What’s more, even though Xi Hao lacked creativity in game design, he had a strong point: he was serious, meticulous, and very responsible towards his work.
Thus, after some consideration, Qiu Hong felt that Xi Hao was a good candidate and decided to let him be in charge of maintaining the normal operations of the entire incubation base.
The administrative department of the incubation base was not only in charge of administrative matters, but more like a Jack-of-all-trades.
There was a special finance, legal, and art requirement team here. At the same time, there were professionals in charge of development planning and project management.
In short, all the supporting departments that Qiu Hong had previously thought that independent game designers lacked had been included.
There were about 10 staff in the administrative department of the incubation base, while not too many, they had everything they needed. They were professionals with a certain amount of experience in the related fields.
Xi Hao brought Wu Zhicheng to a workstation near the window in the office. “This will be your workstation from now on. Your employment pass is still being processed and should be ready soon.”
“This is an access card. If you come to work in the future, just swipe your card on the first floor. You don’t have to register anymore.”
“Our administrative department is near that window. If you encounter any problems at work, feel free to look for us.”
“Transfer all the data and resources on your computer into the office computer here this morning. At the same time, follow the instructions on this piece of paper to access your internal communication account and project management rights.”
“In the afternoon, we will have a small meeting to briefly talk about the game you are working on. That will make it easier for us to estimate the working period, develop a plan, and find suitable artists.”
Xi Hao quickly explained everything he had to take note of in the incubation space.
It was similar to officially joining a company, but there was a difference between the work content and workflow.
After Xi Hao left, Wu Zhicheng turned on his office computer.
This batch of office computers had been provided by ROF Computer-Installation. They had been delivered directly from Jingzhou to Beijing. However, they were not using ROF’s custom-made computers. There was no logo of ROF on the computers either.
Wu Zhicheng had never used ROF Computer-Installation before, so he did not think too much about it. He only thought that this was a high-end assembly machine that the incubation base had purchased on its own.
After turning it on, Wu Zhicheng copied the relevant data of “Black Ink and Clouds” onto the office computer, logged into the official development platform, and opened the internal communication account and project management rights according to Xi Hao’s instructions.
Wu Zhicheng had never worked in a gaming company before. He did not know that this was the standard operating procedure of a gaming company. He found it very refreshing.
“Eh, the hardware is so high-end.”
Wu Zhicheng was a little surprised. The computer configuration that he had used before was not bad. He had spent a lot of money on it. However, the budget was limited after all. He had to pay more attention to the cost-effectiveness ratio.
On the other hand, this computer was a perfect example of perfection. Wu Zhicheng was drooling with envy after looking at the configurations.
He was also very satisfied with the ergonomic office tables and chairs. There was also a bar counter that provided unlimited drinks and milk tea. The working environment was completely different.
In this relaxed working atmosphere, Wu Zhicheng began to sort out the contents of Black Ink and Clouds, including the expected number of stages, boss battle design, style, and so on. He did not want to be ignorant during the meeting in the afternoon and make a fool of himself in front of everyone.
…
Lunch was provided by Fish-Catching Take-Out.
Fish-Catching Take-Out had already left Handong Province and opened some shops in first-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai.
There was a very important reason why Qiu Hong chose the incubation base here. It was because there was a Fish-Catching Take-Out shop nearby that could easily solve the problem of food.
After Wu Zhicheng had his fill, he burped and drank his milk tea. What kind of heavenly work environment was this?!
Before this, he had been hesitant about whether he should work here. On one hand, he felt that it was quite troublesome to take the subway for four stations a day. On the other hand, he was worried that he would not be able to do things in a carefree manner.
However, looking at the working environment now, Wu Zhicheng only had one thought: Was this heaven?
In the afternoon, Xi Hao, Wu Zhicheng, and three other employees from the administrative department had a meeting.
Xi Hao briefly introduced the roles of these three people: one was in charge of resources statistics, planning and development nodes of progress, one was in charge of the proposal and communication of art resources, one was in charge of financial reimbursement, collecting data and printing, and various other tasks.
This was the framework that Qiu Hong had prepared for the incubation base after careful consideration.
There were three groups like that in the entire incubation base. Each group could be responsible for four to six independent game projects.
In other words, the entire incubation base could incubate 12 to 18 independent game projects at the same time under the most efficient circumstances, ensuring that these game projects would obtain the most perfect support.
The three people in the group had a clear division of labor. Basically, they were responsible for everything apart from the game design and the specifics of the game.
As the person-in-charge, Xi Hao had to understand all the independent game projects. He also had to plan and supervise the work of all the teams.
Wu Zhicheng was still a little nervous.
That was because he had been cooped up at home ever since he started creating independent games. He had very little interaction with others, especially when it came to work.
Now, he felt a little nervous facing four people who were taking notes seriously with a pen and paper.
However, Wu Zhicheng quickly adjusted his mentality and began to introduce the basic situation of Black Ink and Clouds.
“Black Ink and Clouds” is a platform action-based game. I have planned a total of ten stages. Each stage has a unique boss and small monster⦔
Wu Zhicheng gave them a general overview of the contents like what he did with Qiu Hong.
The four people on the opposite side nodded as they silently noted down.
It was better to hear it from the designer himself even if they might already have some basic information about Black Ink and Clouds.
Xi Hao did not interrupt Wu Zhicheng. Instead, he waited for him to finish speaking before asking his question.
“Do you have a plan for the gaming duration?” Xi Hao asked.
Wu Zhicheng was stunned. “Er⦠I haven’t thought about this.”
Xi Hao nodded and explained, “Ten stages in the game is a more general concept. Ten minutes can be one stage, and two hours can be one stage.”
“In order to ensure the content of the game and take good care of the gamers’ gaming experience, we have to plan the gaming time first. Then, we can adjust the specific plan for the stages through the game time.”
“Generally speaking, for independent, platform games like this, the better one would be eight to twelve hours long. It would not be appropriate for it to be too long or too short.”
“My suggestion is that the standard game flow can be set at around 10 hours. The checkpoints must follow the principle of going from easy to difficult. Therefore, the later stages should be slightly longer.”
Chapter 754 - A Strategic From Soup To Nuts Planni
ng Service
“In order to ease the players’ fatigue, it is recommended to use a long and short game design. For example, the preface is a short game that can be used to guide players to adapt to the gameplay. It can end in about 10 minutes. The first stage is a long one. Complicated riddles have to be played before defeating the boss, that could be done in about an hour. The second stage can be a short one. You can directly enter the boss battle and then mix a few stages of riddles in the pursuit of the boss. The game time can be about 30 minutes. The third stage is a long one. The time is extended to 1 hour and 15 minutes. There will be more complicated riddles…”
“Through this design, we can adjust the flow of emotions of the players at different stages and create a relaxing effect.”
“What’s more, based on the length of the stage that we have decided on, we can decide which scene to use for a certain stage. We can combine the Boss’ gameplay, the background of the stage, the length of the stage, and other elements to leave a deeper impression on the players.”
Wu Zhicheng blinked. “Yes, that makes sense!”
In fact, he had not thought so much about it before. He had only planned for ten stages with the mentality of making up the numbers. Each stage would have a different background packaging.
However, after listening to Xi Hao’s analysis, he realized that there were actually so many tricks behind it.
The length of the different stages could control the players’ emotions and achieve the effect of relaxation. Then, players would not suddenly feel dull and boring in the middle of the game. It would bring them a better gaming experience.
What’s more, the length of the game determined the format of a certain stage. Would it be encountering a Boss Battle after a long period of solving the riddle? Or meeting the Boss Battle directly? Perhaps it would be a Boss Battle split into multiple stages, with the elements of solving the riddle added during the transition stage?
The gamers would have completely different gaming experiences through different stages.
After Xi Hao’s analysis, Wu Zhicheng instantly felt that the previously vague content had become much clearer, and the parts that he had no clue about were now in sight.
Wu Zhicheng quickly recorded it in his notebook, afraid that he would forget about it.
“I’m just making a suggestion. I’m not saying that we have to follow this plan. If you think it makes sense, we can plan it this way. If you have other ideas, we can discuss them.” Xi Hao reminded him.
“At the end of the day, Black Ink and Clouds is a game designed by you. You have the final say. We are only suggesting from another perspective. Whether you accept it or not is entirely up to you.”
Wu Zhicheng nodded. “Understood.”
Wu Zhicheng was very satisfied with Xi Hao’s attitude.
Obviously, Xi Hao had years of experience in the games industry, so he could provide a more professional perspective than Wu Zhicheng when he looked at problems.
Of course, Wu Zhicheng would gladly accept these better suggestions.
However, Black Ink and Clouds was a game designed by Wu Zhicheng after all. There was no doubt that he had the final say.
Xi Hao had no intention of interfering with Wu Zhicheng’s design. This showed his basic respect for the creator.
Xi Hao looked at the contents in his notebook and said, “Do you have any expectations for the rough resources and development time of the game?”
Wu Zhicheng shook his head. “No.”
Xi Hao did not show any signs of contempt. Instead, he said in a normal tone, “Then, let’s make a simple plan. We can perfect the details later.”
“According to our previous estimates of the 10-hour game time and length, there are roughly nine stages of different sizes. Apart from the preface and final chapter, there are also seven stages in the middle.”
“There are about 15 types of big and small monsters inside. Eight of them can be used as basic small monsters, and the remaining seven can be used as special monsters under special conditions or circumstances.”
“You can also use the same type of monsters to make them into different colors or skills. However, this type of replication needs to be restrained. What’s more, it has to be consistent with the characteristics of the levels. You can’t let the players feel like they are fighting the same monsters again.”
“There are a total of eight stages from the first to the final chapter. We will design eight different Boss battles. The Boss in the first chapter can be reused and make a weakened version of the Boss to pass the plot.”
“In that case, we can roughly estimate the scale of each stage.”
“We’ll set the art resource table according to these requirements and finalize the general workload. The game editor is ready-made, and platform action games are very common, so we can create them relatively quickly…”
“The estimated working period is about six months.”
“You have completed a portion of the content at the moment, there is still sufficient time for modification. Therefore, we can set two temporary deadlines.”
“The first deadline is two months later. We will try to complete the game content before the third stage. We can test the players’ feedback through the trial. If the feedback is not good, we can still make changes in time;”
“The second deadline is five months later. We’ll try to complete the game, fix all the bugs, and polish some details. That way, the game can be officially released.”
“Maps, characters, monsters, special effects, and other related art resources have to be completed within this deadline.”
“Based on our current resources, if we estimate the development cost… we should apply for a funding limit of 1.5 million yuan first. The art of this game is very important. We have to contact a few outstanding artists to choose the most suitable style. If we don’t have enough money, we can apply for it later.”
“Is this alright?”
Xi Hao looked at Wu Zhicheng for his opinion.
Wu Zhicheng immediately nodded. “Alright!”
Wu Zhicheng only had one thought for Xi Hao’s speech: What a professional!
When he was talking to Qiu Hong previously, Wu Zhicheng had no idea how long the project would take or how much money it would cost.
He could not be blamed for his low level of business acumen. He was just an unorthodox person who had never worked in a proper gaming company. How could he understand all these?
Qiu Hong still decided to invest in the game under such circumstances. It was obvious that he really admired the gameplay of Black Ink and Clouds.
However, with Xi Hao’s help, these details were easily solved.
Wu Zhicheng was quite satisfied with the current plan. He even felt that the plan had changed his thinking about the game and made it clearer.
What’s more, this plan could be changed at any time. There would be a lot of freedom. He would not have to worry about his design being restricted.
Xi Hao continued, “Alright, we’ll hurry up and come up with the entire development plan, the art resource, and the requirement form for you to see. If you have any problems, we can discuss and amend them.”
“As for you, focus all your energy on the game design. If you encounter any problems, just look for us at any time.”
“We will also gather some information or similar ready-made games online based on the genre of the game. We will provide them to you as reference and update you continuously.”
“If you feel like you don’t have any inspiration, you can take a look and get some inspiration.”
Wu Zhicheng was pleasantly surprised. “Sure, sure.”
He could not help but feel emotional. This was really a service from soup to nuts!
Someone was helping to design the game development plan, someone was helping to raise the demand for the art resources, and there was even someone who was helping to collect game inspiration!
Obviously, the task of this three-man team was t
o help the independent game designers complete various more time-consuming but essential tasks. They would serve four independent game designers concurrently.
The entire team’s manpower could be fully utilised as long as there was proper time management.
The meeting was over in no time. The content that was not sure previously had been finalized.
The main reason Xi Hao participated in this meeting was to set a general direction with Wu Zhicheng. He would leave the rest of the work to his subordinates.
In two or three days, the development plan for Black Ink and Clouds, the preliminary planning of the stages, the art resource, the required documents, and so on would be uploaded. The relevant work would be pushed forward by professionals.
Wu Zhicheng himself only needed to do his design work well.
On one hand, it was to standardize and guide his original unorthodox path so that he could create games more efficiently under certain frameworks and not continue to run around like a headless fly.
On the other hand, it greatly reduced the burden on Wu Zhicheng. He did not need to do those inefficient but necessary repetitive tasks. He only needed to focus all his attention on the most creative game design work.
Wu Zhicheng returned to his desk and took a sip of his milk tea. He felt much more excited.
Why was he suddenly filled with motivation?
He immediately followed the details that had been finalized and began to redo the game’s planning of the stages.
Chapter 755 - Play With AEEIS
Losing Money to Be a Tycoon c1-883 Page 492