Chapter 414: Why Am I Still Not S-Rank?
Two weeks after its launch, "Conquer the Land" had successfully climbed to the third spot on the mobile game bestseller list, while "Heroes of the Three Kingdoms" had been steadily declining, eventually settling at twelfth place.
Although "Conquer the Land" didn't continue to rise in rankings after that, for an SLG game, reaching this position was already quite an achievement.
Obviously, "Conquer the Land" was far from a perfect game. As an SLG, its biggest problem was its steep learning curve and slow start. Most players only began to appreciate its fun after two or three weeks, when they entered the state-war phase, and truly mastering it might take months of exploration. This clearly clashed with the current fast-paced gaming environment.
In the early stages, probably eighty to ninety percent of players were turned away, never experiencing its true appeal.
However, "Conquer the Land" also had extremely prominent strengths. For many veteran players, it was a game they could enjoy for years without getting bored.
Unlike traditional pay-to-win mobile games, "Conquer the Land" was more moderate and had a longer lifespan.
...
Some gaming media outlets also reported on this unique Three Kingdoms game.
"A Three Kingdoms Game That Can Freely Change the World Situation?"
"Chen Mo Teaches All Mobile Game Designers Another Lesson in the Mobile Game Field!"
"Player Reviews: This Is the Real Chaos of the Three Kingdoms!"
"Game Review: Hard to Get Into, but Rich in Content and Innovative Gameplay!"
"Chen Mo's New Work: Experience a Different Three Kingdoms"
"Conquer the Land: No Storyline, Players Create the Story!"
For most players, "Conquer the Land" didn't cause a huge sensation. Compared to Chen Mo's other works, this mobile game wasn't exactly earth-shattering.
But all players were certain of one thing: no matter what game Chen Mo made, he would always bring them enough surprises.
...
In the final evaluation, "Conquer the Land" unsurprisingly won first prize.
Of course, this wasn't because the game was too good, but because the competing games during the same period were too weak. The only one that seemed somewhat competitive, "Heroes of the Three Kingdoms," still used the card-based mobile game mechanics that Chen Mo had long grown tired of, while "Conquer the Land" featured comprehensive innovation in gameplay. The difference was clear.
Chen Mo also posted a Weibo update.
"Oh dear, I won another first prize. My bookshelf is almost full. Such a worry."
The accompanying image showed the certificate and trophy for the "Three Kingdoms Theme Game Activity Season First Prize."
This post infuriated many game designers.
"Damn it, Chen Mo, that show-off, he's asking for a beating!"
"Isn't this just rubbing salt in our wounds?"
"Beat this poser to death! If you can't fit it, give it to me!"
"Just stick to making your PC and VR games, stop messing around in mobile games!"
"So infuriating! Can't you leave one prize for us?"
"Strong protest! Demand that Chen Mo be disqualified from the next competition!"
Of course, complaints aside, many mobile game designers still gained a lot of inspiration from this game.
One major insight was that Chen Mo had tested the limits of players' patience for all designers.
And the result was... did players even have limits?
Many people thought "Onmyoji" was already hardcore enough. A mobile game requiring four to five hours of daily play was already considered extreme by most designers. Yet Chen Mo had created an even more hardcore "Conquer the Land"!
Forget four or five hours; playing "Conquer the Land" for ten hours a day wasn't too much! And you had to be punctual, fighting during the day and at night. Once the state wars started, there wasn't a single moment of rest.
It was a good thing this was a mobile game. If it were a PC or VR game, how many players would get up in the middle of the night to fight?
But from player feedback, it seemed many people thought it was fine?
What the hell was that!
Many designers also realized that while hardcore mobile games tired players out, they did have excellent retention.
Once most players got into the habit, the first thing they did when pulling out their phones was open "Conquer the Land." Playing and fighting every day made it less likely for them to quit out of boredom.
"So, can we also make some more hardcore games? For example, porting a national-war RPG like 'Righteous Slaying the Three Kingdoms' to the mobile platform?"
This was a question many mobile game designers were pondering.
...
...
Although he had successfully soured the mood for many mobile game designers, Chen Mo's mood wasn't great either.
Because in the Illusion World Editor, all of Chen Mo's scores had risen significantly, but his designer rating was only A+!
Chen Mo felt speechless. Why?
[Chen Mo: Game Designer (A+ Rank)]
[Creativity: 89]
[Systems: 83]
[Level Design: 82]
[Story: 89]
[2D Art: 87]
[3D Art: 81]
[Monthly Available Resource Quota: 2TB]
Looking at the numbers, compared to before, Creativity, Systems, and Level Design had all increased slightly, 3D Art had increased significantly, and Story remained unchanged.
Chen Mo had originally thought that creating a phenomenal VR game would earn him the title of S-rank designer, but now it seemed that wasn't the case?
If we're talking about VR games, Chen Mo had already made two: "Minecraft" and "Outlast." These two games were definitely phenomenal in their respective fields, right?
And "League of Legends" was so popular it had practically dominated the entire PC platform. Wasn't that even considered?
Why was he still not an S-rank designer, only A+?
Although Chen Mo was full of questions, he had no one to ask. The few S-rank designers in the country were either at big companies like Imperial Dynasty or Zen Mind, or they were lone wolves with no connection to Chen Mo.
After thinking it over, Chen Mo decided to call Qiao Hua from the Game Committee to ask.
Upon hearing Chen Mo's question, Qiao Hua chuckled.
"It's like this, Chen Mo. Regarding your rating, it's not intentional targeting. The Game Committee has a very clear evaluation standard for S-rank designers."
"Although 'Minecraft' and 'Outlast' are both very good VR games, they still differ from what the committee defines as 'ultra-premium VR games.'"
"Currently, the committee members are basically divided into two factions. One faction believes that with successful games on mobile, PC, and VR platforms, and your constant innovation, you should have received S-rank qualification long ago. The other faction is more conservative, thinking that while 'Minecraft' and 'Outlast' have great creativity, they seem a bit opportunistic and can't be considered ultra-premium VR games."
Chen Mo was speechless. "So what exactly counts as an ultra-premium VR game?"
Qiao Hua explained, "'Minecraft' and 'Outlast' are both excellent in terms of gameplay, no doubt about it. However, in terms of artistry, they struggle to convince the majority of judges."
Chen Mo was stunned. "Artistry?"
Qiao Hua said, "Yes. Artistry... games are considered the ninth art. Artistry includes many aspects, such as character design, world background, story, art style, music style, and so on."
"Or to put it bluntly, only by creating a VR game that has a chance to compete for Game of the Year might a designer be rated as S-rank. It has little to do with how much money your game makes or how popular it is. It mainly depends on the judges' evaluations."
Chen Mo roughly understood. "Alright, in that case, I get it. So I just need to make a game to please the judges, right? I'll make another one!"