Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: A Golden Opportunity
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When I first conceived of *Hellic*, I chose not to implement character stats due to immediate manpower shortages and concerns about the game's scope.
I was worried that adding them would diminish the player's intuitive understanding of the game.
The art of delegating all of a playable character’s abilities to their weapon, making the weapon’s performance the sole determinant of the character’s.
And thus, the art of simplifying the mechanics.
It was a method commonly used in Flash or indie-level games.
‘I’ll expand on that concept.’
As I said before, new genres are born from twisting, expanding, and reassembling what already exists.
The question, then, was how to expand and process it.
My branching thoughts quickly led to an answer.
‘It needs an identity.’
It would go beyond the concept of a mere tool, embedding worldview, character, narrative, and system within it.
This idea was inspired by the "narrative tooltip" from the *Souls* series.
The method of application is clear.
In *Hellic*, the protagonist, the Jailer, has his stats—and beyond that, his very identity—change depending on his torture implement.
The same would apply to Alice in *Hellic 2*, which we would be making from now on.
Alice is a girl who can do nothing on her own.
She possessed no special talents, so the way she navigated Hell was by relying purely on tools and cunning.
This was a matter of expressing Alice’s narrative systematically through ‘items.’
Of course, it couldn't stop there.
If I just copied what was already there, it would be nothing more than a lesser version of the *Souls* series.
‘Focus more on the items.’
It would be best for the items to serve as a tool that dictates the game's difficulty, its worldview and identity, the character's individuality, and the distribution of resources—ultimately, to have all these elements form the core of the system.
In this process, the playable character's personality is minimized as much as possible.
In the case of this game, Alice's individuality would be confined to her ‘narrative’ alone.
‘To express that she is nothing.’
It is to express that in Hell, no one can be special; only the things that belonged to Hell are special.
This core theme would be carried throughout the series.
In addition, I selected elements from the previous game that could be used again.
‘The item property combination system is too good to discard. The unstoppable boss mechanic is… yes, it would be better to borrow it. An early boss appearance will add tension to the game, even if it’s not a unique feature.’
That wasn't all.
The scream used in the previous game's intro could also be repurposed.
‘Let’s make that the studio's signature sound, so players feel like they’re playing *Hellic* the moment the game starts.’
I immediately jotted down the ideas that came to mind on my computer.
I recorded my thoughts randomly in the form of keywords and spent a good while organizing them by category.
An outline gradually began to take shape.
Of course, it still needed refinement.
‘I need more ideas. And there’s still a lot to trim.’
I still couldn't tell what the finished product would look like.
In other words, it was an adventure into the unknown.
Realizing this, a smile escaped my lips.
The stimulation in my brain felt truly delightful.
‘This is why I can’t quit game development.’
This moment of creating something new from what is known was just too enjoyable.
* * *
Writing the design document went quite smoothly.
The concept was already clearly established, aside from having to adjust the game's flow and mechanical elements that had already been decided on while twisting the genre.
So, after the system's basic framework was in place, I worked on other tasks concurrently.
Among them, a few things were decided for certain.
“The perspective will be a shoulder view. It's a viewpoint from behind the character's head, sharing their field of vision. Seo-rim, you've played *Biohazard*, right? It's one of the most iconic games to use this view. There are plenty of others, but if you're still not sure, you should study that one.”
“Ah, okay. I know what you mean.”
One of the most crucial elements in a game is its perspective.
The very impression of a game can change drastically depending on the viewpoint it presents.
The greatest advantage of a shoulder view lies in its ‘compromise.’
It borrows some of the ‘immersion’ from sharing the playable character’s viewpoint while mitigating the ‘visual limitations’ that are a drawback of first-person, thus securing quite a few advantages from the perspective alone.
This was especially true this time.
While sharing Alice’s viewpoint, the player had to constantly be aware that ‘the one I am playing is Alice.’
The shoulder view was the choice made for that purpose.
“Next, let's move on to the modeling for Alice and the butterfly. Yu-mi and Hye-ji, put everything else aside and focus only on this. The butterfly is especially important.”
“What should we do?”
“Alice’s motions should be as ethereal as possible, as if she’s strolling through a flower garden, not Hell. The butterfly should flutter just like a real one, but there are a few additional motions you need to add.”
*Click!*
The projector screen changed.
There were two key points for the butterfly.
“First, the navigator. The butterfly will serve as a guide for the player as they progress through the game.”
The most important thing to consider in the intro of a 3D game is giving the player a ‘sense of purpose.’
By explaining the world in a way that doesn't feel forced, it should evoke a fundamental sense of ‘immersion’ and ‘curiosity.’
“The implementation is simple. The butterfly will leave a trail of turquoise light along its path.”
In the story, the butterfly is Alice’s guide, friend, and protector.
This was the result of interpreting that role systematically.
I continued.
“Next is the butterfly's transformation. This butterfly will transform to take the place of items.”
This idea was inspired by a scene I had actually witnessed.
The butterfly that guided the girl would sometimes change its form into a tool or another weapon to save Alice from danger.
This was to be implemented systematically.
To give an example… yes, when the girl picks up an item, it would be incorporated not into an inventory, but as a new transformation for the butterfly.
“Create a separate transformation motion. You need to pay special attention to making the transition from the butterfly's form changing to it landing in Alice’s hand as natural as possible. Seo-rim, you make sure to check the details on this part.”
“Got it.”
And that was it.
I had given out all the immediate tasks.
Taking a breath, I said.
“Alright, lastly, let's look at the concept art for Alice and the butterfly that Seo-rim made. I’ll send it as a file, but let's all take a look together first. She worked hard, so let's give her a round of applause.”
*Click!*
The projector switched, revealing the satisfyingly completed concept art.
“Oh…”
*Clap, clap…!*
Jo A-yun clapped timidly.
“Our Seo-rim is the best!”
“That’s Seo-rim for you! I knew I could count on you!”
The dramatic duo cheered wildly in their own way.
Han Seo-rim shrugged her shoulders arrogantly.
Well, she had every right to.
‘A seemingly empty Caucasian girl,’ and ‘a dreamlike turquoise butterfly.’
Despite only being given those two keywords, her ability to capture the image without major trial and error confirmed that my decision to choose Han Seo-rim had not been wrong.
Well, that's that.
Time to wrap this up.
“Then that’s all for today’s meeting. Everyone, get to work.”
“Yay!”
The older Kim Hye-ji responded enthusiastically.
It was at that moment.
“M-Mr. President. What about me…?”
Jo A-yun asked hesitantly.
Did she feel left out?
“A-yun, there’s nothing for you to do at this stage. Sound can be handled in post-production. Besides, you need to study right now, don’t you? Right. Was today your first tutoring session?”
“Y-Yes…!”
“Work hard. I believe in you.”
Today was the first lesson with the music teacher I had worked so hard to find.
I was paying him handsomely and had promised a performance bonus, so he was bound to teach with passion.
The rest was up to Jo A-yun.
As I patted her on the shoulder, she straightened her back and sat up properly.
In that moment, I noticed something.
‘Hmm, her dark circles are pretty bad.’
Is studying that hard?
Worried, I asked.
“Is anything difficult?”
“N-No…! I’m okay…!”
Jo A-yun replied with a bashful smile.
A thought came to me.
‘Still, it’s a relief she’s such a good kid.’
It must be very awkward for her, but I was grateful she was following along so well.
* * *
Things started to get busy in earnest.
In other words, it finally felt like the office was running properly.
Han Seo-rim was currently racking her brain over the concept art for the maps.
While I helped with the detailed parts or areas requiring mechanical points, the emotional aspects were entirely Han Seo-rim's responsibility.
She seemed to have a lot on her mind.
Meanwhile, the dramatic duo had finally quieted down.
“…Unni, I finished this.”
“Mmm…”
Han Seo-rim's rule was absolute.
Even while being so busy with her own work, the moment the two of them rested or got distracted, she would ask about their progress.
If there was a part she didn't like, she would personally step in to nitpick, and as soon as a satisfactory result was produced, she would immediately assign the next task.
A thought crossed my mind.
‘She should never be a president.’
Wouldn't she create a terrible black company?
No, more than a black company, it would be a high-intensity workplace that grinds its employees into dust during work hours.
The one silver lining was that Han Seo-rim wasn't completely inept at managing people.
“You both did well. See? You can do it if you try. I especially like this part here. It's something I hadn't even thought of.”
“S-Seo-rim…!”
“Let's go eat together after this. My treat. I found a great place nearby.”
“I’m going to die from being so moved…!”
The dramatic duo clung to Han Seo-rim and sobbed.
Han Seo-rim patted their backs.
There was something only I could see.
It was Han Seo-rim’s cold expression as she looked down at the tops of their heads.
“…”
Well, she seems to be doing fine, so maybe I should stop worrying.
‘Besides, I have other things to worry about.’
Jo A-yun was not one of them.
Between her composition and music theory tutoring, plus studying for her GED, she was rarely even in the office.
There was nothing to worry about there.
What was troubling me was my own problem.
With the plan roughly complete, I began production of the game.
My job was planning and programming; the moment the first was done, I moved on to the second and started building the foundation.
It wasn't easy.
‘The game engine is still a bit lacking.’
Compared to the engine I was used to, the engines of this era had functionally unsatisfying aspects.
But what could I do? Complaining wouldn't change anything, and this was all my choice.
The only way forward was to push through.
I created tools to implement the features I wanted, and such work led to a lack of sleep.
To point out one other problem, it was this.
‘Marketing.’
The biggest hurdle in selling a game.
At least, it was for me and for our situation.
To recover production costs and turn a profit, marketing is just as important as the product itself.
In fact, major game companies spend a significant portion of their production budget on marketing, so its importance is a given.
But the resources I had available in the current situation were limited.
Grandiose external marketing was out of the question. The most realistic options were community promotion and leveraging James Han, who was slowly building a niche following in the internet broadcasting scene…
‘There’s no game-changer.’
The promotional effect they would provide would surely be localized.
‘Wait until more money comes in and then promote?’
No, that was a bad move.
I needed to schedule the production announcement and subsequent promotional activities now, while interest in the studio was high after the successful release of *Hellic*.
If I waited any longer, the studio would be forgotten, relegated to an ‘Oh, was there a game company like that?’ status.
That's how this industry works, especially for indies.
If you don't consistently promote yourself amidst the flood of new games, you disappear without a trace.
Impatience and frustration were mounting.
*Click—*
As I was habitually scrolling through a portal site, an article caught my eye.
No, it did more than just catch my eye.
The headline alone made me sit up straight.
“Ah…!”
What a remarkable coincidence.
It was an article that would cleanly solve the marketing problem that had been plaguing me.
The headline read:
『Korea's Largest Game Exhibition, G-STAR. First Time Hosted in Busan!』
Suddenly, I felt like such an idiot.
‘Why didn't I think of this?’
In 2009, there was a massive tectonic shift in the domestic game industry.
It was none other than the change that stemmed from that one festival.
‘Starting this year, G-STAR will begin to grow in earnest.’
I remembered it clearly because this was the year I first went to G-STAR.
The 2009 G-STAR, held for the first time in Busan, concluded successfully, drawing around 240,000 visitors.
And in the years to come, it would eventually establish itself as the largest game exhibition in the country.
As I recalled all these facts, a single conclusion came to mind.
‘…Promotion might be possible.’
Perhaps on a much larger scale than I thought.
I immediately moved the mouse.
Hell of Heretics (1)