Chapter 255 - 173: Players Rule Players (Part 2)

Now playing games is truly "paid work"!

But Ba has always believed in rewarding merit and punishing faults.

Becoming a "game partner" for "Don’t Go Home: Marbles Storm" comes with both restrictions and penalties, but also corresponding rewards and benefits.

The GM privileges are a given.

Even if Ba didn’t give them, these players already have them, so this counts as an additional perk.

Next comes the high bonuses!

If the "Tianba Third Primary School" under the governance of the empress "Cherry Pie Filling" meets the goals in terms of active player numbers and game environment ecology, she can receive a huge bonus from Tianba Studio.

Ba also stated that after launching in-app purchases, "game partners" of the server would receive corresponding revenue sharing.

"Well played, using foreigners to control foreigners!"

Jiang Yongqing couldn’t help but exclaim that Ba is indeed a game developer who has studied military tactics, using foreigners to control foreigners is a slick move!

This way, "Don’t Leave After School" doesn’t need any planning or operation team.

Why would you need planners or operators?

The players themselves are the planners and operators, Tianba Studio just provides a server machine set, does daily maintenance on the potato server to prevent crashes, and that’s it.

The most cunning part is...

In this update announcement, Ba clearly states that Tianba Studio officials will not interfere with any disputes between players.

The so-called "game partner" only acknowledges the marble that represents administrator privileges.

In other words...

Tianba Studio doesn’t care who the game partner is, they only recognize the marble, whoever holds the marble is the partner.

This is no longer a hint, but a clear indication!

Seeing this, Jiang Yongqing already realizes that with the introduction of this "game partner" system, those ambitious people who had laid low will surely become even more frenzied.

The imperial contests between servers will become even more intense and brutal!

Previously the battle for the throne was really just for the hype, for the thrill of "legit cheating", the throne didn’t represent much.

But now, this marble representing authority, this position of local emperor of the server, represents not just fame, but actual "profits"!

Even Jiang Yongqing is tempted at this moment.

According to this update announcement, whoever can ascend to the throne in their server, becoming the "Don’t Leave After School" game partner, is way better off than a regular worker.

This is equivalent to contracting a popular game’s server!

Plus this game will be free soon, with in-app purchase functions open, allowing game partners to extract shares from server players’ spending...

Oh my!

Even though the specific revenue share percentage is unknown, even just 1% is significant given it’s the total spending of all players in a server.

"It’s really lively now..."

In the community and Zone Three, where Jiang Yongqing is revered as "Emperor Shi", he shakes his head, thinking Ba is really stoking the flames, worried players won’t clash.

Once this official version update goes live, all servers will likely be chaotic. To vie for that supreme throne, to become Ba’s partner, these ambitious and scheming individuals surely will go all out.

But speaking of which.

This doesn’t really concern Jiang Yongqing, although he’s recognized by all "Don’t Leave After School" players as "Emperor Shi", and has high prestige and influence in the community.

To be honest, he’s really just a rubber stamp, a spiritual pillar.

If he were to rebel now, especially against the female emperor, probably not many would support him, after all, the era of Emperor Shi is long gone, prestige doesn’t equal power.

Rather than fighting for the throne, he’s more interested in the deeper meaning represented by this update announcement.

Players governing players?

One has to say, Ba’s idea is quite bold, pioneering among all online multiplayer games.

No game company has ever dared to attempt this before, letting players govern players, giving players the chance to contract a server and plan operations.

But here comes the question!

Players aren’t professional game planners, nor professional game operators, can they do this job well and meet the KPI targets set by Tianba Studio?

Jiang Yongqing asks himself, if it were him sitting in that position, he probably wouldn’t be able to do it well, and might soon be punished by Ba with "Celestial Punishment".

But the player community is full of hidden talents.

Among hundreds of thousands of players, there might be a few with extraordinary talents. Giving them this chance, who knows, could make "Don’t Leave After School" shine brightly!

In ancient history, such people are called "once-in-a-lifetime emperors"!

"Even though it’s hard to find a once-in-a-lifetime emperor, most emperors are ordinary or even mediocre, yet..."

Seemingly realizing something, Jiang Yongqing can’t help but laugh: "This game changes dynasties too quickly! Changes an emperor every now and then, after some time you’ll definitely meet a wise saint ruler!"

This is probably Ba’s consideration as well.

For other games, giving players so much power to manage a server probably wouldn’t be suitable or secure.

But "Don’t Go Home: Marbles Storm" is too unique!

It’s full of rebels everywhere, with so many rebels eyeing the throne, anyone doing a poor job would be toppled by others in rebellion by the next day.

Let’s face it, even if the rebellion fails, there’s still Ba overseeing. If you truly do a poor job, Ba will turn around and drop Celestial Punishment, and that throne will be lost regardless...

"Right!"

After roughly reading the official version update announcement, Jiang Yongqing suddenly slaps his forehead, remembering something.

For servers like Zone Three and Four that have already achieved initial "unification", let’s not talk about them. What about Zones like One, especially Zone Five, where there’s a tripartite balance like Wei, Shu, Wu, how do they select game partners?

With doubts, he views the supplementary clause explanation at the bottom of the update announcement.

Ba indeed has an explanation!

In the supplementary clauses, there’s a specific explanation on the selection mechanism for game partners, when multiple forces coexist in a server and are hard to distinguish.

Simply put!

When a server encounters "dual heroes contest" or "three-legged balance", a preliminary joint contract can be signed to form an alliance.

Take Zone Five for example, Wei, Shu, Wu forces can’t prevail over each other, so the three can cooperate together to become Zone Five’s game partners.

Usually fighting as they do, but when it comes to matters affecting the entire server, they must sit down for a good talk, vote on the server’s future development.

"That’s okay, a shareholding system!"

Jiang Yongqing fully understands now.

In unified zones like Zone Three and Four, it’s a sole proprietorship by the local emperor, unless the current ruler is overthrown, they have to comply with him.

In zones like Five, where factions are divided, voting is necessary, everyone is a shareholder, sitting together to plan development for the server.

To put it simply!

This game partner has its own interests tied to the server’s development.

If your server’s development is slow or poor, causing a large player exodus or even migration to other servers, your local emperor’s interests will suffer, and might even face Ba’s "Celestial Punishment".

To preserve the throne, for their own interests, these players, unless foolish, will strive to develop and operate the server, planning development and welfare for other players in the server.

Otherwise, being overthrown or hit by Celestial Punishment, they can’t blame anyone else!

By the way.

Alongside the launch of the game partner system, there’s also the concept of "operational funding".

Each server has varying amounts of operational funding, which can be used to buy prizes like phones, computers, cash shopping cards, etc., upgrade the server, or even for advertising and promotion.

Where does this funding come from?

The answer is simple, cross-server competition!

Cross-server competition carries a point system, servers ranked higher each season can receive better resource allocations from Tianba Studio and more operational funding.

Ba truly understands how to stoke the flames!

By presenting this, it’s not just anything else, but servers’ local emperors certainly have to work hard to rally the base level players, fighting for the honor of their server?

Bottom-ranked servers not only lose face but also benefits, as the "peril of a fallen nation" is right before them!