“To alleviate player fatigue, I suggest using a design alternating between long and short levels. For example, the prologue could be a short level to guide players in adapting to gameplay, lasting about 10 minutes; the first level would be longer, requiring complex puzzle-solving before defeating the boss, taking about 1 hour; the second level would be shorter again, going directly to a boss battle with puzzle elements interspersed throughout different stages of a chase sequence, lasting about 30 minutes; the third level would be longer again, extending to 1 hour and 15 minutes, with even more complex puzzle content…”

“This design regulates players’ emotional flow across different levels, creating a measured rhythm of tension and release.”

“Moreover, based on our established timing of long and short levels, we can determine which specific setting to use for each level, integrating boss battle mechanics, level backgrounds, and duration to leave a deeper impression on players.”

Wu Zhicheng blinked his eyes. “That’s right, it makes perfect sense!”

He hadn’t thought about it that deeply before, simply approaching it with a mindset of filling in numbers, planning for 10 levels with different background packaging for each.

But listening to Xi Hao’s analysis, he realized there was so much more to consider.

The duration of levels could control players’ emotional engagement, creating that rhythmic effect, so players wouldn’t suddenly experience boredom or tedium midway through, resulting in a better gaming experience.

Furthermore, the duration determined the form of each level: would it involve lengthy puzzle-solving before a boss battle? A direct boss battle? Or a multi-stage boss battle with puzzle elements inserted between transitions?

Different level formats would create completely different gaming experiences for players.

After Xi Hao’s analysis, Wu Zhicheng instantly felt that previously vague concepts became much clearer, and areas without direction now had clear paths to follow.

Wu Zhicheng quickly noted everything in his notebook, afraid he might forget something later.

Xi Hao added, “I’m only offering a suggestion, not saying we must follow this approach. If it makes sense to you, we can plan accordingly, but if you have other ideas, we can discuss those too.”

“Ultimately, ‘Ink and Mist’ is your game design, and you have the final say. We’re just offering suggestions from different perspectives. Whether you adopt them or not is entirely your choice.”

Wu Zhicheng nodded. “Understood.”

Xi Hao’s attitude also pleased Wu Zhicheng greatly.

Xi Hao had several years of experience in the gaming industry, allowing him to approach many issues from a more professional perspective than Wu Zhicheng could.

Wu Zhicheng would gladly accept these better suggestions.

But since ‘Ink and Mist’ was Wu Zhicheng’s game design, he should undoubtedly have the final say.

Xi Hao showed no intention of interfering with Wu Zhicheng’s design, demonstrating a fundamental respect for the creator.

Xi Hao glanced at the notes in his notebook and continued, “Do you have any expectations regarding the game’s overall resource requirements and development timeline?”

Wu Zhicheng shook his head again. “No.”

Xi Hao didn’t show any contempt, maintaining his casual tone: “Then let’s make a simple plan first, and we can refine the details later.”

“Based on our previous estimate of 10 hours of gameplay and the long-short level planning, we’ll need approximately 9 levels of varying lengths—7 middle levels plus the prologue and finale.”

“About 15 different types of minor enemies should suffice, with 8 serving as basic enemies and the remaining 7 appearing under special conditions or environments.”

“We can repurpose the same enemy type with different colors or skills, but this reuse needs to be restrained and match level characteristics to avoid giving players a sense of repetitive combat.”

“From the first level to the finale—8 levels total—we’ll design 8 different boss battles. The prologue boss can reuse one of these bosses in a weakened version to advance the story.”

“With this approach, we can also estimate the scale of each level’s map.”

“Based on these requirements, we’ll define the art asset list and determine the overall workload. The editor is ready-made, and side-scrolling action games are common, so production time can be relatively faster…”

“The overall project timeline is estimated at 6 months.”

“Although you’ve already completed some initial content, we should allow ample time for revisions, so we can set two deadlines.”

“The first deadline is two months from now. We’ll aim to complete the game content up to the third level, playable for testing, to gauge player feedback. If feedback isn’t positive, we can still make timely adjustments.”

“The second deadline is five months from now. We’ll aim to complete the entire game, fix all bugs, and polish all details. At that point, the game will be ready for official release.”

“All art assets—maps, characters, monsters, special effects, etc.—must be completed within this timeframe.”

“Based on the current resource estimates, let’s request a budget of 1.5 million yuan. The art for this game is crucial, so we need to contact several excellent artists and select the most suitable style. If that’s not enough, we can request additional funds later.”

“Does this work for you?”

Xi Hao looked at Wu Zhicheng, seeking his opinion.

Wu Zhicheng immediately nodded. “Yes!”

Wu Zhicheng had only one impression of Xi Hao’s presentation: Professional!

Previously, when talking with Qiu Hong, Wu Zhicheng had been clueless about project development time, budget requirements, and other details.

This wasn’t his fault—he was self-taught and had never worked in a formal game company before, so how could he understand these aspects?

The fact that Qiu Hong had decided to invest under these circumstances showed his genuine appreciation for ‘Ink and Mist’s’ gameplay.

But now with Xi Hao’s help, these detailed issues were immediately resolved.

Wu Zhicheng was quite satisfied with the current plan and felt it had even changed his conception of ‘Ink and Mist,’ making it clearer.

Moreover, the plan was flexible and could be modified at any time, so he didn’t need to worry about his design being constrained.

Xi Hao continued, “Great, we’ll quickly prepare the entire development plan, art asset list, and requirements document for your review. Feel free to communicate any issues for immediate adjustments.”

“As for you, focus all your energy on game design, and reach out to us whenever you encounter any problems.”

“Based on the game type, we’ll also collect resources online or find similar existing games as reference materials for you, and continuously update them.”

“When you feel uninspired, you can review these to spark your creativity.”

Wu Zhicheng was delighted. “That sounds great!”

He couldn’t help but marvel at this comprehensive service!

Someone was helping formulate the game development plan, someone was handling art resource requirements, and someone was even collecting inspiration for the game!

This three-person team’s task was to help independent game developers complete various time-consuming but essential work, serving four independent game creators simultaneously.

By slightly staggering schedules, they could fully utilize the entire team’s capacity.

Soon, the meeting concluded, and previously uncertain content had been preliminarily established.

Xi Hao’s main purpose in this meeting was to establish a general direction with Wu Zhicheng. The subsequent specific tasks would be delegated to his subordinates.

Within two or three days, the development plan, preliminary level design, art asset list, requirements document, and other materials for ‘Ink and Mist’ would be uploaded successively, with dedicated personnel responsible for advancing the related work.

As for Wu Zhicheng himself, he only needed to focus on the design work.

On one hand, his previously unstructured approach was being standardized and guided, allowing him to create games more efficiently within a certain framework rather than continuing to fumble around like a headless fly.

On the other hand, his burden was greatly reduced. Wu Zhicheng no longer needed to do those inefficient but necessary repetitive tasks; he could concentrate entirely on the creative aspects of game design.

Back at his workstation, Wu Zhicheng took a sip of milk tea and felt noticeably more energized.

Why did he suddenly feel so motivated?

He immediately began redesigning the entire game’s level planning according to the details they had just established.