Chapter 10

What does a game designer do?

Many players probably know, after all, the term "dog planner" has become deeply ingrained in the player community...

In simple terms, a planner is responsible for various aspects of game development. They are the designers of the game's gameplay and features, writing the game's background story, setting the game rules, designing the game's interaction elements, calculating game formulas, and every detail of the entire game world.

They are the core of the entire game development process.

And it's impossible for one person to complete such a heavy development task alone, unless... they just copy.

In a typical mature game development company, the planning team will have corresponding divisions of labor. For example, the lead planner is responsible for the overall concept, game structure, and management and coordination. The system planner is responsible for writing the system rules, the numerical planner is responsible for designing the game balance rules, and there are clear divisions for level design, story, scripts, etc.

Of course, this is just a nice-sounding division of labor... In China, a typical lead planner usually doesn't have the final say. Most of the time, they are required to imitate established game types on the market, and the lead planner often has no say in the game structure, having to compromise everywhere.

So, in most game companies, the lead planner actually does the work of a system planner, and the system planner often does the work of an execution planner...

And in the parallel world where Lin Yao is now, the situation is similar. The bucket-carrying general manager is a typical example; he says what to do, and the lead planner can only listen.

If we are to be really serious, being a planner here is even worse than in China.

Because it's just starting, there isn't a mature division of labor. Most of the time, the planning team consists of a lead planner, a numerical planner, and a bunch of execution planners with unclear roles.

In this situation, the lead planner needs to know everything, and their authority is often divided among superiors, bosses, and even lead programmers. They have to follow directions, ensure game development, implement upper management's instructions, and deal with revenue targets.

It can be said that it is quite miserable.

Mu Wanqing has been at the game development company Yaoshi for almost seven years, having worked in various development teams.

Even for teams she hasn't worked in, she has visited and learned from them.

She has seen many planning teams, some of which can withstand the pressure from upper management, fully control the planning team according to their own ideas, and ultimately make everyone speechless.

There are also those who are mediocre, doing whatever their superiors say, and leading the planning team to fill content in a formulaic manner, achieving nothing, and the quality of the game entirely depends on the direction given by their superiors.

And there are even planning teams where the lead planner is a complete fool, unable to even fill content in a formulaic manner...

However, regardless of the type of lead planner, they all need the cooperation of the team.

After all, one person's ability is limited.

In a game, the birth of a feature or gameplay often starts as just an idea, which is then developed and confirmed by the entire team.

After going through a process roughly like "idea - brainstorming - planning proposal - requirement form," it is finally handed over to the programmers and artists to be implemented.

From the planning proposal to the requirement form.

Without references, various meetings need to be organized for discussion.

From why to do it, to how to do it, to whether it can be done, all aspects need to be considered.

All the planning teams Mu Wanqing has seen operate in this mode.

Regardless of the lead planner's ability, it is the same.

...

Until today.

She has seen another mode.

A girl who just graduated from college, facing a turn-based online game full of problems, wrote a planning proposal addressing all the issues of the game alone...

The proposal not only pointed out the problems but also provided corresponding solutions for all the issues, and proposed a revolutionary modification plan for the game's gameplay and structure.

From why to do it, to how to do it, to whether it can be done, it provided comprehensive answers.

Yes, comprehensive.

Including numbers, systems, and underlying structures.

It even... included functional effect diagrams, implementation ideas, and the purpose of creating the feature or gameplay.

For example, a gameplay feature called "Heavenly Spirits and Earthly Fiends" in the proposal.

It succinctly explained that this was to enrich the game's gameplay and increase player initiative. It then detailed how to farm the Heavenly Spirits and Earthly Fiends, when to farm them, the distribution map, how to adjust the difficulty from one-star to ten-star, what rewards are in the pool for successful kills, and how to control the probabilities, etc.

Another example is the guild system and guild battle rules, which were meticulously detailed, with important points highlighted and key points emphasized. All aspects were considered.

And it was followed by an extremely easy-to-understand requirement form.

What made Mu Wanqing both amused and terrified was—

The other party even... drew a set of emoticons and designed the appearance of several high-level weapons.

Even the art part was involved.

She had never seen such a complex and detailed planning proposal in her life.

And it wasn't just random writing; every feature and gameplay described, even those she didn't fully understand, seemed well-founded and substantial.

Mu Wanqing became more and more engrossed and more and more terrified, and her initial contempt quickly faded.

She began to construct the modified game in her mind, considering the game's playability from a player's perspective.

She forgot about filling the water.

Even during lunch break, she didn't go to eat.

It was past one in the afternoon.

Finally.

Mu Wanqing turned to the last page of the planning proposal.

The last page had no content, only a line written in pen, like a conclusion.

"Manager Mu, let's try to create a miracle!"

The handwriting was neat and beautiful, clearly from a specific person.

Mu Wanqing smiled at the line, then slowly placed the thick planning proposal on her knees and lowered her head to think.

She read it very slowly... and was extremely impressed.

She had to admit.

Her initial view was wrong.

So the next question is... is it possible to implement this planning proposal?

Mu Wanqing lowered her head and thought quietly.

After nearly ten minutes.

She suddenly held the planning proposal on her knees and stood up with a swift motion.

...

Lin Yao sat at her desk, somewhat bored.

The planning proposal had been submitted.

She had nothing else to do, and the only thing left was to wait.

So when she came to the company today, after placing the planning proposal on Mu Wanqing's desk, she started to slack off.

And now, she was adjusting her posture, trying to find the most comfortable position...

But no matter how she adjusted, it didn't help much... After a round of adjustments, she was even more tired.

"... Forget it."

Lin Yao pursed her lips, gave up, and buried her face in her arms, lying on the desk like a lazy fish.

This posture was the most relaxing...

Tap tap.

Light footsteps suddenly came.

Lin Yao heard them this time.

She immediately lifted her head, straightened her back, and stared at the computer screen with a look of having done nothing.

"... Lin Yao."

Mu Wanqing came behind her and called her name without hesitation.

"Hmm?"

Lin Yao turned her head slightly, feeling a bit guilty, and saw that Mu Wanqing hadn't noticed her small actions. Instead, she was holding the planning proposal she had submitted, looking at her with a very serious expression.

"Is it about the planning proposal?" Lin Yao asked.

"Yes."

Mu Wanqing stood behind her.

"Is there a problem somewhere?" Lin Yao lightly flicked her ponytail and continued to ask.

"There is only one problem." Mu Wanqing looked at Lin Yao's stunningly beautiful face, picked up the planning proposal, and slowly asked, "Did you complete this alone?"

"Yes."

Lin Yao nodded.

Although the ideas were borrowed from mature turn-based online games from her previous life, the entire planning proposal was indeed written by her alone.

"Then I have no more questions."

Hearing Lin Yao's definite answer,

Mu Wanqing, though prepared, was still slightly taken aback.

But she wasn't a new college graduate, and quickly recovered. She straightened her legs, which were wrapped in black stockings, and said very seriously, "I understand... Lin Yao."

She slightly raised her voice.

Lin Yao was puzzled: "Oh..."

"Then my future... I entrust it to you!"

"... Huh?"