Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Let's Verify the Fun, Prototype (1)
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Do whatever you want with the project… As I tilted my head at Oh Geoshin’s sudden proposal, he continued in a magnanimous tone.
“Didn’t you say it yourself? That when there are too many people with approval authority, the work goes in a strange direction… This time, try making it your way.”
“Hmm, I understand.”
“In return… show me with results that you weren’t wrong again. If you can’t, well, I’ll just have to clear out your desk.”
“Is that so?”
“But I’m a businessman by nature, and if this method proves to make more money, I’ll consider your words. If not, well, I’ll just clear out your desk.”
Clearing out a desk—a phrase that would send shivers down the spine of any other PD or department head.
Though I had just lectured him with a smug attitude, he was now reminding me that he had the power to get rid of me if I slipped up even slightly.
‘What a petty move.’
But… I wasn't particularly afraid of that.
My confidence stemmed from the money *Forgotten Andersen's Story* had earned and the skills I was honing daily with the God Game Maker.
‘I’ll show you the best game you’ve ever seen so you can never say something like that again.’
I replied with a smirk.
“Yes, I’ll prove it. If it doesn’t work out, my desk… well, you can throw it out or do whatever you please.”
I had no intention of sucking up to him just to keep my job for a long time.
I nodded, my face full of fighting spirit.
If I could prove it.
If I could hand him the fruit of success from a project that was entirely my own…
I thought that perhaps even this dumpster fire of a company could change, just a little.
“You may leave. And… I hope you achieve good results.”
“You can look forward to it.”
I walked out of the CEO’s office.
Just then, the secretary who had been waiting outside the door entered, passing me.
Seon Wooyeon.
A veteran secretary who had worked with Oh Geoshin for over ten years, he adjusted his glasses and asked a question.
He knew that the CEO's attitude had been quite different from how he usually treated other PDs.
“Sir, did the meeting go well?”
“More than well. That kid’s a total nutcase.”
Oh Geoshin leaned his head back and shook it from side to side.
Seon Wooyeon, holding a tablet PC, looked at him with a slightly anxious expression.
Given the CEO’s hot-tempered nature, there was no telling where the conversation might go.
“Secretary Seon, do you think I have a dogmatic personality?”
“Pardon? Uh… not particularly…”
Seon Wooyeon forced an awkward smile at the question.
It wasn't easy to speak the truth to the CEO, who was like the heavens to him.
“I won’t get mad, so be honest.”
Oh Geoshin’s sharp gaze held a silent pressure, demanding the truth.
His long experience as a secretary told him instinctively.
If he fumbled here and said the CEO wasn’t like that at all, he would only get chewed out more…
Seon Wooyeon quickly racked his brain and came up with the answer he thought the CEO wanted.
“Rather than dogmatic, I think you have a style that pushes forward steadfastly… like a bulldozer.”
“Bulldozer, my ass. That’s just a nicer way of saying the same thing. If even you’re saying that, I must be a real old fogey.”
“…No, sir.”
Oh Geoshin let out a deep sigh, a conflicted look on his face.
Seon Wooyeon was anxious to death, seeing his boss acting so out of character.
“Secretary Seon, call in all the game-making PDs in the company, one by one. Tell them I want to have a chat with each of them.”
“Yes, sir. May I ask the purpose of this summons…?”
“Just tell them I have a few things I want to ask. And that the department heads are not to be involved.”
“Ah, yes. Understood. I’ll make the calls and schedule the meetings right away.”
Receiving his orders, Seon Wooyeon immediately left the office and started making calls.
A one-on-one meeting between a PD and the CEO… The CEO had always interacted with the company’s games through the department heads.
From Seon Wooyeon’s perspective, everything the CEO was doing right now was completely new.
“‘If you don’t know games, get out of the way’… Maybe that nutcase was right.”
Left alone in his office, Oh Geoshin muttered to himself with a bitter smile.
****
After the strategy proposal was approved, a lot of things changed for me.
- Gwajang Jo Hyunsoo, what on earth did you say to the CEO that day? I heard he suddenly called in all the PDs for meetings. He told them to speak their minds if they had any complaints about the company. -
- Well, I just told him everything honestly. -
First of all… perhaps thanks to what I’d said to the CEO, the company’s approval chain was drastically shortened across the board.
It was a temporary measure, but the word was that they would try this method for a while and compare the game development speed and quality.
I remembered the look of astonishment on Department Head Shin Chihwan’s face when I told him about my conversation that day.
- You told him to his face that the company’s system was flawed? That people who don’t know games should step aside? Wow… there’s a bigger psycho than me right here. -
- That’s about what happened. -
Well, whatever the case, he accepted my opinion, even if only temporarily, so things turned out well.
The worst that could happen was my desk getting cleared out.
If that happened… I could just make a living as a solo indie developer.
Right now, there was nothing holding me back. I would run only toward my dreams and goals.
Rather than cowering and being unable to speak my mind to the CEO, I wanted to tell the truth and change this rotten company.
‘To do that, I need solid results.’
A few more days passed after I made that resolution.
Around lunchtime, Department Head Shin Chihwan suddenly came to the office, a grin on his face, and delivered some news.
“PD Hyunsoo, the CEO wants you to take charge of a game.”
“So it’s been decided.”
Hearing those words didn’t make me feel particularly happy at the moment.
Instead, it was Daeri Heo Yuri, sitting beside me, who chimed in with exclamations of “Awesome!” and “That’s amazing!”
I never thought that a presentation that had received the highest grade from God Game Maker would fail to pass, and I was already preparing for the next step.
“Huh, you’re not happy? I thought you’d be ecstatic to hear it was approved.”
“With all the support you gave me, Department Head, it would’ve been stranger if it hadn’t passed, wouldn’t it?”
“Oh? Flattery will get you nowhere.”
“I’m just stating the facts.”
Of course, I didn't forget to attribute this outcome to my superior, who was practically a colleague to me.
Shin Chihwan seemed pleased with the comment, a smirk forming on his lips as he spoke again.
“Well, alright… In that case, start working hard on the prototype. I won’t interfere much until it’s ready, so give it your all. Just give me a progress report every now and then when I’m bored.”
“Yes, sir.”
The moment Department Head Shin Chihwan left the office…
<>
As if it had been waiting, God Game Maker displayed a system window before my eyes.
Well… it was obvious what this main quest would be, even without looking.
[Main Quest / Let’s Make a Prototype!]
- Now that the strategy proposal has been approved, you must verify the fun of your game with a prototype.
(1) Clear Condition: Create a prototype build with a grade of A+ or higher and pass NB Soft’s internal review.
(2) Success Reward: Gain EXP, acquire the title ‘Proven Fun.’
(3) Failure Penalty: EXP decrease and retry the ‘Let’s Make a Prototype!’ quest.
‘Right… I need to make a prototype.’
A prototype. It’s a kind of test version, a rough draft of the game made to verify if it's actually fun beforehand.
It's a crucial stage, as it's used to verify the core fun of the game, and this concept is usually carried through to the end.
Since a large team can’t be assigned at this stage, multi-talented individuals who can handle various fields are generally preferred.
The reason I picked Daeri Heo Yuri was because I expected her to perform well during this prototype phase.
Of course, to create a prototype, besides a graphic designer, one more position is absolutely necessary.
A programmer… someone who can bring our graphic resources and plans to life.
‘Jeong Yosep will be joining soon.’
Client programmer Daeri Jeong Yosep, who had successfully passed the first and second interviews and tests.
His hiring had been confirmed, and he would soon be joining us.
About two more days passed. It was morning.
A young man dressed in hip-hop fashion stood in the office that had previously been occupied only by me and Daeri Heo Yuri.
“Good morning! My name is Jeong Yosep!”
“Ah, Daeri Yosep, you’re here?”
“Wow, it’s great to meet you!”
Finally, the long-awaited Daeri Jeong Yosep had arrived at the office.
‘It’s a relief he joined our team…’
Not only had he passed the first and second interviews, but he had also reportedly achieved excellent results in the company’s job skills test.
According to Department Head Shin Chihwan, other PDs had requested to have Daeri Jeong Yosep assigned to their teams.
Those guys have no sense of professional courtesy… trying to snatch someone I had interviewed with the intention of hiring.
Well… in the end, he was assigned to me, thanks to the CEO’s influence, so it was a relief.
“Daeri Yosep, for this morning, I’ll send you the strategy document I’ve been working on, so please take a look. And if you have any questions, feel free to ask me.”
“Ah, and if you have any questions about company life, feel free to ask me too.”
“Yep, yep, got it.”
I couldn’t just throw work at him on his first day, so I had him lightly read the documents in the morning.
Even to hold a meeting, we needed a basic common understanding.
“Daeri Yosep, since it’s your first day, shall we eat out? Daeri Yuri, you too. My treat.”
“Ah, yep, yep, sounds good to me.”
I led them to a nearby Chinese restaurant with private rooms.
After ordering a mix of dishes and main courses, I immediately brought up work.
“Daeri Yosep, what are your thoughts after reading the document?”
It’s an unwritten rule not to talk about work during meals, but our team was in a situation where every minute and second counted, so it couldn't be helped.
“I think it’ll be fun. In particular, there seem to be many areas that need research on how to implement them from an artistic perspective. It didn’t seem like something that could be solved with simple programming alone.”
“Yes, it will be a difficult task, but I’m counting on you. I believe you’ll do well, Daeri Yosep, since you have skills as a TA (Technical Artist) and a passion for games.”
“Well, I like this kind of work.”
*Pass On Dream* is a package, console game.
It doesn’t require complex planning and programming for things like server construction, monster respawns, or ecosystem building like in an MMORPG.
But… even so, there is a huge barrier to completing this game.
Implementing Van Gogh’s paintings into a game.
However, if this were implemented with full-frame animation, not only would optimization be impossible, but the file size would increase exponentially.
Therefore, his biggest mission would be to implement this in the game in a different way.
“My goal is to release a prototype in three months. There are two key things we need to showcase then. First, how we will implement the game’s art style, and second, what system will provide the core fun.”
The two of them nodded slightly.
“We’ll continue to hire more people, but in the meantime, the two of you will have to be the core and keep the work moving forward. It’s highly likely to be a busy and tight schedule.”
“Well, I came here prepared for that.”
“Me too!”
The two developers readily agreed with my words.
I grinned and continued.
“Our team’s total headcount is 10, and we’ll be allocating future personnel as 1 planner, 5 artists, and 4 programmers. We’ll start recruiting some of the staff for the prototype this week, and the job postings will go up.”
“Uh, planning… you’re only having one person?”
At my words, both Jeong Yosep and Heo Yuri tilted their heads at the same time, a look of confusion on their faces.