To ascend, I had no choice but to create games

Chapter 455: Chapter 270: Pioneers in the Field of Culture (Second Update)_2

Zhongshan nodded and said to Liuzi, “Liuzi, take care of yourself.”

“I understand. By the way, do you want to try out ‘Princess Dungeon 1’ too? Consider it slacking off.”

“Here! Isn’t that inappropriate?”

“What’s inappropriate about it? The computer is over there, go and give it a try.”

Dragged to the computer, Zhongshan felt embarrassed as Liuzi launched the game. Then, as he discovered the game was nothing like he had imagined, the sheepish expression on his face quickly vanished.

The developers must have no clue about gaming, he thought.

...

But after playing it, only one thought remained in his mind.

Holy shit!

Games can be like this!

At that moment, he felt as if the gates to a New World had opened, his desire for gaming fully unearthed, making him realize he didn’t lack a passion for games, he just hadn’t found the ones he liked.

The length of each game session wasn’t long, but the whole process was euphorically addictive, with the excitement of getting key equipment sending his adrenaline through the roof, keeping him in a state of anticipation every second.

Playing until evening, Zhongshan finally lifted his head, reluctantly, and said earnestly to Liuzi, “Liuzi, I finally understand why you’re so addicted.”

“You haven’t even played 2 yet. The second one is even more amazing.”

“Really!”

“Yeah, start with the computer, I’ll help you set up a new account.”

After playing ‘Princess Dungeon 2’, Zhongshan was utterly stunned.

The sequel had built on the foundation of the first game, with puzzles and stat design that had developed significantly further; the game’s number-balance planner had matured after a year of experience.

Number balancing is the core of any game; they might not be conspicuous, but they’re the ones who complete the game experience with their stats.

Comparing the first and the second games, Zhongshan could feel it. The growth of the studio’s number balancing wasn’t just incremental, it was a leap.

Their numerical adjustments were more delicate, and the stats of various items seemed exaggerated but always within the planner’s vision.

The pairing of special weapons was also noteworthy; some weapons seemed comical but had their specific purposes in certain contexts.

If you’d follow the studio’s works in sequence, you might not feel the difference, but if you directly compare the previous with the newer version, the improvements are starkly apparent.

After completing a dungeon, Zhongshan, leaning back in his chair, couldn’t help but exclaim, “This is the work of a gaming Immortal.”

“Yeah, incredible, isn’t it?”

“Really incredible. By the way, Liuzi, you mentioned using the computer for now, does that mean there’s something even more exciting?”

“Yeah, follow me to the bedroom.”

Following Liuzi to the bedroom with curiosity, Zhongshan laid his eyes on the gaming pod there.

Its technologically advanced exterior swept Zhongshan off his feet, immediately conjuring in his mind a gaming method he thought impossible.

“Virtual reality?”

“Yes, recently a lot of comic artists have bought these. At first, it was bought because it was said to help with sleep, but later they discovered they could play games while sleeping, so many leading comic artists purchased it. Currently, you can only play three games, but more will be released for free later.”

“Really! Where did they hear about this? And how did they purchase it?”

“From me.”

Whipping his head around, Zhongshan looked at Liuzi and realized the culprit was right beside him.

Zhongshan gazed at the machine, admiring its exterior, then asked with anticipation, “Can I try it out?”

“Sure, but use the other one. I bought an extra specially for my assistant.”

“What’s the feedback like?”

“They’ve been working a lot of overtime, they’d do it even without the extra pay.”

“Is it really that impressive?”

Climbing into another gaming pod with a mixture of belief and doubt, Zhongshan emerged later, utterly dumbfounded.

He found it difficult to describe his feelings, knowing only that today he had finally discovered what freedom truly was.

The vast grasslands filled him with an immense longing, for it was a life of freedom and abandon he had never experienced.

This is what gaming is all about!

No wonder the assistants were all working overtime. If it were him, he’d do the same, and make sure to work until the last train home, lying in the capsule playing until the world turned upside down. @@novelbin@@

When he returned to the editorial department, he felt more spirited than ever and energetically began the day’s work, reviewing today’s submissions.

Editors receive a large number of submissions each day, which they categorize as trash, adjustable, suitable for submission to committee review, or masterpieces.

After being submitted to the committee for review, they are circulated among all the editors and compared with other works, with those showing promise being serialized in short sections.

If the response to the short serials is good, there is a chance they will be turned into longer serials.

Today’s submissions were mostly valueless, as usual, but one of them did catch Zhongshan’s interest.

The artist’s skill was mediocre, and the panel layouts lackluster, but the theme of virtual games was uncommon, and this sparked some ideas in Zhongshan.

Taking into account his experiences at Liuzi’s home, he decided to invite the individual for a visit to have a thorough exchange.

Zhongshan’s experience was just a microcosm of the many comic editors out there.

Even though game capsules were still a niche gaming machine, some had already recognized their unparalleled potential.

The times were progressing, technology was developing, and the emergence of game capsules would drive a new wave of gaming frenzy. Discerning the trend of the times is an essential quality for every worker in the entertainment industry.

Anyone who has seen a game capsule and personally played the games inside would understand the kind of revolution it could bring about and the waves it could make.

And decisions made by people like Zhongshan would, in turn, influence the public’s acceptance of virtual reality, serving as a trailblazer for Kirin Industry’s development in the realm of the mind.

Just like Zhongshan, Landick from North America emerged from a game capsule featuring “Princess Dungeon 2” with an ashen face.

He wasn’t really knowledgeable about games, but after his experience with this one, he felt a tremendous sense of panic and unease.

This game was too interesting.

He never expected virtual reality gaming to blend so seamlessly with casual grinding games.

What he expected even less was the sheer audacity of Fang Cheng Studio.

All the famous weapons and equipment could be seen in the game, and each piece of weaponry and item had its own individual model that could be disassembled.

The layout of each dungeon was different, and although you could tell they were randomly generated, the randomness was of a very high standard.

The NPC AI was so good it was infuriating; attractive and unattractive NPC characters all had different reactions.

Not to mention the biggest selling point of virtual reality, the realism.

It wasn’t a game at all, but another reality!

After contacting the local VR hardware manufacturers through the North American Gaming Guild, Landick received an even more startling piece of news.

They had taken apart and analyzed the game capsule, but with their current technology, they couldn’t replicate it.

“It’s a device of genius,” the hardware engineer on the other end said helplessly, “we can’t replicate it for now. But the design has given us a lot of inspiration. We can try to make an inferior version, though the realism may only be 10% at most. But it’s hard even to reach that level.”

The stammering tone of voice on the other end made Landick’s anger rise, but he still restrained himself and asked, “What’s the usual rate?”

“3%…”

“That’s not virtual reality at all!”

“Yes. And we found out that while we could try to break through with the hardware, the startup settings are the hardest to mimic right now. We can tell they’re using a simulation of fetal dreams to induce rapid sleep and hypnosis, but it’s difficult to replicate the relevant data.”

“Is it that difficult?”

“It is. Their data is too sophisticated. We suspect that they must have monitored hundreds of thousands of fetal data to accurately recreate this scenario. The startup program is the soul of the game capsule.”

“Alright, I understand,” Landick replied.

After hanging up the phone, Landick said to his assistant, “Send an email to Fang Cheng Studio for me.”

“What’s the content?”

“Tell them if they are willing to provide the startup data for the game capsule, I’ll help lobby to lift their ban in North America.”

With a heavy sigh, Landick, as if making a great sacrifice, lit a cigar and added, “They should be thankful for my mercy.”

Watching Landick like this, his assistant felt that Druid Entertainment might not be going anywhere in the long run.