.
"I want you to join me, but I want you to join with honor, not to flee in embarrassment. I want you to make your own choice at your peak, instead of having nowhere else to go!"
Then, she listened to it over and over again, inexplicably.
……………………
Inside the Lightning Group! Lin Xiao took out the recorder and pressed the play button.
The entire conversation between him and Wu Lingxi was recorded in full.
After Xia Xi heard this, she punched him and cursed, "You bastard."
"So I never fall in love. Between men and women, falling in love means losing!"
Shit, you, Xia Xi, made the whole plan, and now you come to attack me? Because in this conversation, Lin Xiao didn't reveal many flaws, but Wu Lingxi revealed a fatal flaw.
Because she almost indirectly admitted that Renren was inflating its traffic, and she also personally admitted that Facebook's traffic exceeded that of Renren.
They also said that "Perfect World" was just a semi-finished product and was full of flaws.
Because these things do not require evidence, as long as Wu Lingxi agrees, it will be fine. There is no need to expose it on the Internet, but it will be enough for Son Masayoshi and Yang Zhiyuan to hear it.
Not only that, the Lightning Group has already prepared the deadly plug-in for "Perfect World" and can deploy it at any time.
Even the source code of "Perfect World" and the setting up of private servers are ready.
As long as he takes action, "Perfect World" will be almost dead.
But Lin Xiao did not lie to Wu Lingxi. Up to now, Lightning Group has not launched any fatal attack on "Perfect World".
Including several serious bugs, all of them were discovered by the players themselves. It was due to the game itself and had nothing to do with Lin Xiao.
Moreover, weren't what Lin Xiao and Wu Lingxi said sincere and genuine?
Prepare for the worst, but strive for the best.
"We still can't pin our hopes on Wu Lingxi. This is too ridiculous." Lin Xiao said, "She is a creature of profit. We can only have hope for her, not count on her!"
Xia Xi: "You bastard!"
…………………………
Until late at night, Wu Lingxi still didn't sleep.
At about 2:30 in the morning, she sent a text message.
"You have one last word."
Soon the reply came from the other side: "Baby, the road you are walking on is not a happy one!"
Wu Lingxi sent a text message: "Childish, as long as I defeat you, I will feel happy. Do you think you are a three-year-old child? Are you still happy? The world of adults is only about interests and success or failure!"
However, she did not send it out, but deleted it directly.
Why should I argue with him?
Xia Xi, lying in bed, put away her phone and went to sleep.
Call him a bastard again.
Because it was her, Xia Xi, who was playing this game from beginning to end.
And during this year, she also invested her emotions and gradually began to treat Wu Lingxi as her own sister again.
………………
That night, Liao Feng and the entire senior management of Renren Group lived in fear.
Because Masayoshi Son and Yang Zhiyuan are going to visit tomorrow, and I am really afraid that something fatal will happen again.
but……
The night passed peacefully.
The next morning, Liao Feng and Wu Lingxi dressed in their best clothes, took a Rolls-Royce, and drove a luxurious convoy to the airport.
Around twelve noon.
Masayoshi Son of SoftBank Group, Jerry Yang of Yahoo Group, and their professional teams, more than 20 people in total, landed at PD Airport in a large private jet.
A long red carpet was laid out.
Liao Feng and Wu Lingxi, as well as Renren Group, other Internet giants of the entire faction, and all major shareholders, were also present to welcome them.
Not only that, department leaders from Shanghai were also present to welcome them.
The whole ceremony was very grand.
From beginning to end, more than three TV stations followed the whole process.
After getting off the plane, Yang Zhiyuan and Son Masayoshi immediately went to the relevant departments in Shanghai and held talks with higher-level leaders.
Liao Feng and Wu Lingxi accompanied us throughout the trip.
During the talks, both Masayoshi Son and Chris Yang said that China's Internet industry has shown tremendous vitality. Both SoftBank Group and Yahoo Group will regard the Chinese market as the most important market in the world. They will conduct in-depth cooperation with China's best Internet companies and establish strategic partnerships.
4:30 in the afternoon.
The luxurious convoy drove to the office building where Renren Group is located.
Two international giants officially visited Renren Group.
……………………
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(End of this chapter)
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