Crossover: 2014

Chapter 159 Design Genius Ahead of Its Times

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On the night of the 23rd, while Lin Hui was busy perfecting the details of the "WorkFlow" software, many people were also busy, and Dong Jiaqi was very busy at this time.

To be precise, Dong Jiaqi has been very busy since Gray Forest launched the game "Hill Climb Racing" on the afternoon of the 21st.

Originally, she didn't need to be so busy. Not long after the game "Hill Climb Racing" was launched, Dong Jiaqi wrote a corresponding review article within a short interval.

After becoming the editor-in-chief, she is now in charge of the new column. The main task of the new column is to comment on game developers rather than games themselves.

Having said that, it seems unreasonable not to wait for such a hot event like the release of a new game by GRAY FOREST.

However, just when she was about to publish the article, GRAY FOREST updated the game "Hill Climb Racing" with a new version.

Uh, this situation is very sad. The article Dong Jiaqi wrote earlier involved a lot of game content.

If there are many changes in the game content after the update, then the article she wrote earlier will basically be half useless.

Originally, Dong Jiaqi planned to post it as it is, but after seeing that it is a large version iteration, Dong Jiaqi still plans to download it and try it out first. If there is not much change in this version iteration, it will not be too late to post it.

Facts have proved that Dong Jiaqi had a good idea. After downloading the new version, after a short trial play, Dong Jiaqi found that the game "Hill Climb Racing" almost seemed to be a different game after the update.

This statement is not an exaggeration at all. Dong Jiaqi found that in the reconstructed version, Gray Forest added some new livery to the game "Hill Climb Racing". character image.

In addition to these new additions, GRAY FOREST has added several new scenes in v2.0.0 of the refactored Hill Climb Racing game.

In the v2.0.0 version of the game "Hill Climb Racing", in addition to the basic scene (rural scene), desert scene, arctic circle scene, highway scene, moon scene, Mars scene, there are also night scenes, There are three new scenes, the roof scene and the rainbow scene.

Although the painting style of this game after the update is basically the same as the original one, as an industry insider, Dong Jiaqi knows that the profit model of "Hill Climb Racing" v2.0.0. There is a big difference now.

What does the change in profit model mean?

It means that the target audience of this game has changed.

This change does not make much difference to ordinary players for the time being.

But for game critics, this change means a completely different interpretation angle.

The profit model is for all players and the profit model is for rich players is definitely not a concept.

In this case, the manuscript Dong Jiaqi wrote earlier is basically useless and can be dragged to the recycle bin.

In addition to the profit model, Dong Jiaqi also noticed that in the v2.0.0 version of "Hill Climb Racing", the player's operating experience seems to be a little better.

Although it was only slightly improved, Dong Jiaqi felt that Gray Forest was definitely more than just changing a little code.

If just changing some code can improve the player experience, why not do it in one step in version 1.0.0?

In fact, unless it is to fix some existing bugs or involve some PVE (player VS computer) & PVP (player VS player) mobile games, few game updates will make a fuss about the operation feel.

Why did Gray Forest go to such pains this time to try to improve the player's feel in such a game that doesn't need to be improved?

The most metaphysical thing is when she takes this question to ask others for advice.

It seems that only a part of the players noticed that the game experience improved.

More players seem to have not noticed this at all:
"Has the feel of the game improved? Why didn't I notice it? Could it be your psychological effect?"

"The game experience has indeed changed after the update, but why do I feel that the game experience has become worse?"

"..."

Uh, after receiving a lot of feedback like this, Dong Jiaqi even felt that she herself had some hallucinations.

It's really Schrödinger's game experience!
Although he was a game editor, Dong Jiaqi is neither proficient in playing games nor in developing them.

Relying on only sensitivity and subtlety.

But Dong Jiaqi believed in her feelings.

Involves this kind of change in experience that is close to metaphysics.

Although I don't know the specific reason for this situation.

But Dong Jiaqi felt that there must be something deep behind this.

This problem puzzled Dong Jiaqi for a long time, and it was not long ago that Dong Jiaqi had the inspiration to solve this problem.

The reason why the same game is updated has different experiences for different game players.

Could it be something to do with the model?

Is it easier for more advanced Apple models to realize the "potential" of the game "Hill Climb Racing"?
With this in mind, Dong Jiaqi made a small survey among the player groups.

Players who feel that the experience has improved after the update are generally users who hold 5s.

Users who use 4s, 5 or 5c models feel that the experience improvement after the game update is mediocre.

After reaching this conclusion, Dong Jiaqi was a little surprised.

Such a seemingly unremarkable little game couldn't realize its potential in the previous generation of Apple mobile phones?
Is the little game "Hill Climb Racing" too strong, or is the previous generation of Apple phones too weak?

Although the 5s is very powerful as the first desktop processor chip.

But it cannot be said that the previous generation model is weak.

You must know that 4s has always been regarded as the legacy of Job Wet.

Under the hype of many media, 4s even has a higher status than 5s with many new technology additions to a certain extent.

In this case, Dong Jiaqi feels that the only reasonable explanation is that the game "Hill Climb Racing" is too performance-intensive.

If this is the case, then Dong Jiaqi suspects that even the 5s mobile phone has not been able to realize the full potential of this game.

Is a casual mobile game so performance-hungry?

(ps: Some people may think that I am making a fuss over a molehill, but in fact it is.

The Unreal 4 engine is also embedded in the new version of XX software, just to allow some users to experience all the functions of XX show)
Although Dong Jiaqi doesn't quite understand why a game like "Hill Climb Racing" involves eating performance or something.

But as long as you know that the designer of this game is GRAY FOREST, then all the unreasonable things will seem reasonable.

And why does Gray Forest design a game so performance-hungry?
Perhaps this is the real master of game design.

Only a real design master will not be limited by the limitations of the hardware of the times when designing games, but will be ahead of the times.

This is the sense of urgency!

Dong Jiaqi feels that the sense of urgency of GRAY FOREST alone is higher than that of other domestic designers.

Always ahead of the times, this is the quality that a real design master should have.

For some reason, Dong Jiaqi remembered the description in a media report on GRAY FOREST not long ago:
"The pixel-style bird in "FLAPPPY BIRD" is the most authentic portrayal of Gray Forest's life. Once it flies, it never stops. In reality, Gray Forest should also be like this, stubborn and extreme but persistent..."

Dong Jiaqi once thought that this passage was just bragging, but after thinking about it carefully, it seems to be true.

"Hill Climb Racing" seems to be a different game after the v2.0.0 update compared to the v1.0.0 version.

But what hasn't changed during this update?

That's the style of the terrain in the game, whether it's the scene in the v2.0.0 version, or the scene in the v1.0.0 version.

The style of the terrain in these scenes is highly similar - the track is rough.

Why does Gray Forest design such a rough track?
Is it just to make things difficult for players?

Not at all, the few mini-games that Gray God launched earlier were already successful enough.

More than just success, it is not an exaggeration to say that the previous achievements of GRAY FOREST were brilliant.

It goes without saying that various records have been broken at home and abroad.

The key is that almost all of the games that GRAY FOREST put on the shelves before have a good reputation.

In this case, there is no need for Gray Forest to seek transformation or anything.

You only need to follow the steps and develop some small sand sculpture games to reap great success.

In short, at this time, Gray Forest no longer needs to exchange money by making things difficult for players.

Dong Jiaqi suddenly thought of her previous report on the growth of GRAY FOREST:
"The 18-year-old Gray Forest is a student who just finished the college entrance examination.

Although only 18 years old, GRAY FOREST has been very interested in software development, game development and algorithm design since childhood.

As early as 09, Gray Forest, who just entered junior high school, taught himself several programming languages ​​such as C++, JAVA, and python..."

According to this statement, doesn't it mean that GRAY FOREST started to learn all kinds of related knowledge by himself when he was in his teens?

Isn't the road ahead for a teenager facing no one to guide him difficult and complicated?

In this case, isn't the rough track in the game "Gray Forest" a euphemism for how rough the road ahead is for Gray Forest?

In other words, Newton Bill, the protagonist in the game, is the real life portrayal of GRAY FOREST.

GRAY FOREST is also like the protagonist in the game. Facing the rough road, even though there is a risk of overturning while driving forward, it will continue to move forward and strive to reach one destination after another.

Dong Jiaqi thought of the first game designed by GRAY FOREST - "Life Reopening Simulator".

Life Restart Simulator is a game with many restart opportunities.

At that time, Dong Jiaqi analyzed that although she kept "reopening" her life in the game, she had a perfect ending.

It seems to be a story of reincarnation, but it is not a negative escape from the world.

The value that Gray Forest really wants to convey through the game "Life Reopening Simulator" is to ask players to cherish everything that exists.

Grasp this life, don't ask about the afterlife.

According to this point of view, from "Life Restart Simulator", to "FLAPPPY BIRD", and now to "HILL CLIMB RACING".

The emotion expressed by GRAY FOREST to the outside world through the game design language is consistent from beginning to end.

Before she knew it, Dong Jiaqi felt that her thinking had formed a complete logical closed loop.

All of a sudden, the thoughts in her mind became clear.

Following this line of thinking, Dong Jiaqi quickly typed out what she had just thought about.

It seems that it is still a bit imperfect. Dong Jiaqi added at the end of the article:

"...in today's surging tide of commercialization.

There are also developers like GRAY FOREST who insist on delivering positive energy values, which can be said to be a kind of luck for our players.

I hope there are more developers like GRAY FOREST in this impetuous and greedy game industry. "

In this way, there seems to be no problem.

After an article was written, Dong Jiaqi was about to send it out.

It turned out that a new version of the game "Hill Climb Racing" named v2.0.0 appeared after the v2.0.1 version in the app store.

What the hell, Dong Jiaqi couldn't complain.

This is the first instance of a game developer updating a game faster than a game reviewer can write an article.

Is this the legendary high-yielding sow-like pig?
Should we be so exaggerated, is it possible that the review article that has just been written will be scrapped again?
Click on the update details, Dong Jiaqi saw the corresponding update instructions:

"In the v2.0.1 version, some game eggs have been added."

(⊙o⊙)?It's just an easter egg update, it doesn't seem to have any effect.

Although I don't know why GGRAY FOREST updated the game specifically for some easter eggs, Dong Jiaqi is eager to do so.

If it is not a large version iteration, it means that the article she just wrote does not need to be revised.

In order to avoid long nights and dreams, Dong Jiaqi resolutely posted the article she just typed.

As for the title of the article, Dong Jiaqi named it:

—— "GRAY FOREST, a game design genius ahead of its time"

In addition to updating this article in the column, Dong Jiaqi also forwarded this article to Weibo in the form of a long Weibo.

Not long after, she also received comments from netizens.

Clicking on the netizen's comments, Dong Jiaqi saw a netizen with the signature "javascript for loop" leaving a message:
"How much money do bloggers charge for Gray Forest? Do you want to blow it up so hard? You like blowing it back to your house, don't take the rhythm from the Internet, what difference does a casual game make? The mobile phone experience is different? According to your logic Is there a difference in running Xiaoxiaole on different Apple phones?"

Dong Jiaqi is only in her early twenties, and she has just been promoted to editor-in-chief recently.

She previously saved the results of her investigation into how Hill Climb Racing was running on different iPhones.

It is to prevent this kind of bullshit on the Internet.

Dong Jiaqi resolutely uploaded some screenshots from the previous user survey to Weibo in response to this netizen named "javascript for loop".

Dong Jiaqi originally thought that this netizen signed "javascript for loop" would be speechless.

Who knew that this person left a message and said: "Hey~, are you so proficient in PS? It's just a few screenshots. What does this mean? Wait until I go and PS some for you..."

Many high-quality netizens who joined in the fun also left messages: "If there is no video, just talk about it..."

Uh, facing this situation, Dong Jiaqi really wanted to slap her in the face and go back.

However, uh, it’s not troublesome to record a video, but how to measure something that is very subjective when it comes to user experience?

(End of this chapter)