Alien game producer
Chapter 29
[First update, accident]
On the afternoon of February 2, Luo Hang came back from the test center, walked into Xie Yunfan's office, and asked: "Is the second version of the plan out? How is the progress?"
Xie Yunfan shook his head helplessly: "It still doesn't work, I asked them to redo it."
A full week has passed since the Underworld Labyrinth Holographic Edition project team started work.
Since all departments failed to grasp the style Xie Yunfan wanted, all the plans they made were rejected, and the progress of the project almost came to a standstill.
Xie Yunfan is not in a hurry, he likes to work slowly and carefully.
Just when I was about to ask Luo Hang about the situation at the data group, Luo Hang's cell phone suddenly rang.
Luo Hang looked at the caller ID and picked up the phone: "Hello...what?"
The man's face instantly darkened.
In Xie Yunfan's view, Luo Hang is a very calm person who rarely "shows his emotions."This was the first time I saw such an angry expression on his face. The sharp look in the man's eyes was frightening. The other end of the phone must have said something that made him very unhappy.
Luo Hang frowned and listened patiently. After a long time, the other party seemed to have finished speaking, and Luo Hang responded in a low voice: "Okay, I understand. Continue to follow up and report any changes to me immediately."
He hangs up.
Xie Yunfan asked with concern: "Mr. Luo, what happened?"
Luo Hang took a deep breath to calm down, looked at Xie Yunfan and said, "I went to the United States to negotiate with CCN. CCN is the largest operator in North America. They don't do game research and development, they only act as agents. They are a very strong network company."
"I want to hand over the agency rights of "Star Walk" to them, and they will help me promote the game cabin in North America. In the future, all exclusive games of the Qihang Game Cabin can be released simultaneously in North America. In order to achieve this cooperation, I gave away a lot of profit.”
"It was originally agreed that they would send a team to Qihang headquarters for inspection in mid-February, and the two parties formally signed a contract. As a result, when the agreed time came, I was ready to receive it, but they suddenly changed their mind."
Change your mind?
The cooperation was negotiated, but the contract was broken when it was broken. No wonder Luo Hang was so angry.
It’s definitely not that simple for CCN to change its mind at the last moment.Xie Yunfan asked: "Have you found the reason?"
Luo Hang frowned slightly: "I was cut off by Dream Wings."
Dream Wings?Xie Yunfan suddenly remembered that when his eldest brother went abroad to relax not long ago, he met Ye Teng, the copyright director of Dream Wings, and talked about the copyright acquisition of "Fighting Master".
Ye Teng from the copyright department wouldn't go abroad for no reason. Maybe he went abroad to negotiate?From this point of view, Dreamwing also has the ambition to expand overseas markets, which creates a head-on conflict with Qihang.
Luo Hangdao: "The call just now was from the director of Qihang's North American branch. They got the news that the boss of Dream Wings flew to CCN headquarters yesterday to sign a contract. The two parties will make an official announcement soon."
After spending so much time and energy on negotiating a good cooperation, the other party suddenly changed his mind. This must have been a big blow to Luo Hang.
Xie Yunfan stood up and walked to Luo Hang, comforting him: "It doesn't matter, they will regret today's decision when our game is officially launched."
Seeing the confident look of the person in front of him, Luo Hang suddenly felt much better. He smiled softly and said: "I have encountered many obstacles abroad in the past few years. In the final analysis, our strength is not strong enough. It’s just that I don’t have enough voice.”
If one day, Qihang becomes a world-class holographic game company, then it will not be Luo Hang who is running into obstacles to find partners, but partners will be lining up to find him.
In the business world, interests and strength speak for themselves.
CCN's change of heart this time is obviously because Dream Wings gave them better conditions. In addition, Dream Wings is indeed stronger than Qihang in holographic games. Businessmen are very profitable, and Luo Hang has nothing to say.
He cheered up, looked at Xie Yunfan and said: "Don't worry, this matter will have little impact on us. The markets in Asia, Europe, Africa and other places have already opened, and we can still go online simultaneously globally."
Xie Yunfan smiled calmly: "I'm not worried. In fact, the fact that this game can go abroad has far exceeded my expectations. I originally thought that it could only be launched in China."
Qihang has provided him with the world's largest platform, and he can't expect too much.
Luo Hang paused and said, "There is another piece of bad news."
Is today a "bad news day"?Do bad things happen together?
Xie Yunfan asked curiously: "Tell me about it?"
Luo Hangdao: "Coldplay has won the agency rights in China for the top IP game "Vampire Legend-2" from the European Telson Group. The launch time will be this summer vacation if nothing else."
Xie Yunfan: "..."
The pressure from friends and businessmen is a bit high!
Internationally, Dream Wings began to make plans to grab the cake, and the promotion of Qihang's game cabin in North America was blocked, which meant that it was difficult for "Underworld Labyrinth Holographic Edition" to be fully released in North America.That is the second largest holographic game market in the world, and profits are at least [-]% less.
Domestically, Coldplay has won the agency rights for the well-known European IP "Vampire Legend 2", which is also a horror game.And as the second sequel to a classic IP, it has already accumulated a considerable number of fans. Compared with "Maze of the Underworld", which is not well-known in the holographic market, this game has a great advantage at the beginning.
If two games are released at the same time, it is a head-on hedge.
It can be predicted that competition in this year's summer vacation will be extremely fierce.
Xie Yunfan thought about it for a moment and said, "Since it's about to hit the schedule with this big game, do you want to go on the market first, or do you want to do it later?"
The timing of the game's launch is very important. Luo Hang pondered for a moment and said: "They only launched the project at the beginning of the year, and I don't know the specific progress. Based on my judgment, and coupled with Coldplay's operating habits, the launch time should be in early August... …Why don’t we go ahead and go public in July?”
He believes that "Maze of the Underworld" can retain the first batch of players. This open-world game is very playable. It will take at least a month for the challenger party to complete all the mazes.If the plot party wants to collect all the branches, it will take more than half a month.
When the first wave of popularity subsides, it will be time for the release of "Vampire Legend 2" by a friend.
At that time, we must face the impact of world-class IP explosions.
Luo Hang looked at Xie Yunfan and said: "The popularity of stand-alone games will subside one month after they are launched. At this time, the other party will be online. We have to do a wave of attractive activities to retain players."
"Activity?" Xie Yunfan lowered his head, thoughtfully.
Luo Hang's "seize the opportunity" fighting method is a good operational idea. After all, the IP "Vampire Legend" is too famous around the world. Once it is launched later than it, all the players will be sucked up by it, and the underworld will not be able to do so. Several people are paying attention.
Grab a wave of users first and retain them with high-quality games. When faced with the impact of competitors, hold large-scale events to consolidate old users while attracting new players.
What activities should I do?
Xie Yunfan lowered his head and flipped through the calendar on his phone. Suddenly his eyes lit up and he said, "That's right! August 8th happens to be July 18th, the Ghost Festival. It can be our first big event after the open beta."
Hungry Ghost Festival?
Luo Hang was stunned, obviously he had never heard of this festival.
Xie Yunfan explained: "According to legend, the ghost world also has its own festival. The Ghost Festival is the day when the gates of ghosts are opened and little ghosts can come to the human world. On that day, the lively ghost market will also be opened, and the theme of the event is - Zhongyuan Festival On the Yuan Festival, a hundred ghosts walk at night!"
Xie Yunfan became more and more excited as he thought about it: "By then, players from all over the world will be able to visit the legendary ghost market and see all kinds of strange ghosts. They can also shop and have fun in the ghost market."
Luo Hang also found it interesting and praised: "This activity is very novel."
Judging from the previous games, the "Vampire Legend" series mainly follows a "single-player plot line". It is a plot-oriented holographic masterpiece, mixed with some horror elements and magic battles, and is very popular among players.
But "Maze of the Underworld" planned by Xie Yunfan is more playable.
Players who don’t like to watch long plots can go to the ghost market and play by themselves!Buy some things, listen to gossip, and see the strange world of ghosts... Isn't this more interesting than simply following the plot?
Xie Yunfan said: "By the way, the holographic version of the game can no longer be called "Maze of the Underworld". The word "maze" will dissuade a large number of players - let's change the name. How about just calling it "Ghost World"?"
Luo Hang smiled slightly: "Okay, I also think "Ghost World" is very suitable."
When the time comes, two games will be released simultaneously, Oriental Ghost PK Vampire...Xie Yunfan suddenly feels that this coincidence is quite interesting!
The legend of vampires is told every day in foreign countries. The first part is over, and a second one will be released?Why not let players all over the world take a look at the "ghosts" in Chinese legends.Their images and stories are different from "vampires" in Western backgrounds.
Thinking of this, Xie Yunfan was even more confident: "I will add some settings later."
Luo Hang suggested: "If we want to launch the game in July, we need to speed up our research and development. Let's develop the core gameplay first, and other branches and activities can be added later."
Xie Yunfan nodded: "Understood."
When the mobile version of "Labyrinth of the Underworld" was launched, it was already 100% complete and there was no need to add content in the future.
But the holographic version is different. For example, in the adventure system, four or five branches can be created first for players to complete the plot, and more branches can be added in subsequent activities.
Challenge the gameplay, start with Eighteen Hells, and add some wild bosses later.
The leisure party will first go to the mountains guarded by the Five Ghost Emperors and walk the Wangchuan River and Naihe Bridge. Later, they will hold a night walk of hundreds of ghosts, visit the ghost market, take photos and check in...
The advantage of an open world is that content can be added all the time. "Ghost World" is a huge world, not a short-term game that you don't need to play again after completing the plot or completing the level.
It has the potential to become a long-term game!
From now on, ghost markets can be held every year during the Ghost Festival.
It’s interesting to think about.
****
[Second update, speed up]
In the afternoon, Xie Yunfan was typing on the keyboard quickly in front of the computer, trying to sort out all the side tasks that needed to be done when the first version of "Ghost World" was released.
The stories he had read kept popping up in his mind. He picked and picked, and finally selected several representative ghost story chapters in "Liao Zhai".
He decided to divide the branch plots into four categories: love, friendship, horror and strange stories.
The first set of love chapters takes the love story of the male and female protagonists as the main line.
The most representative ones include the beautiful female ghost Nie Xiaoqian and the upright scholar Ning Caichen; the lively and lovely female ghost Xiao Xie, the jealous Qiurong, and Tao Wangsheng, who they both fall in love with; they appreciate and support each other and will never leave each other until life or death. Qiao Sheng and Liancheng.
Three stories, each with its own highlights.
The second group of friendship chapters takes confidants and friendship as the main line.
For example, the well-known story of "The soul follows the soul".Ye Sheng, a scholar, and Ding Chenghe, a local official, knew each other and cherished each other. Ding Chenghe admired Ye Sheng's talent. Later, Ye Sheng died of a serious illness, but his ghost has always been with Ding Chenghe. He also served as a teacher for Ding Chenghe's son and tutored his friend's son to obtain fame.After returning to his hometown many years later, he saw his own body and realized that he was a dead soul.
There is also the story of Tian Qilang and Wu Chengxiu. The two are good friends. Wu Chengxiu was falsely accused of murder. He asked for help everywhere but could not clear his grievances because the officials colluded with each other and did not allow him to defend himself.Tian Qilang pretended to be a woodcutter and killed the censor's brother with a knife when the officials were out. He also committed suicide with a knife.
He obviously fell in a pool of blood and his head was severed, but when the county magistrate came to check, he actually ghosted, stood up on the spot, and hacked the magistrate to death with another knife!
Even if he dies, he will avenge his friend. This Qilang is really a man.
The third set of horror chapters focuses on the horror atmosphere and allows players to experience it personally.
For example, in the classic horror story "Painted Skin", there is a terrifying evil ghost who paints with human skin and pretends to be a beautiful woman to seduce people. When the evil ghost takes off the beautiful human skin, it will definitely give holographic players goosebumps.
There is also the "zombie transformation", where a female corpse parked in a wilderness inn suddenly appears as a corpse in the middle of the night. When the guests flee in panic, the female corpse will jump up and follow them.This creates an immersive plot experience in the "Battle Royale Mode", and it must be very interesting to have the female corpse chase the player.
The last strange story tells about the wonderful ghostly experiences of some "ghosts".
For example, Song Sheng, the male protagonist in the Si Wenlang chapter of Liaozhai, had been taking exams when he was alive and failed. After his death, he became a ghost and still came to debate with the candidates, continue taking exams, and inspire himself to become an official in the ghost world.
Shang Sanguan, a strong character, disguised himself as a man to avenge his father. After his death, he was almost insulted and frightened to death by a ghost; Xi Fangping, a loyal and filial man, went to the underworld to meet the King of Hell in person to avenge his father's experience in the ghost world; Gongsun Jiu My mother was obsessed with bringing the bones back to her hometown and lingered in the cemetery...
These interesting and weird stories can also greatly enrich the world view of the game.
In order to finish writing these settings, Xie Yunfan worked overtime until the early morning, then rubbed his painful temples and pushed open the door to go back to his apartment.
When he was going out, he happened to meet Luo Hang. The two looked at each other, and Xie Yunfan took the initiative to say hello: "Mr. Luo, are you working overtime too?"
"Yeah." Luo Hang came over and said in a gentle voice, "Have you written the settings until now?"
Xie Yunfan scratched his head: "Well, I haven't finished writing yet."
There were too many things to write. He originally planned to live a new life and must go to bed at 11:30 to ensure a healthy schedule.I unknowingly worked overtime again today...
Playing games is like working overtime, there is no way to escape it.
Luo Hang said: "By the way, our company has no experience in doing a lot of plot lines. The two girls in the copywriting team have all their manuscripts turned back by you, right?"
Xie Yunfan said: "Yes. The story they wrote, the rhythm and the characters do not meet the requirements."
Luo Hangdao: "These two girls were writing the alien creature setting of "Walking in the Starry Sky". They are not good at writing complex plots. You can leave some NPC settings, world view, etc. to them to improve. As for the plot, it’s better to find someone else to write it.”
Xie Yunfan actually wanted to recruit other people. The characters written by the two girls were so bad that it was unreadable. The character modeling, level design, and map scenes of the adventure system all depended on the plot.The plot foundation is not good, and the other incidental things are useless no matter how gorgeous they are.
Xie Yunfan said: "Then let's hire a copywriter who is good at plot. Does Luo always want to recruit people openly?"
Luo Hang said: "Last week, a domestic game studio was officially disbanded. They were making plot-based games. I asked the HR manager to go directly to recruit people."
These words made Xie Yunfan's heart finally fall to the ground.
It turned out that Luo Hang had already discovered that the branch line could not continue and was planning to recruit additional people.After all, this is Qihang's home court, and it would be much easier for him to take the initiative in terms of personnel changes than Xie Yunfan.
Xie Yunfan said: "Then I will change my work arrangements tomorrow and ask the two girls to refine the world view and NPC introductions according to my outline. The side plot is just waiting for your new manpower."
Luo Hang said: "Okay, I will urge the personnel to speed up. Once the new copy is in place, you can personally train/teach them and explain the requirements clearly to them."
"Okay, I'll go back first. Good night, Mr. Luo."
"Well, have a good rest."
Xie Yunfan went back to sleep. Although nothing was done this week, fortunately, he and Luo Hang controlled the progress of the entire game and had a very clear overall plan for the project.
The navigator has a clear goal, and each team only needs to keep up with them, and the entire game can move forward step by step.
***
Three days later, Qihang’s new copywriter officially came to the headquarters to report.
Shen Xingye walked into Qihang Game Headquarters, maintaining calm on the surface, but actually panicking inside.
Her "Paradise Studio" was forcibly disbanded some time ago. Paradise started out as a story-based game. It also produced a very popular text-based mobile game "Wasteland Paradise" because the story was too tear-jerking and made countless people laugh. It was a hit that left players in tears.
But it was a small studio after all. The games it produced were short-lived, subsequent works couldn't keep up, and the boss lost interest in the game, so he simply disbanded the team.
During this time, she has been submitting resumes to major companies, but has repeatedly encountered obstacles.
Unexpectedly, she would receive an unsolicited call from Qihang HR, and they would directly recruit her internally and ask her to come to work at Qihang. They also offered a sky-high salary, which she simply could not refuse.
It was so pie-in-the-sky, it almost knocked her unconscious!
Shen Xingye was confused and worried.
Doesn't Qihang make adventure games like "Starry Sky Walk"?What do you want to do when you suddenly recruit copywriters?
She followed the HR manager to the 13th floor to report.
The manager took her to Luo Hang's office: "Mr. Luo, this is Miss Shen Xingye."
Luo Hang stretched out his hand politely: "Hello, I have played "Wasteland Paradise" and the story is very exciting. Welcome to join Qihang."
Shen Xingye was flattered in his heart. On the surface, he maintained the politeness of a professional and said with a smile: "Thank you, Mr. Luo, for your appreciation. I am honored to work at Qihang."
Luo Hang said: "Go next door and report to Director Xie. From now on, all your work tasks will be arranged by him."
Shen Xingye nodded and followed the HR manager to the next door.
Director Xie?Is he the director of Qihang Games’ new project?He must be a very powerful person, right?Shen Xingye walked in the door with the HR manager with doubts.
When I walked in, I saw a handsome boy in his early 20s sitting in front of the computer. At this time, he was typing on the keyboard quickly, not knowing what he was writing.The sound of clacking keyboards echoed throughout the office.
The HR manager coughed lightly and said, "Director Xie, the new copywriter, Ms. Shen Xingye, has arrived."
Xie Yunfan stopped what he was doing and looked up. The girl in front of him had a gentle temperament, long black hair, a casual and loose cream yellow sweater, and a generous smile.
He heard Luo Hang talk about this person.
Shen Xingye comes from a small studio. The tear-jerking emotional scenes in the critically acclaimed text-based plot game "Wasteland Paradise" were written by her.The emotional lines she writes are very delicate and natural, and her writing style is also excellent.
Of course, it is impossible for a copywriter from another world to write you an antique dialogue. The dialogues in the original work of "Liao Zhai" are all in classical Chinese. Therefore, even many readers in the previous life could not understand some parts, so they could only See "Annotated Edition".
If you want to popularize these stories in other worlds, it is enough to explain the core of the stories clearly in a common language that people in this world can accept.
You can't really write a bunch of classical Chinese texts, otherwise the players will be confused.Xie Yunfan stood up, walked to the other party, and shook hands with the girl: "Hello, welcome to the copywriting team. I am Xie Yunfan, the game's chief planner. If you have any problems at work in the future, you can come to me directly."
Shen Xingye nodded: "Thank you, sir."
Xie Yunfan handed her a stack of information: "Next, you will be responsible for all the copywriting of the plot branches. This is the story outline of several branches. Take a look at it first."
Shen Xingye: "!!!"
Is this an outline?This is a thick stack of bricks!
It was the first time she saw such a "weighty" outline, and she couldn't help but wonder: "Does this plot have millions of words?"
Xie Yunfan smiled slightly: "It's not that long. I'm worried that you can't grasp the style of the plot, so I wrote a lot of character notes and background setting information for your reference."
Shen Xingye: "..."
This plan is too good, why are you writing these things for her to read?
Shen Xingye was a little moved.After all, the last plan, let alone the outline, gave her nothing, leaving her to use her own brain to think of the plot.
Xie Yunfan explained: "The overall style of our game is a terrifying world of dead souls, but all dead souls are generated after human beings die, and they will naturally retain human characters and emotions. I have divided you into units, horror-themed stories, Just highlight the absurd and thrilling atmosphere; when writing love and friendship lines, highlight the sincere emotions. You have experience in making plot games, I believe you can grasp it well."
Shen Xingye is not a big shot in the industry, but the "Wasteland" she participated in before was also a story in a weird and absurd world, where the protagonists accompanied each other and developed sincere feelings.
Luo Hang poaching her was enough to solve Xie Yunfan's urgent need.
After listening to Xie Yunfan’s story, Shen Xingye nodded seriously: “Okay, Mr.
Xie Yunfan: "Well, thank you for your hard work."
When Shen Xingye went out, he met a boy with golden pigtails who happened to knock on Xie Yunfan's door.
She heard the other party say: "Boss, the design draft of Naihe Bridge is out. Can you take a look at what needs to be changed?"
Naihe Bridge?Sounds weird.
Shen Xingye turned around and went to the copywriting team, greeted his two colleagues, and looked down at the information carefully.
As she watched, her eyes slowly opened wide.
Isn't this world too strange?Can a dead person still jump up and continue killing?Two people who like each other stay together after death and then resurrect together?Some people actually forget that they have died, and their ghosts stay with their friends and serve as teachers for their children?
What a big idea!
If these stories were written, they would definitely be eye-catching.
The "ghost world" mentioned by the planner is no less than the wasteland world, doomsday world, and vampire world that players often see!The story here is very exciting, and these "ghosts" are also super unique!
Shen Xingye discovered that he seemed to have participated in a big project that could shock the gaming industry?
As the main copywriter, she must write well and restore the stories of these characters... no, ghosts as much as possible according to the planning requirements.
Thinking of this, Shen Xingye immediately turned on his computer.
***
At the same time, in the office next door, Xie Yunfan finally nodded: "Okay, Naihe Bridge is finalized, hurry up and color it."
Chu Yue breathed a sigh of relief.
After a week, he finally finished the manuscript and he almost wanted to cry!
Xie Yunfan said: "Continue to draw other things, thank you for your hard work."
Chu Yue smiled and scratched his head: "Well, I will hurry up!"
After a while, the level team came to report their work. Director Zhou looked anxious, fearing that he would be sent back to do it again.Unexpectedly, Xie Yunfan said in a good temper: "The skill design of King Qin Guang is ready. Let the special effects team do the skill special effects. You can continue to work on other bosses."
Director Zhou: "Okay!"
Next, several groups in a row have some final drafts.
After several trials, everyone finally made something that satisfied Xie Yunfan.
Today, the air pressure in the office area on the 13th floor was not as low as usual. During lunch, Luo Hang clearly noticed that everyone in the project team looked more relaxed, and some people were even smiling.
It seems that the progress of the project is finally not at a standstill, but has taken the first step!
***
[Third update, test]
Next, the entire office area on the 13th floor of Qihang Group began a head-shaking overtime career.
Luo Hang has been pushing for progress as he has to rush to market in time for the summer vacation, and Xie Yunfan's requirements are very strict. They spend every day revising and finalizing the draft.
The art team went through seven revisions of Nie Xiaoqian's draft alone.Later, Xia Yixi's dreams were filled with Nie Xiaoqian's thoughts.
Fortunately, the draft was finally finalized. The long-haired female ghost she drew is indeed stunningly beautiful. The scholar Ning Caichen also drew a simple and upright character.
After finishing the manuscript, I roughly figured out the style that Xie Yunfan liked, and the subsequent manuscripts became obviously faster.
But Xie Yunfan has put more and more information into everyone's hands.
Branch lines follow one after another, scenes follow one after another.
I can’t finish the painting, I can’t finish it at all!
The endless emergence of characters, ghosts, and scenes made everyone anxious.
Every group is as busy as a spinning top, and it is common for the Qihang Building to have its lights turned on late at night.
Sometimes, conflicts arise between different groups.
For example, the art team and the modeling team quarreled from time to time.The art team thinks that the original painting they painted is very beautiful, but the modeling team said that the clothes/scene you modeled does not look good because static and dynamic are not the same thing.
The level team felt that they had made a super awesome boss, but the programming team said that it would be easy for bugs to occur when you actually implement this skill.
The two sides argued endlessly, and finally turned to Xie Yunfan to settle the lawsuit.
Xie Yunfan was also going crazy with his work.
Not only does he have to supervise the progress of each group and personally check important details, he also has to deal with conflicts between different groups...
Just like a kindergarten parent.
If he hadn't been experienced, he would have been crushed by these people.
Fortunately, Xie Yunfan was able to deal with these endless situations with ease.He can always calmly point out the problem and convince each project team.
Under his supervision, different groups moved forward in an orderly manner.
A month later, the first branch line was completed. With the concerted efforts of all teams including art, copywriting, modeling, and levels, the smoothness of the story finally met Xie Yunfan's requirements.
Two months later, the holographic modeling and environmental values of the Eighteen Hells were all completed. The bosses of the ten kings of hell were arranged in different mazes. The completion rate of the challenge part has reached 80%.
All teams are working frantically.
Scenes are modeled one after another, filling the world map of the entire ghost world.
The towering gates of hell, the strangely beautiful Wufang Mountains, the countless innocent souls in the city of vain death, the endless river of forgetfulness, the cemetery with countless tombstones, the valley where the cold wind passes...
The scenery of the entire ghost world can be seen clearly in the holographic game.
The characters have also transformed from paper figures drawn by the artist into lifelike three-dimensional holographic NPCs.They can laugh, cry, and perform various actions. Xie Yunfan looked at these vivid "ghosts" through the holographic projection screen and felt very emotional.
Holographic games are more real than watching TV series.
Players will accompany these characters to go through levels and restore their stories. This kind of "immersive experience" even he wants to try for himself.
Time flies so fast, and months pass in the blink of an eye.
On May 5st, Xie Yunfan organized everyone to hold a mid-term meeting. Each group reported on the progress. The completion rate of the game has reached about 1%.
The next step is to polish and integrate various details.
After the plot was completed, Luo Hang packaged all the materials and handed them over to a well-known domestic dubbing studio, asking the dubbing director to grasp the personalities of all characters and use appropriate CVs to dub them according to the standards of TV series.For some of the climax plots, he also spent an extra amount of money to outsource CG animation to an animation company.
The price of animation is calculated by the second, and Luo Hang is very willing to spend money.
In addition, various skill special effects have also begun to be urgently worked on.
Xie Yunfan works overtime until late at night almost every day, and Luo Hang also works overtime with him. Both of them are holding their breath - because they both know that this game is of vital importance to Qihang and Yangfan Studio. An important move!
If you go well, you can open up the situation at once.
If things go poorly, not only Qihang will lose money, Yangfan Studio will also be greatly negatively affected.
……
For several months, every night, the office area on the 13th floor of Qihang Games was brightly lit.Luo Hang arranged for a restaurant to prepare late-night snacks for everyone, and some colleagues even slept directly in the company.
Everyone is working hard because everyone knows that they are participating in an unprecedented game project. As long as this game is successfully launched, they will not only get the year-end bonus, but this will also be a very important experience in their career resume. .
June 6th, exactly 10 months after the "Ghost World" project was established.
The first version of the game DEMO is finally made! !
That night, Xie Yunfan came to comfort everyone with a cart of delicious food, and said with a smile: "Although we encountered many difficulties during the production of the game, we worked hard to overcome them. Thank you everyone for your understanding. Next, Luo and I will I have decided to give you five days of leave!"
The office area burst into warm applause.
Luo Hang emphasized: "In the past few days, I will find someone to test the game DEMO. Everyone should recharge their batteries and have a good rest. If there are any problems during the test, they will be revised together after coming back."
The release of the first version of the game is not the end for them.After testing bugs and correcting details, there is still a lot of finishing work.
But at least the prototype of the game is out, which is a big progress!
***
The next day, most of the project team went home for vacation, leaving only a few programmers and employees responsible for testing.Everyone gathered in the Qihang Game Cabin Experience Center and each lay down in the game cabin.
Xie Yunfan also came to the experience center to observe the testing process.
He and Luo Hang sit in the main control position and can see the players' expressions and hear their voices at any time.
Not long after the game started, I heard a scream coming from a certain game cabin: "Ah ah ah, fuck, I was scared to death!"
Xie Yunfan: "..."
Who?Shouting so loudly?
Luo Hang suppressed his laughter and came over to tell Xie Yunfan: "The professional tester I hired is named Tang Yi. He once won the world championship in the Desert Island Crisis Shooting Competition and is now retired."
Xie Yunfan looked at him in surprise: "World champion, do you want this?"
Luo Hang: "...Ahem, it's my cousin."
Xie Yunfan understood: "No wonder."
Invite world champions to do the test. The reactions and awareness of these game masters are far better than ordinary players, and they can discover unreasonable game values as quickly as possible.
Xie Yunfan adjusted the camera to game cabin No. 17 - the tester, Tang Yi.
The player lying in the game cabin looked quite cute. While playing, he cursed and screamed in terror from time to time.
However, despite his blustery personality, his operation is really good. He can walk through the maze very smoothly. He didn't panic after encountering the boss in the first level, and he quickly mastered the rules of fighting the boss.
Xie Yunfan looked at it for a moment and frowned slightly: "The boss battle is not smooth enough. The level team has to adjust the interval between skill releases. Also, for the maze modeling, the distance between the walls should be one meter wider, otherwise the players will touch each other when walking. It’ll be disgusting when it hits your tongue.”
The tongue in the holographic game is different from the mobile game. It is not only disgusting to look at, but also disgusting in a physical sense. Horror games will not make players vomit their overnight meals in the game cabin.
The important thing is the atmosphere, so many details of the hell part need to be modified.
Luo Hang said: "Understood, go back and adjust."
The test was carried out in an orderly manner. When Tang Yi came out of the game cabin, his face was pale. He complained in a low voice: "I played for an hour and a half to get through the first hell!"
Luo Hang said: "Do you think the rhythm is okay?"
Tang Yi thought for a while and said: "It's about the same. It might take more than two hours for an ordinary player. The difficulty of the boss is medium. Although the maze is scary, if you master the skills, running all the way to escape is really exciting! I'm scared to death!" "
He paused and looked at his brother eagerly: "I want to play the second one."
Luo Hang pointed to the game cabin: "Go."
Xie Yunfan is very pleased to receive such evaluation from professional players.
Next door, Shen Xingye, who was testing the plot line, also came out. She said: "There is a bug in the side adventure adventure. I am halfway through the story line of Xiao Xie and Qiu Rong and can't trigger the dialogue? I can't continue."
The stuck bug caused the dialogue to become stuck. This was the fault of the program team.
Luo Hang said: "Let them change it."
People who were wandering around to test the scenery also submitted some weird bugs one after another, such as players getting stuck in the wall, walking back to the same place, etc.
After Xie Yunfan collected a wave of test evaluations, he was going to personally lead the program team to make changes.
This game needs to be tested at least three times to ensure that there are no obvious bugs before it is released, otherwise the player experience will be very bad.
***
At the end of June, the third test of "Ghost World" was officially completed.
The later animation and dubbing have all been sorted out.With half a month left before the listing, Luo Hang and Xie Yunfan discussed the operation plan.
Luo Hang said: "The current holographic game cabin is expensive and takes up space. Most families do not have the conditions to buy the game cabin back. Those who want to play holographic games can go to the experience center and pay to play."
This is equivalent to the Internet cafes in the old days. Everyone went to the Internet cafes to surf the Internet.
Xie Yunfan asked: "How much does it cost?"
Luo Hangdao: "The usage fee for the game cabin is 2 to 5 yuan per hour, and is priced independently according to the environment of the experience center. There will be additional charges for items in the game cabin. For example, Dream Wings' "Big Player" costs 2 yuan for a small game. Coldplay’s “Dead Rising” can be opened for 10 yuan per copy, and the mall also sells weapons and equipment.”
Xie Yunfan thought for a while and suggested: "Is our game more suitable for time-based charging?"
Luo Hang said: "Yes, we have an open world view. Players can freely explore the ghost world, pass the plot, pass the maze, and play whatever they want. The time-based charging is also more reasonable."
Xie Yunfan suggested: "As for pricing...should it be cheaper? First bring a group of experience parties over. Whether we can retain these players depends on the quality of our games."
Luo Hang asked: "5 yuan an hour, what do you think?"
Xie Yunfan smiled and said: "You are responsible for the operation. Just make the evaluation, Mr. Luo. I don't know much about the prices in the holographic market, so I just want to give you some suggestions."
Luo Hangdao: "Okay, I will consider the pricing compared with other games. In our game, there are no props charges or various gift packages. If there are only time charges, the first wave of sales may not be able to catch up, and we will have to rely on subsequent activities. ”
Xie Yunfan said: "Don't worry, preparations for the Night Parade of Hundred Ghosts are already underway."
Luo Hang smiled slightly: "Then I will also prepare publicity. The official launch time will be... July 7th?"
Xie Yunfan: "Okay!"
It was launched on July 7th, which is the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, which is August 15th next month. One month after the launch, the first wave of large-scale activities will be launched - the Ghost Festival, when the ghost gate opens and a hundred ghosts walk at night.
Big events can create a wave of revenue, consolidate old players, attract new players, and withstand the impact of rival games.
The rhythm is just right.
Next, make all preparations and look forward to the day when "Ghost World" officially meets the players!
The author has something to say:
Time flies, the research and development process will no longer be written in detail, the next chapter is on the market!
(End of this chapter)
On the afternoon of February 2, Luo Hang came back from the test center, walked into Xie Yunfan's office, and asked: "Is the second version of the plan out? How is the progress?"
Xie Yunfan shook his head helplessly: "It still doesn't work, I asked them to redo it."
A full week has passed since the Underworld Labyrinth Holographic Edition project team started work.
Since all departments failed to grasp the style Xie Yunfan wanted, all the plans they made were rejected, and the progress of the project almost came to a standstill.
Xie Yunfan is not in a hurry, he likes to work slowly and carefully.
Just when I was about to ask Luo Hang about the situation at the data group, Luo Hang's cell phone suddenly rang.
Luo Hang looked at the caller ID and picked up the phone: "Hello...what?"
The man's face instantly darkened.
In Xie Yunfan's view, Luo Hang is a very calm person who rarely "shows his emotions."This was the first time I saw such an angry expression on his face. The sharp look in the man's eyes was frightening. The other end of the phone must have said something that made him very unhappy.
Luo Hang frowned and listened patiently. After a long time, the other party seemed to have finished speaking, and Luo Hang responded in a low voice: "Okay, I understand. Continue to follow up and report any changes to me immediately."
He hangs up.
Xie Yunfan asked with concern: "Mr. Luo, what happened?"
Luo Hang took a deep breath to calm down, looked at Xie Yunfan and said, "I went to the United States to negotiate with CCN. CCN is the largest operator in North America. They don't do game research and development, they only act as agents. They are a very strong network company."
"I want to hand over the agency rights of "Star Walk" to them, and they will help me promote the game cabin in North America. In the future, all exclusive games of the Qihang Game Cabin can be released simultaneously in North America. In order to achieve this cooperation, I gave away a lot of profit.”
"It was originally agreed that they would send a team to Qihang headquarters for inspection in mid-February, and the two parties formally signed a contract. As a result, when the agreed time came, I was ready to receive it, but they suddenly changed their mind."
Change your mind?
The cooperation was negotiated, but the contract was broken when it was broken. No wonder Luo Hang was so angry.
It’s definitely not that simple for CCN to change its mind at the last moment.Xie Yunfan asked: "Have you found the reason?"
Luo Hang frowned slightly: "I was cut off by Dream Wings."
Dream Wings?Xie Yunfan suddenly remembered that when his eldest brother went abroad to relax not long ago, he met Ye Teng, the copyright director of Dream Wings, and talked about the copyright acquisition of "Fighting Master".
Ye Teng from the copyright department wouldn't go abroad for no reason. Maybe he went abroad to negotiate?From this point of view, Dreamwing also has the ambition to expand overseas markets, which creates a head-on conflict with Qihang.
Luo Hangdao: "The call just now was from the director of Qihang's North American branch. They got the news that the boss of Dream Wings flew to CCN headquarters yesterday to sign a contract. The two parties will make an official announcement soon."
After spending so much time and energy on negotiating a good cooperation, the other party suddenly changed his mind. This must have been a big blow to Luo Hang.
Xie Yunfan stood up and walked to Luo Hang, comforting him: "It doesn't matter, they will regret today's decision when our game is officially launched."
Seeing the confident look of the person in front of him, Luo Hang suddenly felt much better. He smiled softly and said: "I have encountered many obstacles abroad in the past few years. In the final analysis, our strength is not strong enough. It’s just that I don’t have enough voice.”
If one day, Qihang becomes a world-class holographic game company, then it will not be Luo Hang who is running into obstacles to find partners, but partners will be lining up to find him.
In the business world, interests and strength speak for themselves.
CCN's change of heart this time is obviously because Dream Wings gave them better conditions. In addition, Dream Wings is indeed stronger than Qihang in holographic games. Businessmen are very profitable, and Luo Hang has nothing to say.
He cheered up, looked at Xie Yunfan and said: "Don't worry, this matter will have little impact on us. The markets in Asia, Europe, Africa and other places have already opened, and we can still go online simultaneously globally."
Xie Yunfan smiled calmly: "I'm not worried. In fact, the fact that this game can go abroad has far exceeded my expectations. I originally thought that it could only be launched in China."
Qihang has provided him with the world's largest platform, and he can't expect too much.
Luo Hang paused and said, "There is another piece of bad news."
Is today a "bad news day"?Do bad things happen together?
Xie Yunfan asked curiously: "Tell me about it?"
Luo Hangdao: "Coldplay has won the agency rights in China for the top IP game "Vampire Legend-2" from the European Telson Group. The launch time will be this summer vacation if nothing else."
Xie Yunfan: "..."
The pressure from friends and businessmen is a bit high!
Internationally, Dream Wings began to make plans to grab the cake, and the promotion of Qihang's game cabin in North America was blocked, which meant that it was difficult for "Underworld Labyrinth Holographic Edition" to be fully released in North America.That is the second largest holographic game market in the world, and profits are at least [-]% less.
Domestically, Coldplay has won the agency rights for the well-known European IP "Vampire Legend 2", which is also a horror game.And as the second sequel to a classic IP, it has already accumulated a considerable number of fans. Compared with "Maze of the Underworld", which is not well-known in the holographic market, this game has a great advantage at the beginning.
If two games are released at the same time, it is a head-on hedge.
It can be predicted that competition in this year's summer vacation will be extremely fierce.
Xie Yunfan thought about it for a moment and said, "Since it's about to hit the schedule with this big game, do you want to go on the market first, or do you want to do it later?"
The timing of the game's launch is very important. Luo Hang pondered for a moment and said: "They only launched the project at the beginning of the year, and I don't know the specific progress. Based on my judgment, and coupled with Coldplay's operating habits, the launch time should be in early August... …Why don’t we go ahead and go public in July?”
He believes that "Maze of the Underworld" can retain the first batch of players. This open-world game is very playable. It will take at least a month for the challenger party to complete all the mazes.If the plot party wants to collect all the branches, it will take more than half a month.
When the first wave of popularity subsides, it will be time for the release of "Vampire Legend 2" by a friend.
At that time, we must face the impact of world-class IP explosions.
Luo Hang looked at Xie Yunfan and said: "The popularity of stand-alone games will subside one month after they are launched. At this time, the other party will be online. We have to do a wave of attractive activities to retain players."
"Activity?" Xie Yunfan lowered his head, thoughtfully.
Luo Hang's "seize the opportunity" fighting method is a good operational idea. After all, the IP "Vampire Legend" is too famous around the world. Once it is launched later than it, all the players will be sucked up by it, and the underworld will not be able to do so. Several people are paying attention.
Grab a wave of users first and retain them with high-quality games. When faced with the impact of competitors, hold large-scale events to consolidate old users while attracting new players.
What activities should I do?
Xie Yunfan lowered his head and flipped through the calendar on his phone. Suddenly his eyes lit up and he said, "That's right! August 8th happens to be July 18th, the Ghost Festival. It can be our first big event after the open beta."
Hungry Ghost Festival?
Luo Hang was stunned, obviously he had never heard of this festival.
Xie Yunfan explained: "According to legend, the ghost world also has its own festival. The Ghost Festival is the day when the gates of ghosts are opened and little ghosts can come to the human world. On that day, the lively ghost market will also be opened, and the theme of the event is - Zhongyuan Festival On the Yuan Festival, a hundred ghosts walk at night!"
Xie Yunfan became more and more excited as he thought about it: "By then, players from all over the world will be able to visit the legendary ghost market and see all kinds of strange ghosts. They can also shop and have fun in the ghost market."
Luo Hang also found it interesting and praised: "This activity is very novel."
Judging from the previous games, the "Vampire Legend" series mainly follows a "single-player plot line". It is a plot-oriented holographic masterpiece, mixed with some horror elements and magic battles, and is very popular among players.
But "Maze of the Underworld" planned by Xie Yunfan is more playable.
Players who don’t like to watch long plots can go to the ghost market and play by themselves!Buy some things, listen to gossip, and see the strange world of ghosts... Isn't this more interesting than simply following the plot?
Xie Yunfan said: "By the way, the holographic version of the game can no longer be called "Maze of the Underworld". The word "maze" will dissuade a large number of players - let's change the name. How about just calling it "Ghost World"?"
Luo Hang smiled slightly: "Okay, I also think "Ghost World" is very suitable."
When the time comes, two games will be released simultaneously, Oriental Ghost PK Vampire...Xie Yunfan suddenly feels that this coincidence is quite interesting!
The legend of vampires is told every day in foreign countries. The first part is over, and a second one will be released?Why not let players all over the world take a look at the "ghosts" in Chinese legends.Their images and stories are different from "vampires" in Western backgrounds.
Thinking of this, Xie Yunfan was even more confident: "I will add some settings later."
Luo Hang suggested: "If we want to launch the game in July, we need to speed up our research and development. Let's develop the core gameplay first, and other branches and activities can be added later."
Xie Yunfan nodded: "Understood."
When the mobile version of "Labyrinth of the Underworld" was launched, it was already 100% complete and there was no need to add content in the future.
But the holographic version is different. For example, in the adventure system, four or five branches can be created first for players to complete the plot, and more branches can be added in subsequent activities.
Challenge the gameplay, start with Eighteen Hells, and add some wild bosses later.
The leisure party will first go to the mountains guarded by the Five Ghost Emperors and walk the Wangchuan River and Naihe Bridge. Later, they will hold a night walk of hundreds of ghosts, visit the ghost market, take photos and check in...
The advantage of an open world is that content can be added all the time. "Ghost World" is a huge world, not a short-term game that you don't need to play again after completing the plot or completing the level.
It has the potential to become a long-term game!
From now on, ghost markets can be held every year during the Ghost Festival.
It’s interesting to think about.
****
[Second update, speed up]
In the afternoon, Xie Yunfan was typing on the keyboard quickly in front of the computer, trying to sort out all the side tasks that needed to be done when the first version of "Ghost World" was released.
The stories he had read kept popping up in his mind. He picked and picked, and finally selected several representative ghost story chapters in "Liao Zhai".
He decided to divide the branch plots into four categories: love, friendship, horror and strange stories.
The first set of love chapters takes the love story of the male and female protagonists as the main line.
The most representative ones include the beautiful female ghost Nie Xiaoqian and the upright scholar Ning Caichen; the lively and lovely female ghost Xiao Xie, the jealous Qiurong, and Tao Wangsheng, who they both fall in love with; they appreciate and support each other and will never leave each other until life or death. Qiao Sheng and Liancheng.
Three stories, each with its own highlights.
The second group of friendship chapters takes confidants and friendship as the main line.
For example, the well-known story of "The soul follows the soul".Ye Sheng, a scholar, and Ding Chenghe, a local official, knew each other and cherished each other. Ding Chenghe admired Ye Sheng's talent. Later, Ye Sheng died of a serious illness, but his ghost has always been with Ding Chenghe. He also served as a teacher for Ding Chenghe's son and tutored his friend's son to obtain fame.After returning to his hometown many years later, he saw his own body and realized that he was a dead soul.
There is also the story of Tian Qilang and Wu Chengxiu. The two are good friends. Wu Chengxiu was falsely accused of murder. He asked for help everywhere but could not clear his grievances because the officials colluded with each other and did not allow him to defend himself.Tian Qilang pretended to be a woodcutter and killed the censor's brother with a knife when the officials were out. He also committed suicide with a knife.
He obviously fell in a pool of blood and his head was severed, but when the county magistrate came to check, he actually ghosted, stood up on the spot, and hacked the magistrate to death with another knife!
Even if he dies, he will avenge his friend. This Qilang is really a man.
The third set of horror chapters focuses on the horror atmosphere and allows players to experience it personally.
For example, in the classic horror story "Painted Skin", there is a terrifying evil ghost who paints with human skin and pretends to be a beautiful woman to seduce people. When the evil ghost takes off the beautiful human skin, it will definitely give holographic players goosebumps.
There is also the "zombie transformation", where a female corpse parked in a wilderness inn suddenly appears as a corpse in the middle of the night. When the guests flee in panic, the female corpse will jump up and follow them.This creates an immersive plot experience in the "Battle Royale Mode", and it must be very interesting to have the female corpse chase the player.
The last strange story tells about the wonderful ghostly experiences of some "ghosts".
For example, Song Sheng, the male protagonist in the Si Wenlang chapter of Liaozhai, had been taking exams when he was alive and failed. After his death, he became a ghost and still came to debate with the candidates, continue taking exams, and inspire himself to become an official in the ghost world.
Shang Sanguan, a strong character, disguised himself as a man to avenge his father. After his death, he was almost insulted and frightened to death by a ghost; Xi Fangping, a loyal and filial man, went to the underworld to meet the King of Hell in person to avenge his father's experience in the ghost world; Gongsun Jiu My mother was obsessed with bringing the bones back to her hometown and lingered in the cemetery...
These interesting and weird stories can also greatly enrich the world view of the game.
In order to finish writing these settings, Xie Yunfan worked overtime until the early morning, then rubbed his painful temples and pushed open the door to go back to his apartment.
When he was going out, he happened to meet Luo Hang. The two looked at each other, and Xie Yunfan took the initiative to say hello: "Mr. Luo, are you working overtime too?"
"Yeah." Luo Hang came over and said in a gentle voice, "Have you written the settings until now?"
Xie Yunfan scratched his head: "Well, I haven't finished writing yet."
There were too many things to write. He originally planned to live a new life and must go to bed at 11:30 to ensure a healthy schedule.I unknowingly worked overtime again today...
Playing games is like working overtime, there is no way to escape it.
Luo Hang said: "By the way, our company has no experience in doing a lot of plot lines. The two girls in the copywriting team have all their manuscripts turned back by you, right?"
Xie Yunfan said: "Yes. The story they wrote, the rhythm and the characters do not meet the requirements."
Luo Hangdao: "These two girls were writing the alien creature setting of "Walking in the Starry Sky". They are not good at writing complex plots. You can leave some NPC settings, world view, etc. to them to improve. As for the plot, it’s better to find someone else to write it.”
Xie Yunfan actually wanted to recruit other people. The characters written by the two girls were so bad that it was unreadable. The character modeling, level design, and map scenes of the adventure system all depended on the plot.The plot foundation is not good, and the other incidental things are useless no matter how gorgeous they are.
Xie Yunfan said: "Then let's hire a copywriter who is good at plot. Does Luo always want to recruit people openly?"
Luo Hang said: "Last week, a domestic game studio was officially disbanded. They were making plot-based games. I asked the HR manager to go directly to recruit people."
These words made Xie Yunfan's heart finally fall to the ground.
It turned out that Luo Hang had already discovered that the branch line could not continue and was planning to recruit additional people.After all, this is Qihang's home court, and it would be much easier for him to take the initiative in terms of personnel changes than Xie Yunfan.
Xie Yunfan said: "Then I will change my work arrangements tomorrow and ask the two girls to refine the world view and NPC introductions according to my outline. The side plot is just waiting for your new manpower."
Luo Hang said: "Okay, I will urge the personnel to speed up. Once the new copy is in place, you can personally train/teach them and explain the requirements clearly to them."
"Okay, I'll go back first. Good night, Mr. Luo."
"Well, have a good rest."
Xie Yunfan went back to sleep. Although nothing was done this week, fortunately, he and Luo Hang controlled the progress of the entire game and had a very clear overall plan for the project.
The navigator has a clear goal, and each team only needs to keep up with them, and the entire game can move forward step by step.
***
Three days later, Qihang’s new copywriter officially came to the headquarters to report.
Shen Xingye walked into Qihang Game Headquarters, maintaining calm on the surface, but actually panicking inside.
Her "Paradise Studio" was forcibly disbanded some time ago. Paradise started out as a story-based game. It also produced a very popular text-based mobile game "Wasteland Paradise" because the story was too tear-jerking and made countless people laugh. It was a hit that left players in tears.
But it was a small studio after all. The games it produced were short-lived, subsequent works couldn't keep up, and the boss lost interest in the game, so he simply disbanded the team.
During this time, she has been submitting resumes to major companies, but has repeatedly encountered obstacles.
Unexpectedly, she would receive an unsolicited call from Qihang HR, and they would directly recruit her internally and ask her to come to work at Qihang. They also offered a sky-high salary, which she simply could not refuse.
It was so pie-in-the-sky, it almost knocked her unconscious!
Shen Xingye was confused and worried.
Doesn't Qihang make adventure games like "Starry Sky Walk"?What do you want to do when you suddenly recruit copywriters?
She followed the HR manager to the 13th floor to report.
The manager took her to Luo Hang's office: "Mr. Luo, this is Miss Shen Xingye."
Luo Hang stretched out his hand politely: "Hello, I have played "Wasteland Paradise" and the story is very exciting. Welcome to join Qihang."
Shen Xingye was flattered in his heart. On the surface, he maintained the politeness of a professional and said with a smile: "Thank you, Mr. Luo, for your appreciation. I am honored to work at Qihang."
Luo Hang said: "Go next door and report to Director Xie. From now on, all your work tasks will be arranged by him."
Shen Xingye nodded and followed the HR manager to the next door.
Director Xie?Is he the director of Qihang Games’ new project?He must be a very powerful person, right?Shen Xingye walked in the door with the HR manager with doubts.
When I walked in, I saw a handsome boy in his early 20s sitting in front of the computer. At this time, he was typing on the keyboard quickly, not knowing what he was writing.The sound of clacking keyboards echoed throughout the office.
The HR manager coughed lightly and said, "Director Xie, the new copywriter, Ms. Shen Xingye, has arrived."
Xie Yunfan stopped what he was doing and looked up. The girl in front of him had a gentle temperament, long black hair, a casual and loose cream yellow sweater, and a generous smile.
He heard Luo Hang talk about this person.
Shen Xingye comes from a small studio. The tear-jerking emotional scenes in the critically acclaimed text-based plot game "Wasteland Paradise" were written by her.The emotional lines she writes are very delicate and natural, and her writing style is also excellent.
Of course, it is impossible for a copywriter from another world to write you an antique dialogue. The dialogues in the original work of "Liao Zhai" are all in classical Chinese. Therefore, even many readers in the previous life could not understand some parts, so they could only See "Annotated Edition".
If you want to popularize these stories in other worlds, it is enough to explain the core of the stories clearly in a common language that people in this world can accept.
You can't really write a bunch of classical Chinese texts, otherwise the players will be confused.Xie Yunfan stood up, walked to the other party, and shook hands with the girl: "Hello, welcome to the copywriting team. I am Xie Yunfan, the game's chief planner. If you have any problems at work in the future, you can come to me directly."
Shen Xingye nodded: "Thank you, sir."
Xie Yunfan handed her a stack of information: "Next, you will be responsible for all the copywriting of the plot branches. This is the story outline of several branches. Take a look at it first."
Shen Xingye: "!!!"
Is this an outline?This is a thick stack of bricks!
It was the first time she saw such a "weighty" outline, and she couldn't help but wonder: "Does this plot have millions of words?"
Xie Yunfan smiled slightly: "It's not that long. I'm worried that you can't grasp the style of the plot, so I wrote a lot of character notes and background setting information for your reference."
Shen Xingye: "..."
This plan is too good, why are you writing these things for her to read?
Shen Xingye was a little moved.After all, the last plan, let alone the outline, gave her nothing, leaving her to use her own brain to think of the plot.
Xie Yunfan explained: "The overall style of our game is a terrifying world of dead souls, but all dead souls are generated after human beings die, and they will naturally retain human characters and emotions. I have divided you into units, horror-themed stories, Just highlight the absurd and thrilling atmosphere; when writing love and friendship lines, highlight the sincere emotions. You have experience in making plot games, I believe you can grasp it well."
Shen Xingye is not a big shot in the industry, but the "Wasteland" she participated in before was also a story in a weird and absurd world, where the protagonists accompanied each other and developed sincere feelings.
Luo Hang poaching her was enough to solve Xie Yunfan's urgent need.
After listening to Xie Yunfan’s story, Shen Xingye nodded seriously: “Okay, Mr.
Xie Yunfan: "Well, thank you for your hard work."
When Shen Xingye went out, he met a boy with golden pigtails who happened to knock on Xie Yunfan's door.
She heard the other party say: "Boss, the design draft of Naihe Bridge is out. Can you take a look at what needs to be changed?"
Naihe Bridge?Sounds weird.
Shen Xingye turned around and went to the copywriting team, greeted his two colleagues, and looked down at the information carefully.
As she watched, her eyes slowly opened wide.
Isn't this world too strange?Can a dead person still jump up and continue killing?Two people who like each other stay together after death and then resurrect together?Some people actually forget that they have died, and their ghosts stay with their friends and serve as teachers for their children?
What a big idea!
If these stories were written, they would definitely be eye-catching.
The "ghost world" mentioned by the planner is no less than the wasteland world, doomsday world, and vampire world that players often see!The story here is very exciting, and these "ghosts" are also super unique!
Shen Xingye discovered that he seemed to have participated in a big project that could shock the gaming industry?
As the main copywriter, she must write well and restore the stories of these characters... no, ghosts as much as possible according to the planning requirements.
Thinking of this, Shen Xingye immediately turned on his computer.
***
At the same time, in the office next door, Xie Yunfan finally nodded: "Okay, Naihe Bridge is finalized, hurry up and color it."
Chu Yue breathed a sigh of relief.
After a week, he finally finished the manuscript and he almost wanted to cry!
Xie Yunfan said: "Continue to draw other things, thank you for your hard work."
Chu Yue smiled and scratched his head: "Well, I will hurry up!"
After a while, the level team came to report their work. Director Zhou looked anxious, fearing that he would be sent back to do it again.Unexpectedly, Xie Yunfan said in a good temper: "The skill design of King Qin Guang is ready. Let the special effects team do the skill special effects. You can continue to work on other bosses."
Director Zhou: "Okay!"
Next, several groups in a row have some final drafts.
After several trials, everyone finally made something that satisfied Xie Yunfan.
Today, the air pressure in the office area on the 13th floor was not as low as usual. During lunch, Luo Hang clearly noticed that everyone in the project team looked more relaxed, and some people were even smiling.
It seems that the progress of the project is finally not at a standstill, but has taken the first step!
***
[Third update, test]
Next, the entire office area on the 13th floor of Qihang Group began a head-shaking overtime career.
Luo Hang has been pushing for progress as he has to rush to market in time for the summer vacation, and Xie Yunfan's requirements are very strict. They spend every day revising and finalizing the draft.
The art team went through seven revisions of Nie Xiaoqian's draft alone.Later, Xia Yixi's dreams were filled with Nie Xiaoqian's thoughts.
Fortunately, the draft was finally finalized. The long-haired female ghost she drew is indeed stunningly beautiful. The scholar Ning Caichen also drew a simple and upright character.
After finishing the manuscript, I roughly figured out the style that Xie Yunfan liked, and the subsequent manuscripts became obviously faster.
But Xie Yunfan has put more and more information into everyone's hands.
Branch lines follow one after another, scenes follow one after another.
I can’t finish the painting, I can’t finish it at all!
The endless emergence of characters, ghosts, and scenes made everyone anxious.
Every group is as busy as a spinning top, and it is common for the Qihang Building to have its lights turned on late at night.
Sometimes, conflicts arise between different groups.
For example, the art team and the modeling team quarreled from time to time.The art team thinks that the original painting they painted is very beautiful, but the modeling team said that the clothes/scene you modeled does not look good because static and dynamic are not the same thing.
The level team felt that they had made a super awesome boss, but the programming team said that it would be easy for bugs to occur when you actually implement this skill.
The two sides argued endlessly, and finally turned to Xie Yunfan to settle the lawsuit.
Xie Yunfan was also going crazy with his work.
Not only does he have to supervise the progress of each group and personally check important details, he also has to deal with conflicts between different groups...
Just like a kindergarten parent.
If he hadn't been experienced, he would have been crushed by these people.
Fortunately, Xie Yunfan was able to deal with these endless situations with ease.He can always calmly point out the problem and convince each project team.
Under his supervision, different groups moved forward in an orderly manner.
A month later, the first branch line was completed. With the concerted efforts of all teams including art, copywriting, modeling, and levels, the smoothness of the story finally met Xie Yunfan's requirements.
Two months later, the holographic modeling and environmental values of the Eighteen Hells were all completed. The bosses of the ten kings of hell were arranged in different mazes. The completion rate of the challenge part has reached 80%.
All teams are working frantically.
Scenes are modeled one after another, filling the world map of the entire ghost world.
The towering gates of hell, the strangely beautiful Wufang Mountains, the countless innocent souls in the city of vain death, the endless river of forgetfulness, the cemetery with countless tombstones, the valley where the cold wind passes...
The scenery of the entire ghost world can be seen clearly in the holographic game.
The characters have also transformed from paper figures drawn by the artist into lifelike three-dimensional holographic NPCs.They can laugh, cry, and perform various actions. Xie Yunfan looked at these vivid "ghosts" through the holographic projection screen and felt very emotional.
Holographic games are more real than watching TV series.
Players will accompany these characters to go through levels and restore their stories. This kind of "immersive experience" even he wants to try for himself.
Time flies so fast, and months pass in the blink of an eye.
On May 5st, Xie Yunfan organized everyone to hold a mid-term meeting. Each group reported on the progress. The completion rate of the game has reached about 1%.
The next step is to polish and integrate various details.
After the plot was completed, Luo Hang packaged all the materials and handed them over to a well-known domestic dubbing studio, asking the dubbing director to grasp the personalities of all characters and use appropriate CVs to dub them according to the standards of TV series.For some of the climax plots, he also spent an extra amount of money to outsource CG animation to an animation company.
The price of animation is calculated by the second, and Luo Hang is very willing to spend money.
In addition, various skill special effects have also begun to be urgently worked on.
Xie Yunfan works overtime until late at night almost every day, and Luo Hang also works overtime with him. Both of them are holding their breath - because they both know that this game is of vital importance to Qihang and Yangfan Studio. An important move!
If you go well, you can open up the situation at once.
If things go poorly, not only Qihang will lose money, Yangfan Studio will also be greatly negatively affected.
……
For several months, every night, the office area on the 13th floor of Qihang Games was brightly lit.Luo Hang arranged for a restaurant to prepare late-night snacks for everyone, and some colleagues even slept directly in the company.
Everyone is working hard because everyone knows that they are participating in an unprecedented game project. As long as this game is successfully launched, they will not only get the year-end bonus, but this will also be a very important experience in their career resume. .
June 6th, exactly 10 months after the "Ghost World" project was established.
The first version of the game DEMO is finally made! !
That night, Xie Yunfan came to comfort everyone with a cart of delicious food, and said with a smile: "Although we encountered many difficulties during the production of the game, we worked hard to overcome them. Thank you everyone for your understanding. Next, Luo and I will I have decided to give you five days of leave!"
The office area burst into warm applause.
Luo Hang emphasized: "In the past few days, I will find someone to test the game DEMO. Everyone should recharge their batteries and have a good rest. If there are any problems during the test, they will be revised together after coming back."
The release of the first version of the game is not the end for them.After testing bugs and correcting details, there is still a lot of finishing work.
But at least the prototype of the game is out, which is a big progress!
***
The next day, most of the project team went home for vacation, leaving only a few programmers and employees responsible for testing.Everyone gathered in the Qihang Game Cabin Experience Center and each lay down in the game cabin.
Xie Yunfan also came to the experience center to observe the testing process.
He and Luo Hang sit in the main control position and can see the players' expressions and hear their voices at any time.
Not long after the game started, I heard a scream coming from a certain game cabin: "Ah ah ah, fuck, I was scared to death!"
Xie Yunfan: "..."
Who?Shouting so loudly?
Luo Hang suppressed his laughter and came over to tell Xie Yunfan: "The professional tester I hired is named Tang Yi. He once won the world championship in the Desert Island Crisis Shooting Competition and is now retired."
Xie Yunfan looked at him in surprise: "World champion, do you want this?"
Luo Hang: "...Ahem, it's my cousin."
Xie Yunfan understood: "No wonder."
Invite world champions to do the test. The reactions and awareness of these game masters are far better than ordinary players, and they can discover unreasonable game values as quickly as possible.
Xie Yunfan adjusted the camera to game cabin No. 17 - the tester, Tang Yi.
The player lying in the game cabin looked quite cute. While playing, he cursed and screamed in terror from time to time.
However, despite his blustery personality, his operation is really good. He can walk through the maze very smoothly. He didn't panic after encountering the boss in the first level, and he quickly mastered the rules of fighting the boss.
Xie Yunfan looked at it for a moment and frowned slightly: "The boss battle is not smooth enough. The level team has to adjust the interval between skill releases. Also, for the maze modeling, the distance between the walls should be one meter wider, otherwise the players will touch each other when walking. It’ll be disgusting when it hits your tongue.”
The tongue in the holographic game is different from the mobile game. It is not only disgusting to look at, but also disgusting in a physical sense. Horror games will not make players vomit their overnight meals in the game cabin.
The important thing is the atmosphere, so many details of the hell part need to be modified.
Luo Hang said: "Understood, go back and adjust."
The test was carried out in an orderly manner. When Tang Yi came out of the game cabin, his face was pale. He complained in a low voice: "I played for an hour and a half to get through the first hell!"
Luo Hang said: "Do you think the rhythm is okay?"
Tang Yi thought for a while and said: "It's about the same. It might take more than two hours for an ordinary player. The difficulty of the boss is medium. Although the maze is scary, if you master the skills, running all the way to escape is really exciting! I'm scared to death!" "
He paused and looked at his brother eagerly: "I want to play the second one."
Luo Hang pointed to the game cabin: "Go."
Xie Yunfan is very pleased to receive such evaluation from professional players.
Next door, Shen Xingye, who was testing the plot line, also came out. She said: "There is a bug in the side adventure adventure. I am halfway through the story line of Xiao Xie and Qiu Rong and can't trigger the dialogue? I can't continue."
The stuck bug caused the dialogue to become stuck. This was the fault of the program team.
Luo Hang said: "Let them change it."
People who were wandering around to test the scenery also submitted some weird bugs one after another, such as players getting stuck in the wall, walking back to the same place, etc.
After Xie Yunfan collected a wave of test evaluations, he was going to personally lead the program team to make changes.
This game needs to be tested at least three times to ensure that there are no obvious bugs before it is released, otherwise the player experience will be very bad.
***
At the end of June, the third test of "Ghost World" was officially completed.
The later animation and dubbing have all been sorted out.With half a month left before the listing, Luo Hang and Xie Yunfan discussed the operation plan.
Luo Hang said: "The current holographic game cabin is expensive and takes up space. Most families do not have the conditions to buy the game cabin back. Those who want to play holographic games can go to the experience center and pay to play."
This is equivalent to the Internet cafes in the old days. Everyone went to the Internet cafes to surf the Internet.
Xie Yunfan asked: "How much does it cost?"
Luo Hangdao: "The usage fee for the game cabin is 2 to 5 yuan per hour, and is priced independently according to the environment of the experience center. There will be additional charges for items in the game cabin. For example, Dream Wings' "Big Player" costs 2 yuan for a small game. Coldplay’s “Dead Rising” can be opened for 10 yuan per copy, and the mall also sells weapons and equipment.”
Xie Yunfan thought for a while and suggested: "Is our game more suitable for time-based charging?"
Luo Hang said: "Yes, we have an open world view. Players can freely explore the ghost world, pass the plot, pass the maze, and play whatever they want. The time-based charging is also more reasonable."
Xie Yunfan suggested: "As for pricing...should it be cheaper? First bring a group of experience parties over. Whether we can retain these players depends on the quality of our games."
Luo Hang asked: "5 yuan an hour, what do you think?"
Xie Yunfan smiled and said: "You are responsible for the operation. Just make the evaluation, Mr. Luo. I don't know much about the prices in the holographic market, so I just want to give you some suggestions."
Luo Hangdao: "Okay, I will consider the pricing compared with other games. In our game, there are no props charges or various gift packages. If there are only time charges, the first wave of sales may not be able to catch up, and we will have to rely on subsequent activities. ”
Xie Yunfan said: "Don't worry, preparations for the Night Parade of Hundred Ghosts are already underway."
Luo Hang smiled slightly: "Then I will also prepare publicity. The official launch time will be... July 7th?"
Xie Yunfan: "Okay!"
It was launched on July 7th, which is the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, which is August 15th next month. One month after the launch, the first wave of large-scale activities will be launched - the Ghost Festival, when the ghost gate opens and a hundred ghosts walk at night.
Big events can create a wave of revenue, consolidate old players, attract new players, and withstand the impact of rival games.
The rhythm is just right.
Next, make all preparations and look forward to the day when "Ghost World" officially meets the players!
The author has something to say:
Time flies, the research and development process will no longer be written in detail, the next chapter is on the market!
(End of this chapter)
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