My game is depressing worldwide.

"Mr. Chen, is there something wrong with the difficulty settings in this game?" Sun Zhirui couldn't help but ask. "You're not going to make me use a level 1 character to fight mid-to-late game bosses, are you?"

Chen Xuan can understand this problem.

Many action games with challenging settings also feature bosses that are not easy to defeat later on.

But back then, the player characters' performance wasn't bad either.

Various planets collided with Earth, obliterating even the most important roads.

However, this is a soul wandering.

"The difficulty level is indeed set somewhat problematic." Chen Xuan pondered for a few seconds.

Sun Zhirui's eyes lit up: "Right! I knew it! How could they make it this difficult for players in the early stages..."

"Too easy."

"......ha?"

"I said, the difficulty is indeed problematic; this boss is set too easy."

Upon hearing this, Sun Zhirui finally stood up: "President Chen, do you want to hear what you're saying? It's too simple? How is it simple?"

"I was planning to add the AI ​​system from Outlast: Trials to Dark Souls, but the adaptation isn't complete yet, so this is the only option for now."

"Aren't you afraid players will get frustrated because the game is too difficult?!"

Feeling mentally exhausted?

Isn't this a good thing?

This is exactly what I wanted!

Sun Zhirui: ......

No, why do you look so excited?

Sadistic?

Do you get excited when you see others being abused?

[Defense Penetration Value Detected from Sun Zhirui +1]

Chen Xuan laughed and said, "The game's difficulty is set according to my skill level. I can complete it in two tries or less, it's just too easy."

He then stepped forward, intending to demonstrate how to fight the BOSS.

Sun Zhirui also stepped aside, but her face was full of disbelief.

Are you kidding me!

If you can defeat this boss in two tries or less, I'll eat this computer, okay?

Next, it was Chen Xuan's turn to perform.

Ignoring the minions along the way, I headed straight for the BOSS room.

His movements throughout the journey appeared somewhat clumsy, clearly indicating that he hadn't practiced specifically for this purpose.

But after the BOSS battle began, Sun Zhirui's mouth slowly opened wide.

No way... you can play games like this? You can beat bosses like this?!

Chen Xuan's strategy was actually quite simple.

Raise the shield and circle around his rear.

The greatest advantage of being a knight is having a useful 100 physical defense shield.

As long as you keep your shield up at all times, most attacks will only deduct stamina points instead of causing you to lose health.

If you're out of energy, take a break and wait for your energy to recover.

After the BOSS finishes off with a combo, if you have stamina, try to sneak in a few more attacks.

It looks ugly and doesn't attack many times... but the BOSS's health drops very quickly!

While playing with a very relaxed attitude, Chen Xuan said, "Big bodies are weak to doors, hairy bodies are weak to fire, and heavy armor is weak to lightning. You see, this game is obviously ridiculously easy, right? It's been this difficult for so many years, so where's the difficulty? If you think it's difficult, you should look for your own problems. Have you improved your understanding of the game over the years? Have you practiced your skills?"

[Defense Penetration Value Detected from Sun Zhirui +1]

The prawns are fully cooked.

She was always the one who made others angry and red-faced.

Unexpectedly, fate had other plans, and it was finally Sun Zhirui's turn.

To say that she, as a battle strategist, was unaware of this is really absurd.

Ultimately, he couldn't let go of his reputation and confidence as a "game-changer," which led to a series of lectures from Mr. Gundyr.

At this moment, seeing that Chen Xuan hadn't lost a single drop of blood and had defeated the BOSS in just over a minute, he was already convinced.

It was her turn to try it out again.

Although she hasn't abandoned her preferred high-risk, high-reward playing style, she's consciously starting to play to her strengths and avoid her weaknesses.

She only tried twice more.

"Yes, that's the rhythm."

"Dodge!! Beautiful, you little bitch, I've seen through you."

"Weren't you so arrogant just now? I'll beat you until you're begging for your mother!"

"Just one cut... beautiful!!!!"

A cheer erupted as they saw Professor Kodak fall to the ground and turn to ashes.

The little girl was so excited that her face turned red, and there were beads of sweat on her nose. Clearly, the battle just now had put a lot of pressure on her.

"How does it feel?"

"Hmph~ It's nothing special. After all, my skills will improve and my understanding of the game will grow. It's just a boss that's locked down by the program."

Chen Xuan nodded with a smile and said, "Yeah, you know all that, don't you? Besides 'making players look cool' and 'making players feel good killing,' there's a third path for action games that has been overlooked for a long time."

Sun Zhirui paused for a moment, then subconsciously said, "...Get stronger?"

"Yes, what other design could make players feel more accomplished, like 'it's not the character that's getting stronger, but myself'?"

Chen Xuan instantly switched to a "freebie-seeking charity" expression while simultaneously opening another file on his computer.

This is the result of Zhou Qian and others working themselves to the bone – the white box level of the High Walls of Lothric.

"Of course, to stimulate players' sense of accomplishment and desire for conquest, map design is indispensable. With its complex and ingenious design, coupled with challenging monsters and the death penalty of losing one's soul, what could be more exhilarating than pushing open a door after running out of supplies and finding oneself back at the original campfire?"

Sun Zhirui stared blankly at the white box representing the level on the computer.

As a game designer with considerable skill, the habit of understanding concepts through design is ingrained in my very being.

Although it is still in a very early stage, if I had to describe it in one word, it would be "impressive".

Two words—top-notch.

Loop design, one-way shortcut, and winding paths.

To describe it in the style of an ancient poem, it would be like this: "When you think you've reached the end of the road, a new path opens up before you."

Every step was taken with utmost care, and every decision represented either a reward or a risk.

Being constantly in a state of tension and excitement, until finally understanding everything about the map's design, feels like completing a cross-time dialogue with the designer.

It seems... quite interesting?

Chen Xuan thought to himself that it was time, so he put on his ever-present benevolent face and asked, "So, how about joining our team, starting with Dark Souls, naming an entire genre of games, and influencing the history of video games?"

Sun Zhirui pondered for a few seconds before finally nodding and saying, "Okay, at least I'm willing to participate in the development of the Dark Souls project. But I have one condition: the difficulty cannot be lowered due to pressure from players or other members of the studio."

Lower the difficulty?!

What a joke.

Chen Baipiao felt somewhat dissatisfied. "Are you looking down on me?"

I still think it's not difficult enough.

"However..." Sun Zhirui hesitated, pointing to some contents inside the white box, and asked, "What are these specially marked contents?"

"Of course it was a tiny bit of malice." Chen Xuan said with a sincere and kind expression. "I don't think players would mind the designers playing a little joke on them... right?"

"for example?"

"for example......"

After the explanation, Sun Zhirui, who was initially very enthusiastic, became more and more silent.

Even as Chen Xuan was still speaking with lingering enthusiasm, she couldn't help but interrupt and ask, "Mr. Chen..."

"Um?"

"Why don't you... see a psychologist?"

"?"

A question mark slowly floated up above Chen Xuan's head.

No, girl, your thoughts are dangerous.

I told you about games, and you questioned my mental state?

Although Sun Zhirui made it clear that she was only willing to participate in the Dark Souls project at the moment, Chen Xuan was not afraid that she would leave after completing the project.

You can't possibly be uninterested in the stylistically unique Sekiro, right? And you should definitely check out Monster Hunter, which pioneered the co-op action game genre, shouldn't you?

So, what I'm saying is that there's only one time or countless times when one falls into evil.

Once you're on the pirate ship, you think you can get away?

What a joke.

"Ahem, Mr. Chen, it was just a joke." Sun Zhirui realized her slip of the tongue and coughed lightly to ease the awkwardness. "I heard that Mr. Chen's latest project is a sequel to Honkai Impact 3? Was Dark Souls initiated after that?"

Knowing the other party's concerns, Chen Xuan said first, "Don't worry, it won't be long."

The development of games with continuous operation differs from that of single-player games with a buy-to-play model.

Often, when the 1.0 major version is released to players, the production of the 2.0 major version has already entered the mid-to-late stages, and the 3.0 version has even entered the brainstorming and preparation stage of preliminary work.

For a game like Honkai Impact 3, gameplay is certainly important, but the most important thing is the storyline, which is also its most popular aspect.

However, discussing the plot with Sun Zhirui is somewhat like talking to a brick wall, or casting pearls before swine.

This woman's mind is only filled with the thrill of fighting.

They're the type who skips the foreplay and goes straight to the point when watching movies.

Games that require continuous operation, or service-based games, need a separate development team.

Therefore, her task even had a bit of the connotation of mentoring an apprentice.

Once the team for Honkai Impact 3rd is established and can consistently produce content, the core members will immediately return to developing a buy-to-play single-player game.