Chapter 78: Have you been wronged? 1
The player who first discovered the farming gameplay in “The Nameless” was named Tang Mo.
His initial approach was somewhat conservative, still harboring the idea of returning to the Tang Dynasty as soon as possible, so all his actions were in preparation for that return; therefore, his tech tree wasn’t climbed particularly comprehensively.
The industrial revolution wasn’t triggered, and his Anxi was merely a military organization with relatively advanced systems, still requiring material support from the Tang Dynasty.
After he released his high-score video, it spread like a spark, igniting some players’ thoughts and prompting them to begin new trials.
Existing methods began to update rapidly, and technological innovations flourished. After confirming the viability of Tang Mo’s gameplay, these players almost simultaneously understood a truth:
Why should 1 go to meet the Tang Dynasty, when the Tang Dynasty should come to meet me!
If I am The Nameless, maybe my surname is Li too, wouldn’t that make me legitimate?
Thus, a farming trend that disregarded royal authority was born.
Players of this trend often mastered both religious and rational knowledge, tradition and freedom, and had a flexible moral baseline, enabling them to wrap their actions with a layer of justified guise.
Underneath this guise, they stopped seeking an audience with the Tang Dynasty but instead made the Tang Dynasty come to them and forcibly claimed its legitimacy for themselves, ultimately making the Emperor of Tang hand over the throne to them with dignity.
Then, there was the video that Fang Cheng saw.
The industrial revolution had been achieved in the exploration of the second wave of players, but it required a lot of preconditions and a certain degree of happenstance.
However, in this video, the video uploader had found a very simple method.
You just need to find a talent and tell him the basic conditions for the industrial revolution, and he will bring about a technological explosion, all within less than a year.
This individual was originally an unknown craftsman with no historical records, a true Nameless person.
But he was indeed a genius far beyond his time.
Such a genius, combined with knowledge from later generations, could create miracles that change the world.
With this method, players didn’t need much skill or any randomness; by following the steps, they could achieve the industrial revolution and let Anxi rapidly step into the industrial society.
After seeing his method, Fang Cheng could only marvel, this was a miracle.
But it was also an inevitable miracle.
Tens of thousands of players had made a million attempts, effectively simulating that period of history a million times, and finally, using the foresight of modern people, found that one miracle in the river of history. Through this miracle, the game transformed into a civilization expansion game, allowing players to begin exploring the outside world, to Conquer overseas, and plant the flags of the Tang Dynasty all over the world.
The video was only a short six minutes, covering everything from entering the game to joining Anxi; from finding the talent to leaping in time to trigger the industrial revolution, all in just six minutes.
And these six minutes would completely change the way the game was played. After watching the video, Fang Cheng sat silently in his chair, gazing at the Dustfire corresponding to “The Nameless.”
The fire began to expand fiercely, and a large number of players, influenced by the emergence of the new gameplay, re-evaluated the game and started purchasing it.
The color of the flame began to change. Although it was still an intense red, green had already begun to grow vigorously, ultimately changing its main hue.
This was the choice of the players.
They chose to Plant Grass, to experience the world through technology instead of force.
And for “The Nameless,” this was also the best outcome.
After staring for a moment, Fang Cheng rubbed his forehead, wanting to pull the players aside and ask, “What are you all thinking?”
A perfectly good “Plant Grass,” and you played it like a war.
A perfectly good “The Nameless,” and you played it like farming.
Are you here to play the game, or to defy me?
The starting point and the outcome had just reversed, plunging Fang Cheng into boundless confusion.
Making games is really difficult.
After sighing, he pulled himself together and returned to watching the video. It wasn’t just this video; he opened several others from players and watched in silence.
After dispelling the previous gloom, he examined the players’ strategies from an objective standpoint and couldn’t help admiring their proficiency.
Without Divine Skills and only as slaves, they accomplished feats using nothing but their enhanced physical strength.
With just their existing knowledge, they’d created small miracles like the industrial revolution, which was quite exceptional.
Even The Nameless, witnessing all this, would likely have to commend them for a job well done.
After watching the video, Fang Cheng closed his eyes and began pondering why he had failed this time.
Deduction was a Divine Skill that let players experience a world evolving in reality, enhancing their impact on the world and deepening their sense of immersion.
But its omnipotence gave them more freedom than he had anticipated, leading them to find more interesting ways to play.
This was the inevitable result of excessive freedom; after many games are made, players will probably find more enjoyable ways to play, making the games even more fun.
After a moment of thought, Fang Cheng nodded to himself.
Before gaining the Great Tao, there must come great calamities.
Completing Taoist Heart might seem minor, but it would certainly be prefaced by tribulations.
Especially since this would be the last trial before his ascension, it was bound to be unprecedentedly severe.
And his greatest trial must be these players.
Just thinking about how to make a game fun for the players while guarding against their potential backstabbing made Fang Cheng feel there was something profoundly wrong with the situation.
Yet this was fine too; refining the method to complete Taoist Heart felt rewarding, even in failure.
Still, it was frustrating.
And so, amid Wang Xiaoying’s joy and Fang Cheng’s reflections, time slowly advanced to the end of the workday.
Before leaving, Wang Xiaoying had already begun arranging post-launch optimization for “The Nameless”.
Although the boss’s taste for mischief was substantial and the best gameplay was deeply hidden, Wang Xiaoying saw this as an exploitable aspect.
For marketing, with a base already established on the platform, it was possible to take this opportunity to coordinate some events, like hosting a high-score competition.
The game’s uniqueness could be leveraged too, such as racing to see who could reach the Tang Dynasty the fastest.
Moreover, because of the game’s freedom, Wang Xiaoying realized features like circumnavigating the world, conquering it, or soaring through the skies could be included as key points in the races, further unveiling the game’s potential. Pleased with the plan she’d put together, Wang Xiaoying felt her abilities had improved yet again, with quite a few excellent ideas.
The key, however, was the game’s quality-it ensured there was always something to work on.
As the workday was ending, she saw Fang Cheng suddenly stand up and then clap his hands, saying, “Everyone…”
“Boss, no please!” Huang Ping immediately exclaimed.
“We have a new colleague, Wang Xiaoying, so let’s have a meal together…” “Boss!”
Watching the planners’ desperate faces, WangXiaoying felt hurt.
Is eating with me really such an ordeal for you?