To ascend, I had no choice but to create games-Chapter 663 - 378 Gone Mad (Second Update)_1
Chapter 663 -378: Gone Mad (Second Update)_1
Chapter 663 -378: Gone Mad (Second Update)_1
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A few days later, before the new game’s video had been released, Fang Cheng received a visit from Mr. Shen.
Mr. Shen of today was completely different from two years ago.
Mr. Shen was extraordinarily clever two years ago, but now, would anyone have imagined this gentleman once being a bald man, given his thick, flourishing hair?
Sitting in the reception chair, Mr. Shen, upon seeing Fang Cheng entering, affectionately raised his hand and said, “Fang Cheng.”
“Mr. Shen, did you run out of tea leaves again?”
“Indeed, but that’s not why I’m here. I saw the preview of your new game. You’ve settled on a zombie theme?”
Mr. Shen’s expression was very serious, and his back straightened involuntarily, which struck Fang Cheng as a bit odd.
Nevertheless, he nodded and said, “Indeed.”
This time, the game content was somewhat innovative, and to keep it confidential, Wang Xiaoying had not released videos or screenshots in their external promotions. Instead, she provided several key tags to let players guess for themselves.
This interactive form of puzzle-solving was very popular with players, and there were quite a few discussions under the relevant topics.
[Zombies, randomness, weapon combinations… Could it be a dating sim game?]
[First glance: What kind of thought is that? Second glance: Maybe you’re onto something.]
[If it were a game from another game studio, maybe I could have guessed it. But Fang Cheng Studio’s game… How could I know?]
[Let’s dissect it word by word. Zombie, sounds like a funeral; random sounds like a note. So, is the game’s name Funeral Notes, a horror game?]
[Could it be a horror romance game? I’ve even thought up the tagline: “You, an ordinary citizen, suddenly find yourself caught in a ghost marriage. Just as you are about to be desecrated by eighteen men of the Han Dynasty, who appears before you but the tall and mighty Lord from a thousand years ago, drenched in blood but two hundred million years old, Ghost Bride, and the pale-faced Paper Man of three hundred and fifty million years of age! Come now, who will be your bride?”]
[Um… buddy, are you into older characters? I’ve got a thousand-year-old grave here, interested?]
[No thanks, I’m not into lolis.]
According to the “Fang Cheng Uncertainty Principle,” speculating about the new game became a pastime for players during periods without new releases, filling Fang Cheng Studio’s official account with a lively atmosphere every day.
Mr. Shen had seen these speculations as well and was extremely concerned about Fang Cheng’s new game.
After confirming that Fang Cheng Studio’s new game was a zombie-themed one, he expressed his worries, “Fang Cheng, this theme is not easy to work with. If it’s not gory enough, the players won’t like it; make it too gory, and parents won’t like it. You can’t please both sides. And you’ve been quite well-known lately—shouldn’t you take a more low-key approach?”
“It’s fine, I’ll handle it,” Fang Cheng said nonchalantly.
“Young and vigorous, huh? Well, if there are any issues, I’ll help you sort them out. How’s the game development going? Since I’m here, let me help you test it.”
“Of course.”
As he led Mr. Shen to his seat, Mr. Shen started the game, mentally prepared to be scared.
However, when the relaxing music started playing, and the fierce yet somewhat cute animal characters appeared on the screen, Mr. Shen realized his psychological preparations were in vain.
The game’s music was light, cheerful, and full of energy. The graphics were realistic but had a touch of cartoonishness, and even the zombies that appeared on the screen were animal characters. Although they looked quite ferocious at first, they became quite appealing after a while.
Though the visuals were cartoonish, the content of the game was hardcore, with weapon feedback and sound effects being particularly impressive. The response of the weapons on target also greatly surprised Mr. Shen.
The overall game was not gory, but the destruction effects were extremely well done. Different weapons’ unique characteristics made the game full of randomness and challenges, which hooked Mr. Shen from feeling weak at the start to growing stronger later, and he became engrossed in it.
Before long, he became fond of the little knife in the game. Though it was not very strong in attack power, continuous attacks would put the game character into a frenzy state rapidly. If the character was a shark, it would trigger a hidden attribute, allowing players to regain health through the carnage.
Brandishing the small knife wildly, Mr. Shen’s face turned frantic as he waved the mouse and shouted, “Perish, perish, all of you wicked zombies, fall beneath my Judgement Thunderblade! Hahaha, you dare to hurt me, honey, this will only excite me more!”
Watching Mr. Shen, who had turned into a completely different person, Fang Cheng realized that people truly had many sides, and Mr. Shen certainly was a man of passions.
Luckily, Mr. Shen’s state didn’t last long, and he soon calmed himself down.
After a game session, Mr. Shen watched as his character was devoured by a horde of zombies, and the screen displayed a wealth of unlocked items. He leaned back in his chair, exhaling contentedly, then noticed that others were staring at him.
“Sorry, I get a bit too excited when I play thrilling games. Did I scare you all?” Mr. Shen said, somewhat embarrassed.
“It’s alright,” said Fang Cheng, “I’ve seen more extreme reactions than yours, so this is no big deal at all.”
“That’s good to hear. I like the game; it’s really good. Your games keep getting better and better.”
Looking at the employees in the studio, Mr. Shen felt a wave of emotion.
There weren’t many people in the studio, but each one was talented.
He had seen them before.
Back then, they were working in different companies, seemingly unremarkable and nothing out of the ordinary.
But now, they seemed to have become talents capable of standing on their own. This growth rate made him quite emotional, and he realized that there had indeed been some problems with the game environment in the country before.
Talents were buried; games became increasingly homogeneous and boring. New game ideas had become hard to come by, leaving the game market stagnant.
Thankfully, observing the people here, Mr. Shen felt that there was still hope for domestic games.
But after some thought, Mr. Shen felt he had been a bit too arrogant.
The national games industry always had hope.
Every year, people tirelessly worked on the games they wanted to create, never discouraged by failure. They would slowly accumulate experience, learn from others, and then wait for their moment to shine.
Moreover, due to the “Spirit Vessel” MOD brought by Fang Cheng Studio, the cost of developing games had become very low.
At home, he often paid attention to the vast MOD market, and the emergence of various interesting MODs had shown him a range of entertaining types.
They would use this platform to showcase their strength, accumulate relevant experience, and then take the gaming world by storm.
With a smile and farewell, Mr. Shen left Fang Cheng Studio, suddenly filled with anticipation for the future of the gaming world.
After Mr. Shen confirmed, there were no content issues with the new game, and even if there were, he could say there were none.
Even though he no longer made games, Mr. Shen still had influence in the domestic gaming industry. Given that he said there was no issue, one could be confident there truly were none.
His words acted like a calming pill, allowing the studio staff to focus on their games and integrating their ideas into the gameplay.
Once the reservation date arrived, the game went live.
Seeing the notification that the game had been released, players happily paid for it in Passport World and cheerfully began playing.
Lately, gamers were generally well-off, with quite a few gritting their teeth and stomping their feet and went ahead to purchase the virtual helmets and suits. Then, they could just lie in bed and play the game.
However, upon seeing the game’s graphics, they felt like they had been deceived.
[“Animal Crisis”? The new game is this one? Where are the zombies I’ve been looking forward to, the randomness I was longing for? Where’s the weapon pairing I wanted to see? Hmm, it seems they’re all here…]
[“I am considering whether to call the police because I feel like I’ve been scammed. But looking at the content here, I find that I might not have been deceived.”]
[“Played it, so weird, but it’s somehow even more thrilling than real life.”]
[“Me too, I always thought that zombies aren’t playable without human actors. But after playing, I found that maybe using animal actors isn’t bad either.”]
[“The motion capture is really impressive, the movements of each animal are spot on. Otters actually dance while standing on water. So cute!”]
[“That’s not dancing, that’s them trying to twist off the opponent’s neck to kill them.”]
[… “Thank you, I’m no longer fond of it.”]
“Animal Crisis” currently only had two modes, Tower Defense Mode, and a rescue mode.
In Tower Defense Mode, the player is the tower itself, and zombies from all directions constantly charge at the player’s position. If caught and bitten by a zombie, the player’s health would gradually decrease until being torn apart by zombies.
But since they are animal zombies, some players get distracted by how cute the zombies look and forget to shoot, eventually getting bitten to death.
The game had almost no learning curve, as long as one knew how to use a keyboard, move a mouse, and understood Chinese.
Yet to truly get into the game, one needed a bit of brains.
Of course, just a bit.
The game offered different recommended schools of thought, and players could select the style they wanted. Then, when the desired skill appeared, players just needed to choose the corresponding skill.
Of course, the combinations recommended by the game were usually the more mainstream ones. Once players grew to a certain level and developed a new aesthetic pursuit, they could customize their own style and become a true powerhouse.
Moreover, after taking Huang Ping’s advice, the game thoughtfully added an attribute system that allowed players to grow stronger.
And this system was hidden.
Each time a player died in the game, the damage zombies inflicted on them would decrease proportionally, gradually approaching a limit.
Whenever a player used a weapon, its experience would also steadily increase, fostering a sense of growing stronger.
This growth in values was covert yet incredibly smooth, a thoughtful number system created by Xiao Douzi to cater to players and was his most perfect masterpiece to date.
With this system, players only felt stronger and more exhilarated as they played, evolving from wee shrimps who screamed at the sight of zombies to powerhouses who could evenly trade blows with dinosaur zombies.
On the first day the game was released, players discovered it was truly too thrilling, too intense.
One video after another was posted, players sharing their highlight moments so everyone could witness their glory.
Players wielding magnetic curve blades shredded the black bear before them into pieces, their sharp blades slicing through the monsters as if through tofu, with dark green blood splattering across the ground, and even larger monsters charging at them.
Amidst the mist, enormous beasts loomed, their terrifying roars thunderous. However, players felt no fear, knowing that one day they would face these monsters and turn the zombies into their vanquished foes.
Atop mountains of bones stood champions ruminating on the loneliness of the skilled; across plains littered with corpses, war gods anticipated the next battle.
It seemed that every player who tried this game went a bit mad.
And those who couldn’t play the game went even madder.
