Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: The Ultimate Aide
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The skill 'The Ultimate Aide' allowed God Game Maker to analyze a game and generate a report.
The power of this skill was far beyond what I had imagined.
Three sections: planning, graphics, and programming.
Each was packed with over fifty identified problems and their corresponding solutions.
What's more, some items even included reference images and code examples, making it no different from a top-tier private tutor.
By following this, I could drastically reduce the trial and error that would otherwise be necessary.
'If I use this well, I can boost the quality several times faster.'
I grinned and scanned through the report.
Now, all I had to do was transfer this into a document and send it to the two of them.
Just as I was about to move my hands with that thought...
<<The report created by God Game Maker can be transferred to a document file. Would you like to proceed?>>
God Game Maker responded as if it had read my mind.
'Oh? If you can do that, I'd be grateful.'
Without a second thought, I conveyed my affirmation...
<<The convenience skill 'Copy & Paste' is not yet unlocked. Would you like to use 1 point to unlock it?>>
'Is this thing trying to sell me something?'
At this point, I started to wonder if God Game Maker wasn't just a simple ability, but some kind of sentient being trying to do business with me.
And I had exactly one point left.
It seemed like it was targeting that, trying to squeeze out every last point I had.
<<God Game Maker asks if you wish to cancel the skill purchase. YES or NO.>>
'Now it's even rushing me. Fine, yes it is.'
I sent my affirmation inwardly, a corner of my mouth lifting into a smirk.
Well... I'd be using 'The Ultimate Aide' skill throughout Chapter 2 anyway, and even if I got similar reports from other skills later, being able to convert them to a PC file would be convenient for future use.
<<Consuming 1 point to activate the convenience function 'Copy & Paste'.>>
<>
A system message popped up, and a Word file actually appeared on my desktop.
I opened the file, and it contained the exact contents and images from the report I saw in the status window.
Without hesitation, I shared it in our team's group chat on the company messenger.
[Me: I've analyzed the current build and written up some improvements.]
[Me: The Ultimate Aide.docx]
[Me: The planning section is just for reference. For the graphics and programming parts, you two can handle the revisions respectively.]
[Daeri Jeong Yosep: What? You've already written an analysis document?]
[Daeri Heo Yuri: Huh? Already?]
The two of them seemed genuinely surprised.
It had only been a few hours since the build was released, so it was natural for them to be baffled that I had already finished the analysis.
[Me: I jotted things down whenever the early combat sections came up, so I finished quickly.]
[Daeri Heo Yuri: Wow, amazing... The quality of this analysis is incredible. PD-nim, are you a genius? With this, improving the quality will be super fast!]
[Daeri Jeong Yosep: PD-nim, do you know programming too? This... The alternative solution you provided is no joke.]
[Me: No, I wrote it while asking a lot of questions to people around me. There are probably some shortcomings.]
[Me: If there are any additional revisions due to planning changes, I'll share them immediately so we don't have to do the work two or three times over. If you have any concerns as you proceed, please let me know right away.]
[Daeri Jeong Yosep: Ah, yes, understood.]
Besides, the quality of the report was excessively high.
In fact... even I thought it was absurd that I could have written this alone in just a few hours.
Thanks to that, I had no choice but to add a few excuses.
[Me: I'm counting on both of you. Once the prototype is approved, we'll build up the team and start making the game in earnest.]
[Daeri Jeong Yosep: Yes! I'll do my best.]
[Daeri Heo Yuri: We'll follow your lead, PD-nim!]
The two replied in a tone full of fighting spirit.
I gritted my teeth and started typing on the keyboard again.
'Alright... I'll start drafting the revised plan.'
I had to look at the contents of the report and create a revised planning document based on it.
There was a long way to go, but I was no longer afraid.
Because I knew exactly where my destination was.
'Time to get to work.'
And so, the final week before the prototype deadline began.
****
A week later, 1 p.m. in the office.
"Great work, everyone!"
"You've worked hard."
"You both worked so hard."
We had finally succeeded in delivering the prototype build for Pass On Dream.
'We've produced the best possible product we could.'
The last rating I checked for the prototype build through 'God Game Maker' was an 'S'.
It was a shame I couldn't hit S+, but it was a result that far exceeded the quest's target of A+.
Now, if it passed the prototype review by the division head and the executives, the project would officially enter full-scale development.
"I hope the build gets a good evaluation. It's a bit funny for me to say this about something we made, but honestly... didn't the prototype turn out amazing? I had so much fun playing it."
"I thought it was good, too. I believe we've made something that will definitely make people look forward to what the finished game will be like."
Jeong Yosep and Daeri Heo Yuri were smiling brightly, seemingly satisfied with their work.
It might sound arrogant, but even as I played the prototype, I definitely felt that we had made something good.
The combat, which highlighted potions—usually a secondary element—was refreshingly fun, and the story featuring Van Gogh as the protagonist, along with the graphical tone, was conveyed well.
The playtime ranged from a short 30 minutes to a maximum of one hour.
This would be the perfect playtime for the impatient executives.
'The die is cast.'
[Division Head Shin Chihwan: Hyunsoo PD, I received the build. The evaluation will be out in two days, so take tomorrow to rest well with your team.]
A moment later, a message came from Division Head Shin Chihwan on the company messenger.
He must be just as nervous, since the results of my project would directly affect his performance record.
After everything was settled, I stood up from my seat and spoke to my two team members.
"Alright, let's call it a day here. How about we go out for a meal together before heading home?"
"Heading home?"
"Yes, heading home. We don't have anything to do today or tomorrow, right?"
The time it took for the build evaluation to come out was usually between one and two days.
Which meant we had nothing else to do in the meantime.
"Oh, and take tomorrow off. I've already spoken to the HR team."
One of the few perks of becoming a PD.
Was the ability to flexibly coordinate my team's working hours with HR.
At that...
"Wow! Hyunsoo PD-nim, you're the best!"
"Thank you."
Jeong Yosep and Daeri Heo Yuri thanked me with bright faces.
I felt like I hadn't done much for them compared to all the work they'd put in, so seeing them so happy made me feel grateful instead.
"No need to thank me... You two have worked so hard all month. I'm treating tonight, and it'll be somewhere nice, so pick whatever you'd like to eat."
"Ooh! Then how about Hanwoo? Korean beef? I heard a place that does delicious dry-aged beef opened up nearby. Is that okay with you, Daeri Yosep?"
"Yes, I like meat, too."
Heo Yuri asked excitedly, and Jeong Yosep replied with a chuckle.
I could understand why he reacted that way.
Daeri Heo Yuri's excitement over beef was so innocently childlike that... well, just watching her made me want to chuckle.
"Uh... why are you grinning like that?"
"Oh, nothing. It's just that you seem to really love beef."
"Of course, I love beef! When you think of meat, you think of beef, and the best of the best is Hanwoo, right?"
"That's right, Hanwoo is the best."
"Daeri Yosep, you know what's what!"
The two were soon bantering back and forth, grabbing their coats and heading outside.
'I should really treat them well today.'
We hadn't had a proper team dinner since I joined the team.
Finishing the prototype was a great excuse.
It was still early in the afternoon.
I had a lot of pent-up stress myself, so I felt like letting loose for the first time in a while.
"Do you all drink, by any chance?"
"Um... I'll have a beer."
"Aww! Daeri Yosep. You can't hold your liquor as well as you look! On a day like today, we have to go for somaek! Let's go all out!"
"Ahaha... I, I'll have somaek then, too."
When Jeong Yosep responded timidly, Heo Yuri jumped in, signaling that they were going to go hard.
Around the time the beef started grilling, one cut after another.
We clinked our full glasses of somaek.
"To all the hard work on the prototype!"
"Cheers to our hard work!"
The clear sound of glasses clinking followed the toast.
I downed the somaek that Daeri Heo Yuri had mixed without hesitation.
The cool carbonation and the bitter taste of soju flowed down my throat, and I immediately followed it with a piece of beef.
"Woooow, this place is so damn good! It was always too expensive, so I've never been here before! It's just as good as they say!"
Heo Yuri, swallowing a piece of beef, exclaimed in excitement.
Beside her, Jeong Yosep chewed on his beef with a satisfied expression.
It was strangely amusing to see their reactions, which were the opposite of what their appearances might suggest.
"Eat up, everyone."
"Okay!"
"Thank you for the meal."
As if unleashing a month's worth of pent-up desires, we devoured the meat and alcohol.
Before long, our faces were flushed, and a pleasant buzz from the alcohol set in, lifting our spirits.
In the middle of it all.
*Bzzzzzt!*
A call came in.
"Hello? Ah, yes, yes... Yes. I'm out for a team dinner right now. Understood. Ah, yes, that's right. Yes."
The call was short and to the point.
When the other two looked at me curiously, I gave an awkward smile and replied.
"Ah... someone said they didn't receive the build I shared today, so they asked me to send it separately."
"Huh? Who didn't get it?"
"That's a secret."
I changed the subject, refilled their glasses, and continued the dinner.
One glass after another, the drinks flowed, and by the time everyone was tipsy... Daeri Heo Yuri, her words starting to slur, began to speak in a serious tone.
"Hyunsoo PD-niiim... To be honest, this build was really tough! Ugh... I was always drawing generic, mass-produced game art, and then suddenly... you told me to draw in Van Gogh's style... I had a total! Mental breakdown. And there was so, so, so much work!"
"I'm sorry, I was being a bit unreasonable..."
I thought she was complaining to me about all the built-up stress and was about to apologize when...
Daeri Yuri didn't even let me finish and continued speaking.
"But! It was fuuun! Always the same huge-ass eyes! And those draaawings where the defense goes up the more you take off! I was getting so sick of it! This prototype build! When I saw the finished product, I really... felt it for the firsht time! This is a game I worked on... a game I made! I felt like I wanted to brag about it to everyone."
"Oh, you felt that way too, Daeri Yuri? Me too! 'This is a game I worked on!' I... wanted to show off to people, 'I can make games like this, toooo!'"
Daeri Jeong Yosep, his face also flushed red, chimed in from the side.
Even while drunk, both of them had wide smiles on their faces, making them look a bit like Dumb and Dumber.
"Thank you. Without you two, we never would have been able to produce a prototype of this quality. And... I also wanted to brag about it, if only we could show it to the public. 'This is the game I planned... a fantastic game that our team worked our asses off to make.'"
"Kaaah! That's our Hyunsoo PD-nim! See? This is how we connect!"
This was my sincere feeling, not an empty compliment.
I had suffered for the past month, but completing this prototype was definitely a completely different experience for me.
Unlike when I made Forgotten Andersen's Story, this felt like we, as a team, had collaborated with all our might to create 'the game we wanted to make'.
It felt like what I had dreamed of my entire game development career had become a reality, and a strange, overwhelming emotion welled up inside me.
"Anyway, I don't know what the results of the prototype review will be, but I'm counting on you two going forward."
"Me too... I'm counting on you!"
"I'm in your care!"
The three of us clinked glasses again, savoring the intense emotions of the day.
All the while hoping for good results from the prototype review in a few days.
By the time the drinking session ended, it was already 5 p.m.... We each headed to the subway to go home.
"Alright, you two get home safe. I'll see you the day after tomorrow. I'll grab a taxi from around here."
"Hehe, you too, PD-nim. Fighting!"
"Get home safe, PD-nim."
The two entered the subway with bright smiles, and I smiled and waved them off.
A moment later, when their backs had completely disappeared from view...
I turned around and started walking back toward the company.
"Now then... shall we go take care of some business?"
Because there was still work to be done.