"On another note,"
Sam, engrossed in adjusting the stars, suddenly remembered the gesture Lin Lixin had made earlier and casually remarked, "Why are 'optional' in quotation marks? Is there some other meaning behind it?"
Leaving aside Super Mario, even their recently released " Hill Climb Racing " features this type of design.
The entire map is dotted with gold coins of all sizes waiting to be collected.
These things are definitely optional.
At least Sam never felt that missing those coins would have any consequences.
It's just a matter of doing a few more somersaults on the slope later.
"Wait, you're not going to make those levels that require reaching a certain number of stars to unlock, are you? That would be awful."
Gamenova has had a long-standing habit of hiding things.
Hidden content that requires a perfect score to unlock is nothing new.
But for some reason, Sam felt uneasy about adding this mechanism to the game.
It's just a very pure, intuitive feeling of displeasure.
"What are you thinking? Of course not."
Lin Lixin shook his head, "This mechanism is no different from forcing players to do a complete collection."
"So----?"
Sam was now even more confused.
"Hmm... how about this, Sam, you can leave work early today. Go home and wait for me. I'll make a few test levels and bring them back for you to play with later."
Lin Lixin pondered for a moment, then suddenly grinned.
To truly explain the value of those three stars to him, it's best to let him experience it for himself.
"Oh? I have other work to do, and two more sets of accounts—"
"That's even better. Now, get off work right now, don't do anything, and get the hell out of here."
Lin Lixin suddenly sprang into action, kicking Sam out of the office with a powerful flying kick.
5:30 PM.
Lin Lixin handed Sam a cassette tape without a cover or even a case right on time, and then rushed off to Nickelodeon, leaving Sam alone there staring at the tape.
"Why are you being so mysterious and keeping me in suspense? Can't you just say it directly?"
Shaking his head, he figured out Lin Lixin's temperament after spending so much time together.
This guy really enjoys the pleasure of teasing others by exploiting information asymmetry.
"Let me see what's going on."
Insert the cartridge and turn on the power.
Lin Lixin didn't install the first few levels in order, but instead picked about ten levels of medium difficulty and simply adjusted the positions of the stars.
But when faced with these seemingly difficult challenges, Sam raised an eyebrow and smiled.
Isn't this a slap on the back of the hand?
He designed the level design; no matter how he tweaked it, how could it escape his grasp?
"Ha! That's a clever route you chose, but isn't this bastard underestimating me a bit?"
Damn it, I was really underestimated.
Sam plopped onto the bed and started leaning against the pillows, casually rummaging through the cushions.
In less than a minute, he successfully conquered the first level and even easily obtained all three stars.
"I see, this design does make the objective clearer."
Sam's eyes lit up when he saw the three star-shaped containers filled in order, and he suddenly understood what Lin Lixin meant.
Such a clearly defined goal is indeed much more appealing than simply trying to get the candy into OmNom's mouth.
"Hmm, the second level isn't too difficult. Just try a few more times and you'll get it—"
It must be said that Lin Lixin is indeed very cunning.
The levels he chose were all of moderate difficulty, just enough to give Sam a little thought.
What's even more infuriating is the three-star setting.
He deliberately placed each level in several particularly tricky positions.
Even Sam, who knows the levels inside and out, has to use up a lot of brain cells to deal with this new variable.
This went on for most of the night.
The next morning, Lin Lixin, who had spent the whole night inspecting Nickelodeon, arrived at the company early in the morning.
Here, he saw Sam, who looked like he was about to die.
Puffy eye bags, dark circles under the eyes, and bloodshot eyes that still bulge out.
Sam was sitting on the sofa in his office, surrounded by a pile of used batteries, who knows how many rounds of playing with electricity he'd gone through.
"Hiss... so close again, just a hair's breadth."
He slammed his fist on the sofa and decisively pressed the select button to restart the card.
On the level selection screen, he could clearly see a long row of Samsung levels ahead of him.
Not only the earlier levels, but also the later levels, I've already achieved 3 stars and collected all the items.
The only one stuck is this inconspicuous level in the middle, which still only has two stars.
He could never get that last star, no matter what.
To be honest, this level is really not difficult to pass, it's even ridiculously easy.
But the design of these stars disgusted him.
"I refuse to believe it!"
Sam gritted his teeth in frustration, exhaled a long breath, and resolutely plunged back into the checkpoint.
Seeing that Sam looked like he was about to successfully ascend to heaven, Lin Lixin was startled and quickly stopped him.
Good grief, trying to tease him almost got him killed!
"Sigh, no need to try again, that star is just out of reach."
2
Sam's hand froze, and he struggled to look up at Lin Lixin with his bloodshot eyes in disbelief.
"Ahem, don't look at me like that. I just wanted to explain the function of stars to you."
Lin Lixin put on an innocent smile and went to the whiteboard to write a line of small characters.
[ Zeigarnik Memory Effect ]
"Compared to the levels you've already perfectly completed, the levels you didn't collect all the stars on are more memorable, more unforgettable, and more likely to make you want to try them again and again."
That's why they say game designers are all cunning half-psychologists.
Game developers know all too well how to entice players to the brink of despair.
"Surprise inspection! What were the contents of those two sets of accounts you didn't complete yesterday? What accounts were completed yesterday?"
"Uh? Let me think—one is the licensing fee from Jelly Belly, and the other is the first batch of Jelly Belly GAMENOVA..."
The storage costs for the custom-made candies are all done—uh, let me check the ledger in a moment."
Sam got up to look at the filing cabinet.
But Lin Lixin directly reached out to stop him.
"No need. Have you noticed? People tend to remember things that have started but not yet been finished more vividly than things that have already been completed."
Lin Lixin quickly launched into a long explanation to divert Sam's attention from the game.
Good grief, if we don't completely dispel his suspicions today, won't this guy be obsessed with this checkpoint for the rest of his life?