Jon’s troubles, Angel can understand.
After all, the Wizard World is not a modern society, and the fundamental nature of civilization is different. Transplanting all situations according to the free and open environment of Earth is obviously not suitable.
Angel personally tends to set a creation limit on chat groups first, and gradually open them up if an opportunity arises later.
Just as Jon said, giving too much at once and setting the tone to the highest level will make users feel all functions are taken for granted, and they will become unappreciative if left unchecked.
Therefore, first set limits to establish a tone; if the number of tree network users increases in the future, gradually open up. Perhaps by then, the chat group business could also become a chain of interest exchange.
Angel expressed his thoughts but did not force Jon to make changes. It was just an opinion, and it would be best to first see more user feedback before making a decision.
Jon also agreed that he would look at the feedback.
After discussing the feedback on the updates, Jon began to state another purpose for finding Angel: discussion on the next version update of the tree network and the reform direction of the Mother Tree Forum.
Originally, the iterative updates of the tree network and Forum were within Jon’s business scope, and he already had a preliminary plan for the update content. However, his development and transformation of the Mother Tree network were 20% based on the development team’s capability and 80% based on the permissions granted by Angel.
Now, the development team’s capabilities have been fully utilized, but the management permissions for the Mother Tree network have not been fully issued.
For this reason, Jon needed to consult with Angel.
Jon: "At present, in my view, the most lacking aspect of the surface network is the image embedding functionality."
"Whether it is avatar editing, using expressions, or beautifying pages, art material support is needed. However, avatars and expressions are not very important. I propose the image functionality first because forum topics with a higher professional nature need image pairing."
"For example, in my compilation of ’Overview and Detailed Rules of New City Planning,’ the witch Lianna often leaves comments with questions and suggestions. I can express simple questions in words, but modifying blueprints is hard to describe in text. Plus, the New City’s style is nothing like the existing style of the Wizards’ Realm, and the witch Lianna often can’t understand my descriptions; it’s best to use images to express them, which are clearer and more understandable."
Regarding the image functionality, Jon already mentioned it before, and Angel also conducted an in-depth understanding through the Civilization’s Mother Tree, confirming that this functionality is feasible.
Moreover, there are more than one method of image expression.
For instance, similar to text input, using mental imagery to draw what one thinks. Another example is capturing real patterns through branch powder within the Mother Tree Interlinker and uploading them to the surface network, which is also feasible.
However, Angel is hesitant about which mode to use specifically.
Mental imagery is undoubtedly more convenient, but wanting to draw with one’s mind requires very high mental expressiveness. The vast majority of humans can imagine a picture, a scene, and a landscape in their minds, but they generally focus on the overall outline and some key areas.
It is difficult for ordinary people to express all the details of a scene completely.
For example, the New City has countless overlapping buildings, with almost all building brick patterns, window shapes, and even ventilation ducts being different. A general pattern of the New City requires attention to at least hundreds of thousands or even millions of details.
Can ordinary people imagine and cover everything with mental imagery?
It’s difficult.
Aside from mental control, the second method is through a "physical" approach, using branch powder to sense real patterns. This is somewhat like the capturing feature of a holographic tablet, recording the current scene in real-time, encompassing every detail comprehensively, arguably the most realistic and comprehensive.
Angel personally leans towards using this method, but there are irreplaceable aspects of mental imagery, such as wanting to represent an imaginary scene. With capturing, you must draw it yourself first, then capture it afterward; but mental imagery allows for rapid mental composition, hence faster.
So, Angel is currently also conflicted on which to use? Or maybe, enable both methods together?
Angel thought for a moment and decided to let Jon make the choice.
He told Jon about the pros and cons of the two methods, and Jon, after pondering for a moment, replied: "If shooting through the Mother Tree Interlinker is possible, then let’s use this method first. Mental imagery evidently requires more skill and can be customized for high-end talents who can use this method in future versions."
After confirming the method of choice, Angel immediately manipulated the Tree Civilization to open up the relevant management permissions.
However, this only opens the relevant permissions; applying it to the surface network still requires Jon and his development team to conduct research and optimization.
It’s like suddenly opening an exit to a closed maze. People trapped in the maze still need to find that exit themselves to leave.
"The current version mainly features friend functions and private messaging. The next version can focus on images as a theme to build a series of features." After determining the next step in development direction, Jon raised some issues with the existing version with Angel, hoping for them to be resolved.
For instance, Dream Plant Fairies occasionally wander into the tree network and Mother Tree Forum.
Although Dream Plant Fairies are generally innocent and not very interested in the surface network, their sudden appearance is somewhat inconvenient, at least from a privacy standpoint that must be resolved quickly.
Angel had already encountered this point before and had a plan in place.
The solution comes down to two choices: either isolate the surface network from the Mother Tree network or make the access to the immersive network harder for the surface network.
Angel decided on the latter. He’s not planning to completely isolate the surface network because Jon mentioned the "root server" before.
The Mother Tree network cannot always rely on him to issue management permissions. He thought about constructing a root server deep within the Mother Tree network, within the immersive network, to manage the permissions of the surface network.
By then, as long as it doesn’t involve the fundamental aspects of the Mother Tree network, Jon can directly operate within the root server to add functions.
After confirming all schemes, Angel discussed future prospects for the Mother Tree network with Jon.
Jon also took this opportunity to ask Angel to publish some topic research or training insights on the Forum when he has time, to increase the credibility of the Mother Tree Forum and attract more people to join.
Angel also agreed to publish when he has spare time.
After finishing all this, Angel stopped the chat with Jon.
As Angel prepared to go offline, a burst of "ding-dong" piano sounds rang from the Mother Tree Interlinker again. Thinking Jon was contacting him about something, he picked it up to find it was a friend request.
Applicant: Redemption of the Dead.
Upon seeing this name, Angel was slightly stunned.
He naturally knew who this name represented, Niels Byron.
The reason for the surprise was that in an era when all tree network users used their real names, he actually saw a "username"?!
Although this username is actually Niels’s nickname, when it appeared, it instantly distinguished itself from others’ real names, standing out uniquely.
"Didn’t expect that guy Nis would grasp the true meaning of online names so quickly after contact with the tree group..." Angel mused to himself with amusement, then added Nis as a friend.