ROSGT **Chapter 49: Arcade Equipment**
**Volume 1**
**Chapter 49: Arcade Equipment**
Not long after, Ye Chui received a communication request from Chen Yongnian, the current owner of Tianwang Magazine. Hearing that Ye Chui wanted to buy the magazine, he was delighted. He had already decided to shut down the magazine, so someone willing to take it over was a great relief, and the price was negotiable.
Ye Chui negotiated with him through his portable light brain and they settled on a price of ten thousand yuan. In this world, doing business was very efficient, and the existence of online law firms made all online transactions extremely convenient. The transfer of magazine ownership was straightforward, and after signing an electronic agreement, Tianwang Magazine was entirely Ye Chui's.
As for the price, Ye Chui had done his research. In this world, even setting up a new magazine, going through various procedures, and buying a publication number would cost at least twenty or thirty thousand yuan. Buying Tianwang Magazine for ten thousand was quite a bargain.
Moreover, the magazine had long-term relationships with several printing companies. Once the magazine officially started printing, everything would be smooth sailing.
Of course, Ye Chui thought it was a good deal, but others didn't necessarily agree.
For instance, Jian Fan mocked internally, "Buying a whole magazine just for that manga? Thinking he got a good deal at ten thousand yuan? What a joke. Doesn't he see how far Tianwang Magazine has fallen? What good is that name?"
Fang Nan and Fang Xi also felt Ye Chui was being too ambitious. However, seeing Ye Chui's confidence, they couldn't help but admire him.
Fang Xi, especially, looked at Ye Chui with admiration and said, "Brother Cha, I really admire your boldness. I'll definitely work hard on Dragon Ball."
"Mm, try to get in touch with those artist friends of yours," Ye Chui said. With the magazine in hand, the next step was to get the manga drawn as soon as possible. "Ask your friends to each draw a few pieces for me to see their skills, then I'll decide whether to hire them."
"Okay," Fang Xi agreed and went to contact his friends.
Ye Chui stretched and felt a bit excited. Bringing those classic mangas to this world—he wondered if they would cause a sensation...
"By the way," Fang Nan suddenly asked, "Chui Chui, what do you plan to do with the original employees of Tianwang Magazine?"
"Well..."
Ye Chui was somewhat at a loss. Buying the magazine meant dealing with its original staff. He thought for a moment and said, "Tianwang Magazine's office isn't in Yanjing. I'll contact the office staff. If they're willing, they can stay on and move to Yanjing. If not, so be it. After all, I want to publish a manga magazine, and comic book editors won't be much help."
When Ye Chui had called Tianwang Magazine earlier, someone with a bad attitude had answered. At the time, Ye Chui thought he'd fire that person once he bought the magazine. However, it was just a thought—he wouldn't really fire someone over one unpleasant conversation.
People should be given a chance.
Ye Chui then communicated with Tianwang Magazine's employees via his light brain. Planning to move the magazine to Yanjing, he needed the employees to work there as well. This immediately made some staff resign, while others said they'd consider it.
"If I really want to run this magazine, I need to make a lot of preparations, and I have to oversee the studio here. I need someone reliable to manage the magazine, preferably someone with financial management skills..."
Suddenly, a perfect candidate came to mind.
"How could I forget? Mom majored in finance and accounting. She quit her job to take care of me. Last time, my sister mentioned she was planning to look for a job. Isn't having Mom manage the magazine the best solution?"
"However, I'm not sure if Mom would be willing to handle the magazine..." Ye Chui pondered, "It's best to ask her in person."
Ye Chui planned to visit home in a couple of days, so he decided to discuss it with his mother then.
...
It had been more than half a month since Ye Chui started developing the arcade fighting game Kung Fu. The game's development was now about seventy percent complete.
This seventy percent was the most crucial part because the "Arcade 1.0" game engine was fully developed. The engine was the core of the game. In Ye Chui's original world, arcade games didn't emphasize engines much, as games ran on arcade machines with systems suited to each game type. The engine didn't hold much value.
However, since Ye Chui was developing arcade games to run on light brains, having an engine was essential. Ye Chui had played countless fighting arcade games. With an engine, he could easily develop similar games.
In other words, Ye Chui spent over half a month completing seventy percent of Kung Fu. If he were to develop another similar game, he could skip that seventy percent and start from there.
Of course, the current Arcade 1.0 still had many deficiencies. For example, the engine's intelligent combat system only included basic punches, kicks, and jumps. Features like rage bars, combos, and special moves weren't included yet, but those could be added gradually.
"Actually, the most fun way to play this type of game isn't on a light brain." On the evening Ye Chui bought the magazine, he chatted with Fang Nan after dinner.
As he spoke, he browsed images on his light brain's screen—these were works from Fang Xi's friends, and Ye Chui was selecting potential manga artists.
"Then what's the most fun way to play it?" Fang Nan asked curiously.
"Arcade machines," Ye Chui said with a smile. Seeing Fang Nan's puzzled expression, he explained, "I'm talking about a type of equipment specifically built for gaming. For example, with our game Kung Fu, you control the virtual characters with a few buttons. Playing it on a light brain feels restrictive, but if there's a dedicated machine for it, imagine how fun that would be."
Arcade games were best played on arcade machines. Playing them on a computer with a keyboard didn't compare to the feeling of using joysticks and buttons. Ye Chui missed the sensation of playing arcade games as a child.
Fang Nan somewhat understood Ye Chui's explanation about arcade machines and thought they sounded fun, but she couldn't fully grasp the experience.
"Arcade machines were popular before computers and handheld consoles. This world's gaming industry is just starting, and the prevalence of light brains makes it unlikely for arcade machines to thrive." Ye Chui thought with some regret. "I don't have the ability to create arcade machines. Besides, arcade games are just appetizers; consoles and handhelds are worth researching if conditions permit."
Thinking this, Ye Chui suddenly missed the exhilarating feeling of playing arcade games and sighed internally.
"It would be great if a major light brain company developed arcade machines and expanded that market..."
Meanwhile, Jian Fan, pretending to work at his light brain, was listening intently to Ye Chui and Fang Nan's conversation.
"Arcade machines?"
Jian Fan noted the term. Although he didn't see the value in it, anything Ye Chui mentioned might be useful. So he decided to report it to Wang Zhaoming.
A few days earlier, he had secretly made a deal with Wang Zhaoming to steal useful ideas from Ye Chui...