[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-this-is-not-a-bug-but-a-game-feature":3,"chapter-this-is-not-a-bug-but-a-game-feature-this-is-not-a-bug-but-a-game-feature-chapter-341":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","This Is Not a Bug but a Game Feature",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1472400,1919,"Chapter 341 - 217: Game Release (Part 2)","this-is-not-a-bug-but-a-game-feature-chapter-341",341,"\u003Cp>\"What’s so scary about it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re just too timid. You’re scared even by things like this. I can’t imagine you playing horror games, like Jiahui Paperman. Wouldn’t you get so scared you’d wet your pants?\" Chen Ba joked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Which is why I don’t play those games!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu was filled with curiosity: \"Honestly, I still can’t understand who’s buying horror games. Why are their sales so high?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Haha! Some people just love seeking thrills, it’s unavoidable...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, Chen Ba suddenly got interested too, so he knocked on the table and asked, \"Hey, what do you think, should our Tianba Studio produce a horror game too?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A horror game?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah! Like Hong Kong Ghost Chronicles and Paperman, a Chinese-style horror game.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Ba explained, \"I’ve noticed these games are quite popular and their sales are decent, plus the production costs aren’t high.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hm!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Dong thought about it and felt this was indeed a good idea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Horror games have a dedicated audience, and they’re great for gaming streamers and video bloggers to create entertaining content, hence their explosive popularity online.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for sales, they actually perform well!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, these games have relatively reasonable production costs, relying more on the team’s \"creativity\" and \"brainstorming\".\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as there’s a suitable concept or creativity, making a horror game can be quite profitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then it’s settled!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Dong agree with the suggestion, Chen Ba happily said, \"Once we’ve sorted out the release formalities for Ancestor Tree and officially launch sales, we’ll make a Chinese-style horror game.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But for Ancestor Tree, what month are you planning to release?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"June, I think!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Ba estimated that with the current development progress and game size, releasing in June or July would be feasible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It shouldn’t be delayed too long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Chen Ba is recognized as a fast worker in the industry, making games quicker than others, and Ancestor Tree is not large in scale; this timeframe is more than enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before you know it, summer arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In June in Qiong Province, the weather was already scorching hot; just a little sun exposure outside would leave you soaked in sweat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yao Mao couldn’t even imagine how the older generation endured the blazing summer back in the days without air conditioners and refrigerators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kind of weather makes going out impossible except for those silly out-of-town tourists. They seem unafraid of the heat, running wildly by the seaside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yao Mao was quite content hiding in his air-conditioned room, comfortably playing games.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tianba’s new game Ancestor Tree is coming soon, with first-time reservations earning 500 community points!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While browsing the community, Yao Mao stumbled across a pinned promotional post about Tianba’s new game, catching his interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t get it wrong!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’s not interested in the game Ancestor Tree itself, but in the 500 Tianba Community points awarded for the reservation activity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tianba Community underwent another overhaul recently, introducing a points system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Points can be earned by posting, replying, and checking in, but these earn very few—typically just one or two points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The real point gains come from participating in official events, like this reservation activity, which gives 500 points just for signing up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How generous!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Points can indeed be used in the points mall to exchange for various physical or virtual prizes. These 500 points are quite significant, enough for a month’s check-ins, or even longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For those 500 points, Yao Mao didn’t hesitate to reserve the new game Ancestor Tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, he received a success message for the reservation along with the notice that the game launches tomorrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tomorrow, huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With nothing else to do during the summer break, upon learning the game goes live tomorrow, Yao Mao decided to give it a try.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, since he’s idle, and with Ancestor Tree’s pre-sale price on Nobug Platform only 48 yuan, it’s not expensive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Ba and the 500 points’ sake, I’ll play it reluctantly!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning, after breakfast, Yao Mao booted up his computer, logged into the Nobug Platform, and purchased and downloaded Ancestor Tree which just launched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nobug Platform has a refund mechanism anyway; if it’s not fun, he can initiate a refund, so there’s not much loss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this thought, Yao Mao launched the game client and entered the world of Ancestor Tree...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is a magical world!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this world, when someone dies, a tree grows from their body. It’s said this tree embodies the deceased’s will, with each leaf representing a memory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If one eats the fruits on the tree and they’re sweet, they’ll witness all the joyful, happy scenes the deceased experienced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they’re bitter or sour, it’s the suffering and grievances the deceased endured...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This tree is known as: Ancestor Tree!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The older and more experienced one is, the taller their Ancestor Tree grows, bearing more leaves and fruits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A barren life cannot nourish a robust Ancestor Tree, nor produce abundant fruits!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the story begins with a child gazing at the stars beneath a tree. He has no name because he always stares at these Ancestor Trees, thus he’s called \"Tree Treasure.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The game’s UI is very simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief familiarization with the controls, the game officially starts, allowing Yao Mao to control the main character Tree Treasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Side-scrolling platformer style!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first map is a forest where players need to guide Tree Treasure through this perilous, trap-laden, monster-infested forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The traps are manageable since it’s an introductory level; it won’t pose too much difficulty, and simple jumps suffice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monster difficulty is also low; they’re mostly small nuisances like wasps or poisonous snakes, easily dispatched with a slingshot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Yao Mao was still careless!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beginner’s level is indeed straightforward, mainly offering a chance to get familiar with the controls, not overly challenging. However, the monsters in this level are all \"poisonous.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, he got poisoned and died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was his first death in the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon his revival, returning to where he just perished, he surely saw a sapling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It really grows a tree, huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finding this mechanic intriguing, Yao Mao couldn’t help but comment: \"Does this mean I’ve planted a tree in the game, contributing to a low-carbon lifestyle?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ant tree planting?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Isn’t this much more interesting than any ant tree planting activity? The only downside is that this tree’s fertilizer happens to be oneself?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tsk tsk, it’s rather creepy to think about it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since he died hastily due to lack of experience, a sapling grew without any other rewards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whatever, onto the next level!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a shame for Yao Mao to die at the beginner’s level; he didn’t even bother examining the Ancestor Tree closely, quickly clearing the beginner’s level and moving onto the second swamp map.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From this level onward, the map became randomly generated, with difficulty skyrocketing by tenfold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected, Yao Mao got killed again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having just defeated a lizard, which dropped a dagger, he assumed the second level would be equally easy until he fell into a spike trap a moment later, getting pierced through like a beehive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second Ancestor Tree appeared!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the first Ancestor Tree, the second one looked much better. Though still a sapling, this tree bore something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Whoa, my dagger?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the dagger he just looted hanging on the tree after his death, Yao Mao felt heartbroken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the map wasn’t random, he could take the dagger easily next time around, but the map changes randomly. Who knows when he’ll revisit the swamp map!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This means, perhaps the next time he finds himself on this map, the dagger won’t be as useful anymore!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s frustrating!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The game’s setup where death wipes out all items and resets skills is truly frustrating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The problem is, there’s no save point...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s impossible to reload; accepting the special fate of total reset upon death is the only choice!\u003C\u002Fp>",1303,"2026-06-06T03:03:37.618Z",1,"novelbin.me","09cbc567550a7a17e5309601327795495bbdbc2ef917300fa555bcf43bb3ef91","this-is-not-a-bug-but-a-game-feature-chapter-32","this-is-not-a-bug-but-a-game-feature-chapter-31",479,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthis-is-not-a-bug-but-a-game-feature-cover.jpg"]