Floor B2 Is Amazing!

Comments below the official website announcement: Tail: "Throne! (＊/ω＼＊)" Quitting Smoking: "!!! What?! The closed beta slots are gone again?! What's going on?! w(゜Д゜)w" Ye Shi: "Damn, no way. You didn't get a little red dot again?!" Fleeting White Horse: "Hahahaha, Brother Quitting Smoking, your luck is way too awful." Spare the Life Under the Blade: "Brother Quitting Smoking is truly tragic. I reserved in the second batch, and I'm already playing." Quitting Smoking: "T.T" WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "Speaking of which, this is awesome! They actually dropped 100 slots this time. The last extra batch of 10 players hasn't even entered the game yet, right?" Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes: "Seems that way. That batch should be logging on at 6:00 tonight." Proud Grandpa What Can You Do: "Heh, 100 slots? Like hell I'd believe you! Only idiots make reservations. Those 100 winners are definitely fake." Sisi: "Really? But I won one." Tail: "Tail did too! (＊/ω＼＊)" Quitting Smoking: "Crying a river." The announcement had only been out for a few seconds. No one had had the time to read the whole thing through; almost everyone had skimmed the first line and rushed down to spam the comments. Aside from the spammers, there were those drowning in tears. Brother Quitting Smoking, for instance, had failed to win a reservation slot yet again. It was downright tragic. However, he was not the only one left out. Among more than a thousand players who had registered—minus a few sweethearts on the blacklist—there were still over nine hundred people. Unless an account was flagged in the backend as a high-quality human guaranteed to win, the normal draw rate was probably under one in ten. Those who did get chosen truly deserved to be called lucky gods. After offering their condolences to Quitting Smoking, the folks who failed to snag first place hurried back to read what the announcement actually said. Once they finished reading, they were stunned by the sheer volume of information. The expansion was over! The limited "Winter Warrior" title was being distributed! A special in-game item that integrated a stat screen, quest log, and map interface! And Shelter 404's Floor B2 was now open! Good grief. In certain other games, that would be enough content to stretch updates through the end of the year! Elaina: "'Tremble in the Bitter Winter' sounds nice, but I feel like only the scavenging bros are the ones trembling. (Funny)" All Good Names Taken by Dogs: "Fuck! I haven't even logged into the game and the expansion is already over?!" Kakarot from the Future: "Shocking! A small detail: the stat interface actually costs money to unlock! Well, at least it's not RMB." Scavenger Lv99: "Money is a minor issue; the key is contribution points! Huh, wait, haven't I had enough contribution points for ages? Oh, never mind then." WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "You dumbass, you bought land, and the money was borrowed from me! Pay me back already!" Scavenger Lv99: "QAQ." Makka Pakka: "Just in time. As soon as I log on, it'll be the new version. Perfect." Stop Bullshitting: "+1, hahaha! I hope the lake doesn't freeze over. Fishing is way too fun." The expansion ended abruptly, but it was well within everyone's expectations. After all, the expansion's final boss had already been killed, and everyone had enjoyed the last battle to their hearts' content. Leaving behind a hairy cliffhanger and a pile of dazed, helpless captives served as an introduction to the next version. Winter had arrived. The theme of the next expansion was likely survival, and the buffs to production occupation players had already paved the way for this moment. Ending it right now could not be more fitting. After reading Ah Guang's Developer Log, the players on the forum grew even more eager for the item called the VM and the gameplay of the new version. However, there was still one crucial question... What about Floor B2? Why didn't that damn planner mention a single word about it! Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes: "Wait, what about Floor B2?" Quitting Smoking: "Wake up, planner! You really have the nerve to show off after updating just one piece of gear? What about Floor B2? What we want to know about is Floor B2, hey!" Spare the Life Under the Blade: "Can someone log in and take a look? Is the elevator to Floor B2 working yet? I think I saw an elevator in the resident hall!" Ye Shi: "Fuck fuck fuck, I'm sitting in a major class in a lecture hall right now, my helmet's still at home!" Mole on the Run from the Canyon: "Don't panic, boys, I'll be right back!!" Fang Chang: "I'll go too. I happen to be home!" Fleeting White Horse: "Damn, you really don't have a job to go to." At three o'clock on a weekday afternoon, the vast majority of players with daytime obligations had yet to finish work or classes. Meanwhile, players who did not need to work had not logged off in the first place, so they probably did not even know the game had been updated. After all, this game did not allow access to the official website from within the game, nor did updates ever kick currently connected players offline. Right now, the only people the forum users could count on were the hardcore shut-ins who neither worked nor went to school during the day and just happened to be offline. After tossing out a couple of lines, Fang Chang and Mole fell completely silent, likely meeting up in the game. Yet over twenty minutes passed without a word. The crowd waiting on the forum grew impatient, on the verge of hurling curses. Fleeting White Horse: "These two animals are taking way too long." Spare the Life Under the Blade: "Exactly! Why aren't they back yet? I've been fucking waiting for 29 minutes and 12 seconds!" Ye Shi: "Eighty percent chance there's some shady backdoor trade going on." Tengteng: "? Lemme see. (Eyes)" Ye Shi: "Eww!" Mole on the Run from the Canyon: "Ah, I'm back. That was freaking amazing!" Tengteng: "!!" Ye Shi: "Holy crap, what did you guys do? What took so long? And where's that idiot Fang Chang?" Mole on the Run from the Canyon: "Dunno. I took a massive dump in the toilet and logged off. He ran off to the shower room and didn't come out for ages, so I didn't bother waiting for him. But forget all that random nonsense—let me tell you, Floor B2 is mind-blowing!" Ye Shi: "Then tell us what's there already!" Mole on the Run from the Canyon: "Hold your horses. First off, the layout of Floor B2 is roughly a circular space divided into four fan-shaped sectors: A, B, C, and D. Sectors B, C, and D look like dormitories, while Sector A should be the functional area. It has a cafeteria, restrooms, and shower rooms. There's another door in the back that's locked, so I didn't check it out. But just the restrooms and shower rooms alone are insane!" Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes: "A cafeteria! Is there food inside?!" Mole on the Run from the Canyon: "Not really. The kitchen door is locked and I couldn't get in. The refrigerators and beverage machines in the hall are all empty, and I bet the kitchen is too. But having working fridges is great news! When it gets hot next year, we can have cold drinks. "Leaving the kitchen aside for a second, I have to rave about this restroom! Self-cleaning circulating toilet seats, automated washing and sanitizing systems—sitting on it, you don't have to worry about a thing besides taking a crap. No more worrying about grabbing a handful of shit while searching around the ground for moss! Sob sob sob, I'd even be willing to pay for this toilet!" WC Really Has Mosquitoes: "Holy shit, shut your mouth right now! Don't let the planner see that!" Ye Shi: "Awesome! Just yesterday I was discussing with Fleeting White Horse what we'd do if our parts froze off when doing our business in the winter. Being able to use the toilet in the shelter is amazing!" Gale Force 8: "Wait a second... you mean there's water inside the shelter now? Is that toilet you mentioned a flush toilet?" Elaina: "...What are you trying to do? Why do I have a bad feeling about this? (Funny)" Gale Force 8: "Nothing, just pure curiosity." Mole on the Run from the Canyon: "Hahaha, of course there's water! That's my second point! The biggest difference between Floor B2 and Floor B1 is that there's fresh water! Whether it draws water from the lake, collects rainwater, or runs on an internal water purification loop, the point is you can drink clean water from the dispenser in the cafeteria, relieve yourself in a high-tech toilet, and enjoy a 360-degree immersive shower in private stalls! Speaking of which, why hasn't Fang Chang come out yet? Did he get addicted to showering?" Ye Shi: "Honestly, that guy can be a bit perverted sometimes, but he's normal most of the time. Let's just ignore him." Fang Chang: "Piss off! I came out ages ago. I was writing a guide post!" Ye Shi: "Oh?" Mole on the Run from the Canyon: "Big Boss Fang Chang, how did the shower feel?" Fang Chang: "Mm... feels great. It probably simulates ultrasonic atomization technology, but I never expected that technology to be applied to showers. Anyway, it feels completely sci-fi. You basically just stand still the entire time. It completely revolutionized my understanding of showering. Paying to experience it wouldn't even feel like a rip-off." Ye Shi: "Holy crap? It's that awesome? Ahhhh, I want to log on so badly! I'm trying it the second I get back to my dorm!" Mole on the Run from the Canyon: "By the way, did you finish editing your post?" Fang Chang: "It's already posted on the forum!" ... "Shelter 404 Floor B2 Guide... These players have already visited Floor B2?" When Chu Guang woke up, it was already one in the afternoon. The first thing he did upon waking was turn on his computer and log onto the official website to see what the quirky netizens had posted on the forum. Good grief, it looked like these players had already turned his Floor B2 completely upside down. However, he had casually locked most of the doors, so even if they wanted to search through them, they could not open them. Weapons capable of breaching doors were barred from passing through the airlock and could not be brought into the shelter. Furthermore, Chu Guang had handed camera permissions over to Xiao Qi. With Xiao Qi keeping watch, there was no need to worry about players tearing the place apart while he was gone. All in all, the players were thoroughly thrilled by the content of the Alpha 0.5 update. Especially after seeing the newly added high-tech facilities on Floor B2, those who experienced them instantly fell in love with life down here. Compared to the surface, life inside the shelter was far too comfortable! After reading these posts, Chu Guang could somewhat understand the setting left behind by the first-generation manager. Indeed, compared to the outside, this place was practically paradise. Expecting people standing with both feet in paradise to build up hell was inherently contrary to human nature. Chu Guang stroked his chin and pondered. "Mm, it's decided. Using the living facilities inside the shelter will require permissions via the VM, and the water purifier, showers, and toilets will all be switched to paid usage." The message records on the official website were witness to it: this was not his idea, but something the players had suggested themselves. In addition, some of the players who had already purchased a VM from Xiao Qi had put forward several recommendations, such as simply integrating a translator and a wallet feature into the VM. A wallet feature was something he could consider rolling out alongside a banking system. Even without an electronic payment function, it would not matter. Storing excess silver coins in the bank and withdrawing them when needed would make it convenient for players to check their deposits at any time while also making it easy for Chu Guang to reclaim currency from circulation. A win-win situation! As for a translator... Theoretically, with a bit of time, he could develop one, but there was no need for it right now. Hurrying to let players and natives communicate freely right now would bring zero benefits while creating a mountain of trouble for himself. To put it bluntly, a language barrier might be an obstacle for the players, but for Chu Guang, it was not a bad thing at all. From the perspective of an Administrator, he needed to create an information gap—or rather, an "information filter"—between the players and the natives, which was the best choice for both sides. Cross-server communication allowed them to retain a little romanticized imagination about each other. Besides, even in games with the highest degree of freedom, who ever heard of having massive volumes of regular conversation with every single NPC? If that were possible, it would be downright unreasonable! In comparison, the weapon shop's proprietress, Xia Yan, already had a relatively large number of lines. When annoyed, not only would she stamp her feet in frustration, but she would also spit out clumsy yet adorable trash talk. Quite a few players would even wake Boss Xia up the moment they saw her dozing off just to hear her trash talk. Without an information filter, not only might Boss Xia lose her charm, but some knuckleheads would surely end up sympathizing with marauders or getting tricked by NPCs into doing "side quests." Aside from bringing him a pile of trouble and variables, there was no benefit whatsoever. Even if he were to provide them with a translator in the future, it would definitely be selective translation. However, looking at it from another angle... "I could develop an NPC-exclusive version of the VM." At this thought, Chu Guang's eyes lit up as he stared at the forum. "Remove the stat panel from the NPC version, and add quest-issuing and translation functions. Moreover, the translation will only support translating everyday and functional phrases in specific linguistic contexts." There was no need to translate the players' slang and banter. With different cultural backgrounds, translating it would only result in complete nonsense and could easily cause misunderstandings. For example, "aoli gei"—translating it as "just do it" or referencing "Lao Ba" would not fit, as it carried different meanings in different contexts. The weapon shop proprietress should just do what a weapon shop proprietress was supposed to do: know what her lines meant and understand what the players wanted to buy. As for everything else, when the great Lord Administrator needed you to know, you would naturally know. "The VM screen is still a bit small, acting like a teleprompter for simultaneous interpretation... but combined with language training, making do with it will be good enough." Gradually, a group of natives who spoke Chinese could be trained up to roughly Level 1 or 2 proficiency. As long as they mastered a few gaming terms and daily conversation, they would be more than qualified for their NPC posts. The more Chu Guang thought about it, the more he felt he was an absolute genius. Truly worthy of me! As for the "subtitles" for the players... He would wait until he deemed it necessary!