The players practically snatched the hard drive from Chen Mo's hands and couldn't wait to install the game onto their computers.
"Wow! We can play in teams? "
"Amazing, I thought it was just a single player game!"
"But I heard from the manager that it can only be up to four players online. Geez, we'll play as many teams as we want."
"I'll play Barbarian! What about you? "
"I'll play Mage."
"Wow, that's so exciting. Too bad we can't have more people online."
"I'm done, I'll be waiting for you guys in New Tristram."
"I'm done too. Geez, it really does look like an RPG map from Warcraft, and it's an official HD remake too!"
"Yeah, I wanted to say that too, this feels so familiar."
"But which RPG map can compare to this quality?"
"Of course, it's a game made by the manager himself!"
"Sure, I thought that third person wouldn't be much fun, but it's actually quite fun!"
It didn't take long before the experience store was filled with Diablo's popularity. Players who were playing other games stopped playing and installed Diablo to try it out.
Diablo's online mode was different from other online games. It could only be played in a team of four, and there weren't as many classes to work with.
This online mode was more similar to Diablo 2's LAN games, suitable for a small group. The game would adjust the difficulty of the monsters based on the number of players, so that it wouldn't be too difficult for players to team up.
Comparatively speaking, the online mode made the game less difficult to a certain extent, as new players could rely on other players to clear the game if they encountered a boss they couldn't beat. Moreover, having multiple classes to work with would make it easier to clear the game.
However, in order to accommodate the majority of players' desire to play online, as well as the experience of new players, as well as to prevent modders and accelerators from destroying the game, the online mode was a must.
It didn't take long before these people were immersed in the dark world of Diablo, unable to pull themselves out of it.
Chen Mo was relieved to see this. The first step of Diablo's' donut principle 'was basically in effect.
To be honest, there was a lot of controversy over whether Diablo 3 was a success or not, but from the sales and player feedback, even if Diablo 3 wasn't as iconic as Diablo 2, it was still a very successful game.
The "donut principle" meant that when players played Diablo, they were actually eating a donut from the outside in.
The outermost circle were the new players, the middle core players, and then the hardcore players.
When they reached the center of the doughnut, the players would find a hole, which was the exit.
For Diablo.
What attracted new players was the highly distinctive art style, the high quality of the game, the exciting battles, and the exciting story.
When the new players grew to become mid-tier players, they would begin to pay attention to skill combinations, equipment attributes, class characteristics, ladder, and Expert Mode.
When the mid-tier players grew to become hardcore players, they would begin to grind for better equipment day in and day out. They would study and test out better builds, climb the ladder every season, and tirelessly chase after the best players in the game.
Once the hardcore players experienced this feeling, got a full set of the best equipment, or got bored of the leaderboards, they would find this exit and leave the game.
Of course, there would be players leaving the game as they progressed from new players to mid-tier players to hardcore players.
However, the most important thing about the donut principle was not to worry about players leaving.
Many online games would do anything to keep players. Be it daily activities or regular events, hoping that players would log into the game every day to experience the same thing.
But in reality, although this behavior was effective, it could also stimulate the players to have a rebellious mentality, and it would greatly affect the players' evaluation of the game. It would make the players feel that the game was very boring, and they would not return once they left.
The smart thing about the donut principle was that it didn't have to worry about players leaving. As a new player, they could leave after experiencing the story. As a hardcore player, they could leave after they got bored of the ladder. There were no random events to force them to stay.
This way, the players would be able to play what they wanted before they left. The game only had a month's worth of content to begin with. Forcing players to play for three months wasn't the game's intention.
When the game released new content, such as expansions or new classes, the players would come back and pay again.
Therefore, the donut principle was very suitable for Diablo's buyout model, as well as its playstyle.
So far, Diablo's first step was going well. Judging from how addicted the players were to the experience store, Chen Mo's design of the art style and atmosphere was spot on. The game didn't become a niche game, and the unique art style became its selling point.
… …
Diablo's follow up work was progressing steadily, and it would be officially released in two weeks.
At the same time, many playthrough videos inevitably leaked onto the internet. Topics like 'Chen Mo's new game' and 'Diablo' were also gaining popularity.
"I think Diablo's cinematics and in-game footage were released, have you seen it?"
"Isn't it an old RPG? What's there to see?"
"It's really not. The cinematics are amazing, and the cinematics are even better than Warcraft's cinematics."
"Are you serious? Is Chen Mo out of his mind? This is a single player game. Even if it sells five hundred thousand copies in the first month, at ninety-nine RMB per copy, that's only fifty million RMB a month. Thirty million RMB wouldn't even be enough to pay for the cinematics, right? "
"Yeah, with the way he's burning money, wouldn't a set of cinematics cost at least forty to fifty million? Are they going to lose money to earn money? "
"Not necessarily. The game seems pretty fun. Go take a look at the cinematics, they're pretty high quality."
"So what if it's high quality? Just the third person perspective alone is enough to limit the game's potential. There's no way it's going to be popular."
"But I feel like the game is of high quality. Chen Mo has the ability to make a first person perspective."
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