pertwk Chapter 261: Campus Experience of "Three Kingdoms Kill"
Chapter 261: Campus Experience of "Three Kingdoms Kill"
The initial closed beta test of "Three Kingdoms Kill" did not cause much of a stir.
Although the registration on TUTU was very popular, many people paid less attention after they realized they hadn't been selected.
Three thousand slots are nothing compared to TUTU's fifty million daily active users; it's barely a ripple.
Those users who didn't manage to snag a beta test code just complained a bit in the community about being "too slow" or "unlucky," and then went back to doing whatever they were doing.
But Lu Ran knew that the real battlefield was not with these three thousand people.
In TUTU's user profile, the "college student" group accounts for nearly 40%.
They have the time, the passion, and the ability to spread the word, which is key to whether any social game can break into the mainstream.
Therefore, in addition to the three thousand beta testers, there was another more important group in the first batch of precise test subjects for "Three Kingdoms Kill"—university campuses.
"Brother Zhou," Lu Ran leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers on the table, "what did you and your roommates do most often when you were in college?"
Zhou Mingzhe pushed up his glasses and thought seriously for a moment: "It should be playing cards. Landlord, Upgrading, Golden Flower... there weren't many fun video games back then."
"What if there was a game that was more fun than Dou Dizhu, more brain-teasing than Upgrading, and you could play it face-to-face with your roommates in your dorm? What would you do?"
Zhou Mingzhe's eyes lit up: "You mean...board games?"
"That's right." Lu Ran nodded. "Although 'Three Kingdoms Kill' is a video game, its earliest form was probably a board game. Several people would sit together, face to face, scheming and plotting against each other. This kind of experience can't be provided by online matchmaking."
He paused, then continued, "So, I'm thinking of organizing a few offline demo sessions at several universities in Shanghai. We don't need many, just a few dozen people per session. Let them play the game face-to-face in their dorm rooms, club activity rooms, or library discussion areas. Then they can give us their feedback."
Zhou Mingzhe thought for a moment, then hesitated: "An offline demo event? That's not cheap. We need to print cards, send people to the event, collect feedback..."
"If the sample size is too large, the investment will be considerable; if the sample size is too small, it is prone to bias."
"You don't need to worry about the costs," Lu Ran waved his hand. "Printing the cards won't cost much. If we're sending people, we can have those interns from the operations department do it; it'll be a team-building activity. As for feedback—" he laughed, "Do you think those college students will have a blast and then not actively post about it on TUTU?"
Zhou Mingzhe was taken aback for a moment, then smiled wryly: "You've even saved on publicity costs."
"It's not about saving money, it's about getting users to help us promote," Lu Ran added. "Think about it, what do college students do when they get back to their dorms after playing 'Three Kingdoms Kill' all afternoon? They'll browse Tutu (a Chinese online forum). And what do they do while browsing Tutu? They'll post things like, 'I played 'Three Kingdoms Kill' today, chose the spy, survived to the end and won, awesome!' 'Does anyone know how to play Zhuge Liang? I need a tutorial!' 'How do I play Liu Bei? I always get focused down by the rebels.'"
"These posts are the best GGs."
Lu Ran is right. After all, discussions about "Three Kingdoms Kill" are now concentrated on TUTU. If there are any questions about "Three Kingdoms Kill", TUTU will be the first place people think of.
Zhou Mingzhe jotted down a few notes in his notebook, then suddenly looked up: "What if they don't find it fun?"
"Not fun?" Lu Ran thought for a moment, "Then let's change it. Change it until they find it fun."
...
Three days later, at the University Town in Shanghai.
Xiao Yang from the operations department, along with three interns carrying backpacks full of trading cards, walked into the student activity center of Shanghai University.
The thirty student players recruited in advance on TUTU were already waiting there. There were men and women, some were fans of the Three Kingdoms, and some were board game novices. A few even brought notebooks, looking like they were going to write review reports.
Xiao Yang was a little nervous.
She was used to interacting with users online, so when she actually went offline and faced thirty pairs of eyes, her palms started to sweat.
"Um... Hello everyone, this is Yang from TUTU's operations department. Today I'm here to give you a preview of a new game called 'Three Kingdoms Kill'."
In case someone didn't understand the rules, she briefly explained them again—identity cards, general cards, basic cards, strategy cards, equipment cards, victory conditions, and turn procedures.
After she finished speaking, she asked, "Is there a problem?"
A boy wearing glasses raised his hand: "Can I choose Zhuge Liang?"
"Of course, but it depends on your luck."
Another girl with a ponytail raised her hand: "Are there any female warriors? I want to choose Diao Chan."
"some."
"Can I choose Lu Bu? I want to be paired with Diao Chan," a chubby boy said with a grin.
The girl with the ponytail rolled her eyes at him: "Who wants to be your partner?"
The crowd laughed.
After assigning roles and generals, the game began.
Xiao Yang and three interns observed and recorded from the side, finding it increasingly interesting.
In the first game, the lord chose Cao Cao, the loyal minister chose Guo Jia, the rebels were Zhang Fei and Lü Bu, and the traitor was Zhuge Liang.
In the early rounds, the rebel Zhang Fei was the most aggressive, playing three "Kill" cards in one turn, leaving Cao Cao with only one point of health. Guo Jia desperately tried to replenish the lord's cards, but his luck was bad, only able to replenish "Dodge" and "Peach" cards, making it impossible for him to deal any damage.
Lu Bu mostly slacked off, occasionally throwing out a "Kill" card. If it hit, he'd chuckle; if it missed, he'd curse and grumble.
Zhuge Liang is quieter, spending each round observing the stars and playing Empty City, occasionally playing a card like Creating Something from Nothing or Stealing a Sheep, appearing harmless.
Cao Cao, overwhelmed by Zhang Fei's attacks, unleashed a barrage of arrows in one turn, causing everyone on the field to lose health. Zhang Fei didn't dodge and was left with very low health. Lü Bu also didn't dodge and cursed. Zhuge Liang's Empty City formation, equipped with the Eight Trigrams Formation, granted him immunity to damage. Guo Jia lost health but managed to draw two cards for Cao Cao.
When it was Zhang Fei's turn, he drew two "Kill" cards, grinned maliciously at Cao Cao, and said, "My lord, prepare to die!"
As it turned out, Cao Cao had a "Dodge" card in his hand, and Zhang Fei's two "Kill" cards were both dodged. When it was Cao Cao's turn, he drew a "Nanman Invasion" card, played it, and Zhang Fei, unable to use "Kill," was instantly killed. Lu Bu had a "Kill" card and played it, but he also lost a card.
Only Lü Bu remains as a rebel, Guo Jia is still alive, and Zhuge Liang is still a traitor.
Lu Bu endured two rounds before finally collapsing.
The remaining players are the lord Cao Cao, the loyal minister Guo Jia, and the traitor Zhuge Liang.
A tripartite balance of power.
Cao Cao and Guo Jia exchanged a glance and began to focus their attacks on Zhuge Liang. However, Zhuge Liang used his Star Gazing skill every turn, keeping all his good cards in his hand, and when he was in an empty city state, he was immune to all attacks and duels. Cao Cao and Guo Jia fought for three rounds, but they couldn't even scratch him.
Although Zhuge Liang had no cards in his hand, he was well-equipped, with his weapon being the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow and the Eight Trigrams Formation, and he also had two horses.
In the fourth round, Zhuge Liang suddenly erupted.
He drew two cards of "Nothing from Something," instantly giving him three "Kill" cards and one "Wine" card. He drank the wine first, and with the crossbow's enhancement, he unleashed all three "Kill" cards on Cao Cao's face. Cao Cao didn't dodge and fell to the ground.
Guo Jia was dumbfounded.
The two of them couldn't even defeat Zhuge Liang.
The traitor wins.
The bespectacled boy who had chosen Zhuge Liang put down his cards and proudly pushed up his glasses: "Everyone, thank you for the favor."
The boy who chose Cao Cao retorted, "You're a traitor, yet you act more loyal than a loyal minister! I thought you were one of us!"
"Otherwise what?" the bespectacled boy laughed. "If the traitor doesn't pretend, how will they survive to the end?"
Lu Bu, the chubby boy, chuckled: "I knew it! Zhuge Liang's character is obviously not a good person."
The girl with the ponytail rolled her eyes: "You, Lu Bu, are the real traitor, yet you slack off the whole game and still have the nerve to criticize others?"
Everyone started discussing animatedly. Some reviewed their plays, some complained about their luck, and some were already thinking about how to play the next game.
The lively chatter certainly made the game atmosphere exceptionally intense.
Xiao Yang watched in stunned silence.
This group of people got hooked after just one game.
She opened her phone and sent a message to Lu Ran:
[Mr. Lu, the offline demo event was a huge success. Thirty people played for an entire afternoon and couldn't stop. Now they're even spontaneously organizing their own games.]
Lu Ran replied instantly:
[Take some photos and post them on the TUTU community tonight. Remember to have the interns write an experience report as well.]
【receive! 】
[Let them keep those cards as souvenirs; they have our company logo on them anyway, so consider it a game of GoB.]
...
Over the next two weeks, similar scenes played out at universities across the country.
Universities in Shanghai, Beijing, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Sichuan and Chongqing... TUTU's operations team is like sowing seeds, delivering boxes of "Three Kingdoms Kill" cards to university campuses.
As Lu Ran predicted, those students who had played the game started posting like crazy on TUTU:
[User "Fudan Three Kingdoms Fan"]: I played "Three Kingdoms Kill" in the club activity room today. I chose Sima Yi, the rebel, and kept changing the judgment until the opponent was questioning their existence! Anyone want to play together?
[User "Jiaotong University Gossip Spectator"]: Our dorm starts playing games every night at 8 PM sharp, and the dorm next door has joined in too. We've already got two eight-player games. Are there any tutorials? I want to learn how to play the traitor.
[User "Huashi Daxiaobai"]: First time playing, chose Sun Shangxiang, and had no idea what I was doing the whole time. But it was so much fun! Are there any girls who can help me?
[User "Tongji Veteran Driver"]: Tutorial Post—How Does a Traitor Win? First, you must pretend to be a loyal subject. Second, you must pretend to be a loyal subject. Finally, you must still pretend to be a loyal subject. Remember, a traitor's victory begins with betrayal.
As Lu Ran scrolled through these posts, the smile on his lips grew wider and wider.
These college students certainly did not disappoint him.
That evening, Lu Ran had nothing to do, so he sat in his study, turned on his computer, and logged into the closed beta server of "Three Kingdoms Kill".
He wanted to experience firsthand what it was like to play this game in the hands of the world's first players.
The match was successful.
An eight-player game, with roles randomly assigned.
Lu Ran tapped on his identity card—
Traitor.
He raised an eyebrow. This identity is interesting.
Among all these roles, the rebels have the highest win rate; they have to survive to the very end to be the last one standing.
Next is the character selection screen.
He glanced around, his gaze settling on one person—
Zhuge Liang.
Lu Ran laughed. Why is it that his own traitor is always Zhuge Liang?
Never mind, I'll choose one first.
...