Chapter 10

In the end, Valve Corporation still did not make a decision to exchange the operating rights of "Counter-Strike" for the engine. They only said that they would send people to China as soon as possible to sign the acquisition agreement for "Rage," and then make a decision after seeing the engine in person.

Wang Bufe did not feel disappointed about this. It would be better if they agreed, but it was fine if they didn't. Moreover, the other party had just temporarily declined, so there was still a chance.

After negotiating the sale of "Rage," Wang Bufe felt much better and happily browsed through other posts on the discussion board. The posts mocking the translation no longer seemed offensive.

To players of this era, the Beta version of "Rage" was already impressive enough. Minor flaws like translation and sound were actually insignificant.

For players, whether a game was fun was determined by many factors. For example, the quality of dialogue, sound effects, and graphics, which were like a warrior's defense, played a role in not making players feel annoyed.

And the creative ideas and novel gameplay that caught the eye were like a warrior's attack, playing a role in quickly immersing players in the game world.

In a PK between two warriors, would the one with more attacks and fewer defenses win, or the one with fewer attacks and more defenses? When comparing two games, would a game with creative ideas but rough production attract more players, or a game with high quality but following the trend be more successful?

Countless game developers were exploring the answer to this question. And 14 years later, the answer was clear: in a saturated game market where players had many choices, only a game with eye-catching creativity and novel gameplay could stand out and survive. Mediocre works had no chance to shine.

"Rage" was the product of Wang Bufe's practice of this theory.

In fact, the biggest regret of the "Rage" Beta version was that after ten hours of gameplay, the difficulty became unbearable, and players would inevitably die. This was because Wang Bufe had split a complete game into three parts, causing the player's strength to lag behind the monsters' strength, leading to an imbalance in difficulty.

On Valve's official website, there were already discussions about "how to survive ten hours."

Those American players had no idea that this was because Wang Bufe had split a complete game into three parts, causing the player's strength to lag behind the monsters' strength, leading to an imbalance in difficulty.

Once the V0.5 version was uploaded, this issue would be resolved.

The American players, who did not understand Wang Bufe's design, naively thought they were stuck because they hadn't found some important item.

This was a common thought, as they had grown up playing Japanese games. Japanese game companies were adept at using key items to determine player success or failure, turning "people playing games" into "games playing people."

On the discussion board, some players said they needed to collect all the NPCs, while others said they needed to hide in a basement. Various rumors flew, and the discussion was very lively.

"Master, did you just sell the game for over $200,000 with just a few words?" The internet cafe owner, Sun Yifeng, stared with wide eyes, still unable to believe it.

"Exactly. Valve Corporation was really generous, and their decisiveness was beyond my expectations." Wang Bufe didn't know that the ease of selling "Rage" was actually due to the help of Valve's team. Although he was surprised, he didn't find it too strange.

Fourteen years later, Valve spent millions of dollars to promote "Dota 2." Among the major game companies, Valve was known for being "dumb and rich."

Sun Yifeng was already kneeling, muttering, "I only make over 100,000 RMB a year running this small internet cafe... Comparing people, it's really frustrating."

"Boss Sun, I have a question," Wang Bufe said. "I plan to use the computer every day for the next period. Can you arrange a quiet spot for me? I can pay monthly."

"Of course, of course," Sun Yifeng quickly replied. "Master, you are always welcome. I'll rearrange the shop and set aside a special place for you. But let's not talk about money, that would be disrespectful."

"Thanks, brother," Wang Bufe didn't refuse.

After waiting a bit, the 0.5 version of "Rage" was uploaded. Valve Corporation also released a new announcement, stating that they had reached a cooperation agreement with the creator of "Rage," and the full version of "Rage" would soon be released.

Once the new version was released, the download volume skyrocketed. At this point, the players who had been struggling to survive ten hours finally understood the reason for the inevitable death after ten hours.

Just before Wang Bufe logged off, Li Ming sent another message: "The business visa to China can be processed in as little as two days. The company has decided to send me to handle this matter. We'll meet in two days."

"See you in two days," Wang Bufe said and logged off.

Holding Xia Ci's hand as they walked out of the internet cafe, Wang Bufe felt a sense of unreality. A dream that he had never been able to achieve no matter how hard he tried had taken its first step so easily. He decided not to stagnate, to complete "Rage" today, and start a new project tomorrow.

In the virtual world of 2000, everything was new and uncharted territory. There were countless opportunities to make a mark.

Apart from making lunch and dinner, Wang Bufe was fully focused on the tedious programming. Finally, at 11 PM, he completed the translation of all the NPC dialogues in "Rage."

The next morning.

It was Monday, and Xia Ci had to go to school.

Wang Bufe planned to take her to school. He couldn't let such a beautiful little girl walk alone on the street.

Xia Ci's school was about a 15-minute walk from home. Along the way, students in the same school uniform walked in groups. After all, they were middle school students and didn't need their parents to accompany them.

"Maybe I can go alone," Xia Ci said, feeling embarrassed. After all, how many eighth-grade girls need to hold an adult's hand to go to school?

"No, it's too dangerous now. I don't feel safe," Wang Bufe said.

"I'm not a child anymore. Besides, what danger is there?" Xia Ci protested.

"Look at all the cars on the road. And over there, someone is wandering around with a knife. Isn't that dangerous?" Wang Bufe said confidently.

Hearing Wang Bufe's words, a restaurant owner nearby gave him a dirty look.

"Fine, since you're my guardian spirit," Xia Ci said. A girl on a bicycle passed by and looked at them strangely, making Xia Ci feel even more uneasy.

Xia Ci attended City No. 2 Middle School. The students there all looked like good students, many wearing glasses, and all wearing their school uniforms and sneakers. There wasn't a single student with dyed hair. Even from a distance, you could see a teacher checking the students' attire at the school gate. It was clearly a strict and good school.

"Ci Ci, are you really in eighth grade?" Wang Bufe compared her height with other students, feeling a bit skeptical.

Most of the girls were about 1.5 meters tall, while Xia Ci was only 1.4 meters, making her look much shorter.

"I'll grow taller!" Xia Ci stomped her foot in protest.

Wang Bufe shook his head inwardly. During the growth period, Xia Ci didn't drink milk or eat meat, so it would be surprising if she grew taller. Short girls usually don't have big chests.

"Guardian spirit, the teacher standing at the school gate is tainted by unspeakable evil. I'll deal with her. I'll drop you off here," Xia Ci said, feeling grateful despite her embarrassment.

"Okay, I'll pick you up in the afternoon. What time do you get out of school?" Wang Bufe agreed, thinking Xia Ci was just afraid of being seen by the teacher. After all, he was in his late twenties, and holding hands with an eighth-grade girl didn't look good.

However, the teacher's eyes were sharp, and she immediately saw them, calling out loudly, "Xia Ci's parent, don't leave!"

"Quick, go!" Xia Ci pushed Wang Bufe, panicking.

"Did you fail a test? Or maybe you didn't turn in your homework?" Wang Bufe guessed with a smile. Actually, how Xia Ci performed in school didn't matter to him. After all, he didn't believe that middle school grades could determine future success.

"It's not those things, I did well on the test!" Xia Ci pulled Wang Bufe like a mischievous child.

The teacher was already rushing over in three quick steps. She was probably in her forties or fifties, and as she approached, the students on the road all avoided her, walking around her.

When she reached Wang Bufe, she didn't speak immediately but sized him up from head to toe.

Wang Bufe was still wearing Xia Ci's father's old clothes.

The teacher's face showed no smile. "I am Xia Ci's homeroom teacher, Ms. Tao. Are you Xia Ci's parent?"

"Sort of. Hello, Ms. Tao. Is there something you need?" Wang Bufe thought the teacher was quite intimidating, and the students seemed to be like mice in front of a cat.

"Here's the situation. At the beginning of the year, the Education Bureau redrew the school zones, which you should be aware of. After the redrawing, according to the 'nearest school' policy, some students are no longer within the admission range of No. 2 Middle School," Ms. Tao said formally.

Wang Bufe's heart sank, sensing something was wrong.

"Although Xia Ci's home is very close to No. 2 Middle School, her home is in the Bailou District, while No. 2 Middle School is in the Guxia District. This is considered cross-district enrollment, which is now generally not allowed," Ms. Tao said, her head slightly raised, looking arrogant.

"Are you saying Xia Ci can't attend this school anymore?" Wang Bufe stared at Ms. Tao, surprised.

He couldn't agree to this. With Xia Ci's appearance and personality, transferring to a worse school could ruin her life. There would be no place for Wang Bufe to regret it then.

"That's right. Xia Ci's grades at No. 2 Middle School are only average. If she goes to another school, she might become one of the top students, which could help build her confidence," Ms. Tao said, completely making things up.