Chapter 113
Chapter 113
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: Release - Identity (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Mod development wasn't something that happened overnight after a game's release.
This was especially true for a game like Identity, which was packed with vast amounts of content.
So how did mods start trickling out within just a week?
The answer, if you asked, was the "mod tool."
『LordOfBlood_Bangbae : I heard they were made by combining the mod tool Rewind distributed with the official mod sources.』
Simultaneously with the release, Rewind had unleashed a mod tool that could manipulate the entire game, along with several mod sources referred to as official mods.
To put it simply, they had allowed modifications on a level close to custom maps.
For modders, it was a cause for celebration.
Changing a game's genre from the ground up was a tedious task, but since the official developers provided the source code and allowed free modification, they felt like children who had just received a new toy.
The result was this.
『[Mod Bulletin Board]
—Identity Pretty Girl Mod.zip
—Horror Escape Mod.zip
—Survival Sandbox Mod.zip
—Iden Souls (Modified).zip
—All Nude.zip (Bypass Application Method)』
Something strange was mixed in, but it wasn't actually strange at all.
Because whether it was polygons or pixels, if something was wearing clothes, the natural desire of a gamer was to want to take them off…!
The same principle by which high-level gear has less fabric! So let's move on from that topic.
The important thing was this.
『Guksinanayo : Whoa… the pretty girl mod is pretty good, huh? Feels like I'm playing in a Nendoroid universe.』
『OneMoreMoveKing : What the hell is this big-breasted dinosaur mod? Are they insane?』
『LetsGoForAWalkPoppy : Recommended mod is here. Highly recommend.』
Modding activity took off at a rapid pace.
Just as Yeon-ho had promised, Identity provided a very mod-friendly environment and was transforming into a space where users could do anything they wanted.
The ripple effect grew exponentially.
There was one trend that clearly demonstrated this.
『HerobrineVsSans : Isn't this plagiarizing Minecraft? Are they allowed to do that?
What a lazy way to make a game ;;;;;
LetsGoForAWalkPoppy : It's 'they're', not 'their' ^^!
IdenIsAGodGame : A survival sandbox mod? They don't usually file copyright claims over mods.
LordOfBlood_Bangbae : Are there only one or two survival sandbox games? It's not like Minecraft invented it.
HerobrineVsSans : I'm talking about changing the genre with mods ;;;;;; That's something they only did in Minecraft ;;;;
└ FutureIsntBright : Ugh… what a middle schooler lol
└ Guksinanayo : Is Skyrim a joke to you?
WannaQuitJaehee : Wow, Identity is really blowing up lolololol』
Kids at that age with a strong desire for self-expression started taking an interest in Identity.
While their actual purchasing power might be low, no one could deny that the voice of this user base held a significant share of online discourse.
In other words, the fire was spreading.
There was another moment that highlighted this characteristic.
『ArmchairDeveloper : Just a game I made as a hobby lol』
The well-made mod tool, which made simple variations easy to create, caught the attention of the youth.
That is, it gave these young friends the "experience of making a game."
Of course, one could say it was just a mod.
But if you create your own rules and build upon them for someone else to play, that too is a game.
For some young users, that experience itself became a source of joy.
Two weeks after release, the quality of the mods began to steadily improve.
『IdenIsAGodGame : Westerners are the best at making mods. To think they'd make a TTRPG out of this lolololol』
Around that time, mods using sources not provided by Rewind also began to be released.
With a constant stream of mods, each providing at least a day's worth of entertainment, complaints like "This shitty game has nothing to do" were no longer heard.
It wasn't just a domestic trend, but a global one.
First, there was America, which poured out all sorts of bizarre mods.
『Dadbom : I want to commission a mod. Can someone make a furry mod…』
『Luka : Anyone making a zombie mod?』
『zessica : Someone please make a human farm mod.』
Tired of the ordinary, some suspiciously wealthy people stepped forward.
Technicians, coveting the gold coins in their hands, began to work.
Next was Japan.
As a country where consoles reigned supreme, the modding scene wasn't as vast, but that didn't mean they couldn't enjoy mods.
This was demonstrated by the broadcast of Minami, commonly known as "Snot Bubble."
[Kyahahaha! The bikini mod is yabai (dangerous)!!! The Judge-man has become a pervert!!!]
[—Should I hit on him?
—Hey, stop right there lololol]
Rule 34: If it exists, there is porn of it.
There is porn of "everything."
And that included game mods.
It was a simple modification of image files.
In addition to that, story choices were added.
[Let's do the Bikini Massacre Mod (ikuyo)!]
As it was a side story hastily created by a user, the quality wasn't on par with the main game, but it was a simple enough mod that even a PlayStation could run it without issue, making it perfectly enjoyable.
Along with that, there were mods that pushed the performance limits a bit.
Namely, the "Monster Hunting Mod" and the "Mario Mod," which benchmarked some of Japan's most representative games.
It was, for all intents and purposes, the Warring States Period of mods.
Users, divided by country and taste, began to enjoy the game in all sorts of ways, and at a certain point, someone appeared.
Who else could it be but the developer, here to end this battle.
『This is Cheon Yeon-ho from Rewind.
Thanks to your incredible support, we have prepared a small competition to show our gratitude.』
To cut to the chase, it was this.
『We are holding a modding competition.』
A competition was announced with a first-place prize of $100,000, plus an offer for a position as an official modder.
『IdenIsAGodGame : Look at that scale lolololol』
The modders set off in search of the One Piece.
At the end of the Warring States Period of mods was the Great Age of Mods.
***
Information about Identity's official mods was already well known to the users.
They were generally perceived as fully debugged side content, mods that had been completely integrated into the game.
Thus, four days after release, a question regarding this appeared in the community, to which Rewind gave an official response.
『We plan to incorporate high-quality and popular mods, as long as there are no legal issues. Of course, appropriate compensation is being discussed internally.』
This was likely an extension of that.
In other words, the intention seemed to be to find modders to hire.
『IdenIsAGodGame : CompSci majors are so lucky… they can get a job at Rewind…』
For the most part, the reaction to the competition itself was positive.
The competition rules were also surprisingly lenient.
Repurposing already released mods? Allowed.
Uploading a prototype and updating it throughout the competition period? Allowed.
Modders collaborating to submit a bundle of several mods? Allowed.
Submitting an unfinished mod by the end of the competition? Allowed.
Rewind's intention was clear.
Whatever it was, it just had to be fun.
And so, in the first week of the competition, some contenders began to emerge.
Among them, the ones that stood out were the already famous Survival Sandbox Mod, Horror Escape Mod, and TTRPG Mod. And then there was "Hellic Identity," which was presumed to have been in development since right after the game's release.
『LordOfBlood_Bangbae : What the hell is that lolololol Why is Alice here lololol』
『IdenIsAGodGame : War History and the Warden are here too lololol』
『WannaQuitJaehee : “I will kiss Rewind’s ass.”』
They had ported the developer's main title, Hellic, into Identity.
To be precise, it was about sending Identity's protagonist, E-40, into the world of Hellic.
Of course, it was a hastily made, unfinished game.
It was only natural, as it wasn't the kind of volume that could be completed in just over a month since release.
Anyone could tell.
That they had planned to prepare it more but submitted it unfinished upon hearing about the competition.
Nevertheless, it gained sensational popularity.
Because the game itself was playable, and because it was fun.
Fans of Identity were generally fans of Rewind.
And fans of Hellic made up an absolute majority of Rewind's fanbase.
It was a mod one might download out of curiosity alone, but since it was also fun, it was bound to be popular.
『IdenIsAGodGame : How is the boss a 3-meter Alice lololol』
『FutureIsntBright : The Warden is fucking annoying here too, damn it.』
『Guksinanayo : Is this a Hellic 3 fan? The combat is really well-recreated.』
It was mostly a four-way race.
But, it was too early to be complacent.
There was still time before the modding competition's deadline, and the users' needs were changing faster than expected.
『YeonhosDog : The puzzle mod is pretty fun… Recommended!』
『44BelfDad : There is,,, an RTS mod,,, I can't play it because my hands are slow,,, but it is quite fun,,,』
『LuBuBecomesMyWife : I hear a large-scale multiplayer war mod is coming out. Anyone want to play together?』
A competition with such rapid shifts might be painful for the creators, but for the users with more things to enjoy, it was nothing short of a festival.
Then, one day.
"It" revealed itself.
『EscapeManiac : What is this?
(Screenshot of the word "Dud!" on a wall)
I was playing the Imperial Capital Slums escape map and saw this written on a wall.
Does anyone know this escape map?』
It started with some graffiti on a wall that appeared in an escape mod a few users were playing.
A total of three were found after the first discovery.
Users expressed their confusion about the red letters, each spelling out "Dud!"
Until then, there hadn't been much of a reaction to the letters.
They were simply understood as a gimmick placed by the escape map's creator.
That opinion was reversed later.
When the creator finally spoke up.
『First, I'd like to thank all the users who have shown our mod so much love. Regarding the graffiti….』
In short, it was this.
『I don't know… what is this… I'm scared…』
These red letters were unknown even to the mod creators.
In other words, it was a mystery that had appeared out of nowhere.
『EscapeManiac : ????』
『EscapeRoomMaster : ????』
Afterward, the mystery spread throughout the Identity modding communities.
That's how internet ghost stories are, isn't it?
Even if you know it's probably nothing, it's fun to speculate on related theories and laugh about it.
『OneMoreMoveKing : Actually, that red text is the grudge of a programmer who died during the mod's development, now haunting the game….
It's a haunted game….
If you find the "winning" one, you get dragged to hell…』
For the users, to whom it was someone else's problem, it was amusing.
Of course, there were users who took an analytical approach and tried the escape map themselves, but no one managed to figure out the gimmick.
In the end, the case remained a mystery.
Then, at some point, while screenshots of the graffiti were making the rounds, users discovered something.
『IdenIsAGodGame : Huh? This is in Iden Souls too.』
『LordOfBlood_Bangbae : ??? Wasn't that graffiti in the pretty girl mod?』
『FutureIsntBright : I thought it was in the massacre mod?』
The graffiti was in every mod.
Meaning,
『LetsGoForAWalkPoppy : Isn't it an easter egg in the vanilla game?
It probably got uncovered while making the mods.』
Programmer Kim Cheol-su's easter egg was revealed to the world.
In the process of modders tinkering with the map, the double model he had overlaid had collapsed.
『IdenIsAGodGame : Could it be a hidden side quest?』
The hardcore fans were fired up.
They stopped playing mods and returned to the vanilla game, determined to uncover the easter egg.
But they weren't the only ones fired up.
The very place where all the answers related to the easter egg could be found.
Rewind was also on fire.
But for a different reason than the users.
“Mr. Kim?”
“Yes….”
The culprit behind the incident and the head of the company had met.
In the solitary confinement cell they called the reception room.
“Could you tell me what happened?”
Programmer Kim Cheol-su was facing the biggest crisis of his 33-year life.