The first-test guide for "Star Sea" was not serialized on the virtual forums until about a month later. Once the post appeared, its click rate skyrocketed, surpassing the guide to Brother Zhi Teaches You to Eat Dumplings' Sister-in-Law Raising Game in just five hours.
Xi Ye only learned about the post much later through player chats. He secretly used the intelligent link to browse it, mainly wanting to know what the D-Earthlings thought of the game and whether anyone had spotted any flaws...
The post had been written by a player called My Ancestor Lu Benwei Didn't Cheat.
"Hello, everyone. I'm a first-test player, Grandpa Lu. Yes, the descendant of that famous professional player, the Douyu No. 1 streamer. First, I want to state again that I'm not exploiting my ancestor's fame. Ever since the virtual network was established, our Lu family registered this ID in advance. From My Dad Didn't Cheat to My Grandpa Didn't Cheat, it has been passed down from generation to generation. Our descendants must use this ID whenever they play games. It's an ancestral rule. I can't do anything about it!"
"All right, back to the main topic. Our Lu family's exploits are all recorded in the virtual encyclopedia, so I don't need to repeat them. Today, we're mainly going to talk about this masterpiece from the people: Star Sea!"
"Some time ago, after Dawnlight Reviews released a set of screenshots from this game, I believe that whether or not you've managed to enter the game, you should have some idea of its graphics, right? To the players still waiting in line who haven't gotten in, I can only say: keep trying! Trust me, this game is worth waiting until the end of time, whether for its graphics or its playability!"
"First, let me explain why this guide came out so slowly. I had no choice. This is a Private Game, and even now I don't understand why that unknown studio could create such a revolutionary work without trying to make an official website. If we hadn't suggested that Dawnlight Reviews create a column, there probably wouldn't even be an official platform for game guides."
"Now I'll talk about my game experience. The game is set on Mars. At the time, I was one of the lucky players who got in during the first few waves. When I first entered, the entire map contained nothing but a barren Mars and a technologically advanced base. After a month of development, thanks to the efforts of us players, there are now two mining factories, fifty-six mining sites, forty bio-shelters, and a Crop Processing Plant!"
"That's right! You didn't read that wrong. This isn't some mindless monster-slaying, level-up game. It's a revolutionary game where players cooperate to develop civilization and explore the universe!"
"I have to say, this studio has enormous ambitions. I don't know what things will look like later, but for now, every detail is nearly perfect. In this game, at the beginning, you can only be a miner or a farmer, contributing that tiny bit of strength to the rising base. It may seem insignificant, but once you see the base gradually taking shape, that sense of accomplishment is something that hacking your way through the wilderness with a Dragon Slaying Treasure Blade can't compare to."
"Now I'll talk about the game content. When you first enter the game, the lord of this base will make you sign an extremely unfair contract. I skimmed through it, and it was shameless beyond belief. But it doesn't matter. It's only a game, after all—you're not really selling yourself. After you sign, the lord will provide you with a biological surgery. Pay attention, because this is extremely important. It concerns your future career path. Players who haven't entered the game yet, choose carefully!"
Regarding Race Selection:
"The biological surgery currently offers three choices. You can be transformed into a tall and mighty Green Titan, a Wood Elf shaped like a ball, or something called a Developer. At present, the Green Titan is the most popular race. They're tall and powerful. Even if you're skinny as a chicken, after the transformation you'll become as mighty as Hulk, capable of lifting stones several times your size with your bare hands. That feeling of power makes us Elf Players unbearably envious!"
"That's right, I'm not a Green Titan player. When I had the surgery, my brain short-circuited and I chose to become a Wood Elf. To be honest, I've regretted that decision immensely ever since!"
Regarding Wood Elves:
Unlike Green Titans, Wood Elves are much cuter, like glowing balls of fluff. They can float through the air or bounce along the ground. However, players are advised not to bounce around outside the base. Outside the base, we Wood Elves have to use our Mental Strength to create a protective membrane before we can move around. It's a real pain. The membrane consumes the water in our bodies, and if you don't return to the base to replenish it within four hours, you'll become a sun-dried corpse—in short, elf jerky. The membrane is also fragile. If you bounce around outside and something tears it, you might instantly become elf jerky, only to be picked up and eaten by some passing Green Titan.
"That's right! You didn't read that wrong. Eaten. Those damned green beasts have been enjoying Ling jerky for the past week. Here, I strongly condemn a player called G Ni Tai Mei. If not for him, this wave of persecution against us elves would never have started. Many girls who chose elves have been crying and asking, 'How can you eat us?' Those green beasts just look embarrassed in the face of their tears and say, 'You're too delicious. I couldn't help myself!'"
"What the hell! Is that a reason? Is that a reason? You eat us and then blame us for being too delicious. Listen to yourselves—is that something a human would say? I still remember one time when I was lying on the ground, barely alive. That group of green beasts surrounded me without the slightest intention of rescuing me. They looked just like dogs staring at a bone, waiting for me to be baked to death! Damn it! If harming one's own kind weren't prohibited, they probably would have started eating me while I was still alive. Just thinking about it makes my skin crawl."
"A friendly reminder to elven girls who have just entered the game: never run too far from the base. Once your membrane breaks and you're dried into jerky, you're guaranteed to be eaten. Trust me, no matter how cute your voice is, that pack of beasts will still be able to swallow you."
"Of course, elves have their own advantages. Our work is easier. We don't have to carry stones several times our size around all day like those beasts. Most of us only need to carefully maintain the crops with our Mental Strength. You'll sense the specific method through your racial talent. Some will also be assigned to biological cultivation. In any case, they're all jobs that require care and precision. To be honest, this race is quite suitable for girls."
Regarding Developers:
"Lastly, there are Developers. This profession currently has the lowest popularity in the game. Many players who accidentally chose it have been clamoring to change races. Unfortunately, this game has an ironclad rule: your race is permanent! So once again, I warn all future players to choose carefully."
"Developers have very special abilities. It seems that only their brains have evolved. Their computational power and neural processing capabilities have supposedly undergone a qualitative improvement, allowing them to operate sophisticated instruments. Their work is somewhat like that of factory-line workers, so many people find it boring. Of course, they can also choose to calculate the energy analysis of the Fire Ant Mine, but you need excellent math and science grades for that. The lord gives a great many Honor Points for this work. There's a girl called Yu Nv Wu Gua who must be an Academic Overlord in real life. She has already improved the algorithms of dozens of energy instruments, and her Honor Points are currently far ahead of everyone else—two or three times those of the runner-up! I have to say, Academic Overlords... are popular wherever they go!"
"But many Green Titans say they aren't envious. What's more fun, solving problems or mining? Everyone came here to play games. Is there anything more infuriating than doing math and science problems in a game? So unless you're genuinely interested in scientific research, future players should probably avoid choosing this race."
Regarding the Combat System:
"Everyone is currently a producer, and there's no need for combat yet. I also haven't seen any health or mana bars, so I don't know what combat will look like later. I'll only be able to tell everyone once the subsequent content is unlocked. However, many Green Titans have secretly fought among themselves. There's no technique at all—just a brawl with wild punches—but it looks incredibly thrilling. Every punch lands with a solid thud, and it's much more entertaining than some virtual action movies!"
"Before I knew it, I'd written this much. I've basically just written whatever came to mind, so if I've left anything out, brothers and sisters in the same base, feel free to add it yourselves. All right, I'm going to sleep too. Since the game has one hundred percent immersion, you feel especially exhausted after logging off. Once I've rested enough, I still have to log back in and farm. Good night, everyone!"
Beneath the post were countless comments:
Wow, are these character screenshots real? Why do they look like actual people wearing makeup? The quality is incredible!
Damn, why do you have to queue to enter the game? How long will you have to wait to keep playing after logging off? Can't that lousy studio buy a decent server?
The person above obviously hasn't played. Anyone who's signed the contract can enter instantly, okay?
Crappy game. It doesn't even sell chicken activation codes, and it actually relies on fair queues to let people in. Do you realize you're going to lose all of us Rich Second Generations?
Please let me into the queue already! I've been waiting for a month!!!
After reading everything in one breath, Xi Ye's expression turned strange. From the post itself to the comments, not a single person suspected that the game was a conspiracy. Most of them were begging to go bankrupt just to come into the game and work for themselves...
This crappy intelligence's idea had actually worked that well?
It seemed safe for the time being, but he still had to remain vigilant. He needed to develop some military forces as soon as possible...
Before you continue