Chapter 183
Chapter 183
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 183
Chapter Title: Open World (3)
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The presentation on the map concept was over.
The hardships that awaited in the development process would surely give the team headaches, but we couldn't back down for the sake of convenience when a better path existed.
I had no choice but to trust my team, trust myself, and move forward.
And since I had resolved to do so, it was time to immediately address the issues beyond the map.
“First, the characters.”
It’s the most fundamental principle of an RPG.
To be given a specific role (character) in a given space (map) to solve a task (play).
Among those, we were now at the stage of deciding on the character who would perform the task, before the task itself.
“In this game…”
As I trailed off, the team members tensed up.
Yu-mi and Hye-ji were especially nervous.
And so was Kim Bae-seok, who was in charge of motion.
They were probably thinking I’d go with the method from *Hellic 4*, inserting hundreds, even thousands, of motions for a single character to emphasize smooth transitions.
I was certainly tempted to do just that, but…
‘…there’s no need for that in this game.’
The concept of *Hellic 5* is overwhelming freedom.
As such, wouldn’t the ideal picture be to entrust the character’s settings to the player from the very beginning?
The main narrative of *Hellic 5* was ‘an exploration of Hell.’
So, we should let the players decide for themselves what kind of explorer they will be.
To put it simply.
“Let’s do customization one more time.”
“Ah…”
A deep sigh from Jeon Yu-mi followed.
I asked back.
“Isn’t that okay? We’ve done it in 3, so it should be a bit easier this time.”
There’s one important point in this game’s customization and character settings.
We’ll emphasize the character’s gender, age, and their corresponding traits, giving each category a ‘specialization’ attribute.
For example, think of how racial traits are divided among playable characters in a fantasy game.
I’ll need to think more about the specific direction, but fundamentally, elderly characters will get a ‘research’ bonus, and young characters will get a ‘learning’ bonus.
Of course, if I just say this, not everyone will fully understand.
A game is, after all, entertainment where the playstyle is more important than the character’s appearance.
Let’s go through it step by step.
Now that we’ve decided on the characters, we need a way for them to solve tasks.
In other words, it was time to discuss the gameplay—the alpha and omega of the game.
“The core won’t deviate from the *Hellic* series. It will just be freer than before.”
“You mean…?”
“I’m thinking of applying the weapon build system as a motif. But the number of branches and growth paths will be much more diverse.”
The staff looked puzzled.
Myeong-gyu, who knew the open-world genre, seemed particularly skeptical.
“Is it a combat-focused game? More importantly, forcing players into one weapon type in an open world would be poison, wouldn't it?”
He had a point.
I nodded and added what I hadn’t said yet.
“I said we’re bringing in that *system*, not that we’re doing weapon building.”
*Beep—!*
I changed the slide on the beam projector.
What appeared was an example of the building system I’d made for the presentation.
It was a mind map, with stems extending from a central point and branching out into massive limbs.
Myeong-gyu’s eyes widened.
“…Ah!”
I said immediately.
“Yes, it’s not a weapon build, but a ‘growth build’.”
The text on the screen wasn’t discussing weapons, but ‘types of scholarship.’
I’ve named them ‘Schools of Thought.’
To reiterate, *Hellic 5* was a story about scholars exploring Hell.
* * *
The Hell of Aestheticism was a hell for scholars who continued their research, wandering through various districts within the massive landmass that imprisoned them.
A peculiar phenomenon arose from this background combined with the nature of Hell: ‘the meeting of scholars from different times and places.’
Of course, these meetings were not exactly pleasant or welcome.
“What is this ‘Buddha’? Tsk… A man of philosophy engaging in idolatry?”
“What…! You mean to say you don’t know astronomy!”
“You there! Take that back immediately! Alchemy is a legitimate, royally sanctioned field of study!”
The very fact that these humans had fallen here was proof that they had sacrificed something in their madness for their studies.
Could such men, so consumed by their own fields, possibly tolerate the existence of other disciplines or stand by idly as their life’s work was negated?
They would fight, more often than not.
Not just with fists.
This was Hell, and they were prisoners who had sinned.
*Crack!*
“Hmph! A lunatic who claims the earth is round should be stoned to death!”
When they fought, one side usually ended up dead.
Of course, the nature of Hell meant they would revive even after death, but how could people who had killed and been killed by each other ever face one another with a smile again?
The Hell of Aestheticism was a nightmarish place full of problems in itself, but since one also had to be wary of people from other schools of thought, it became a place where distrust in humanity festered, perhaps as much as in the Hell of Slaughter.
But how could a human being not find it taxing to be wary of both people and Hell itself?
The clever ones among them came up with a brilliant solution.
“You there. You study living creatures, did you not?”
“That is correct?”
“Then let us join forces! I am a student of alchemy! If we band together, we can protect ourselves from those vile religious zealots!”
An alliance.
Those with similar academic interests joined hands to form factions.
This wasn’t just a one-off thing; the trend spread throughout the Hell of Aestheticism, eventually giving rise to a culture of scholarly factions, or ‘schools.’
In any case, that should be enough to understand how these schools were formed.
Returning to the main point, let’s talk about the influence these ‘schools’ had on those living in the Hell of Aestheticism.
It was a truly fascinating sight, even for me, who had little interest in theoretical studies.
The theories and thoughts of various eras intertwined and evolved, blossoming into new theories. These, in turn, combined with the surreal particularities of Hell, began to manifest as miracles.
There were several examples.
First, the ‘Yuras School,’ formed primarily by alchemists, chemists, and biologists.
“Now, look at this! A snare made from the ‘Temporal Stem’ of the Violet Hell and the ‘Coffin of Selflessness’ of the White Hell! With this, we can turn those damn religious fanatics into imbeciles! Of course, they’ll return to normal after they die and revive!”
They sought to explore this space by studying the various ecosystems of Hell and their components.
Their goal was ‘research on how to live without suffering in Hell.’
What emerged from this process were tools called ‘Hell Shards.’
In game terms, you could see them as those who pursue a playstyle based on item crafting.
Next was the ‘Hadelun School,’ formed by astronomers, Confucian scholars, and theologians.
“I have realized it! Here, the ground is the sky. And since we stand upon the ground, we must be the stars that light up the heavens! If we trace back the flow and grasp it, we can thus allow the Lord’s grace to dwell within our bodies!”
“Ooh…! What a beautiful radiance…!”
“W-wait! Isn’t that fellow’s body swelling up? Ah, aack! He’s going to explode!!!”
They were the ones who studied the various natural phenomena occurring in the Hell of Aestheticism and learned how to interfere with them.
From what I saw, they performed the most magic-like feats, but the downside was that most of their research carried risks as great as their power.
Their goal was to become the rulers of Hell.
Under the pretext of acting as God’s representatives, they considered all who had different goals as enemies to be subjugated.
For players, they would be suitable for those who prefer a combat-oriented playstyle.
Next, the ‘Colburn School,’ formed by physicists, engineers, and geologists.
“It seems they’ve turned a planet inside out and stuck us inside. If we keep digging, we might be able to get out of here.”
“The ground in the Yellow Hell is particularly soft. But the depth…”
They were the ones who analyzed Hell’s minerals and geology, developing various industrial tools.
Their goal was to escape from Hell.
They were the most steadfast of all the groups, and the ones with the most peculiar way of thinking.
Players who pursue unusual playstyles, like breaking walls or moving through tunnels, would find this school fitting.
These three were the major powers that dominated the Hell of Aestheticism.
Besides them, there were minor schools created by small groups of like-minded individuals, and even schools like something out of a martial arts novel, with only a solitary master continuing his research and a single disciple to inherit his progress.
This was one of the biggest reasons for making the Hell of Aestheticism into an open-world game.
‘If I implement these as character progression…’
Players could choose one of the three major schools, or find a minor school—a hidden piece, in other words—allowing for various forms of play.
Furthermore, if I weave their dynamics, power struggles, and rivalries into the main story, it would create a rather compelling narrative.
That was my judgment.
And today, having entered the actual planning and calculation stage, I was certain.
‘This is doable.’
Not just doable; if I could intertwine the aspects of adventure, reward, and growth as content with the faction wars and the deepening research of each school, the game would take shape into a much more solid and intuitive picture.
* * *
I had no doubts about the game’s concept.
However, the guarantee that my conviction was always right was a dangerous thought that could easily turn into arrogance, so there was something I always did at this stage.
“Poke holes in it.”
It was to accept negative feedback from others.
This usually happened within the planning team.
“Anything that needs improvement or you think could be detrimental. Feel free to say whatever you want.”
On the video call, I could see the staff smiling broadly through the monitor.
Do they enjoy criticizing me that much?
A brief feeling of disappointment washed over me, but it was quickly erased by the question that followed.
“May I ask a question then?”
It was Ji-seok, a senior planner.
When I nodded, Ji-seok began to speak.
“The growth system through joining a school seems like a nice picture in itself. But I don’t think it fits *Hellic 5*.”
“Why not?”
“Because it forces a growth path. In an open-world game with a high degree of freedom, shouldn’t players be able to freely acquire the visions of the various schools you mentioned?”
Having finished his point triumphantly, Ji-seok waited for my answer.
But it wasn’t a good question.
It seemed he might have dozed off a bit during the presentation.
“Hmm.”
As I let out a sound, Ho-su explained to Ji-seok in my stead.
“…You can switch schools freely. You can even join multiple schools at the same time. You just have to invest more time to grow in various fields.”
“…Ah.”
Ji-seok’s mouth clamped shut.
He seemed to be furtively glancing at me through the screen.
Well, I explained a lot, so I can let it slide if he didn’t grasp everything at once.
He’ll have to memorize it all again when he studies the materials anyway, so it’s fine for now.
I nodded and added an explanation.
“Just as Ji-seok said, the charm of *Hellic 5* must be designed to come from its freedom. We’ll avoid having the system force the player’s choices as much as possible.”
That’s why joining multiple schools is possible.
However, we can’t just let players join schools haphazardly.
“Freedom requires responsibility. Otherwise, it’s just indulgence.”
The player can choose anything.
However, that choice must be the player’s own to make.
“We’re introducing hostile NPCs.”
In *Hellic 5*, once you join a school, you’ll form a hostile relationship with rival schools.
In other words, if you join the Yuras School, the NPCs from the Hadelun School—the ones they curse as religious fanatics—will be set as monsters that attack on sight.
What’s the way around that?
“You’ll have to play both sides.”
It’s the ‘spy’ system.
“After joining one school, if you want to go to another, you must remove all items that symbolize your school. You also have to erase all traces of the school from your body using a special item. You act as if you haven’t joined any school yet. That’s how you join another school. It will be a way to collect visions from multiple angles.”
If players want, that path is also possible.
Or they can just stick to one and master it.
Ah, there is an exception.
“Knowledge from hidden schools, classified as hidden pieces, will be created as a separate, extra route. We’ll generally avoid attaching hostile penalties to them. It’s better for the rewards of adventure to be risk-free. In the first place, we’ll make them obtainable only through side quests or hidden dungeons, so there won’t be any lore issues.”
At that, Ji-seok hesitated for a moment, then asked a question.
“…May I ask one more question?”
“Yes.”
“What if you join two of the three major schools at the same time and get caught?”
A crucial question.
The three major schools, being mortal enemies, are extremely reluctant to share their visions.
I had already decided to incorporate that into the system.
For the sake of the game’s quality, that aspect had to be depicted, and I already had something in mind.
Think about it. What if a player holding two visions is recognized by an NPC from one of those factions?
The answer is obvious, isn’t it?
“You become enemies with both of them. It’ll be tough to get around the map, since NPCs from the three major schools will be everywhere.”
Of course, if you enjoy that kind of gameplay, I’d recommend it.
A guy like James, who enjoys genocide runs, would probably eat it up.