America, nine in the morning.
Blaustoise arrived at the Fist Company in Santa Monica. As usual, she made herself a cup of coffee to refresh herself.
Sitting down at his desk, he first looked over his work for today. The Sword Demon and Akali's skills were in the final stages, so it wasn't time for him to show off his skills as a system designer.
Finding that there was nothing important to do, Blaustoise's heart was filled with joy. He quickly opened the League of Legends app and prepared to go to work.
Diamond promotion match, √ × √ ×, best of five life and death match.
The queue time wasn't long.
He rubbed his hands and saw the Sword Demon on the other side, but his body trembled before his eyes lit up.
Although the second patch hadn't been installed yet, this hero's stats had already been cut by him and there were still people using it?
They were still here to learn from Lin Yan and play the Three Life Sword Demon, right?
Blaustoise felt that this promotion match was set, so he was prepared to use his special skill Crocodile to take this match.
Whoever dares provoke me, I will end their life!
After entering the game with a strong attack, Blaustoise began swapping health with the Sword Demon at level one.
Although Crocodile was a pig's nose at level one, the Sword Demon wasn't inferior.
Moreover, Blaustoise clearly remembered that he had slashed the Sword Demon in version 8.14. Even Q's [Dark Kin Blade]'s damage to minions and base health had been weakened.
Yatox was also a little brother at level one!
He was filled with pride, thinking that in a fight between two level one trash, the other side would definitely lose.
Because Blaustoise was a Ignite.
Top laner Flash + Ignite, no teleport!
He would just fight!
Seven seconds later.
Blaustoise looked at the black and white screen in a daze.
I'm going to die like this?
I can't accept this!
It was a good thing that the Ignite symbol above the Sword Demon hadn't disappeared yet, giving Blaustoise a final bit of hope.
If he could exchange it for three hundred pieces, he wouldn't have suffered a loss this time.
In front of Blaustoise's expectant eyes, Yatox's health bar fell bit by bit!
But the Sword Demon was still surrounded by a vibrant green aura.
The Health Potion's recovery effect was enough to resist the eighty true damage of level one Ignite!
The final damage number that appeared, the Sword Demon only had seven points of health left!
Damn!
If they weren't in the company, Blaustoise would have slapped the table!
He was so angry that his face turned red. He knew that he had collapsed.
Not only did he lose 1 HP, but he also gave away his Ignite. When Sword Demon teleported back to the city later, he would be one level ahead of him in terms of experience.
How was he supposed to play this game?
Blaustoise cursed in his heart. He reflected that he had been too gentle with the Sword Demon.
At that time, if he could have shaved off 10 HP and 2 Defense, wouldn't he have won the battle?
Flash Ignite was basically a gambler in the top laner. If you won the bet, you would get a solo kill and earn a lot of money. If you lost the bet, you would be left alone. In the first 15 minutes of the game, you would basically be disconnected. Moreover, in the middle and later stages of the game, you would be pulled by the opposing team's heroes with TP.
Now, he could only hope that the other four teammates would step up and carry the game.
Just as he returned to the lane, his teammates in the bottom lane were both killed.
Half a minute later, the opponent's Enchantress in the mid lane snatched the third point and used EWQ to instakill Ryze.
The jungler had just finished clearing three jungles. Before he could make a move, he heard the news of victory from the three lanes.
ClearLove7 (LeeSin): ff.
Blind Monk, whose ID looked very annoying, began to interact with his opponents in the public chat and angrily scolded his own team's three lanes.
The double buff was not over yet, and the three lanes were reporting victories. Which jungler could withstand it?
Blaustoise knew that his Diamond Promotion Tournament was going to be ruined.
22 minutes later, Atokus, who had made Black Cut Blood Hand Revival Armor, officially joined the team!
Together with the Annihilation Blood Well, he had a total of three lives. The Sword Demon was invincible in the team battle and wantonly slashed in the crowd!
It was only when Blaustoise's Little Crocodile died that the Revival Armor effect was used on the Sword Demon!
Was there any justice?
This hero was just short of killing five people!
Blaustoise was so angry that his chest was heaving up and down.
28 minutes later, the scarlet words' Defect (Failed) 'appeared on his screen.
Blaustoise drank the coffee in his cup in one gulp. He thought that he needed to slack off a bit more to relieve his negative emotions.
"Finished?" Suddenly, a faint voice sounded behind him.
This sentence almost made Blaustoise jump out of his chair in fright!
Cursing in his heart, he turned around and saw a middle-aged fat man with a dangerous hairline.
The moment he saw this face, Blaustoise immediately sucked in a breath of cold air.
People who worked in the online game industry in the 21st century wouldn't be unfamiliar with this hairline man.
GregStreet。
He also had a famous nickname – Ghost Crab.
He was the chief system designer of World of Warcraft.
A few years ago, he joined Fist as the chief designer of the LOL project.
He was also Blaustoise's immediate superior.
"… Renekton, you're really bad at playing." Ghost Crab had a look of disdain. "I didn't expect that to happen."
Fist had a clear rule that when employees played games during working hours, others couldn't interrupt them. They had to wait until the game was over before they could talk about business.
Ghost Crab stood at the back and observed from the beginning of the promotion match. He only had one thought – his underling still had a lot of room for improvement in the game.
Hearing this, Blaustoise's face turned red and he tried to quibble. "It's obviously because Sword Magician is too OP. I said before that I should cut him a few more times, but now it seems that I didn't cut him hard enough!"
"I called you here to talk about this." Ghost Crab's attitude became serious.
"Huh?" Blaustoise was very confused. "What happened?"
"Come with me." Ghost Crab took him through the office area and walked to his desk.
Fist's office environment was completely open. Even the co-founders, Ryze and Telamir, didn't have an independent office. The employees all worked at their desks in the hall.
Ghost Crab's desk was messy and filled with all kinds of documents.
He turned the computer monitor at an angle and motioned for his underling to look at the screen.
Blaustoise looked carefully.
It was the web page of major European and American forums.
In the LOL section, the whole article was Lin Yan's interview.
When the game against BLG ended, it was just early in the morning. Blaustoise woke up and went to work. He didn't know what happened.
He frowned and instinctively felt that something was wrong.
After carefully reading the post-game interview manuscript, he was even more silent.
"It's only been a few hours, but there are already a lot of criticisms and accusations against Fist on the Internet." Ghost Crab sat in his engineering chair. "I estimate that in two or three hours, the situation will be more serious."
"We angered a lot of people with the issue of Atokus's rework. Not many casual players are willing to spend a lot of time to adapt to a hero that is frequently modified." Ghost Crab said this and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ran's post-game interview can be said to be the fuse that detonated everything."
Blaustoise listened to the leader's words and his forehead began to sweat.
He was responsible for the numerical modification work, but in fact, he was responsible for the task of weakening YM. The rework of Sword Magician and the weakening of many heroes were inseparable from him.
Now that this happened, Blaustoise felt that he must take some responsibility.
The most important thing was that these changes made it easy to see who Fist wanted to target.
Last year, Chun Li attacked YM from the aspects of equipment, jungle economy, and so on.
This year, Blaustoise's method was to weaken the heroes that YM was good at.
These two methods were completely different in the eyes of many viewers.
Chun Li's changes to equipment were like a gentle breeze and drizzle. At first glance, it was impossible to tell who she was trying to weaken. Blaustoise was too direct and obvious. YM had just used the heroes to kill everyone, and the next version directly cut them down.
Thinking from the perspective of a player, Fist didn't have the right to be weakened one after another.
What's more, it was Lin Yan who made such remarks.
This was even more difficult to deal with.
In fact, Fist's attitude towards Lin Yan could be described as a love-hate relationship.
They loved his excellent professional attitude, loved his perfect play on the field, loved his glory.
After Faker's decline, Lin Yan undoubtedly became the spokesperson of League of Legends. With two world championships and two mid-season championships in hand, his reputation in the world grew day by day. Even many people who didn't play the game recognized Lin Yan's ID and face.
As long as he won the MVP on the field, Fist's Twitter account would immediately post to celebrate. After MSI won the championship, they deliberately used Lin Yan's photo as their profile picture.
In front of the most famous esports professional player in the world, Fist's Twitter account looked a bit like a bootlicker.
But they also hated that his condition was always at its peak. The team he belonged to was always ranked at the top of the world's major divisions. In every world competition, YM was the favorite to win.
If this continued, the other professional players would really participate in the competition to fight for the second place.
They had to cut it twice.
But the frequent hero reworks and targeted nerfs caused Fist's design team to welcome a wave of public backlash.
Backlash, it could only be said to be a backlash. The heavens were watching, and God's choice could never be changed.
"How does the company plan to deal with this?" Blaustoise asked in a low voice.
"Of course, the sooner the better. We have to minimize the negative impact of this matter." Ghost Crab's answer was very official.
He was the lead designer of the game. All the changes to the game had to be approved by him, including the two reworks of Sword Demon.
In a sense, Ghost Crab himself couldn't escape the blame.
"… I'll ask my colleagues to stop the rework of Sword Demon?" Blaustoise panicked.
Ghost Crab waved his hand and refused. "The rework can't be stopped."
The reason why he agreed to the second rework of Sword Demon was because it could effectively weaken Lin Yan and YM.
If it was stopped, then this year's plan to weaken YM would be declared bankrupt.
The Ghost Crab's next words stunned Blaustoise.
"I'll leave my post in about two days."
Blaustoise was in disbelief. "Ah?!"
"Is it that serious …"
Ghost Crab explained, "To be honest, the company originally planned to transfer me out of my position as the lead designer in August. Since this happened, I simply applied for the transfer in advance."
Taking advantage of the situation could appease the anger of the players.
Ghost Crab was familiar with this. After all, he was like this in World of Warcraft. The players were always criticizing him, and he was basically full of negative comments.
He definitely had his own pot, and it wasn't a small one.
But if he was the one who did all the immoral things, then he wasn't Ghost Crab.
That was Sun Xiaochuan.
"My replacement is Meddler. When the time comes, listen to his commands." Ghost Crab instructed.
Blaustoise leaned forward slightly and quickly asked, "If I'm going to be transferred, I should also …"
"You can still keep your position this time." Ghost Crab took a sip of ice water. "But if something similar happens again, the consequences will be different."
The main reason Blaustoise didn't resign was that the World Championship was coming. This was the annual event of the League of Legends project. He was mainly responsible for weakening YM, so he couldn't leave at this time. Otherwise, no one would be able to take over the mess in a short time.
Another reason was that Blaustoise wasn't as famous as Ghost Crab among the players. He definitely wouldn't be the one to apologize to the players.
After going around in circles, it was equivalent to Ghost Crab taking the blame for him and helping him keep his job as the head of numerical design.
Blaustoise slumped in his chair.
He thought about it carefully. His weakening in the past two months was indeed excessive.
Although Lin Yan's influence was large enough, it wasn't realistic to expect Fist to act so quickly and respond within a few hours of the post-match interview.
Lin Yan's counterattack this time was a disguised form of standing up for the players. In other words, he borrowed the 'power'.
And this power was the group that Fist didn't want to offend the most. It was the company's bread and butter.
Blaustoise rubbed his cheeks in distress.
This incident was a wake-up call for him.
In the future, it would be difficult to weaken YM so recklessly. Everything had to be carefully considered before a decision could be made.
Five hours later, Fist released an announcement that the lead designer, Ghost Crab, would be transferred to the head of Fist's creative department. From now on, he would be mainly responsible for the design of the game's worldview and other content. His successor would be the original head of gameplay design, Meddler.
As soon as this news came out, the major esports forums were in an uproar.
[It's him again, Ghost Crab!]
[I knew it. Redoing Sword Demon twice in two months. This kind of brain-damaged operation must be done by Ghost Crab.]
[Warcraft players send congratulations!]
[Damn, Sword Demon's rework isn't stopping?]
[Nonsense. After all, Sword Demon's rework is water that has been poured out. Just don't be so disgusting in the future!]
Fist's handling of the public relations crisis was quite good. They threw out the most famous and highest ranked designer in the team to attract the attention of the public. Ghost Crab was tired of the designer position anyway and originally planned to be transferred. This time, they didn't lose anything.
The players were also happy to see that the culprit, Ghost Crab, was no longer responsible for the in-game modification work. Many people felt that their goal had been achieved.
Everyone didn't lose anything. The storm finally calmed down.
When Fist posted, Lin Yan had just finished a B5 training match with RW. He immediately saw the news of Ghost Crab's resignation.
"Brother Ran, you're amazing!" Mongoose began to flatter him. "You only used three sentences to kick Ghost Crab out of the design team!"
"F * ck off," Lin Yan said in annoyance. "What does it have to do with me?"
"The players are already very dissatisfied with the frequent updates. I just stood up and made it clear," he said honestly.
Jack interrupted. "Does this mean that we won't be nerfed again this year?"
"Are you daydreaming here?"
Jin Gong rolled his eyes at him. "It's just a change of designer supervisor. We'll still get axed. We're definitely going to suffer this year."
"Xiba is right." Lin Yan took a cup of milk tea from Guo Hao. He opened the lid with a straw and took a sip of the coconut. "Don't let your guard down. We're in a very serious situation this year."
"Got it." Shiba Inu stretched and reached for a cup of fruit tea. "After this season, I think I need a good rest. It's too tiring!"
Lin Yan glanced around and found that his teammates were visibly tired.
It wasn't just the physical pressure of the competition. The most crucial season of the Triple Championship was also the psychological pressure.
"Why don't we come back and do a team-building?" Guo Hao suddenly suggested.
Liu Qingsong immediately objected. "Don't disgust me. We only have two days off a month. Why do you want to do a team-building?"
"That's right!" The other players were very dissatisfied.
"Do I look like someone who wants to take up your rest time?" Guo Hao didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"I just looked at our next mock competition schedule. On the 28th, there's only one mock competition against EDG. There's no filming task. We can relax!"
"Isn't there a mock competition?"
Jin Gong was puzzled. "It starts at two o 'clock in the afternoon. We'll review after the match. It's time for dinner after that."
"Bullsh * t!"
Guo Hao got angry at the mention of this. "Do you remember how EDG stood us up during the mock competition?"
"Let's stand them up this time too!"
"Let's go out and have fun with the free time!"
The group of players suddenly became energetic when they heard that they didn't have to play in a mock competition.
"Good, good, good!"
Mongoose firmly supported Manager Guo's proposal. However, a second question followed. "Where are we going?"
"… Don't go to Disneyland. Don't go to the cinema." Lin Yan made two requests. "I can accept other than that."
"How about playing Counter-Strike?" Jack came up with an idea.
Mongoose shrank back. "Is it safe?"
This activity sounded very painful.
"Don't worry. There's a coach for this kind of activity. He'll guide you step by step and improve your teamwork." Shiba Inu was very excited.
He had been playing CSGO during the holidays recently. He even spent money to buy a bunch of accessories such as the Dragon Sniper Rifle. Gunplay games could no longer satisfy him.
None of the players had played Counter-Strike before. They were curious after hearing Jack's exaggeration.
Even Red Rice and Gouba were eager to give it a try.
Guo Hao contacted an experience hall that could provide a venue and guidance. On the 28th, he took the team out to play for the whole day.
When they returned to the club, the sky was completely dark.
Lin Yan went back to the dormitory. The first thing he did was to take a shower in the bathroom. He changed into his pajamas and lay on the bed sleepily.
Mongoose also came out of the shower. His hair was wet and he kept rubbing his muscles.
"Damn …" He couldn't help but complain. "I feel like I've practiced the one-kilometer race several times before the high school PE entrance exam."
The Counter-Strike experience hall that Guo Hao found was indeed very professional.
It wasn't very friendly for a homebody like Xiao Tian who didn't do strenuous exercise all year round.
Even though they used a laser gun, the YM players were still very uncomfortable for the first time.
Finally, they had an outdoor barbecue. After a long time, they were really tired.
Lin Yan ignored him and went to sleep.
Phyllostachys Pubescens also felt sleepy. After drying his hair and setting the temperature of the air conditioner, he lay on the bed and wrapped himself in the quilt. He turned into a green caterpillar.
…
July 31st.
Shanghai Zhengda Square.
"Hello everyone, I'm Doll!"
The Haier brothers appeared in the center of the screen.
From the tone of their voice, one could tell that they were extremely excited.
After a short self-introduction and a long commercial broadcast, they finally got to the main topic.
"Today's match is definitely the highlight of the second half of the regular season!"
"IG versus YM, a battle between the champions of the Eastern and Western Divisions!"
Whether it was the live broadcast of the competition or the inside of the stadium, it was now overcrowded.
"After Old Thief Sima joined, the so-called complete team IG showed a strong dominance in the regular season. They have already locked in a spot in the playoffs seven rounds in advance!"
Mille's voice was smooth. "On the other side is Team YM, a well-deserved top powerhouse, the winner of four LPL Silver Dragon Cups!"
Doll added, "And so far, both teams have maintained a winning record."
"After this match, there will be a team that is destined to win all the matches!"
At this time, the director showed the comparison of the midlaners of both teams.
Lin Yan and Broiler's makeup photos appeared on the big screen in the stadium.
The former was handsome, and his glasses made him look elegant and easy-going. The latter's chubby face was full of collagen, making people have the urge to pinch it.
"The core players of this match are naturally the two top midlaners."
"In the 12 BO3 matches in the summer season, Rookie scored the number one midlaner with 24 solo kills. His average damage is 666, and his damage conversion rate is 143.4%. He is also number one …"
In the four or five statistics listed, Broiler was either number two or number one. It was extremely luxurious.
In his fourth year in IG, Rookie had finally gathered a team of good helpers. The former director of the orphanage shone brightly this year.
Unlike Lin Yan in the past, Broiler's performance was enough to make him a strong contender for the MVP of the regular season.
"Brother Ran's statistics are also very luxurious. 23 solo kills are close behind, his average damage is 689, and his damage conversion rate is 134.4%. He is slightly behind Broiler!"
The live audience was filled with endless exclamations of admiration!
Doll's heart was pounding just by looking at the numbers.
The audience in the live broadcast was no exception.
[WDNMD, are these two midlaners still normal?]
[Ye Gu Cheng vs Ximen Chuixue, right?]
[Broiler and Brother Ran took the top two midlaners in all the statistics?]
[Don't be so embarrassing. I just looked at it. Their damage conversion rate is not that high.]
[Damage conversion rate?
That's Sparrow. He has The Shy on one side and Jack on the other. The two damage dealers are here. The damage conversion rate of the midlaner is definitely not good.]
[That's ridiculous. Broiler and Brother Ran's performances this summer are tied. There's a gap between them, then it's doinb, and then it's someone else's turn.]
Even though Mille had prepared himself before the match, he was still shocked when he saw the statistics of the two midlaners.
"It's worth mentioning that after this match, the rankings will definitely change." He snapped out of his daze and continued, "In the last match between YM and BLG, Bro Ran completely surpassed the rookies in terms of damage per point!"
Doll laughed. "After all, the average damage in that match was more than 35 minutes. The longer the match dragged on, the more ridiculous the damage per minute would be."
In the later stages of the match, the equipment and level of the heroes would be upgraded to the max. Sometimes, a team battle could deal thousands of damage, so the damage per minute would naturally increase.
Mille added, "I think everyone is more interested in whether or not the solo kill rankings will change. One of them has 23 and the other has 24. The statistics are very close!"
"That depends on how the two midlaners are doing today." Doll received a notification from the caster. "The scene is ready. Let's enter the BP segment of the match!"
With a sonorous sound, the BP panel appeared in front of the audience!