Chapter 1425 Pei's Propaganda Method: Illusory and Real

*Ghost General 2* is inherently a challenging game. After all, Pei Qian was still pondering how to dissuade players. If it were too easy, it would become a hack-and-slash game. How could he deter players?

However, it wouldn't be excessively difficult. At the very least, Pei Qian needed to ensure that someone like him, who only knew how to execute simple combos, could complete the game after suffering a bit.

Therefore, these types of levels generally have both high-difficulty and low-difficulty approaches.

The high-difficulty approach involves not using the simplified combo mode, but instead using conventional, complex combos to evade the Boss's attacks while constantly suppressing and dealing damage, thereby clearing the level in the shortest amount of time.

But this approach has a very low margin for error because the Boss's damage is high. Getting hit even once could lead to instant death, and the complex combo mode is prone to mistakes. If the output isn't sufficient, it will still result in failure.

The low-difficulty approach involves using the simplified combo mode to deal damage while interacting with the map's mechanics.

Destroying the magic cores on the warship can weaken the Boss while extending the game time, but these magic cores aren't easy to destroy. They are subject to the Boss's interference, and only one is exposed at a time, intermittently.

Using the low-difficulty approach is definitely much slower than the high-difficulty approach.

In this gameplay video, Cai Hong demonstrated the high-difficulty approach, which is to ignore the magic cores and win against the enhanced Xu Chu with a head-on combo battle.

During the fight, he was hit by Xu Chu a couple of times, and his health bar dropped like a rollercoaster, making it a nail-biting experience to watch.

However, this was intentional. It was specifically requested by Meng Chang and the *Ghost General 2* project team.

Cai Hong could have played flawlessly without taking damage, but how would the players have seen how high the Boss's damage output was?

In short, this video was indeed quite flashy, but Yu Fei felt worried.

This worry stemmed from three main areas:

First, this Boss fight is one of the less impressive ones among all the levels in *Ghost General 2*. In terms of cool and grand scenes, events like "Warm Wine Slays Hua Xiong," "Borrowing the East Wind," and "Burning the Linked Camps" are much more impressive and cool.

Second, Cai Hong demonstrated the high-difficulty approach, but the game actually has a relatively low-difficulty approach. Wouldn't everyone think that the game is too difficult and be immediately dissuaded?

Third, is it really appropriate to release just this one promotional video? It's not that this kind of promotion is bad, but it's just a very conventional method, and it doesn't show where the "Pei's Propaganda Method" that Meng Chang mentioned is actually reflected.

When Meng Chang came along and said that he wanted to create a promotional plan for *Ghost General 2*, Yu Fei was very happy, thinking that the project was highly valued by President Pei.

Moreover, Meng Chang told him a lot of details about the "Pei's Propaganda Method," meaning that Yu Fei should watch and learn carefully so that he could create promotional plans himself next time.

But Meng Chang talked a lot, and it's not even reflected in the plan?

Yu Fei expressed his concerns to Meng Chang, especially the last point.

Where does this video show the "Pei's Propaganda Method" that you were talking about?

Seeing Yu Fei's puzzled expression, Meng Chang smiled slightly: "You don't understand this."

"The way of military strategy is illusory and real, true and false. Make the illusory real, and the real illusory. The most important thing is to make people unable to figure out what's going on."

"I know what you're expecting Pei's Propaganda Method to be like."

"If we followed the conventional approach, we should be vigorously promoting at this time that *Ghost General* will have an orthodox sequel, with a large investment, Tengda Games personally in charge, and releasing some of the original paintings, models, and part of the story background of the generals, leading the players astray."

"To make them think that this might be a large-scale card battle game that follows *Ghost General*, or an action game like *Repent and be Saved*, so as to reveal the mystery when *Ghost General 2* is truly released and make them exclaim that they have been fooled."

"Right?"

Yu Fei nodded. According to the "Pei's Propaganda Method" that Meng Chang had previously explained, this was indeed a relatively basic routine.

Meng Chang explained, "But you have to consider that this method can't be used all the time. You can't cry wolf too often. We have to have sustainable development."

"At the beginning of this month, Ye Zhizhou of *Safe and Civilized Driving* used a similar method, which also had some effect, but it was greatly reduced compared to the effect achieved by *Struggle* at that time."

"This is enough to show that the application of Pei's Propaganda Method must be adapted to the situation and adjusted according to the characteristics of different projects. Never commit the error of dogmatism."

"The reason why *Struggle* was so successful with this method is that the 'false propaganda' of *Struggle* is deeply tied and combined with the connotation of the game, which makes its propaganda method also a part of breaking the dimensional wall, so it resonated."

"As for *Safe and Civilized Driving*, Ye Zhizhou is, after all, just starting out, only getting its form but not its spirit. In addition, the wolf has already been cried once, so the effect is naturally not as good."

"So, we can't do this anymore. We have to make some changes."

Yu Fei nodded suddenly.

"I see! There are so many tricks in it?"

"But... does the current plan also conform to Pei's Propaganda Method?"

Meng Chang nodded: "Of course, can't you see it?"

Yu Fei said with some shame: "No... In my opinion, this is a very conventional fighting game promotion plan, right? We are directly laying our cards on the table. *Ghost General 2* is a fighting game, and then we also released actual battle footage. The key is that this footage is not the most exciting part..."

Meng Chang smiled slightly: "That's right."

"The essence of Pei's Propaganda Method lies in praising after suppressing, and on the *Ghost General 2* project, the best 'suppression' is its fighting game attribute!"

"We frankly tell the players that this is a fighting game, and a traditional fighting game with a very high difficulty. In this way, the core players of fighting games will definitely be very happy, but their volume is very small, and most ordinary players will probably not play it when they hear that it is a fighting game."

"But after everyone deeply experiences *Ghost General 2*, they will find that it is completely different from ordinary fighting games. It can meet the high-difficulty requirements of hardcore players, and also allow ordinary players to experience the fun of fighting games!"

"So, the essence of Pei's Propaganda Method lies in: deceptiveness."

"It must have a very high degree of deceptiveness, so that our users can't tell what the real intention of the propaganda is, and can't determine where the biggest advantage of this game or product lies, so that Pei's Propaganda Method can succeed."

"So, making the illusory real, and the real illusory. Between the illusory and the real, it can better reflect the breadth and depth of Pei's Propaganda Method!"

Yu Fei suddenly understood.

It can be seen that Meng Chang is full of confidence, and what he said does make some sense!

It feels like Meng Chang's research on Pei's Propaganda Method has improved again.

Before, Meng Chang was a little formulaic, and every step was stuck very rigidly, and the changes in the routine were far less varied than the promotional plans personally made by President Pei, but now, Meng Chang's propaganda level is gradually approaching President Pei.

In that case, there is nothing to worry about, so let's follow this plan!

Yu Fei felt that the most comfortable thing about being a Tengda executive is that no matter what kind of support is needed, you can always find professionals to help wholeheartedly. Even if they don't take on all the responsibilities, they will at least provide a lot of professional advice.

The ethos of Tengda as a company is to value professional talents, and the heads of departments respect each other's professional qualities and learn from each other, so Yu Fei can still support the work of the game department even when crossing over such a large boundary.

Thinking of this, Yu Fei nodded: "Okay, let's follow this plan."

…

…

January 23rd, Wednesday.

Pei Qian was in his office, watching the promotional video of *Ghost General 2*, his expression full of confusion.

A bit... unable to understand Meng Chang.

This time, the promotional plan for *Ghost General 2* can be said to be quite conventional. First, it released the promotional materials of *Ghost General 2* in conjunction with the official platform, including promotional pictures, game introductions, and a trial video. At the same time, it also carried out some conventional promotions on the Internet.

For example, on Weibo and Aili Island website, he did a joint promotion with Cai Hong, the top domestic fighting game professional player, saying that this game was jointly developed with a group of top domestic fighting game professional players, fully taking care of the feel of fighting game lovers.

In addition, the actual combat video was also personally played by Cai Hong. Although there were two small mistakes in the middle, the overall performance was still relatively gorgeous. It can be seen that the technology is indeed good and has a certain degree of appreciation.

Pei Qian didn't think much about these two small mistakes.

Although Cai Hong is a professional player, he is truly proficient in those old-fashioned fighting games. *Ghost General 2* is, after all, a new game. Cai Hong does not yet know so much about the various mechanisms of this game, so it is inevitable to make one or two mistakes.

It's just that this promotional plan makes Pei Qian feel very confused.

Pei Qian can be said to know *Ghost General 2* very well.

Because he had spent a lot of effort to complete this game according to the system's requirements.

Of course, Pei Qian used the simplified combo mode, which simplifies moves like ↓→↓→+A into ↓→+A, and also made full use of the game mechanism in the process of passing the map.

For example, in the Battle of Red Cliffs, when Zhou Yu was fighting Xu Chu, Pei Qian honestly destroyed all the magic cores before passing the level.

As for the fun of this game... he did feel some of it, but fighting games are not Pei Qian's cup of tea after all, so he didn't feel it so deeply.

As for Meng Chang's promotional plan, if you look at it from the first level, you will think that he has betrayed.

Completely targeting the advantages of fighting games for promotion, isn't this a very ordinary positive promotion plan? Is Meng Chang crazy? Doesn't he want a commission?

But if you stand on the second level, you will feel that this plan still has a certain deterrent effect. It does show the advantages of fighting games, but that will only make the core players of fighting games feel excited. For other player groups, as long as they know that the game is a fighting game, they will lose interest.

So, Pei Qian now feels a little confused.

He did hope that Meng Chang could evolve quickly, get more commissions, and make the promotional plan worse and worse. But after several rounds of evolution by Meng Chang, he felt a bit of a return to simplicity, with strong deceptiveness, and even Pei Qian couldn't see through his real intentions.