Chapter 118: Opening the Paid Beta Test

By: A 300-jin Smile

Xu Zhi had merely been experimenting, conducting a small test, but he was surprised to find a wealth of talent online, including "game design masters" who were able to elaborate on his ideas.

"It's a pity such talented individuals aren't working as planners for game companies," he thought.

After some thought, Xu Zhi decided to adapt his plan according to the suggestion. The proposed changes didn't seem to involve a significant amount of work; he only needed to address two key areas.

First, there was the login issue.

He needed a system where one game character could be accessed by hundreds of players on a rotational basis.

This was a minor issue that any programmer could resolve, let alone the Sub-brain of the Swarm, which functioned as an AI. Its primary role was, after all, programming and computational processing.

Second, the time flow within the sandbox was indeed too rapid and required adjustment.

After all, a single day equating to a hundred years might be acceptable for a small, niche group, but it was excessive for a mass audience and could potentially introduce various unstable factors.

"Perhaps," he mused, "I should slow it down by a factor of a hundred, changing it from one day per hundred years to one day per year."

Xu Zhi calculated the adjusted time flow: "One minute in the real world will now correspond to six hours in the game... but six hours of daily in-game time is still quite long."

Therefore, he decided to limit each player to a daily login of thirty seconds, which would translate to three hours of in-game time.

"It's still quite a futuristic concept," he thought, "but it should suffice."

Xu Zhi mused that with a thirty-second login limit per person and countless players rotating, it would effectively allow for 24 hours of continuous online play.

"Regarding the initial login concept," he pondered, "we'll keep it as the 'beach landing' mode, just like before: whoever successfully grabs a spot logs in for thirty seconds, then logs out, and another person can try to grab it...."

With five hundred characters available in total, if one couldn't be secured, players could try for another.

"However, this introduces an issue of character ownership," Xu Zhi frowned. "If everyone can just log in casually and snatch any character, it might not foster a sense of attachment."

Although he didn't play many online games, he understood clearly that for dedicated players, a lack of personal ownership over a character would prevent them from investing deeply in its development and "grinding" diligently.

After some deliberation, Xu Zhi conceived a solution. He then carefully reviewed it before drafting an update announcement, which he posted online once he was certain there were no errors or omissions.

**Spore Evolution Version 0.4 Officially Launched**

Thank you, everyone, for your anticipation and support for this game!

This update introduces a supplementary instance, "Wizard Community," designed for players to communicate, play, interact, and make friends.

The game will now transition from a limited local closed beta to an official open beta.

As expected, the news instantly caused a stir on the forums. After three previous closed beta tests, the game was finally moving into open beta, making it accessible to the general public.

"I'm tearing up," one user posted, "watching it grow step by step, finally in open beta, reaching out to all players."

"At last, it's not like the closed beta where spots were scarce, and you had to write a hardcore essay just to get in."

"To the user above," another replied, "this is the supplementary community instance, designed for relaxation. If you want to enter the main game area, where you start as a single cell and venture into myriad worlds... you still have to write an essay (a merciless blow)."

Everyone enthusiastically discussed the potential significant impact of this update, with some even speculating that it had been planned from the very beginning.

"Spore Evolution" was about burning the midnight oil until you went bald, engaging in hardcore learning, and relentlessly grinding, all driven by the motto, "Learning makes me stronger."

"Wizard Community," on the other hand, was for mental relaxation, offering meditation rooms where everyone could happily play, interact, and "regrow their hair."

The contrast, with a learning zone and a resting zone, indeed seemed like a perfect combination.

Amidst these discussions, the full update content was also published.

**Spore Evolution 0.3 Closed Beta Update Log:**

**I. Name Change:** Following player suggestions and planning team discussions, "Wizard Simulator" has been officially renamed to "Wizard Community."

**II. Responsible Gaming:** Play in moderation for good health.Each player will be limited to thirty seconds of login time per day, equivalent to three hours of in-game time.

**III. Login Mode:** The game will utilize a "beach landing" mode, where players compete to quickly secure login opportunities for one of five hundred available characters.

**IV. VIP Subscription:** A monthly VIP subscription will be introduced at 300 RMB per month.Standard non-VIP players will be "tourist players," able to freely contend for and control any of the five hundred character slots.VIP players, however, can opt for "residency mode," choosing one of the five hundred characters to become a permanent player. This grants them the ability to "reserve thirty seconds" daily for that specific character, eliminating the need to compete for access.

**V. Character Capacity:** Each character has a maximum capacity of one thousand resident players.The "Reserve VIP" function is now available, allowing players to select their preferred character and establish residency.

(Gameplay is open-ended and players are encouraged to explore independently to enhance their enjoyment. The official team reserves the right of final interpretation.)

A website link followed the update log, which, when opened, led to the VIP reservation page for five hundred character slots.

Each of the five hundred characters displayed a number indicating its current occupancy: "Current players for this character: 0/1000."

"Quick, grab it!" shouted one user. "It's time to test our speed again!"

"Damn it, Itachi Uchiha is mine, don't you dare snatch him!" another exclaimed.

"Holy crap," lamented a third, "you guys are so fast! In the blink of an eye, even Kun Kun is gone. Am I left with only Sister Feng?"

"Hurry," another warned, "or even Sister Feng will be taken! Then you'll just be a regular 'tourist player,' forced to compete daily for a spot!"

Everyone was incredibly enthusiastic. For them, a 300 RMB monthly VIP subscription was hardly an issue. The development team was seen as incredibly generous; after all, for affluent players, what was a mere ten thousand yuan when it granted an extra three hours of "life" per day? They would gladly spend even more.

Bai Xiaojun sat in front of his computer screen, tears streaming down his face. "Could it be," he despaired, "that I won't be able to secure the character I've painstakingly cultivated for eight whole months?"

He felt like banging his head against a wall.

To his surprise, when he clicked the 'apply' button, a line of text appeared:

"As an experienced player, if you have cultivated for more than three days, you possess the priority right to become a VIP for this character. Do you wish to purchase?"

Bai Xiaojun was instantly overcome with excitement, as if a new dawn had broken over his despairing situation. "There's an Easter egg like this for closed beta players?" he exclaimed.

Xu Zhi simply smiled as he observed this.

This was a bonus for players who had previously "grinded their livers out." Those who had meditated beyond the average level for more than three days would receive this Easter egg because, after all, these were precisely the kinds of players he needed, and the more, the better.

"Finally, I have money," Xu Zhi thought.

Xu Zhi observed the accounts linked to his AI. The financial power of these "whale players" was undeniable; in just a few minutes, over 600,000 RMB had poured in, and the amount was still rapidly increasing.