Started as a comics editor

Chapter 311 Worth it
to be frank.

Sometimes... it can be really discouraging.

Just one afternoon.

Yu Lili remembers clearly that Tang Yao met with him that afternoon and listened to his predicament, the core problem that had been troubling the entire team for days and had them scratching their heads – how to design heroes so that a single hero could have continuous and in-depth fun.

Then, in the blink of an eye, the problem was solved by the other party in an almost overwhelming manner that evening... It even felt like this solution was a waste to make a demo; it could have been used directly in the formal game development.

Because it's so detailed.

It's no wonder Yu Lili is questioning her life.

However, this feeling didn't last long, because he had already gotten used to it.

the most important is.

This incredibly detailed design draft was really interesting, and the developers' interest outweighed the minor frustration.

He browsed through the content and gradually became excited.

"Lili? What's wrong?"

Seeing that the staff member next to her said he was going back, but then sat down halfway through his sentence and remained silent for a long time, Yu Lili, whose expression kept changing, couldn't help but ask a question.

Yu Lili took a deep breath, suppressing her shock and shame, then turned around and raised her voice slightly: "Don't go yet! Quick! Come and see! President Tang has sent over the plan! It's all complete! Heroes, skills, rules... the demo's design document is out."

"what?!"

"So fast?!"

"Let me see!"

The group of people who were about to pack up and leave work paused for a moment, then suddenly became excited and swarmed around Yu Lili's screen.

Yu Lili gripped the mouse, scrolling the wheel rapidly, displaying the document's contents to everyone in a flowing manner.

"Holy crap! Twenty of them!?"

"The skill descriptions are so detailed!?"

"Summoner spells! Flash! Ignite! Heal? What are these?"

"Passive Firelust? Four-stack stun? Area-of-effect damage? Shield and dual resistance? Summon a giant bear!? This idea is quite interesting."

"There's even an equipment concept? Attack power, magic power, armor, magic resistance... the basic attributes are already there."

"The sketch! The sketch is done!"

"..."

Exclamations rose and fell, quickly spreading throughout the small office area.

Every word in the document, every simple yet nascent sketch, constantly inspired the staff present... After all, they weren't just ordinary players; they were all developers with quite a few ideas.

It's true that they didn't have any ideas before, but that was only because they didn't have any specific concepts.

Tang Yao's proposal provided them with an idea and a template.

So very quickly.

The staff gradually became excited, their previous confusion and fatigue were instantly dispelled, and all sorts of creative ideas began to emerge.

"What are you waiting for?!"

One of the staff members glanced at it, and the dejection and doubt on his face vanished, replaced by excitement. His eyes shone with an astonishing light: "Let's make this thing!"

"Yeah! Let's do it!"

"What's the point of going home now!"

"..."

Yu Lili actually thought the same thing, and immediately went along with it: "Okay, then those who want to work overtime, don't leave yet. Let's prioritize implementing Garen, Ashe, Xin Zhao, Master Yi, and Annie, and see the final effect. For now, let's follow the skill values ​​in the documentation! Adjust the map rules accordingly! Add basic attributes to the prototype equipment system! Lao Wang, optimize the collision and skill judgment in the engine! Da Liu, let's make a very simple version of the models and effects, just enough to show the effect! Let's get a playable version up and running as quickly as possible!"

"Oh!"

As soon as these words came out.

The staff all responded excitedly, their voices filled with barely suppressed excitement and eagerness.

The initial sense of confusion was completely dispelled by Tang Yao's incredibly detailed and seemingly outrageous proposal, and their creative desires are now running wild.

After all, the blueprint is right in front of us, so clear and so tempting, who would be willing to leave?

of course.

Tang Yao was unaware of this.

She's probably slacking off in her office right now... after all, she's been working for so long.

What's wrong with taking a rest?

……

A week later.

Avalon's internal testing area is a small, temporary local area network environment.

Kang Ming, Shi Wanglin, Sun Gong, Si Jinliang, and Li Zhongzhi were invited by Yu Lili to come over... to experience the hastily produced demo.

"So Tang Yao didn't come?"

Kang Ming looked around and then looked curiously at Yu Lili, who had an ethereal air about her.

"It seems there's a meeting at the AG platform that she needs to attend."

Yu Lili explained, "She told us to try it out first, and specifically said... she is very familiar with this gameplay, so she won't keep an eye on the demo stage. We can just play it and see how it works. She also told us to let her know what we think after we play it."

"so."

Kang Ming nodded slowly, then turned back to look at the screen.

The screen was showing the MOBA demo that had been rushed out based on Tang Yao's design draft. The map was a simplified version of three lanes plus a jungle, with towers standing tall and minions clumsily moving along the path.

The hero models are still quite rough, the movements are a bit stiff, and the skill effects are just basic lighting effects, but the core gameplay has been clearly presented.

Have you guys played it?

Si Jinliang looked at the demonstration video on the screen and asked curiously, "How was it?"

Although we are all developers.

However, Avalon is currently too busy, and there are many things that people outside the same project team might not be aware of.

"...very interesting."

Yu Lili paused for a moment, then replied carefully, "Well, it's even more interesting than I expected... You'll know once you play it; it's a completely different experience from existing online games."

"A different feeling?"

Li Zhongzhi also became curious upon hearing this.

"We'll understand after playing one game... Given the current limited resources, let's start with 3v3."

Yu Lili thought for a moment, pulled out a chair and sat down. Without explaining further, she prepared to start the game directly.

Kang Ming, Shi Wanglin, Si Jinliang, Sun Gong, and Li Zhongzhi exchanged glances, their expressions a mixture of curiosity and scrutiny. Without saying a word, they all opened the game.

They quickly selected one of the few heroes currently available: Kang Ming chose Garen, Shi Wanglin picked Master Yi, Si Jinliang took Annie, Sun Gong wanted to try Ashe, and Li Zhongzhi chose Xin Zhao.

The game loads, and you enter that rudimentary map. Rough models and barren terrain appear on the screen, and you can even see the shadow of old games. The soldiers clumsily move along the path, and the collision volume seems to have some problems, occasionally crowding together.

But none of them said anything.

It's just a demo for verification.

What do you need a bicycle for?

The six players, controlling their heroes whose movements were still somewhat stiff and whose skill effects were quite clumsy, walked out of the fountain.

In the early stages of playing, the group was actually quite clumsy and confused...

"Lili, this soldier... he dies on his own?"

Kang Ming, controlling Garen, awkwardly wandered around the lane, occasionally slashing at minions. Watching the minions fight each other, he was a little confused: "Then why should I attack them?"

"Heroes get more gold for killing minions! Last hit!"

"Finishing blow? Oh... that's true."

Kang Ming tried it out and found that it really worked; as long as the hero killed minions, he would get more gold.

Finishing blow...

He seemed to be deep in thought, and subconsciously began to consider Tang Yao's purpose in designing it this way from a developer's perspective.

And the other side.

Sun Gong's Ashe has a long range and is currently sniping enemy minions.

They probably noticed that Kang Ming was standing still.

After thinking about it, he decided to give it a try and went to order Kangming's food.

Kang Ming suddenly came to his senses and immediately stepped back.

Sun Gong subconsciously pressed his W skill, but all the arrows were blocked by the minions. Moreover, because he was attacking the enemy hero, the enemy minions also started chasing him. Due to his low level, his health began to drop rapidly.

He was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but exclaim, "Huh? Is that even possible?"

no way.

He could only walk towards the defensive tower on his side.

And the other side.

Seeing that he wasn't chasing him anymore, Kang Ming immediately pressed Q and rushed forward.

His hero's speed immediately increased dramatically.

Sun Gong panicked and started pounding the floor.

finally.

Kang Ming still couldn't hit his hero, and seeing that his hero was getting close to the turret, he had no choice but to retreat.

Before they started playing, they had all roughly understood the rules of the demo.

So the two simply skirmished along the battle line...

It was just a tug-of-war.

But soon.

Kang Ming realized something, his eyes brightened slightly, and he looked at Sun Gong, who was controlling Ashe on the opposite side, who was also attacking minions, but standing closer to the defense.

He tried to maneuver Garen to take a step forward.

Sun Gong's Ashe immediately retreated warily.

Kang Ming advanced again, and Sun Gong retreated again, and began to use his long reach advantage to create distance while targeting him.

"Hey!"

Kang Ming and Sun Gong exchanged a glance and both laughed.

This feeling of probing each other across the minion wave... and trying to figure out each other's intentions... it's kind of interesting!

The nature of the game... seems to have changed.

And the other side.

Si Jinliang was controlling Annie, and he was also grappling with the Sword Saint controlled by Shi Wanglin.

But Shi Wanglin was much more reckless than Kang Ming. He charged forward with a single Q, chasing after Si Jinliang and slashing at Annie.

As Si Jinliang ran, he frantically used his skills, and both of their health dropped together. Finally... Si Jinliang reached the range of his own defensive tower.

It was attacked by the turret.

Seeing his health bar disappear by a large chunk in an instant, Shi Wanglin immediately snapped back to reality, frantically tapping the floor behind him to barely manage to retreat.

But Si Jinliang turned around at the same time and frantically pressed his skill buttons... but he was out of mana.

"Fuck!"

Si Jinliang watched helplessly as Shi Wanglin swaggered away, then roared in frustration, "Lili! This blue bar is dropping way too fast! He's almost dead!!!"

Yu Lili smiled without saying a word.

Shi Wanglin remained silent, staring at his last sliver of health and Si Jinliang standing under the turret... Although he hadn't gotten the kill, the feeling of his heart racing lingered, and his eyes lit up too!
Si Jinliang, on the other side, felt the same way after he finished cursing.

Outside the spring, the rudiments of battle began to emerge clumsily. Although it was only a few minutes into the game, the five players had different experiences. At first, they felt the pace was a bit slow and the controls were a bit clunky, and they couldn't quite figure out what the fun of the game was.

But gradually, as the heroes truly established themselves on the lanes, the fun of the game suddenly became apparent!

the other side.

The online tug-of-war between Kang Ming and Sun Gong has entered a new phase.

Kang Ming, controlling Garen, tried using his Q skill to accelerate his charge.

This time, Sun Gong's Ashe didn't panic and run away. He kept his eyes glued to the screen and calculated Kang Ming's sprint path.

Just as Garen raised his greatsword to strike, Sun Gong suddenly pressed the W key—[Volley of Arrows]! Several frost arrows shot out in a cone shape, accurately covering Garen's charging path.

"Slow down?! You can interrupt the rhythm like that?"

"Isn't this cheating? Watch my judgment!!!"

On Kang Ming's screen, Garen's movements visibly slowed down. He almost shouted out, then frantically pressed the E key! Garen instantly transformed into a spinning top, his sharp blade relentlessly slicing through Ashe's fragile body! Ashe's health bar gushed out like a floodgate opening!

"Holy crap! That's even more cheating!!"

Sun Gong cursed as well, frantically clicking the mouse to retreat. At the same time, his finger finally pressed the D key—that was his summoner spell Heal. A green light appeared, and his health was barely restored by a sliver, but Garen's Spinning Storm followed him relentlessly.

Just as Ashe was about to be killed by Garen's spinning attack, Sun Gong reacted quickly, slamming his finger down on the F key—[Flash]! A burst of golden light flashed! Ashe's figure instantly teleported a large distance forward, barely escaping the range of Garen's E skill.

"What?! What the hell?!"

Upon seeing this, Kang Ming's eyes widened in shock. He even forgot that he had come to verify the rules of the game and slammed his fist on the table, both angry and anxious.

He watched helplessly as the cooked duck flew away! Garen's spin stopped, and he could only watch as the lowly Ashe escaped back to the tower.

"Summoner Spells! Didn't you see them?"

Sun Gong laughed like a 200-pound child, shouted back, and then used his long arms to his advantage to attack Garen.

"Fuck!"

Kang Ming retreated frantically, hiding in the bushes, while cursing under his breath.

The two began to outwit and outmaneuver each other around the minion wave!
This really changes the nature of the game!

And the other side.

Middle road.

The matchup between Si Jinliang (Annie) and Shi Wanglin (Sword Saint) was full of tension from the very beginning.

As their level increases, the fight will become even more intense than the other two.

The two were constantly engaged in a battle of wits and courage.

The Sword Saint, relying on the ability of his Q [Alpha Strike] to dodge skills and instantly close the distance, frequently launched attacks.

Anne's small frame couldn't withstand more than a few cuts.

"Damn it! They messaged me again!"

Si Jinliang watched as the enemy hero closed in again. Annie's small frame was slashed several times by the Master Yi at close range, and her health dropped rapidly. She cursed and swore.

But I didn't panic.

Si Jinliang glanced at the passive counter icon below his skill bar and status bar—a small burning fireball.

"Floor 1... Floor 2... Floor 3..."

He silently counted as he controlled Annie to retreat and dodge the Master Yi's basic attacks.

The moment the fourth Shattering Flame was thrown and hit the pursuing Sword Saint, a stun aura immediately appeared above his head.

Shi Wanglin's swordsman was instantly frozen in place, with a dizziness symbol appearing above his head.

"..."

Si Jinliang's eyes widened in surprise and delight! Almost instinctively, he immediately pressed the W key—[Incinerate]! A cone of flame erupted, completely engulfing the stunned Sword Saint! Immediately afterward, he pressed the R key without hesitation—[Tibbers' Wrath].

Boom!

A gigantic bear-shaped summon, made of rudimentary light effects, descended from the sky and slammed heavily into the stunned Blademaster! Massive area-of-effect damage erupted instantly!

The Sword Saint's health bar plummeted like an avalanche! The moment the stun ended.

Seeing his health plummeting, Shi Wanglin was terrified and frantically clicked the mouse to escape! But Tibbers had already caught up and slammed down with his massive bear paw!

"First Blood!"
The system prompt sounds!
The entire testing area fell silent for a second.

"Wow……"

Si Jinliang stared at the bright red kill notification in the center of his screen, then at the Sword Saint model lying at Annie's feet, slowly disappearing. His heart pounded wildly, and an indescribable excitement and sense of accomplishment surged to his head!

killed?
Did the outburst kill them instantly?
Holy crap! That's hilarious!

Shi Wanglin stared blankly at his gray screen, then felt intense frustration and resentment: "Damn! What kind of damage did that bear do?! He stunned her and then one-shotted her?! This Annie has such high burst damage?! This is unfair! This is unfair! I demand a rematch!"

He seemed to have forgotten that he was there to test the gameplay...

In the bottom lane, Kang Ming and Sun Gong were also drawn to the sudden kill notification.

"Holy crap? First blood? Is there even a notification like this?"

Kang Ming was somewhat surprised.

Sun Gong stared at Ashe, who had just returned to town and bought a longsword, and then looked at Garen on the other side, whose health was also not full. His eyes sharpened.

He quietly controlled Ashe to re-enter the game. This time, his movement was noticeably more cautious and purposeful. He used his range advantage to constantly harass Garen, harassing him during his attack intervals.

"!!!"

Kang Ming snapped back to reality and immediately tried to use his Q skill to charge in: "Damn it! No sportsmanship!"

The two started pulling at each other again.

The nature of the game has completely changed.

As time went by, everyone completely forgot their original purpose.

The rudimentary models, the crude lighting effects, the occasional lag in animations, and the skills with unreasonable numerical values... all of these were left behind after the initial clumsy exploration.

Because this gameplay is really fun!

The six were completely immersed in this unprecedented confrontation experience.

The small satisfaction of successfully finishing off an opponent during each pull-and-pull interval.

The feeling of every skill hit or dodge.

Every calculation of health points and every timing of skill cooldowns involves a psychological game.

Every last-minute comeback or narrow escape sends my adrenaline soaring.

For the next while, the test area was filled with shouts and yells.

Even though they are all professional developers who understand many principles and can instantly grasp the core of many designs.

But the battle gradually escalated.

The initial clumsiness and confusion were replaced by a series of novel discoveries and successful operations.

Exclamations, frustrations, bursts of laughter, and tactical commands (though still very rudimentary) rose and fell, accompanied by a dense barrage of keyboard and mouse clicks.

On the screen, the crude models and rudimentary lighting effects seemed to possess boundless magic in their eyes.

"..."

Of the six.

Yu Lili, the only outsider, watched the scene unfold and smiled slightly. He was all too familiar with this feeling—it was exactly what they had experienced when they were rushing to finish the demo.

The cold words and sketches on that project proposal, once transformed into an actionable, responsive, and competitive game, possess an explosive appeal!

As a developer who is well-versed in game design, he is more able to keenly grasp the ingenuity and potential of the underlying logic of this gameplay!

That's really clever!

can only say.

Tang Yao is truly amazing... He couldn't help but want to ask, how did she even come up with that idea?!
"Stop focusing on fighting!"

This is my thoughts.

Yu Lili promptly reminded them, "Look at the jungle! You get gold and experience from killing jungle monsters! And... go back to base and buy equipment! You guys have way too much gold!"

Yes.

The feeling of outsmarting and outmaneuvering the enemy on the lane is probably just too great.

They haven't returned to the fountain in a long time, even though they all have a basic understanding of the game... You can imagine how engrossed they are.

"Ah? Oh right, right, right!"

Kang Ming then realized what was happening and quickly controlled the low-health Garen to find a safe corner, clumsily finding the recall button.

The others also seemed to wake up from their daze and began looking for places to return to the city to resupply.

then.

Everyone upgraded their equipment and returned to the battle.

Although the map is simple, the battlefield consisting of three lanes, the jungle, and the defensive towers, along with six heroes with distinct styles and emerging skill synergies, is enough to support a tense, exciting, unpredictable, and strategic battle.

Last hitting, supporting, ganking, focusing fire, escaping, seizing resources... the core elements of MOBA fun have sprouted like seeds in this rough demo, firmly capturing the hearts of these five first-time players.

Time flew by amidst the fierce competition.

When one side's crystal was finally destroyed and the words "Victory/Defeat" popped up on the screen, there was a brief silence in the test area, followed by an even louder uproar.

"Holy crap! That's it? I haven't had enough fun yet!"

"One more round!!"

"Annie! I want to play as Annie! My turn to play!!"

"Garen's silence is disgusting!!"

"The map could use more bushes! There aren't enough! There aren't enough ambush spots!"

"The equipment system has a basic prototype, but I feel like we can explore the crafting routes even further..."

"The skill cooldowns seem to need some adjustments..."

The five of them started talking all at once, and all traces of their initial scrutiny and curiosity had vanished from their faces. All that remained was lingering excitement and eager discussion.

They were just as excited as the regular players.

"..."

Looking at the core members who had instantly transformed into fanatical players, Yu Lili's last bit of 'impact' on Tang Yao's speed vanished...

I'm truly impressed.

What she created in just one afternoon was already so captivating.

It's hard to imagine how captivating the complete game would be.

"What do you guys think? Is this demo fun enough? Is this online game worth making?"

Although I already had the answer in my heart
But after thinking about it, Yu Lili still asked a question.

This question instantly silenced the noisy testing area for a moment.

But this silence lasted less than a second before being overwhelmed by an even more turbulent wave of feedback.

"Worth it! Absolutely worth it!!"

Kang Ming spoke first, very seriously, "I'd even dare to say! This game will definitely be a hit!!!"

"I think so!"

"So funny!"

"Players will definitely love it! This is truly ingenious gameplay! It's awesome, Tang Yao!"

"I even think this game could become one of Avalon's signature titles!"

"Yes, we definitely have to do it! I want to play it too!"

The five people were talking at breakneck speed, their conversation seemingly nonsensical, but their core idea was surprisingly consistent: the core gameplay presented in this demo possessed an addictive appeal and enormous development potential!
Even its simple exterior cannot conceal its inner, radiant, revolutionary playfulness!
"..."

Hearing the expected feedback, Yu Lili smiled slightly, then took a deep breath and replied, "Then I'll go and inform President Tang right now!"

(End of this chapter)