Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Three-Meter Alice
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This was the initial reaction to the *Hellic 2* demo.
『(Game) Bangbae-dong's Lord of Blood: It’s fun. Really fun.
Like the G-STAR review said, the setting is so different from the first game that it felt weird at first, but once I got into the system, I got used to it quickly.
Most of all, I like that the build freedom is even greater than before.
I played my first run with a slingshot, and I could immediately tell it needed to be mixed with a drug build.
I’m going to try a hybrid build for my second run.
WaitingForHellic2: I think they made it so you don't have to study builds. It was great that they gave you both an easy path and one that requires more thought.
┕SpotlesslyClear: Gay
┕FlowerJaeheeCherryLips: Homo
┕WaitingForHellic2: ?』
The system elements received the most praise.
In *Hellic 2*, you could progress through the game with a simple, unresearched build.
Yet, it also offered the expandability for players to delve into advanced builds if they wished, allowing for a diverse gameplay experience even within the demo version.
The same was true for other elements.
『(Game) <3Poppy<3: I really like the game design ^^
The “Hell of Heretics” concept was quite good. It felt like a challenge to the stereotype that hell must always be a horrifying landscape.
The design of the god was particularly impressive.
It seemed like an abstract expression using artistic techniques...
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·
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...Besides that, the sound effect of glass shattering was also excellent. The originality of the sound design, harmonizing with the BGM, is also worthy of praise.
The art and sound teams are very creative.
I heard there are four chapters in total. I hope the full game is released soon ^^
P.S. Not much has been revealed yet, but the story was quite interesting. I’m a little curious about the butterfly’s identity. Is it a warden, like a keeper of hell?』
There were comments about the game's presentation.
There were also comments about the story, and as players began sharing builds in earnest, some even started finishing their first playthrough.
The average playtime for the demo was 30 minutes.
Since the resources available in Chapter 1 were limited, the comment section even featured debates on how to optimize builds within those constraints.
It was in that moment.
『(Game) SpotlesslyClear: ?
(Screenshot of a 3-meter-tall Alice looking down on the god)
???』
One of the players who had cleared the Easter egg in the original *Hellic*, ‘SpotlesslyClear,’ had discovered a bug.
It was a physics engine bug.
The rather ridiculous image was met with an explosive reaction.
『
WaitingForHellic2: LMAOOOOOOOOOO
Bangbae-dong's Lord of Blood: What is this lololol
<3Poppy<3: Alice, who blasphemes even the gods...!
FlowerJaeheeCherryLips: No way this is an Easter egg, right? lol』
The positive reaction was only possible because it was a free demo.
Since the game was fundamentally unfinished, such bugs were within the users' range of acceptance.
In fact, one might even say that discovering bugs like this was part of the fun.
The video that followed made that sentiment blatantly clear.
『(Game) SpotlesslyClear: Got some gameplay footage. Using the bug increases your attack range.
(Video of the 3-meter Alice overwhelming the god)
This god's a total pushover lol』
At that moment, a certain trait of anonymous online communities manifested.
It was the incitement and fabrication where the weak do not survive.
This time, the target was Yeon-ho.
『(Chat) FlowerJaeheeCherryLips: Guys, you still don't get it?
(Screenshot of a 3-meter-tall Alice looking down on the god)
(Photo of Yeon-ho wearing a blonde wig while promoting the game)
This was intentional. They already dropped hints at G-STAR.
The truth is, Alice is just the director who wanted to be a girl...
Bangbae-dong's Lord of Blood: Ahh... so that's what it was...
┕zUltimateHansu: So he really was a homo.
┕WaitingForHellic2: ?』
Yeon-ho wearing Alice's wig at G-STAR was coming back to bite him.
As the situation unfolded to that point.
“...What do we do now?”
Seo-rim asked Yeon-ho.
She wasn't making a fuss like before.
It was only natural, perhaps. Seo-rim’s initial worry was that the discovery of the bug would turn public opinion sour.
But wasn't the current situation one where the mistake was being covered up with humor?
Frankly, since Yeon-ho was the one being ridiculed, there was no reason for Seo-rim to be particularly concerned.
Still, she asked because she knew his personality to some extent.
‘He doesn’t like mistakes.’
He had perfectionist tendencies, not unlike herself.
He especially had a habit of seeing things through to the end once he decided on them, and in this case, removing the 3-meter Alice bug was that task for him.
Yeon-ho’s expression was grim.
He scanned the community forums with deep-set eyes, his brow furrowed in apparent displeasure.
Finally, Yeon-ho spoke.
His words were somewhat unexpected.
“...This is actually for the better. Let's use it for marketing.”
“For marketing?”
Seo-rim tilted her head.
She couldn't understand what he meant.
Yeon-ho stood up from his seat and added another sentence.
“Customer participation marketing. With this kind of reaction, I think it’s worth a shot.”
It was several hours later that Seo-rim understood Yeon-ho's objective.
Yeon-ho posted on the community forum using the ‘SeorimSeorim’ account.
『(Promo) SeorimSeorim: This is Studio Rewind.
First, we would like to thank all the users who have shown such passionate interest in the *Hellic 2* demo.
We will strive to live up to your expectations.
Now, to the main point regarding the 3-meter Alice.
This phenomenon is a bug that the studio is currently paying the utmost attention to.
It was originally planned as a high-tier skill for the ‘Drug Build,’ but it is being randomly triggered in response to a specific condition.
We are in the process of fixing it, but we are facing difficulties as the cause has yet to be identified.
Therefore, we would like to ask for your help through an event.
The event details are as follows.
[Find the Fake Alice!]
Find the fake Alice that appears randomly during gameplay, take a screenshot, and describe the situation when the bug occurred. Please send it to the email address below!
The three users who find the most bugs will receive a small prize and access to the closed beta!
The event will run for six months. We look forward to your participation.
Thank you.
mail: [email protected]
』
The developer’s appearance on the forum sparked an explosive reaction.
『
WaitingForHellic2: Closed beta access is up!!!
SweetBloodElf38: The,,,developer,,,sir,,,has,,,great,,,taste,,,^^
zUltimateHansu: Lmao, so 3-meter Alice was a real thing? Lmao
┕FlowerJaeheeCherryLips: The drug build does have a lot of weird stuff.
┕Bangbae-dong's Lord of Blood: Right, there was a miniaturization drug you could get in the demo. This must be the opposite skill?
SpotlesslyClear: So what’s the small prize?
┕SeorimSeorim: We are considering a limited-edition Alice figurine.
┕<3Poppy<3: Gasp!
┕SpotlesslyClear: Just you wait lol』
The confirmed rewards were twofold: closed beta access and a limited-edition Alice figurine.
Gamers were a certain breed.
They wanted to be ahead of others, they desired something special that others didn't have, and they had a strong collector's impulse for anything labeled ‘limited edition.’
That was also why limited-edition packages bundled with merchandise sold so well.
Yeon-ho had hit the nail on the head.
Amidst it all, Seo-rim had a question for Yeon-ho.
“But, sunbae.”
“Yeah.”
“Was 3-meter Alice a real skill?”
No matter how she thought about it, that was the case.
It was her job to implement skill motions during development, but she had never been told to create a giantification skill for Alice.
When she asked out of curiosity, the answer came back immediately.
“No. It wasn't.”
“What?”
“It will be from now on.”
*Thud.* Seo-rim froze.
Their eyes met.
Yeon-ho spoke brazenly with his signature deadpan expression.
“Turn a crisis into an opportunity.”
So, from Seo-rim's perspective, it was like this.
“...So I have more work to do?”
“You got this.”
“Wow...”
Seo-rim was at a loss for words.
* * *
Among the bugs that occur in-game, there are some whose triggers are difficult to identify.
These bugs arise from conflicts between stacked codes, and they are particularly troublesome because you have to pick apart the code one by one to understand the mechanism.
As such, a great number of case studies were needed for a solution.
The event was designed for that reason.
‘The effect is pretty good.’
It was a choice based on my past life's experience.
Bug reporting events are not uncommon for online game companies.
Companies that operate test servers to release content in advance often plan such events periodically.
The company I worked for in my past life was the same.
Though they stopped utilizing it at some point, in the early days, they frequently released content on the test server and held bug reporting events.
I was in charge of it back then, so I knew this event was more effective than one might think.
“Seo-rim, can you help me sort the emails?”
“Sure. It's not like I have anything else to do right now.”
Checking the reported bugs in the flooded inbox, it was truly a dreadful sight.
The hidden bugs were mostly triggered in unconventional situations.
Users were finding and reporting heaps of 3-meter Alices through all sorts of bizarre gameplay.
To pick one.
『SpotlesslyClear: 3-Meter Alice Bug Case #4.
(Video of Alice, armed only with a dagger, rubbing against heretics)
She gets bigger if you rub against them about 10 times.』
A thought crossed my mind.
‘Why on earth would anyone play like this?’
I was grateful they found it, but I still couldn't understand it.
...No, I shouldn't think about it.
How one plays the game is entirely up to the customer.
I needed to be respectful.
At any rate, the event was steadily producing results and accumulating cases.
As a general outline began to form, the mechanism of the 3-meter Alice bug was slowly becoming clear.
‘Ah, so it was a collision bug.’
The bug was mainly triggered when Alice collided with an object.
I had already checked Alice's code several times. I shifted my attention to the code of the objects that were causing the bug and found the problem.
The bug fix went smoothly.
As those days continued, the year was drawing to a close.
Soon, it was Christmas Eve.
A day when carols celebrating the birth of Jesus echoed from all corners.
At Studio Rewind, we gathered in the office, staring at the monitor with tense faces.
“It’s today, right? The day of the first sales tally.”
I nodded.
Today was the day we'd see the first sales figures for the demo.
Although it was a free release and had no direct link to revenue, it was undeniably an important metric.
‘It’s an indicator of *Hellic 2*’s weight class.’
‘How much interest the demo draws’ was synonymous with ‘how many people are looking forward to this game.’
Domestically, we started with G-STAR and followed up with customer participation marketing through the 3-meter Alice bug. Internationally, we had done solid promotion to the niche fanbase through James Han.
It was no exaggeration to say that the sales figures we pulled here would determine the level of performance *Hellic 2* could achieve in the future.
As a fair bit of tension mounted,
“Alright, I’m opening it.”
*Click!*
The sales figures appeared on the monitor.
And at the number displayed, Han Seo-rim let out a gasp.
“Holy...!”
I couldn't help but be pleased as well.
Because a much larger sales figure than I had expected was displayed before my eyes.
[210,302]
A total of 210,000 copies.
Even considering the free-to-play bubble, it was a phenomenal number.
It meant that at least 210,000 people were looking forward to *Hellic 2*.
“Aaaah!”
The dramatic duo screamed.
Jo A-yun jumped, her eyes wide with surprise.
Han Seo-rim grabbed me by the collar and shook me.
“This isn't a lie, right? It's really 210,000, right? This is ours, right?!”
My head was ringing.
Meanwhile, a sense of fulfillment washed over me.
‘It’s a success.’
The demo had made a successful debut.
There was still a long way to go, but if this was the start, I could have high hopes.
‘GOTY.’
My eyes remained fixed on the monitor.
My fists clenched for no reason.
Because the goal no longer felt so distant.
“Everyone worked hard. Take the rest of the day off.”
And so, 2009 ended with a meaningful achievement.
Then came 2010, and the world was once again in turmoil.
...The era of the smartphone had arrived.
Interview