Preheating Strategy

"Games are indeed a good fit, but my computing power is still limited for now. Are you sure you want to focus on games first? I think development would be a better choice. Industrial software like EDA, CAE, CAD, and CAM would all be suitable, along with mobile and PC end operating systems and related office software..."

After receiving Wang Yi's instructions to develop several games, Lin Shiqin deliberately displayed a cute chibi expression on his computer screen and offered some of her thoughts.

Wang Yi was quite pleased to see his employee willing to use her initiative, but after hearing her out, he still smiled and shook his head.

"Your external hardware was designed by me. Of course I know what you're capable of. But with this much computing power, creating a fully independent industrial software suite that avoids every patent would still take quite a while. During that time, it would occupy most of your computing power. And once it was developed? I don't want to become a target this early."

Artificial Intelligence had an absolutely crushing advantage when it came to compiling code.

So even though the major foreign giants had built up massive patent barriers, there were still ways to get around them through software alone. It would simply take more time.

But that was a price Wang Yi was unwilling to pay for now.

For example, if he produced an EDA program, he would certainly receive official support, but the very next second it came out, the Beautiful Country would inevitably sanction him under some random pretext.

Such as claiming that he had stolen their patents.

He was just a tiny outfit with one million in registered capital. Drawing that level of attention would obviously be hugely detrimental.

Besides, industrial software code was the real behemoth. The workload was immense; it was no longer something one genius, or even several geniuses, could create.

If he really made it, was he supposed to claim he had coded it all by himself?

Or expose this artificial idiot?

Clearly, he would eventually have to extend his reach into industrial software, but not now, not with something this sensitive.

It was like how Wang Yi had loudly unveiled a mathematical conjecture as soon as he appeared on the scene. Mathematical conjectures themselves would not bring Wang Yi any "harm" or "trouble."

Selling songs was the same.

You had to eat one bite at a time. Deciding to keep everything for himself had already given Wang Yi a hellish start. He did not want to make things even harder.

Operating systems followed much the same logic. They were not as difficult as industrial software, but operating systems relied on ecosystems. There were quite a few Linux-based systems in the country, but none had an ecosystem.

Those were all matters for the future. For now, it was better to accumulate initial capital through things that would not make others feel threatened.

Games were undoubtedly a very good direction.

What bad intentions could a Game Company possibly have?

"A Yi, come out and eat."

The next morning, Liu Xiaoke's voice came from outside Wang Yi's door, while Wang Yi had already caught a whiff of something delicious.

When he came out, he saw Ma Dong bustling around before setting three bowls of noodles on the table.

"I know you eat a lot, so I made plenty. Just add more after you finish. It'll only take a moment."

Ma Dong grinned. He was very satisfied with the role Zhang Ming had arranged for him, and he had also gotten connected with this famous director. A casual word from the man could make getting roles in the future at least ten times easier!

Ma Dong had thought he had reached the end of the road, so he was deeply grateful to Wang Yi, his benefactor.

"No need to thank me with words. From now on, breakfast is on me."

Ma Dong patted his chest as he made the promise.

Naturally, Wang Yi would not refuse such goodwill. Free food and drink were great.

Liu Xiaoke sat down beside them, happily picked up her bowl of noodles, and said, "You have no idea. After Director Zhang put out the word, the director who fired me from my last show immediately came to apologize. It feels amazing. No wonder everyone wants to become a big star."

With that, she took a bite of noodles and began slurping them up.

"What? Didn't you come to Shudian to become a big star?"

Wang Yi's question made Liu Xiaoke pause. Then, while chewing with puffed cheeks, she answered indistinctly, "Maybe that was part of it. But more than anything, I wanted to make a decision for myself for once."

Liu Xiaoke had always been dedicated to her work, but she clearly knew that her personality made it difficult for her to become a star.

This time, she still felt a little dazed. A trustworthy younger neighbor had moved in next door, and suddenly, he had made her soar.

Liu Xiaoke had excellent natural conditions. She and Lin Shiqin each had their own strengths, and she was hardworking as well. With resources and a platform now available, the speed of her rise was easy to foresee.

Then, while slurping noodles, she said to Wang Yi, "Thanks for this time. Once I'm done, I'll treat you to a movie. Director Zhang has to rush production lately, so I'll probably be leaving early and getting back late every day."

"I don't like movies. Treat me to something tasty instead."

Compared to watching movies, Wang Yi preferred good food.

If he came across something he liked, he could even learn to make it himself...

After breakfast, Ma Dong and Liu Xiaoke both had to hurry to the Film Crew, while Wang Yi headed out to buy another batch of silver.

The server had now been constructed. It would be best to reinforce the places that needed magical power routing with silver separately.

"The current amount is manageable, but once I start preparing to build the Mage Tower, I'll probably have to make a trip to Mexico."

After purchasing another batch of silver, Wang Yi casually put it into his bag.

Domestic silver production was also quite high, but there were records of where such materials went. If the amount became too large, it would be troublesome.

Mexico had powerful underground forces and high silver production. Finding a way to secure a couple of silver mines should not be too difficult.

But the money from the games would have to be more or less in place first, and he would also need to find a suitable location for headquarters.

Once Lin Shiqin's hardware was in place, her compiling speed was fast enough.

A simple game like Jump Jump could be coded on the side, and barring surprises, Minecraft would take shape within a few days. PUBG would take longer, mainly because it needed optimization so that lower-spec computers could run it too.

For now, Wang Yi only planned to target those two games for the PC end. Releasing too many games at once would not only raise questions about their origins, but would also leave him competing himself to death. There was no need for that.

As for mobile games, it would naturally be Honor of Kings. But current phone specifications and market penetration put severe pressure on optimization, so it would take more time...

Since he was using the opening stage to accumulate initial capital, Wang Yi could only roll up his sleeves and get involved himself.

After having Lin Shiqin send several concept images to his phone, Wang Yi opened his Weibo again, added the "Indie Game Developer" tag to his profile, and posted a new update.

"I studied games for five years and made a revolutionary game to test the waters. Hope everyone likes it."

He then attached several images of Minecraft Block people.

The quality of two phenomenon-level PC games was enough to generate organic buzz. They could break through without the help of powerful platforms, and Wang Yi planned to keep the gold mine for himself and slowly dig it out.

Unlike those small games, which could only be sold off through buyouts, using the sale price as startup capital to leverage the two PC games.

Although Wang Yi's popularity had declined recently, that was only because he had not deliberately stirred things up.

The moment he made another post, it immediately drew the attention of a group of goofy netizens.

"First! Watching a great mathematician up close."

"As expected of a game made by a mathematician."

"I heard Tetris was invented by a mathematician too."

"It really does have a mathematician's style."

"Five years of studying for this? Oh, right, you proved the Goldbach Conjecture. Never mind, then."

"The game is great. Don't make another one next time."

These netizens were obviously just teasing him. They were already used to Master Yi constantly pulling stunts. He had even said before that he wanted to catch ghosts!

But those who had been hostile toward Wang Yi before now seemed to have discovered a new continent.

Studying Abroad in the Beautiful Country immediately reposted it. Though they did not dare mock him openly, they still said in a sarcastic tone, "Recklessly entering a field you are not good at is unwise, just like how you don't know how much impact some of your remarks can have overseas. The foreign internet is in chaos right now."

They then took the opportunity to attach screenshots of some comments showing how the overseas Academic anti-discrimination movement had already become distorted.

Domestic audiences were still very disgusted by those extreme remarks. They wanted to use this chance to chip away at Master Yi's halo.

Their words immediately won support from a group of agencies, all of whom described how severe the situation had become, making it seem as if Master Yi had caused it all.

This even prompted Xue Chuan, who had been silent for a long time, to make another post. He did not name anyone, but everyone knew who he was talking about.

"Once you become a public figure, you need to watch every word and action. You studied for five years and only made something like this. What are students planning to enter related majors supposed to think? What are their parents supposed to think? In many people's eyes, you are the top student among top students!"

Seeing kindhearted Xue Chuan jump out again, Wang Yi's eyes lit up. Although Xue Chuan had neither reposted nor named him directly, Wang Yi tagged him in reply instead.

"Just wait and see."

Wang Yi had replied in a similar manner before. Seeing the same tone again immediately stirred up some unpleasant memories for Xue Chuan.

It also drew another round of teasing from the netizens.

But even those teasing netizens only thought Wang Yi was messing around. None of them imagined that he would actually make such a game...