1novels Chapter 379: "Ip Man 1" Released
Chapter 379: "Ip Man 1" Released
After Zhou Mingzhe hung up the phone, the carriage fell silent.
Shen Yuege pulled the blanket up to cover herself and turned to look at Lu Ran: "That 'Unlimited Firepower' mode you mentioned earlier, can it really be made within three weeks?"
"Yes. It's just a matter of adjusting the numbers, not remaking the entire game. Just change the cooldown to zero, remove the mana cost, double the attack speed, and adjust the respawn time a bit, and you're basically all set."
"You make it sound so easy. Game designers spend months figuring out a game model, and you come up with one in the time it takes to answer a phone call."
Lu Ran lay back on the pillow, hands behind his head: "That's because they overthink it. Balance, competitiveness, user experience—a bunch of rules and regulations that confine them. What do players want during the Spring Festival? Fun. If you give them fun, they'll be happy. If you try to balance it, they'll find it boring."
Shen Yuege stretched her foot over and pressed it against his calf again: "So, how much money can you make with this model?"
Lu Ran thought for a moment, but did not answer the question directly.
He didn't go into detail about making money with Zhou Mingzhe over the phone because it's hard to explain over the phone, and Shen Yuege was there, so he didn't want her to think that he was thinking about work while he was out having fun.
But now that Shen Yuege has asked, he has to do the math.
"Spending power is highest during the Spring Festival," Lu Ran said. "Year-end bonuses are paid, lucky money is received, students are on holiday, everyone has money in their pockets and time. Skins you wouldn't normally buy, you might impulsively buy during the Spring Festival. In-game currency you wouldn't normally spend, you might spend it after a couple of drinks during the Spring Festival."
"So you're planning to hold an event during the Chinese New Year?"
"We have to do it. If we don't, we're just giving money away to others. EA is definitely preparing for the Lunar New Year event, and Weibo and Sakura Games just signed a cooperation agreement, so there's no way they won't make a move. At this time, whoever's event is more attractive will be able to grab this Lunar New Year bonus."
Shen Yuege nuzzled against his shoulder: "Didn't you say you weren't short of money?"
"Having enough money and not wanting to make money are two different things. I don't lack money, but my employees do. More than a hundred people in the company are waiting for their year-end bonuses, and there are still sixty-three new employees in Chengdu undergoing training. All of this costs money. If we do well this year-end bonus period, we can give out two extra months' worth of bonuses so everyone can have a good holiday. If we don't do well, then we can only give out a small red envelope as a token gesture."
"The way you're talking makes it sound like the company is about to go bankrupt."
Lu Ran laughed: "No, not really. But why not earn a little more? I'm not some saint who sees money as dirt. I'm just an ordinary person, and I love making money."
Shen Yuege patted him on the chest: "When you're being vulgar, it actually makes a lot of sense."
"Of course. I'm vulgar, and I have every right to be so."
The two lay down for a while longer, and Lu Ran began to plan the operation during the Chinese New Year period.
Offering skins as rewards for daily check-ins is a must. But they can't be too cheap or unpopular; players won't even bother checking in if they receive those obscure skins that nobody uses.
If you're going to give away free skins, give away skins for popular heroes, even limited ones, so that players feel like they're missing out if they don't sign up.
We should also have a lottery system for playing games.
During the Chinese New Year, people have more time, so they can play a game and draw a prize. The prizes don't need to be too expensive; skin fragments, hero fragments, experience cards, and gold coin cards are low-cost items that players like.
Occasionally, include one or two big prizes, such as limited-edition skins or physical prizes, to give players something to look forward to.
Inviting friends to return and giving away heroes is an old trick to attract users back.
During the Chinese New Year, when people visit relatives and friends, the conversation may turn to games. You can casually invite them to join, which is cheaper than paying for game users at other times.
And then there's the Infinite Firepower mode itself.
This model is free to play and aims to attract users.
Once users come in, have fun, and are happy to spend money, they'll naturally be more willing to do so.
Lu Ran went through these ideas in his mind and felt that they were about right. He could leave the rest to Zhou Mingzhe and Xiao Yang to refine.
He's on vacation right now and can't take on all the work himself.
...
The next morning, the two packed their things, drove away from Shanwei, and continued westward.
It takes about three hours to get from Shanwei to Foshan by expressway.
Lu Ran didn't take the highway, but drove slowly along the national road, enjoying the scenery along the way.
The plains in central Guangdong are different from those along the coast; there are fewer mountains and more fields, with vast rice paddies stretching out from both sides of the car window.
Although the rice has already been harvested this season, leaving only short stubble in the fields, the open space still brings a sense of tranquility.
Shen Yuege was scrolling through her phone in the passenger seat when she suddenly exclaimed "Huh?"
"What's wrong?" Lu Ran asked.
"Ip Man has been released."
"What?"
"Ip Man. That's the script you wrote before, about Wing Chun. You forgot? The one you gave to my dad."
Lu Ran paused for a moment, then pulled the car over to the side of the road.
He took Shen Yuege's phone and glanced at it. On the screen was a movie poster. The actor playing Ip Man was wearing a long robe and striking the starting stance of Wing Chun. At the top of the poster was a line of text: "The Grandmaster, Ip Man, returns."
The poster's bottom displays the release date: Today.
"Released today?" Lu Ran stared at that line of text for several seconds.
Yes. It premieres today.
Lu Ran leaned back in his seat, his mind a little fuzzy.
He had previously given the script for "Ip Man" to his father-in-law, Shen Zhiwei, who then took the script and lost contact with him for a long time.
He didn't hear anything after that, and thought it was still in post-production. He never expected it to be released so soon without any prior notice.
Lu Ran had planned to bring two bottles of Moutai to visit his father-in-law during the Chinese New Year. Since his father-in-law hadn't even told him about the movie's release, he decided not only not to bring any liquor this year, but he would also try to extort two bottles of Moutai from him.
"Didn't my dad tell you?" Shen Yuege asked.
"No. The last time I called was a month ago. He said the movie was finished filming and in post-production, and he'd let me know when it was released. It's been released now, and he still hasn't told me."
Shen Yuege took her phone back and browsed through the movie's information: "The premiere is being held in Foshan. Look, it's in Foshan, this afternoon at 2 PM, at the Golden Horse Cinema."
Lu Ran glanced at the map. They were currently less than 100 kilometers from Foshan, a two-hour drive away.
"You don't mean you're thinking of going to see it, do you?" he asked.
Shen Yuege looked at him, her eyes sparkling: "Why not? You wrote the script, the story takes place in Foshan, and the premiere is also in Foshan. We're watching 'Ip Man' in Foshan—isn't this the perfect combination of timing, location, and people?"
Lu Ran thought about it and felt that what she said made sense.
And he really wanted to see what it would be like to have his script made into a movie.
He had watched the Ip Man series countless times in his previous life, and every line and action scene was etched into his mind.
But he had no idea what the version of this world would be like.
Although he trusted his father-in-law's photography skills, he still had to see the actual results to know for sure.
It's important to understand that different directors have different interpretations of the script. Just like the Hong Kong and mainland versions of the same Jin Yong novel, their presentations can differ greatly.
"Okay. Let's go to Foshan then. To see a movie."
Shen Yuege laughed and pinched his cheek: "You can be quite straightforward sometimes."
"When did I become unhappy?"
"You're not happy when you spend money."
"Speaking of which, remember to keep the ticket receipts. We'll ask Dad for reimbursement later."
"Get lost!" Shen Yuege laughed and slapped Lu Ran.
"Let's go, let's set off, destination—Foshan."
Shen Yuege lowered her seat, leaned back, and closed her eyes to catch up on some sleep.
After all, it's still quite a distance to Foshan. It's a good time to rest up and take turns driving with Lu Ran so that when we arrive in Foshan, we'll both be refreshed.
Lu Ran started the car and drove towards Foshan.
It was already noon when we arrived in Foshan.
Lu Ran parked the RV in a parking lot near the Ancestral Temple, and the two of them got out to find something to eat.
The snacks in Foshan are different from those in Shanwei.
Shanwei is a coastal city, and its cuisine consists mainly of seafood and sweet soups.
Foshan is located inland, and the local cuisine includes rice noodle rolls, congee hot pot, double-skin milk pudding, and blind man's cakes.
Shen Yuege found a long-established rice noodle roll shop in an alley. The shop was small, with a dozen or so tables, all of which were full of people.
The two waited for ten minutes before they could sit down. They ordered two servings of rice noodle rolls and two bowls of porridge.
When the rice noodle rolls arrived, Shen Yuege glanced at them and said, "These are so thin! You can see the bottom of the plate."
"Thinner is better. If it's too thick, it's not called rice noodle roll anymore, it's called rice skin."
Shen Yuege picked up a piece, put it in her mouth, chewed it, and nodded: "It's really delicious. Much better than what you get at Cantonese restaurants in Shanghai."
"Rice noodle rolls are really good the first time you eat them, but if you eat them every day, you'll probably get tired of them in less than a week."
Speaking of food, Lu Ran prefers northern cuisine. When he passes through Shandong Province on his way back, he definitely wants to try Shandong dishes.
After finishing their rice noodle rolls, the two of them strolled around the alley again.
Shen Yuege bought two boxes of blind man's biscuits, saying she would take them back for her colleagues in the studio to try.
Lu Ran didn't stop him; after all, the most important thing when you're out having fun is to be happy.
At 2 p.m., the two arrived at the Golden Horse Cinema on time.
The cinema is located in a shopping mall in Foshan city. Today, because of the premiere of "Ip Man", there are a lot of people.
A huge backdrop stood at the entrance, featuring a poster of Ip Man, while several staff members in long gowns stood nearby handing out flyers.
Shen Yuege went to the front desk to buy tickets, while Lu Ran stood in front of the backdrop looking at the posters.
The actors on the poster are all familiar faces; they are veteran actors who have played many roles before.
Looking at the cast list, Lu Ran immediately felt a little more at ease.
Shen Yuege walked over with two tickets in her hand and waved them in front of him: "Let's go, it's about to start."
Lu Ran took the ticket, glanced at it, and couldn't help but smile.
He actually had some expectations for this version of "Ip Man 1".
...