Chapter 938: This Isn’t What Was Promised!
In Chen Mo’s previous life, the Slice-and-Shatter Sect had flourished for a time, but it was later heavily nerfed, with most players switching to the Spread Sect.
Actually, Slice-and-Shatter rounds were pretty fun to use. Cutting them down too harshly was a bit excessive, so Chen Mo didn’t nerf them that severely. Their damage was kept at a normal, slightly below-average level, essentially leaving players a small backdoor for skipping tough content.
As for team play experience… well, using this thing was pretty much like the Spread Sect—it was equivalent to defaulting to having no friends. Solo play was comfortable, but team play would definitely suffer.
Unless your teammates were also members of the same sect…
Both the Slice-and-Shatter Sect and the later Spread Sect emphasized simplicity and mindlessness, but the problem was that they interrupted teammates’ damage output, making them notorious team-play cancers. At this point, players’ gear was far from sufficient to support the Spread Sect, so the Slice-and-Shatter Sect became incredibly cost-effective.
If we’re talking about damage, the Slice-and-Shatter Sect’s output was basically at the bottom. So hardcore players who could make it to the late game would definitely choose other playstyles. In essence, the Slice-and-Shatter Sect’s strategy was a crutch for less skilled players, preventing them from being so tortured by the game that they lost all hope.
Some might worry that players using the Slice-and-Shatter Sect to skip content would ruin the game’s fun?
Of course not. Players who skipped content would eventually have to pay the price. If they kept using the Slice-and-Shatter Sect, they wouldn’t bother memorizing boss patterns, and their reaction speed and mechanics wouldn’t improve. The early and mid-game would be fine, but when they encountered stronger monsters in the mid-to-late game, they’d suffer twice as much.
After all, the VR version of *Monster Hunter* was different from the previous life—the monsters here had highly advanced AI…
…
Lin Xue silently went to prepare for the initiation ceremony.
Wanting to play the Slice-and-Shatter Heresy wasn’t as simple as just deciding to do it. First, you needed a decent light bowgun, right? Second, you had to stockpile enough Slice-and-Shatter fruits.
Since the Slice-and-Shatter Heresy’s damage relied almost entirely on Slice-and-Shatter rounds, sometimes you’d fire hundreds of them in a single fight, and all of those had to be gathered slowly.
Lin Xue also knew that with her current skill level, she couldn’t possibly beat the Diablos, so she silently farmed earlier materials, aiming to craft a better set of gear first.
On the forums, the first batch of players to dive into *Monster Hunter* were roughly at the same point as Lin Xue—all stuck at the Diablos and Rathalos!
There were some hardcore players—either with good mechanics, high grinding dedication, or using skip tactics—who barely managed to get past them, but they were the minority.
The vast majority of players were stuck at the Diablos.
Players were all saying, what’s going on? This isn’t what was promised!
Wasn’t this supposed to be a hack-and-slash game?
Weren’t the monsters supposed to be fragile?
Weren’t they all supposed to be as easy to slaughter as the Great Jagras?
Chen Mo, explain the Diablos and Rathalos!
At first, players thought they were just approaching the game wrong and suffered a lot. But when they checked the official forums, they saw that everyone was in the same boat—all stuck at the Diablos!
“Damn! So that’s it, we fell for Serent’s trap!”
“Conspiracy! This was the trap all along!”
“Isn’t this basically bait-and-switch? First, they dangle a lure, and if you bite, you’re hooked!”
“Yeah, I was wondering why the early monsters were so weak. Turns out it was boiling the frog slowly!”
“Refund! Refund!”
A bunch of players who had been tortured were furious, claiming they’d been deceived and demanding refunds!
But… the refund period had long passed!
They’d been playing the game for days, and the story was almost halfway through. What game company in the world would give refunds under those circumstances?
And it didn’t end there.
Many players hadn’t noticed it much before, but when they reached the Diablos and the difficulty spiked, the gap between weapons became obvious.
The most numerous Longsword users were all complaining: What’s up with the Longsword’s damage? Why does it take us twenty minutes to beat the Diablos, while those Dual Blade users next door finish in ten minutes??
And there was even this Slice-and-Shatter Heresy thing? Just keep your distance from the Diablos and spam shots at it randomly?
What about weapon balance? What the hell is the number designer doing??
Longsword players were strongly protesting! Demanding a Longsword buff! It’s too weak to play!
…
On Chen Mo’s Weibo, he received private messages and comments every day, either complaining about the game being too hard or their weapons being too weak.
Of course, complaining was useless because Chen Mo didn’t even read them…
Chen Mo himself was quite calm, but Qian Kun couldn’t sit still.
In the office, Qian Kun looked distressed and said to Chen Mo, “Boss, I don’t know how many people are trashing *Monster Hunter*’s weapon balance design. I’m catching stray bullets left and right! The whole number framework was set by you, and I’m taking the blame unfairly!”
Chen Mo chuckled, “Don’t worry, the players just haven’t figured it out yet. The balance is very solid. By the way, are you done with *Pokémon World*?”
Qian Kun squinted, “Boss, you still remember *Pokémon World*?! You finished developing *Monster Hunter* and still haven’t sent anyone to help me—you’re trying to work me to death!”
Chen Mo stood up and patted his shoulder, “Young man, the capable do more. Look, you’re making good progress, over halfway done. Keep it up!”
Qian Kun nearly dropped to his knees, “Boss! I can handle everything else, and I’ve accepted *Pokémon World*, but can you at least take this blame off my back first?”
Chen Mo looked up at the ceiling, “But you’re the number designer. If you don’t take the blame, who… oh wait, this is your actual job!”
Qian Kun’s face darkened, “Then I’m going to buff the Longsword’s damage!”
Chen Mo smiled slightly, “Oh, young man, don’t be so impulsive. Fine, how about this: we’ll set up a livestream on Moyu, and I’ll personally show up to help you shift the blame.”
Qian Kun beamed, “Really? Wow, Boss, you’re such a good guy!”
Chen Mo said cheerfully, “No problem, no problem. I’m just that helpful.”
Qian Kun happily went to arrange it. Chen Mo agreeing to appear in a livestream was a rare event!
Besides, this livestream also served to promote *Monster Hunter*, so it couldn’t be a casual phone stream—they had to plan the whole process.
But Qian Kun didn’t think too much about it. First, he just wanted to get the blame off his back. He couldn’t have players thinking the Longsword’s weakness was his fault! And the Diablos being so brutal—that was Chen Mo’s own doing!
Still, Qian Kun was curious: how exactly would Chen Mo calm the players’ fury? These people had been thoroughly wrecked by the Diablos and Rathalos…