Ma Yang packed up his things and went out to a nearby bookstore to buy professional books on game design.
Pei Qian didn’t know if Ma Yang would find what he was looking for, but with so many large bookstores around, he should be able to find something, right?
Actually, by this time, some online shopping platforms had appeared, including websites specifically selling books.
However, many people hadn’t adapted to this trend yet. Even some slower-to-adapt students hadn’t set up online banking.
Ma Yang was among the more traditional students who, when thinking about buying books, would first choose to visit a physical bookstore, browse through some content before deciding whether to make a purchase.
Of course, this situation would undergo earth-shattering changes in the next few years.
Pei Qian returned to his bed, opened his laptop, and considered what to do next.
In the afternoon, Ma Yang returned.
He was carrying seven or eight books, including one massive volume about two fingers thick, in 16mo format, titled “Advanced Programming Overview.”
Besides this, there was a pile of other books.
For example: “Survival Guide Beyond Code,” “Program Development Management Bible,” “Code Complete,” “Design Patterns,” and “Cervical Spine Rehabilitation Guide.”
Ma Yang felt he had quite a fruitful trip.
Pei Qian flipped through the books Ma Yang brought back, eventually fixing his gaze on the “Cervical Spine Rehabilitation Guide.”
You prepared thoroughly!
You even considered the potential cervical spine problems you might get in the future?
But the biggest problem programmers face isn’t cervical spine disease, it’s death from overwork!
Besides, you’re not even going to be a programmer!
Earlier, seeing Ma Yang so dedicated and hardworking about this matter, Pei Qian had almost thought he’d chosen the wrong person.
But looking at the books Ma Yang selected, Pei Qian was convinced.
Ma Yang was his ideal partner, no doubt about it!
Just look, he went all the way to a bookstore and brought back only these few books.
To say they were useless wouldn’t be entirely accurate—they did have some tangential relevance.
But to say they were useful… what use were they?
A classic case of wasted effort.
Pei Qian patted Ma Yang’s shoulder: “Ma Yang, we’re doing design, not programming.”
“Besides, don’t you know games are made using editors now?”
“And technology is developing explosively, innovating at such a fast pace. The techniques in these books are already half-obsolete and really can’t be applied anymore.”
Ma Yang’s face paled: “I was wondering why the bookstore was having a sale! It turns out they couldn’t sell these books!”
“I searched the bookstore for a long time but couldn’t find any books about game design, only these. Seeing they were discounted, I picked a few to buy.”
“What should I do now? They won’t take discounted books back!”
Ma Yang was a bit panicked.
Pei Qian was thoroughly reassured and smiled: “It’s fine, it’s the thought that counts. If you feel like you can’t waste the money spent on these books, just browse through them. They might be slightly helpful.”
Hearing this, Ma Yang felt somewhat relieved: “Do you want to read them too? We can take turns.”
Pei Qian’s face darkened as he quickly waved his hands: “No need, no need.”
Who would want to read these books? They’d be uncomfortable even as pillow stuffing!
Ma Yang lay on his bed and opened the thickest book, “Advanced Programming Overview.”
After only about five minutes, snoring sounds came from his bed.
Pei Qian was very satisfied.
Hmm, reliable!
Look at that attitude—100 points!
And that ability—0 points!
Wasn’t this exactly the designer Pei Qian had been desperately searching for?
Unfortunately, Pei Qian only knew one person like Ma Yang.
If there were more, wouldn’t Pei Qian be on cloud nine? Losing 300,000 would be so simple!
…
Pei Qian opened the ESRO official editor, deliberately ignoring that “Lonely Desert Highway” had gained several thousand more downloads today, and began researching his next plan.
For an indie game, popularity often comes quickly and disappears just as fast.
Especially for a game like “Lonely Desert Highway” that had no technical merit and no sustainable gameplay.
Pei Qian had seen similar examples in his previous life—poorly made games with rough art resources and monotonous gameplay that became viral due to certain special reasons.
However, such examples were extremely rare, perhaps only one or two cases among hundreds of similar games.
Pei Qian never imagined he would stumble upon such a situation himself!
In the coming period, “Lonely Desert Highway” would inevitably see its popularity decline rapidly, with downloads and income naturally plummeting. This was normal.
But whether or not it plummeted, the game had already made a tangible profit, which was what troubled Pei Qian the most.
After much painful reflection, Pei Qian decided to change his approach.
This time, he couldn’t make another indie game; he had to switch!
In the short term, Tenda Network Technology Co., Ltd. had already become linked with the game “Lonely Desert Highway” in players’ minds.
Pei Qian faced a dilemma:
If he made a terrible game, he might end up replicating the success of “Lonely Desert Highway.” Even if it wasn’t as successful, making just a little profit would be devastating for Pei Qian.
But if he didn’t make a terrible game and instead created a proper indie game… players might buy it because they thought the quality was decent.
This was very frustrating!
Moreover, using 300,000 yuan to make an indie game meant the money would be difficult to spend.
How expensive would the templates and art resources need to be to use up 300,000 yuan?!
And if he bought such expensive art resources and made the game look so beautiful, it might attract a large number of players who judge games by appearances, and he still wouldn’t lose money!
So, after much consideration, Pei Qian decided to temporarily abandon these indie game enthusiasts and switch to a different field.
With 300,000 yuan, making a large-scale game was beyond his capabilities.
Although Pei Qian’s goal was to lose money, as mentioned before, the finished game product had to be created.
If the game couldn’t pass review and the 300,000 yuan system funds were spent without results, the system would deem this a violation.
Therefore, the money had to be spent, and the game had to be completed.
Pei Qian searched through the official platform and finally determined his target.
Mobile games!
This was also a choice made out of necessity. On one hand, he didn’t have enough money to make a large game; on the other hand, the indie game market wasn’t suitable for his purposes in the short term.
Mobile game players and indie game players weren’t the same group.
Indie game players might check out the new game because they recognize the “Tenda” company, but mobile game players wouldn’t.
As long as the mobile game was terrible enough, Pei Qian was certain it would be completely ignored!
After determining the direction, it was time for market research.
Pei Qian entered the official game platform, went through all the popular mobile games, and even downloaded several hot mobile games to experience them.
Pei Qian had already noticed that in the mobile field, the technology in this parallel world seemed to be developing much faster than in his previous world.