Jose wasn't alone in his criticism either.
[Yeah, yeah! I feel like Minecraft is a bit too simple compared to the other games.]
[The monsters are way to weak! And the gameplay seems kind of one-dimensional.]
[It's the same old story of defeating the evil dragon and saving the world!]
[Exactly. If it weren't for the infinite world and the freedom to build whatever I want, I might have quit the game already.]
[Same here! Building is truly amazing, but besides that, I always feel, that it is lacking in gameplay. The more I play, the more bored I become, and eventually it just feels repetitive.]
The players started venting their feelings about the game one after another, writing a cascade of complaints.
Seeing the players' reactions, Alto had actually anticipated all of this.
If players were left to discover the gameplay mechanics entirely on their own, they might never figure out some systems even if their lives depended on it.
He'd even added many hints throughout the game to facilitate their exploration of the world. Thus he had already prepared many different difficulty adjustments and modifications in advance.
But before implementing those, he would give the players a bit of entertainment first.
[Alto: In consideration of the feedback from the player community, our company will perform a comprehensive optimization of the game. A brand new version will be available soon!]
Seeing the designer himself speak up, the players exploded with excitement.
[Holy crap! he answered just now! Quick, bombard him with questions!]
[Let's get him! Finally got an official response. Is the brand new version adding new gameplay?]
[Please buff the monsters! Please add new maps!]
[So all the previous complaints were actually seen? He is so receptive to feedback, I love it!]
[No matter what's added, as long as there's new content, I'm ready to grind the new version!]
Alto looked at the lively discussion channel and smiled slightly. The entertainment he'd prepared was far more exciting than the players could possibly imagine.
Without making the players wait much longer, Alto sent another message as the designer.
[Alto: Before that, the development team will launch a challenge event for all players.]
Attached was a shocking promotional video.
In the footage, the normally peaceful Minecraft villagers were actually imprisoned. Each of them was locked in small cells that resembled prisons.
Some were driven into fully enclosed farms and forced to work day and night.
Others were confined to tiny rooms where they were immediately startled by suddenly appearing zombies whenever they tried to sleep.
Some members of the development team appeared alongside the walls, wearing purple armor that made them look like some commanders of a demon king.
In the throne room, a beating crystal heart sat in the center and emitted a dreamlike radiance. The Great Demon King Alto sat on the throne at the very top of the hall.
The video ended, instantly sparking heated discussions among the players.
[Evil, so evil!]
[How despicable! The villagers are so cute, and you're enslaving them!]
[They even arranged for zombies to scare the villagers when they just want to sleep. Are you even human?]
[I'm getting fired up just watching this! We must storm that castle and rescue the villagers!]
[Master Alto is actually playing the villain! This sense of oppression is incredible. I hate it but I'm looking forward to it at the same time!]
[The development team being villains is now confirmed! Just wait, we will definitely save the villagers and trample your demon castle into dust!]
Next came the competition rules.
[Alto: Challenge Event! The Demon King has enslaved the Minecraft villagers. Ten thousand players will now be selected to compete against thirty-two development team members.]
[Rule 1: All development team members will have one week to prepare first. No special permissions will be used throughout the process.]
[Rule 2: Ten thousand players will be selected to enter the competition. To win, they must breach the Demon King's castle and destroy the source of Demon King Alto's power, the Life Crystal, within one day.]
[Rule 3: Everyone in the game can respawn infinitely. No restrictions on any tactics or strategies used.]
[Note: If the challenge players win, everyone will split a one hundred million coin prize! The player who kills Great Demon King Alto will receive an additional one million coin bounty.]
The players who saw the announcement from Alto went absolutely crazy.
The prize pool is one hundred million Baileys.
[Ten thousand versus thirty-two? This numerical difference is ridiculous! It's a guaranteed win, brothers!]
[Ten thousand against thirty-two? The advantage is ours!]
[And we can respawn infinitely? Isn't this just handing us free money?]
[I've already studied Minecraft thoroughly. Just thirty-two people trying to stop ten thousand of us is wishful thinking.]
[Even if his entire castle is made of obsidian, I'm confident I can dig through it. It's impossible to stop us!]
[Hahaha, ten thousand people against them. Even if it's a mountain, we'll level it in a day! A tiny demon king fortress is a piece of cake!]
[It's in the bag, brothers. The designer is just handing out money. This is a surefire victory.]
Jose, who had just secured the first kill of the Ender Dragon, felt instantly invigorated upon seeing the announcement. Eliminating the designer Alto could net him a million in cash.
He didn't even care that much about the prize money itself. Sure, it's a nice cherry on top, but defeating the designer himself... wouldn't he become famous instantly?
Just thinking about it felt amazing.
He immediately made up his mind. His target was set.
Players began signing up one after another.
Besides the sign-up lottery, all players who had already cleared the Ender Dragon automatically qualified for this competition.
By now, over a thousand people had achieved that feat.
The participant list was quickly finalized.
[The seven-day preparation process of the development team will be kept secret, but the entire process will be recorded and made public after the competition ends.]
[A progress image of the defensive fortress construction will be sent to all participating players every day.]
There were thirty-two development team members participating this time, including Alto himself.
After continuous training by Alto during this period, they could at least complete some auxiliary work and basic construction tasks now.
"Is everyone ready? Remember the tasks I assigned to each of you."
Alto gave the final motivational speech to his team.
"Don't worry, boss. Everyone is on standby and prepared!"
Helena and the development team members were now fully equipped and ready.
Originally, they thought Alto was just joking around. Taking on ten thousand players seemed utterly ridiculous.
But after Alto's intensive crash course on advanced mechanics, those outrageous architectural facilities and various technical Minecraft strategies had completely opened the eyes of the development team employees.
[Looking forward to it! We can attack on the eighth day. I'll go back and develop my strategies a bit more first.]
[Don't worry, victory will surely belong to us this time!]
[I suggest we all have unified command and attack in an organized fashion when the time comes!]
[There are only thirty-two people on the other side. What's there to command? Even if they have full sets of enchanted armor, a mob of us charging in will beat them to death easily!]
With the order given, the competition officially began and all development team members and Alto spawned into the specially created map for this challenge event.