RoleplayNovel Chapter 71 Campfire Theory
Chapter 71 Campfire Theory
Yang Yi leaned against the table, crossed his arms, stared at the screen for a few seconds, and then spoke.
"Actually, designing this kind of stunning underwater scenery, similar to an aquarium, is the right thing to do."
Old Zhou was stunned for a moment. This clearly did not conform to the core expression of the game, so why did the boss think it was right?
Yang Yi noticed his confusion and tapped the screen with her finger.
"This kind of beauty has one prerequisite—absolute safety."
He drew a circle on the whiteboard and wrote "Safe Zone" inside the circle.
"How safe is it? There are no predators, oxygen consumption is halved, the water temperature is suitable for human survival, and there may even be sufficient food and simple resources."
Players can relax here, carefully observe the surrounding ecosystem, repair their equipment, and plan their next route.
He turned around and looked at the crowd.
"Similar to a 'campfire' in an adventure game."
Imagine you've been walking through a dark forest for ages, and suddenly you see a ball of fire—that feeling of relief, like you're finally safe.
Only one or two of these scenarios can be designed for the entire game.
And it must be timed precisely at a critical juncture. For example, before entering the deep sea from shallow waters, or after escaping death from the deep sea.
"When players leave this area, they will have a feeling of 'I'm ready'."
Old Zhou nodded vigorously. This design was simply perfect. The unknown and terrifying deep sea definitely needed this kind of "campfire" to alleviate the player's fear.
The boss is right; how could I dare to question his decision?
"What about the rest of the areas?" one of the planners asked.
"For the remaining areas, the light sources should have unique regional characteristics." Yang Yi pointed to the various luminous plants on the computer screen.
"For example, one area is full of red glowing corals, while another area is a group of blue glowing jellyfish."
Players can tell where they are just by looking at the colors. No map or arrows are needed.
"Then," he held up his second finger, "each area must have marine life that is 'somewhat dangerous'."
Not like Leviathan—that's a boss. It's the kind of thing you could beat but wouldn't want to fight.
For example, there are jellyfish that can generate electricity and fish that can spit venomous stingers. Players will take detours when passing by them, experiencing tension, but not despair.
He paused, then added, "Players aren't really in the mood to take photos and post them on social media when there are unknown dangers in the scene."
The whole audience burst into laughter.
"Therefore," Yang Yi summarized simply, "the map design of this game must be magnificent, leaving a deep impression on players at a glance and increasing their desire to explore the deep sea."
"And there are two situations regarding magnificence."
"One is a completely safe dream scenario."
"The other type is a unique scene that hides danger."
Yang Yi paused for a moment before continuing.
"Even in the overall game design, the terrifying and dangerous Leviathan must be balanced by a beautiful marine ecosystem."
Yang Yi wrote four words on the whiteboard: Emotional Zoning.
"The map of Subnautica is not a flat map, but an emotional curve."
Shallow waters – safe, bright, and beginner-friendly.
The middle level – occasionally dangerous, occasionally beautiful scenery, alternating between tension and relaxation.
Deeper still—a terrifying Leviathan, scorching magma, and unknown alien technology.
"When you reach a critical point, give them a 'campfire,' let them rest, and then push forward."
Yang Yi closed his pen, pointed to the whiteboard, and continued.
"The core driving force of the entire game is the player's exploration of the story, beautiful scenery, and the unknown."
"Therefore, this part is of utmost importance."
Yang Yi finally got to the initial question after going through many twists and turns.
"As for the light source—the protagonist has a high level of technology and has many technological creations that can solve the problem."
For example, light-emitting tools and sonar detectors.
With these, you won't need to cover the entire seabed with light sources; covering about 50% will suffice.
He drew several arrows on the whiteboard.
"These light sources can also be used to 'hint' at directions."
For example, if there's a patch of glowing light in the distance, the player will think, "Is there something there?" and swim over. You don't need to draw arrows; you just need to place a patch of glowing flowers.
"The deeper levels are even simpler. There's lava and alien structures. In those places, it's not that there's a lack of light, it's that the light is too dangerous—getting close will cause you to lose health. Players will weigh the pros and cons themselves."
Old Zhou's pen moved incredibly fast, filling the notebook with dense writing, as if afraid of missing a single punctuation mark.
Yang Yi glanced at his watch.
"Alright, redesign the map using this approach. Send it to me when you're done."
He turned and walked out, but after taking two steps, he turned back.
"By the way, there are a few Easter eggs that can be hidden near that 'absolutely safe' area. For example—a fossil of an extinct creature, or the remains of an outpost containing a recording that says, 'We are safe here...'"
"Or perhaps there are records in the shallow waters saying there's a beautiful and safe place in the deep sea..."
"You can make up the specifics yourselves."
After Yang Yi finished speaking, she turned and walked into the corridor, her voice drifting in from outside the door.
"I only need to be satisfied during the inspection."
------
The public discourse remained calm for the next two days.
There was no movement from XunTeng, and things calmed down at NetEase as well. The buzz surrounding Sun Shan's three mistresses was suppressed, and "Operation Terrorist Hunt" completely disappeared from the trending topics—nobody cared about the game at all.
However, the three mini-games from the bee swarm have resurfaced during this lull.
Stardew Valley, Vampire Survivors, and Engraved Evil have collectively sold over twelve million copies.
This number may not seem like much compared to AAA titles, but it's quite alarming when compared to labels like "pixel art style," "small scale," and "little marketing."
The internet is flooded with screenshots of "anything produced by Beehive is guaranteed to be of high quality," and the comments section is filled with "it's really good!"
Those posts that said "Yang Yi has run out of ideas" and "pixel games are just a way to fleece people" have been dug up by players and are now being mocked; the grass on their graves is already three meters high.
Especially Stardew Valley.
This game is like it's under a spell—you can't quite put your finger on what makes it so fun, but you just can't stop playing. Growing vegetables, fishing, mining, dating—each activity is unremarkable on its own, but together they're like dominoes; once you push the first one over, you can't stop.
So, small game companies came attracted by the opportunity.
"The simulation management track has potential!"
"Pixel art can be a huge hit!"
"Let's get one too!"
Overnight, seven or eight farming games were launched.
There are farming stories about cultivating immortality, farming in the apocalypse, farming on alien planets, and even farming on the back of a whale—the creativity is quite impressive, but I wonder what they'll actually look like.
Yang Yi was drinking milk tea in her office when she saw these messages.
Shen Xiao's cooking skills are getting better and better; she gets the ratio of sugar to milk just right.
"Do you think they can learn it?" Shen Xiao sat opposite, holding a cup in her hand, her feet on Yang Yi's legs, in a very inelegant posture.
Yang Yi thought for a moment: "I can learn it. But being able to learn it is one thing, doing it well is another."
"What do you mean?"
"The core of Stardew Valley isn't growing vegetables; growing vegetables is just the surface." Yang Yi took a sip of her milk tea.
"The core of this game is rhythm, or rather, satisfaction."
He put down his cup and sat up a little straighter.
"Although the game may seem ordinary, there are many things you can do every day."
Growing vegetables, fishing, mining, chopping trees, talking to NPCs, repairing the community center—you can't do everything in one day. This creates a choice, or rather, an optimal solution.
"Once the optimal solution is found, players will set their own goals."
"Today I need to mine enough copper ore, tomorrow I need to save up to buy that seed, and the day after tomorrow I need to complete the sacrifice at the community center. It's not the game forcing him to do it; it's what he wants to do."
He held up three fingers.
"First save file, first spring I saved 20,000 gold - happy."
In the second save file, also in the first spring, the goal became 50,000 gold.
The third save file contains 100,000 gold.
In the fourth save file, I'm no longer chasing money; I'm aiming for quick sacrifices.
In my fifth save file, I set a rule for myself: no mining, I'll earn money entirely by fishing.
"Every time you play again, there are new goals and new challenges. That's the secret to never getting tired of games."
He paused, then added, "If all you learn is how to grow vegetables, that's just a reskin. Players will get bored after a couple of days."
Shen Xiao tilted her head and thought for a moment, then nodded, though it was unclear whether she had understood.
"Aren't you worried...?"
"What are you worried about?" Yang Yi laughed. "The more crowded the track, the more in the right direction we are. The more they learn, the more it proves that our game is at the top of the pack. As for whether they can surpass us—"
He put down his milk tea cup, thought for a moment, and then answered with a smile.
"That's their business, it has nothing to do with me."
Shen Xiao rolled her eyes, pulled her foot off his leg, and stood up to refill her cup.
"Keep pretending."
Yang Yi tilted her head and smiled. Pretending? Absolutely!
But he really didn't care.
If someone were to actually develop a simulation game that's better than Stardew Valley, Yang Yi would definitely give it a try.
He was, after all, a semi-veteran gamer with a vast collection of games from his past life, so jealousy was simply not an issue for him.
Why doesn't anyone copy "Vampire Survivor"?
Isn't this game easier to copy? There weren't many similar games even in my previous life.
It can only be said that as the first game developed by time travelers, Vampire Survivors does have some skill.
------
The day before Overwatch's release, the Hive released its final promotional video.
The two-and-a-half-minute CG sequence begins with a montage of highlights from various heroes—Tracer's nimble movements, Reinhardt's fiery strike, Widowmaker's headshot from a distance, and the unleashing of the powerful Dragonblade.
The scene a minute later suddenly shifts, with all the Overwatch heroes facing the camera one by one and saying in their distinctive voices, "See you tomorrow!"
Finally, the image freezes on a single line: September 15th, Overwatch assemble!
The video caused an uproar in the gaming community.
Shares, comments, and likes—the data skyrocketed.
Everyone in gaming groups is spamming "See you tomorrow," and people who don't know the context might think it's some new kind of secret code.
Taking advantage of this buzz, Yang Yi started a live stream. It wasn't a press conference, just a casual chat, essentially a face-to-face meeting with the game developers.
The moment he appeared, gifts flooded in. Airplanes, rockets, carnivals—the dense special effects blurred the screen, making it almost impossible to see his face. The comments were even faster, like a waterfall, washing away each line before you could even finish reading it.
Yang Yi raised an eyebrow.
This is even more exciting than when we went head-to-head with XunTeng. In the past, the only time we saw this kind of spectacle was during a major version preview by the old US.
He leaned back in his chair, glanced at the comments, and a slight smile played on his lips.
This kid is the smartest; he only reads the comments he likes and pretends not to see the rest.
"Mr. Yang, long time no see. Why haven't you been doing live streams lately?"
"I'm busy," Yang Yi sighed, her expression sincere. "I'm incredibly busy right now, making decisions on all sorts of game-related issues. I had some time the other day, but online... you all know what happened."
He didn't say it explicitly, but everyone in the comments understood. Sun Shan was quite the character those two days.
"Mr. Yang, you've become even more handsome."
Yang Yi touched his chin and nodded earnestly: "Thank you, I also think I'm getting more and more handsome."
The comments section was filled with "shameless".
"Mr. Yang, you've made another game genre popular again."
Yang Yi quickly waved his hand at the screen, his expression modest: "No, no, it's just that Swarm Games has made a name for itself in this field, it's not that exaggerated."
As soon as the words were spoken, a golden bullet screen floated across the top of the screen, glittering and surpassing all the ordinary bullet screens.
"Mr. Yang, can you focus on game development? Why are you getting involved in the semiconductor industry? Don't let Swarm drag you down with you."
Yang Yi narrowed his eyes.
These comments can't be ignored; the comments from people who spend real money are too conspicuous, and avoiding them will only cause unnecessary trouble.
However, this topic is indeed a bit sensitive—a game company going into chip manufacturing seems like a wasteful and irresponsible business.
Fortunately, the subsidiary has already produced some results, so they are not being passively criticized.
Yang Yi sat up a little straighter, her tone becoming more serious: "Thank you very much for this netizen's concern. We entered the semiconductor industry mainly for the gaming sector; we didn't go into direct combat."
He paused, giving some of the audience time to understand, before continuing:
"In addition, we have sufficient funds, so we won't be dragged into bankruptcy. In fact, we have already developed a product that is of great progress, but we just can't mass-produce it for the time being."
"Once mass production is possible, we will definitely give everyone a pleasant surprise."
These words immediately caused an uproar in the live stream.
The screen was flooded with "Thank you XunTeng" messages—no matter what Yang Yi said, these four words were always the safest way to respond.
Immediately following was a flurry of speculation: Was it a gamepad? A graphics card? A keyboard? Someone even joked, "Could it be a swarm of power banks?" only to be met with a barrage of insults.
Yang Yi observed the various speculations on the screen and quietly made notes.
There's a saying that goes something like this: when your girlfriend asks you what you want for dinner, you should let her guess. The first thing she'll guess is what she wants to eat.
The same principle applies here as well.
And if the surprise is announced in advance, can it still be called a surprise?
The enthusiasm in the comments lasted for about three to five minutes, but gradually dissipated when Yang Yi's mouth was sealed shut like a welded iron gate.
The topic started to veer off course, veerging from semiconductors into strange and unusual directions.
"Mr. Yang, I also aspire to be as successful as you. Do you know of any unassuming but highly profitable small businesses?"
Yang Yi thought about it carefully.
"Yes, it exists, but it's absolutely insignificant." He looked very serious, as if he were giving a proper business analysis. "But I don't know if it makes money, and I've never tried it."
"I've never seen anyone else in the adult shroud industry."
The barrage of comments exploded instantly.
"Holy crap, what a flamboyant funeral!!!"
"Living with zest, dying with flair, a one-stop service."
"This track is so unremarkable, I never even considered it."
"How is Mr. Yang's brain structured...?"
Investor: Where's your business plan? Mr. Yang: Take a look at this funeral shroud first.
Yang Yi looked at the barrage of comments and almost choked with laughter. He picked up the ice water that Shen Xiao had prepared for him and took a sip to calm himself down.
"I hereby declare that my previous answers were just for fun. If anyone loses money in this industry, don't come after me!"