Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  October 26th, Friday…


  In Sun Strike Studios’ conference room, Zhou Muyan, Sun Xi, and a few other designers had arrived. Sun Xi was distributing the design drafts.

  That was the design plan for Bullet Hole 2 that Min Jingchao had just submitted this morning.

  Zhou Muyan deliberately gave up the center of the conference table and looked at the designers. “What happened previously disappointed me.”


  “Boss Pei personally came to design the game, but not only did you not give any constructive opinions, but you also did not even gain anything!”


  “The design plan is out this time. Min Jingchao will explain it again. How much you can understand depends on your luck.”


  The designers looked ashamed as they nodded. “Yes, Boss Zhou, don’t worry, we will listen intently!”


  Zhou Muyan had been in despair at first, but Min Jingchao gave him hope.

  Thus, he called the designers back.

  Previously, Boss Pei had spoken with too deep a meaning. There was no way he could not understand, but Min Jingchao should have spoken more simply, right?

  He would definitely benefit from listening to Min Jingchao talk about the game’s design concept.

  As for these designers, they were more or less a little indignant.

  They did not think that Boss Pei was undeserving of his reputation. Instead, they felt that Boss Pei might be targeting them.

  Was it because this game was developed for Sun Strike Studios that Boss Pei was so vague? Was he deliberately not making it clear to us?

  Do you want us to mess up the game?

  That was definitely not the case when Boss Pei told his own designer!

  However, they felt guilty when they heard that Min Jingchao had really designed the game.

  It looked like he had misunderstood Boss Pei!

  How could Boss Pei be someone who deliberately wanted the game to fail?

  Indeed, it was because they were too lousy. They had to watch and learn well this time!

  It was impossible to get to Boss Pei’s level. That was pure talent. However, it was still possible to learn from Min Jingchao and draw some nutrition from Boss Pei’s thoughts.

  Everyone present, including Zhou Muyan, adopted a learning attitude.

  Min Jingchao pushed the door open and was stunned. “Eh? There are so many people.”


  He knew that designers would be here to listen, but he did not expect there to be so many people. The conference table was almost filled.

  Zhou Muyan smiled warmly. “Brother Min, come here quickly.”


  Min Jingchao looked at the empty seat in the middle and said subconsciously, “Boss Zhou, you should sit in the middle.”


  Zhou Muyan immediately shook his head. “That won’t do. You’re the chief designer of the project. You should sit here.”


  “What’s more, we’re learning humbly now. Don’t decline.”


  Min Jingchao quickly waved his hand. “Boss Zhou, you’re too kind.”


  Since it was useless to decline, Min Jingchao could only sit down in the empty seat and get to the main topic of the meeting.

  “Everyone has already seen the first draft of the design plan for Bullet Hole 2. Basically, they have simplified the few points that Boss Pei requested previously.”


  “I have already spoken to Boss Zhou and Sun Xi about this previously.”


  “The main purpose of this meeting is to talk about the game that was not finalized previously, the core gameplay of this game, and the relevant mechanisms of the big map.”


  Everyone nodded and listened intently.

  Previously, Min Jingchao, Zhou Muyan, and Sun Xi had only gone to the ‘big map’ stage when they interpreted Boss Pei’s thoughts. However, they did not have a specific design plan for the big map.

  Min Jingchao said that this was the result of Boss Pei’s test gradually upgrading.

  Now it was up to him to give a constructive idea.

  Min Jingchao sorted out his thoughts and said, “Since we are going to make a big map, there will definitely be a lot of players. At least thirty to forty, at most seventy to eighty, or even more.”


  “The exact number of players would definitely depend on the size of the map, and the density of the players on the map would determine the rhythm of the game.”


  “If the player density is too high, the rhythm of the battle would be very fast. Many players might die very suddenly. If the player density is too small, the rhythm of the battle would be too slow. The battle would not be intense enough. Players would feel that they were playing solo.”


  “What’s more, we have to take into account that different players have different demands on the game’s tempo.”


  “Some players prefer to kill more and need a higher density of players; some players like to plunder good things and improve their resource allocation first, hoping that the density of players would be lower.”


  “Therefore, if we want to make a big map, we have to solve a few key problems.”


  “For example: how to dynamically adjust the density of the players on the map; how to adjust the pace of the game at different stages; how to distribute resources to players in various ways, and so on.”


  Everyone nodded, some even taking notes in their notebooks.

  Min Jingchao’s questions were all real problems. The reason why the big map model was not easy was that it was difficult to control the rhythm of the game.

  Traditional FPS games were basically mini-map models. The battles were more intense, which could stimulate players to the greatest extent so that they could maintain a relatively active and excited state.

  However, on a large map, if the player density was low and no one was seen for a long time, players would feel bored. If the player density was high and both were abrupt, what was the difference between that and a small map?

  Obviously, he had to think of a game that had to be completed using a huge map and could maximize the retention of FPS games.

  Min Jingchao continued, “Actually, my initial idea was that since there is a big map, there must be a rich map mechanism on the big map.”


  “For example, the airbase can provide reconnaissance and air investment supplies. The blockhouses can provide fire suppression to a small area nearby. The combat hospitals can speed up the revival of the injured.”


  “These unique map mechanisms are the core advantage of the big map being different from the small map.”


  “In other words, I was just thinking about providing players with two types of game modes: one is a pure gun shooting mode, and the other is a multi-person cooperation mode for large-scale battles.”


  “However, I immediately realized a very important problem: the problem of balance.”


  “It’s actually very difficult to make the matching mechanism of the game so perfect in a large-scale battle with so many people. Especially in FPS games, there are many luck and variables, which increases this uncertainty.”


  “The existence of the map mechanism is to widen the gap between the two sides so that the battle would not continue. However, if the strength of both sides is unbalanced, this might cause the game to become a one-sided crushing.”


  “This is a problem faced by veteran MMORPGs like Fantasy World. It’s also a problem that I have been thinking about while I was in charge of GOG’s balance.”


  The designers nodded. That was obviously understandable.

  It would definitely be very boring for gamers to purely shoot on the big map. They had to join the strategic location.

  On the other hand, the strategic location could not simply just add points. It had to have practical functions and bring benefits to the game mechanism to players.

  Take the hospital for example. It would definitely be able to push the players’ resurrection point forward or provide a first aid kit for players to recover their health.

  However, the existence of the map mechanism would make the already unbalanced sides even more unbalanced. It was very easy for the battlefield to be one-sided.

  That was because FPS games were very random, and players’ historical data could not completely explain their strengths.

  For example, there was a player who was terrible at shooting but had a strong commanding ability. KDA might be bad but he could win. How could such a player be matched?

  It was not appropriate to use the game mechanism to forcefully strengthen the weaker side. After all, to players with an advantage, my advantage was painstakingly created. Why should the game mechanism target me?

  GOG could be used to solve this problem with heroes. For example, some heroes would-be be heroes in the later stages of the game. They could be 1v5 later on.

  However, FPS games relied on their marksmanship. Players with good marksmanship would not suddenly become worse, and players with bad marksmanship would not suddenly become better.

  If they really designed a very strong mechanism in the later stages, the final outcome would probably be that the rookie would choose it to die immediately. The expert would choose it to be very strong in the beginning, and it would be even stronger in the later stages.

  The difference between FPS games and MOBA games brought about this problem.

  If it was not resolved well, it would severely affect players’ gaming experience.

  Min Jingchao had been in charge of GOG’s design and game balance. He was very sensitive to balance. Thus, he immediately realized the problem with this gameplay.

  “My idea is to use the game mechanism to screen.”


  “Let the players fight freely first, and then assign them to two different camps based on their performance in this match.”