Chapter 33: Learning Makes Me Happy

Novel:Author:Update Time: 2019-05-26 16:24:30Source Website:

Online, there was already significant attention on these developments, with even other online gaming giants paying close heed. In their view, this game must be backed by a terrifying black technology team, boasting formidable five-sense simulation technology that could fully realize a second world through gaming.

Leaving aside this technology, just the realistic graphical sandbox and physics engine within the game likely required several supercomputers to run the sandbox world and perfectly simulate the evolutionary possibilities of countless species.

According to modeling analysis by some professional gaming experts, a server for one hundred players would probably need three supercomputers to perfectly simulate such a realistic environment.

What does that imply?

On average, one supercomputer serves every thirty players!

With current technological advancements, a supercomputer costs at least over twenty million, making them unaffordable for most large-scale online games. A single server built with a supercomputer can run multiple online games simultaneously.

Yet, for one hundred players, three supercomputers, worth over sixty million, are being used. On average, each closed beta slot occupies server computing resources worth 600,000! The real-time processing demand for a single player is comparable to that of half a large-scale online game.

This was incredibly extravagant!

At this moment, everyone was waiting for "Spore Evolution" to open its top-up channels to recoup costs.

In the general opinion, this casual sandbox game, with its black technology, realistic five senses, and a single player's data processing demand equivalent to more than half of a major online game's, was clearly aimed at the most elite, wealthy players.

Some even speculated it might be a monthly subscription based on playtime, costing at least 50,000 per month.

A monthly charge of 50,000 was nothing to those tycoons who routinely spent hundreds of thousands on online games. But for casual players, it was a nightmare, making the game unplayable for them.

However, "Spore Evolution" was not rushing to recover costs or open any payment channels. Instead, it opened fifty more closed beta slots and directly added two more supercomputers.

Over forty million was invested directly!

Such immense financial power!

The game's operation was incredibly conscientious, turning countless free-to-play users into loyal fans. However, the latest update log published pushed the "hardcore" aspect to an extreme.

Soon, a post analyzing the update log went viral online.

"Hello everyone, it's me again! Akina Mountain Speed! Don't ask me why I'm so fast; it's because I'm a driver. I'm here to analyze this update log, and it's absolutely the most hardcore update in gaming history!

First, there's the increase in closed beta slots, which everyone is most concerned about. This is truly generous. Experts have already analyzed how many supercomputers are needed to run this simulation game's server, so I won't say more. It's conscientious management, absolutely fantastic! Other games force you to spend money; this game helps you spend money! Each person requires 600,000 worth of data processing power to play!

Secondly, for the second round of beta slots, you actually have to write a professional evolution paper to get a spot? Writing an evolution paper just to play a game—could it get any more hardcore than this?! Devs, are you sure the country didn't create this hardcore game to improve people's knowledge?

Third, there's the 'survival of the fittest' elimination system at the end. This is devastating for us beta players; our slots might not be secure. From now on, we'll only be able to enjoy the game if we love studying.

Finally, there's the achievement system. We don't know the definition of 'special powerful species' or what the rewards are, but given how hardcore yet incredibly conscientious the game's development is, it's definitely something good! Very much looking forward to it!

Alright, that concludes today's review. I'm going back to grind the game, diligently studying evolution theory, and absolutely not giving up my closed beta slot."

The internet instantly became abuzz, sparking widespread discussion among countless netizens.

What countless people focused on most was the paper.

For a time, some were happy, some were worried, but no one had major objections.

The computing demand for a single player slot was comparable to the massive data of more than half a large online game. So what if the requirements for such a valuable slot were a bit strict? They weren't even charging money.

"Studying makes me happy!"

"Mom was right when she said growing up: study hard, and you'll even get better at gaming later."

Some avid grinders expressed smug satisfaction. To play the game at this moment, they had long been cramming evolution theory, secretly staying up late in libraries to read. Now, a spot was surely theirs.

Others, however, suggested a different approach: "While you're diligently researching, I can simply take a shortcut. It seems I'll have to hire a ghostwriter. Copying foreign papers from academic databases probably won't work. I'll need to find a professional supervisor at a university and pay 10,000 to ghostwrite a specialized paper."

"Ten thousand? That's laughable! It's useless. A single slot is already being sold for 100,000 on the black market! You really don't know how terrifying the tycoons in this world are, who routinely spend hundreds of thousands, even millions, on games!"

This nationwide phenomenon of a game turned out to be a free sandbox farming game, without leveling up or monster slaying.

Even some city libraries began to show phenomenal scenes.

Some citizens frantically flocked to libraries, specifically borrowing the most obscure natural science books, studying biological evolution knowledge: from the Cambrian explosion in Earth's history, the origin of species, to the Cretaceous and Triassic periods.

After all, even those who didn't want to play wanted to resell the slots, each worth 100,000.

The bustling activity in libraries even caught the attention of some local TV stations. Many perplexed sociology experts speculated, "As people's living conditions improve, many begin to seek the satisfaction of intellectual knowledge. This is a good phenomenon. As for why they specifically borrow the most obscure natural evolution sciences, it's naturally because they are the most challenging."

But they were soon proven wrong, as they quickly learned it was all because of a magical casual sandbox game called "Spore Evolution."

Immediately, countless experts were dumbfounded.

All for a game? Had these people gone mad?

Many had previously believed that games led people astray, making them abandon studying. But this game's philosophy was incredibly hardcore, almost anti-human: "Studying makes me happy"?

"This is a good game!"

Countless parents cast approving glances.

Where there's demand in gaming, there are countless grinders. Gaming teams that specialized in earning gold for wealthy players also got to work, putting aside their usual online game grinding and power-leveling services to frantically research academic papers and specialized knowledge.

Xu Zhi watched as his game topped the trending searches and sparked nationwide discussion, yet he remained calm.

"I didn't expect such a massive sensation," he thought. "Normally, a closed beta slot for a game wouldn't cause such a stir. But when linked to their speculated, 20-million-worth supercomputers, with each closed beta slot occupying 600,000 worth of computing resources, it became utterly insane. Getting a slot meant making a profit."

The next day, Xu Zhi received nearly a thousand professional papers.

His inbox was completely swamped!

These people were truly passionate about playing the game. Their lengthy papers detailed their ideas on evolving species, how they would evolve, citing numerous domestic and international scientific papers to prove the feasibility of their theories.

Their message was simple: "Dear Game Developer, I've already figured out how to play this sandbox game and planned how to evolve species. All I need is a spore to practice with—please give me a spot!"