To ascend, I had no choice but to create games

“There, there, Monkey, don’t cry. It’s just a game.”

Patting Monkey’s shoulder, Huang Ping whispered words of comfort.

Watching the protagonist’s final outcome on the screen, Huang Ping also felt somewhat emotional.

The protagonist, now without a left leg, could no longer continue to fight, and his inevitable end was to die of old age in Chang an.

When looking back on his life, he bloomed like an ephemeral flower and shone like fireworks.

Leaving the Protectorate of Anxi for Chang’an, this journey took nearly four years of his life, leaving behind a body riddled with scars and a longing for the Protectorate of Anxi.

In Chang’an, he was treated like a hero. From the city gates to the imperial palace, countless people clamored to see his face. Artists depicted his entrance to the city in woodblock prints for posterity to admire.

Promotion and nobility, treasures and lands – the emperor bestowed these rewards generously, even publicly praising the return from Anxi and lamenting that he had fulfilled his grandfather’s longstanding dream.

But for the reinforcements The Nameless most hoped for, the emperor was powerless to provide.

As Huang Ping had said, the Tang Dynasty no longer had the strength to support Anxi.

In the end, this battle-weary veteran passed away in Chang’an, still gazing in the direction of the Protectorate of Anxi, reminiscing about the steadfast red willow at the camp’s entrance.

Feeling wistful after seeing the final outcome, Huang Ping thought this ending deserved at least 90 points.

After all, the ending was achieved through the combined efforts of three people; three gaming experts playing one game deserved no less than 90 points.

However, seeing the final score, Huang Ping couldn’t believe his eyes.

Final score: 82 points.

The average score almost made Huang Ping think Fang Cheng was making a

joke.

Only after repeatedly confirming the score did he confusedly ask, “Boss, is there something wrong with this score?”

“No, it’s quite fair,” Fang Cheng said. “This score is based on the real-life deeds of the historical protagonist. The smaller the loss ratio in battle and the more battles participated in, the higher the score. The protagonist ended up losing all his comrades and became disabled himself, so the score is low. However, because you made it to Chang’an and completed the final task, there is a base score, resulting in a total of 82 points.

After pondering the scoring criteria, Huang Ping couldn’t help but ask, So, you’re saying that the three of us combined didn’t perform as well as a real person?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

The straightforward reply incited a surge of frustration in Huang Ping.

Xiao Douzi was also a bit unhappy, and Monkey wanted to start another round but was stopped by Huang Ping.

Stop making a fuss, everyone. We’ve already dragged on for too long.

Although Boss Fang Cheng didn’t object and even mentioned that playing games is part of the planning work, our progress has indeed been too delayed.

“Quiet Cultivation” is still in its growth phase, and the player base is now substantial enough to hold competitions.

On the Bilibili platform, there are a plethora of live streams, technical streamers are rolling out in droves, and new tactics are emerging every day.

Of course, ordinary players are not without opportunities; a few casual modes allow even those with poor skills to have a great time.

As user numbers and popularity continue to increase, major competitions will inevitably emerge. By then, the game’s popularity will rise further, and it might even reach the incredible milestone of ten million sales.

Besides, competition from the outside world still exists.

Tianyi has recently taken a back seat, but other game companies have set their sights on the gameplay of “Quiet Cultivation.”

Some major companies have begun to leverage their technology, reboot their company’s battle royale games, and, like “Quiet Cultivation,” have started to adopt the fantasy genre, ready to compete in this new arena.

There are also studios targeting niche markets, simplifying games as much as possible, and turning them into mobile games.

When a game becomes a big hit, similar competitors will emerge in a short time and engage in intense competition with the original.

Most will perish on the sands, but a rare few will survive and become formidable challengers to the original.

Given the quality of “Quiet Cultivation,” this doesn’t seem likely, but what if a competitor also has a game designer as talented as the boss?

After all, miracles are not uncommon in the gaming industry, and no one can say for certain what the future will bring.

Now is not the time to indulge in pleasures (games); it’s imperative to perfect the existing game.

What’s worse, we are about to finish work for the day!

Thinking about how they had neglected several days of work, Huang Ping was so annoyed he wanted to slap his forehead.

Huang Ping, oh Huang Ping, how could you let yourself fall so low!

Grabbing Xiao Douzi and Monkey, Huang Ping said to Fang Cheng, “Boss, your game is already highly complete, but some of the prompts are still not detailed enough. So, I’m planning to prioritize the work and finish this part first. Also, I think we should hire a tester.”

“A tester, huh…”

Game testing is a job in game development where professional testers need to master various test cases and check for bugs in the game in various ways, then report the detailed conditions for triggering them.

But the idea of Fang Cheng’s game having a bug…

That seems unlikely.

After all, if there’s a problem with my game, then surely the mistake isn’t with me—it’ s with the world.

Seeing Fang Cheng hesitate, Huang Ping also realized something wasn’t quite right.

The boss’s game… seems never to have had any bugs.

With a sigh, Huang Ping felt that his boss was just too talented.

Working under such a boss, one must put forth their very best effort and can’t afford to fall behind.

So, Huang Ping continued, “Forget the tester for now, we need to work on some operational aspects. ‘Quiet Cultivation’ is doing well, but we can make it even better.”

“There’s no need…”

“Boss, even fine wines can be overlooked if they’re in the back alley,” he argued. “I know you’re not interested in money, but players are interested in the game. Plus, good operations can not only increase the game’s profits but can also more precisely ascertain player needs, allowing us to better understand what the players want.”

These words resonated with Fang Cheng.

For so long, he had been observing player reactions through his own eyes, with inevitable limitations.

If there was an operations team, it would close the gap between him and the players, making it easier to learn their needs, and thus produce better games. This way, he could understand more quickly why games are fun, then comprehend Taoist Heart, and ultimately ascend.

Therefore, he nodded, agreeing with Huang Ping’s suggestion.

It’s time to recruit some operators.