Chapter 106
Chapter 106
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: Mod (1)
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*Demon's Relic* was the new demo version from a major AAA developer.
Even without any significant marketing, the word-of-mouth and reviews that had already spread were enough to guarantee a respectable number of purchases.
With that kind of backing, *Demon's Relic* was released to the world.
And upon its debut, it made waves.
[Eeeh! So, so, so cuuute!!!]
The one who kicked off the streaming was Minami Yuka.
Just as she had discussed with Yeon-ho at G-STAR, she waited for the game to launch on day one and began playing immediately. With her now well-honed broadcasting skills, she started streaming her playthrough while sharing stories from G-STAR.
She talked about the booth that had even brought in professional Japanese cosplayers, the surprisingly large number of muscular staff members who looked like martial artists, how one of the higher-ups at Studio Rewind was a fan of hers, and how handsome Yeon-ho was.
For the viewers, it was a continuous stream of rather interesting stories.
But more importantly, Minami Yuka's gameplay stream itself was quite a spectacle.
[This one! An Easter egg right here!]
Having already experienced the demo at G-STAR, her progress was seamless.
She gave viewers the impression they were watching someone with a strategy guide, and the highlight was, of course, her introduction of the various special mechanics.
—Hehe, you shouldn't do that, even as a joke.
[Andras-chan is so wild! That's why I love her!]
There was little to say about the disgraceful sight of a former idol grinning at a female character on the screen, other than it was a bit pitiful.
However, what deserved more attention than that was the viewers' reaction.
[—They implemented something like that too?
—Whoa, this is too amazing, lololol.]
This was the unique appeal of a pretty-girl game made with a massive budget and workforce.
Furthermore, it was still 2015, a time before some of the genre's defining games had even appeared, so the users' amazement could only grow as they continued to watch.
What had been the biggest challenge for pretty-girl games until now?
It was the crudeness of their combat systems.
It was also the limitation of mobile devices, the primary platform with its finite resources.
That problem had been solved.
Neatly, at that, by implementing exactly what users had only ever imagined.
Among the features users praised the most was none other than this.
[—Why does the combat feel so good?
—Right? Especially the physical attacks! The impact from physical hits is insane!]
The feel of the combat.
Although *Demon's Relic* was a game centered around combat, the level of dedication poured into the impact and feedback was absurd, even considering that.
Especially the physical attacks.
The rhythm, sound effects, and the enemy's reaction to being hit by various weapons or fists were so well-crafted that calling it a professional fighting game wouldn't be an exaggeration.
It was certainly a surprise for the users.
After all, they had no way of knowing that to achieve that effect, two directors had taken turns whacking each other with blunted weapons.
The world was still too naive to know that being a game director was a profession that included physical labor.
In any case, putting aside such trivial matters, the results were in.
[That's it for now! Besides the characters, there isn't much story implemented yet! Oh, the webtoon is out too. Someone please translate it into Japanese! I'm begging you!!!]
The game was intriguing.
To be precise, the characters layered on top of the solid system sparked interest.
It was a free demo that anyone who liked subculture had no reason not to play.
With its high quality and supplementary fan content like the webtoon, there was no reason for users to pass on this game.
This was true even outside of Japan, where it had seen its greatest success.
In Korea, too, praise for the game was pouring in.
Of course, the discussion wasn't about the game's core mechanics.
A standard system, decent controls, and excellent combat feedback.
There were elements to praise, but there were many better games out there.
*Demon's Relic*, just as Yeon-ho had seen in his past life, had succeeded by pushing one thing and one thing only: its characters.
And here, another characteristic of packaged pretty-girl games, one that Yeon-ho hadn't anticipated, became prominent.
『One-Move King: Cleared all the new Angaeles achievements.
(Screenshot of the achievement window)
Taming ‘Complete’
Now, Yandras, you’re next, lololol.』
The achievement system.
This end-game content, often called the omega of packaged games, ignited a sense of challenge in the users.
This was true even with its currently simple structure.
The reason was simple.
"It's treated as something similar to relationship progression. In a pretty-girl game, achievements are like trophies you can earn based on affection levels or specific choices."
The expansion of the achievement system.
It became clear that this was the path to adding more depth to the game, and the direction of Development Team 2 began to shift accordingly.
Another month passed like that, and it was now 2016.
There were external changes.
『One-Move King: The webtoon is well-drawn... So when is Vassago coming out?』
The roadmap, which had been clearly announced right after G-STAR, detailed which content would be added at what time.
While the schedule for various sub-content was an interesting topic for now, what captured the players' attention the most was the update schedule for the second demo version.
『IsThisRealLife: Is this for real? We have to wait another six months to get a new character... Is this reality...?』
Users who had already devoured every bit of content in the first demo were beginning to starve.
The reaction Yeon-ho had truly wanted finally started to emerge.
『Bloodlord of Bangbae-dong: A fan comic of Demon's Relic I imported from Japan.』
A community for fan creations was forming.
Solidly, and deeply.
***
*Demon's Relic* was sailing smoothly.
The fan-creation market I had hoped for was taking shape, and we were solidifying its foundation by releasing game lore and teasers for new characters to support it.
Now, there was only one thing I needed to worry about.
*Identity*, the game I was directing.
And…
"...Sunbae, how about taking a break?"
Development had stalled.
***
Anxiety is far from rational.
This is especially true since it's a fear of a future that may or may not happen, a delusion built on a few clues.
My anxiety was not much different.
Everything was going smoothly.
The art team never produced models that deviated from my intentions, no critical bugs were found in the programming, and the QA results were good.
Besides that, Jo A-yun's sound design work was also progressing quite nicely.
And yet, I was anxious.
I couldn't shake the gut feeling that something was missing.
There had to be a way to make it better. This strange conviction wouldn't leave me, and I found myself continuing to make what I knew were meaningless adjustments. Then, one day.
"Sunbae, how about taking a break for a bit?"
Han Seo-rim said.
"Suddenly?"
"Aren't you stuck?"
As she spoke, Han Seo-rim handed me a coffee.
When I looked up, she was smirking.
"Doesn't this situation feel familiar? Meaningless adjustments, a slump, and a sharp remark from the side."
I understood immediately.
I just had to switch our positions.
I was on the receiving end of the same words I often said to Han Seo-rim.
"I don't need to go into the whole 'getting too bogged down' speech, do I?"
I couldn't help but let out a dry laugh.
It was a fact I had to admit.
'Have I been too absorbed in it?'
It felt like I hadn't been getting any fresh air.
And it wasn't just me.
People aren't machines.
But this wasn't just about physical stamina; it was mental, too.
When you've been clinging to the same thing for over a year, you inevitably develop a sense of complacency about it.
In other words, you start to compromise.
You start thinking, 'This is good enough,' for the elements you're trying to weave into the game.
That sentiment might have been seeping into the entire development team.
Once I recognized it, the rest was easy.
"...Let's take a short break."
I decided to set it aside for a while.
About a week should be enough.
As I said that, the faces of the entire development team brightened.
***
After announcing the temporary vacation, I returned to my family's home.
If I stayed there, I felt like I'd cave to my anxiety and go to work anyway.
"I'm home."
"Yeon-ho? What's the occasion? It's not a holiday."
"That's why I came."
The home I returned to was warm.
My mother greeted me as warmly as ever, and my father, with baseball in its off-season, had lost his usual anger and wore a benevolent, Buddha-like smile.
It felt quite unfamiliar.
It was a scene I'd witnessed my whole life, yet its strangeness meant my thoughts had been completely consumed by *Identity*.
"Yeon-ho, how's that game you're making coming along?"
"It's going alright."
"A subordinate at my work said he likes your game and asked for an autograph."
"That's not a problem. Just a moment."
I took out a piece of paper and signed it.
Back in my room.
Everything was just as I had left it.
For a moment, I felt a strange sense of warmth seeing how it was all kept in order, so I would feel comfortable whenever I returned. Then, I saw my treasured collection of game packages, which my mother had organized by color, and a chuckle escaped my lips.
I lay down on the bed.
I stared blankly at the packages filling the bookshelf on one wall, and my eyes fell on some games that were now considered classics.
'...Should I play one?'
Come to think of it, I had barely played any other games since I started developing *Identity*.
A sudden urge took hold, and I reached out.
About two days passed like that.
I had an amazing experience.
'This is fun.'
The game was fun.
The graphics were undeniably crude, and the convenience features were dreadful.
And yet, it was fun.
Without any analysis, the thought 'this is fun' was all that came to mind.
I didn't know how to describe the feeling.
One thing was certain: while playing the game, I wasn't thinking about the game itself, but about myself during the time I used to play it.
The fact that I was enjoying a game as purely as I did back then was moving.
Explaining how difficult this is can be quite tricky.
But to put it roughly, it's like this.
The more you know and the more discerning your eye becomes, you naturally develop a habit of 'evaluating' games, which acts as both a blessing and a curse.
It's an extension of the saying, 'Even a hobby becomes a chore when it becomes your job.'
You start to see games, which are made for fun, not as fun, and you begin to take that state for granted.
In other words, it becomes harder to feel moved.
*I want to do something.*
The fact that I could only grasp the essence of human fun from an analytical perspective was surely a curse.
The same went for directing. Since I could only express fun through a deliberate approach of 'using this element with this intention,' the cause of my slump was likely rooted in that.
The moment I realized this, it felt as if a weight had been lifted from my chest.
I was able to find the blind spot in *Identity*, a game I had previously thought was perfect.
It was like looking at a brick house that seemed beautiful up close, only to find it monotonous from a distance.
'It's too plain.'
Progress through the main story to unlock content, use that unlocked content to build a town after the ending, or continue adventuring through mercenary mission content.
The gist was simple.
It was too simple, and I didn't feel the same kind of emotion from it as I did from the games I was playing now.
'Isn't there something else?'
It was purely in the realm of feeling.
Suddenly comparing *Identity* to these other games made it feel dull, and my thirst wasn't quenched.
When I imagined myself playing *Identity* as a user, I found myself wanting to do more.
My thoughts branched out in all directions, presenting countless possibilities.
'What if I got rid of the main story and just left the town-building content? What if I pivoted to a sandbox survival game?'
I would probably enjoy that quite a bit.
I'm the type who enjoys creating and building things.
'What if I removed all the life-skill content? After clearing the main story, E-40 would travel across the entire continent, exploring all sorts of dangerous and rugged places.'
An extreme adventure. Adding a mercenary element to it, moving according to contracts, would also be fun.
I also quite enjoy open-field adventures.
There were many other ideas.
'What if it was an escape game where you break out of the imperial prison alone in the prologue? What if I added a defense element to the town-building content to fend off imperial forces? What if it was a game where users gather on a multi-server to engage in territory wars between multiple towns?'
At the end of this expanding imagination.
'What if I could take the core of the game and completely overhaul it?'
I was able to realize one thing.
"...Ah."
This game is vanilla.
It has the potential to branch out into anything, or it could be nothing at all.
If one used their imagination with this game as a base, it could become any game anyone could ever want.
I knew the word to define it.
'Mod.'
User-created content where players arbitrarily reset the game's map and rules.
It was possible.
'I've implemented content in various ways. If I allow modification of some of these sources...'
...The *Identity* of this life could become an extremely mod-friendly game.