Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: The First Revision
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The initial proposal was complete.
I printed it out, the plan now contained on A4 paper.
A sense of excitement washed over me as I stared at it.
‘This is the start.’
My life’s first AAA title would begin here.
Of course, there was absolutely no guarantee the final product would look like this.
Like any other game, this proposal would probably be 90% revised during development.
Good.
Even that is part of the development process.
An uncontrollable excitement swelled within me.
* * *
“This is our third title.”
I called a meeting.
The conference room held our key personnel: Han Seo-rim, Jo A-yun, Myeong-gyu, and the boisterous duo.
The subtitle displayed on the projector screen was [Hellic3: Demon Sword].
Even though our development staff had grown to nearly twenty people, there was a specific reason only these individuals were present.
Aside from Myeong-gyu, most of them were unaccustomed to corporate culture, so this was a temporary measure to establish a hierarchy.
Authority comes from position, and from the difference in power that accompanies it.
How could I take that principle lightly?
Thinking of the future, I judged it was right to create such distinctions, even for something as simple as meeting attendance eligibility.
Of course, that wasn't the important part right now.
I got straight to the point.
“The core genre is the same as before: action-adventure. The only difference is that this time, we’ll be focusing a bit more on the ‘action.’ It’s different from the last game, which was driven by its narrative.”
“What do you mean by focusing more on the action?”
“Exactly what it sounds like.”
No need to overcomplicate it.
In gaming, action is the most visceral element of fun a player experiences.
If I were to list what’s needed to define and perfect it… right.
“I mean you all need to pay special attention to the feel of the combat, the motions, the sound effects, and the physics engine settings.”
Creating the final product of ‘combat’ required organic coordination between departments.
*Hellic 3* would start from there.
The immediate goal was to perfect the combat system.
The other elements could be touched upon slowly.
“We won’t be starting on any other design aspects. Same goes for you, A-yun. Before working on the BGM or other music, create the impact and hit sounds first. For a while, you’ll be attached to the art team. Myeong-gyu, how far along is the console port for *Hellic 2*?”
“It’s more or less running, but it’s not fully optimized yet. We’re still squashing some bugs.”
“Then split the team in half. Let the team members handle optimization, and you stick with me.”
Adapting the game to console specs was something that could be done with enough time.
Myeong-gyu just needed to handle any major bugs that popped up along the way.
“The QA department staff have arrived. Have the team members coordinate with them.”
Studio Rewind finally had a testing division.
This meant no more unfortunate situations where programmers had to play through the game dozens of times just to find bugs.
In any case, setting aside the satisfaction of seeing the system come together piece by piece, I spoke.
My words were meant to create a sense of tension among the team.
“This is our first AAA title. We can’t rely on the reputation we’ve built so far. In fact, that reputation could work against us. With this game, we have to prove ourselves in the packaged game market. We have to show whether we’re rookies who only work in the indie scene, or giants who can compete in the AAA league.”
It was harsh, but it was reality.
The development process is long. The effort and hard work required go without saying, and the break-even point in this market is astronomically high.
But none of that matters in the public’s evaluation.
Results.
While this might be true for any market, the AAA market, in particular, demands that you speak with results, not effort.
If sales figures, the ultimate result, don’t back you up, you go bankrupt. Simple as that.
“Let’s stay sharp. I’ll send the proposal to each department, so read it over carefully and make your judgments. Give me your feedback immediately.”
The first meeting for *Hellic 3* ended like that.
* * *
A week after the meeting.
“Buy it for me.”
Han Seo-rim came to me.
She brought a file listing the equipment she needed.
Namely, motion capture equipment.
Not a full set, just a few of the more widely used pieces.
Even so, my stomach clenched.
“This is expensive.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“…This is really expensive.”
“Sunbae, why are your hands shaking like that?”
This wretched silver spoon has lost her human heart.
The thought crossed my mind for a moment.
But I couldn’t refuse.
Whatever the case, we needed to use motion capture.
Why buy it? Aren’t there motion capture studios?
That was a meaningless question.
One just had to consider one of Han Seo-rim’s traits.
Whenever she uses a new technology, she tries to study it until she’s personally satisfied.
In other words, she needed time to fiddle with the equipment herself to ensure a smooth workflow.
‘It’s a necessary expense.’
If I frame it as a talent management cost for someone like Han Seo-rim, it’s a worthwhile expenditure.
There were other reasons, too.
Motion capture is one of the core graphic design elements, indispensable for creating character and monster motions.
Its necessity is even greater in AAA titles.
Think about it. What kind of trouble did we go through to create Alice’s motions when we were making *Hellic 2*?
Even after all that effort, we couldn’t completely eliminate the stiffness in her movements, and some players pointed it out in their reviews.
Of course, the shield of being an indie game allowed for some leeway, but that was no longer an option.
Considering we were making a AAA game and planned to make more in the future, we needed the infrastructure to perform motion capture in-house.
If Han Seo-rim studied it now, it could be useful later.
Of course…
‘Was it always this expensive?’
The way the price of technology changes with the times was truly heartbreaking.
“…I’ll let Mr. Yang know, so go see him about it.”
“Sunbae, are you sick?”
“My heart is.”
“Huh?”
“…It’s nothing.”
“What’s with you? So anticlimactic. Anyway, buy it for me quickly. There’s something I want to try.”
Han Seo-rim let out a soft chuckle and left.
It took some time to soothe my aching heart.
Fortunately, it didn’t take long, and I was able to return to my work.
‘…Design.’
Not artistic design, but combat design.
If the external elements were what I entrusted to the team, then the internal elements were what I was focused on.
The question of how to make ‘combat’ more enjoyable.
And beyond that, the question of ‘how to make players want to engage in combat.’
‘Flashy effects and a weighty sense of impact are essential. Combat tempo, balancing, and skill combinations are just the basics. Those alone can’t complete a combat system.’
*Hellic 3* wasn’t a game where you just fight endlessly.
Players who wanted that would choose a fighting game, not *Hellic*.
So, what should *Hellic’s* combat system focus on?
The answer was, in fact, crystal clear.
‘Growth feedback.’
In all games with combat elements, except for fighting games, growth feedback functions as a component of combat.
Simply put, the result of ‘combat’ is nothing more than a process of verifying the ‘character’s growth.’
For example, why are we so enthusiastic about RPGs?
Why do we endure the fatigue of repetitive combat and the same skills over and over again to enjoy it?
The answer lies in growth feedback.
Because players can verify their level-ups, changes in items, or the acquisition of new skills and their combinations in the realm of combat, they willingly endure the fatigue of repetitive labor.
In other words, it was about anticipation and the reward mentality.
The growth one can obtain at the end of this toil, and the tangible changes in the character that result from it, are perceived as a reward, so players enjoy it in anticipation.
*Hellic* was no different.
‘This time, as we’re increasing the volume, I’ve strengthened the growth feedback. I’ve increased the number of choices.’
The growth feedback in *Hellic 3* had to be applied more frequently and with a greater impact than in the previous game.
As an element for this, I incorporated corpse looting.
A familiar growth build for the demonic sword (software), and traits that could be applied to any weapon (hardware).
Combining these would allow for more diverse growth paths, and wouldn’t that become a way to enjoy the verification process of ‘combat’?
But a problem was arising here.
‘The farming cycle is too long. The number of monsters you have to kill to farm one corpse is too high.’
With the current plan, the fatigue would overwhelm the anticipation of farming.
*Hellic* is not, by default, an easy combat game.
It adopts the limited healing resources element from soulslike games, forcing players to operate with limited health until certain checkpoints.
Of course, it’s not so difficult that you’d struggle with hunting mobs or elite monsters, but it means you have to use your head in combat regardless.
Repeating such combat? It was obvious that the player would eventually feel ‘fatigue’ rather than ‘anticipation’ towards combat itself.
So, should I increase the number of corpses to loot?
‘Impossible.’
Too many traits would create a barrier to entry.
If I bombard the player with all sorts of traits from the beginning, they will feel deep fatigue from having to simultaneously manage the demonic sword’s growth and understand the traits.
How could I solve this problem?
My thoughts were deepening.
“President…!”
A voice called out.
I lifted my head to see Jo A-yun peeking over the partition.
Jo A-yun’s eyes were sparkling.
Her fingertips were trembling slightly.
Ah, she was on her tiptoes.
Jo A-yun wasn’t tall enough to see over the partition otherwise.
“A-yun?”
“Are you busy?”
“Not particularly. Why?”
“Ah…!”
Jo A-yun ducked back behind the partition and then came around to my desk.
“This…!”
She handed me a piece of candy.
Jo A-yun smiled bashfully.
“They say it’s White Day today.”
So it was.
I accepted the candy without thinking and offered my thanks.
“I’ll enjoy it.”
White Day. It reminded me of a horror game I used to love as a kid.
The janitor became the blueprint for my game's inputs, giving birth to the Cancer Giant and the mosaic scene.
Lost in such thoughts, something occurred to me, and I asked.
“But isn’t today the day guys give gifts?”
“Yes! I received it…!”
“?”
“My classmates gave it to me to eat!”
“…Is it okay to give away a gift you received?”
“Why not…?”
Does she not understand the meaning?
No, I could tell from her innocent face.
‘As a man…’
She doesn’t see them that way!
To Jo A-yun, the classmates who gave her the gift were nothing more than random event NPCs!
“Try it! It’s really delicious…!”
Someone’s sorrow was seeping into the candy.
I mulled it over for a moment, and…
‘…Not my problem.’
Having reached a conclusion, I promptly unwrapped and ate it.
“It’s good.”
“Right? Myeong-gyu and Mr. Yang liked it too! Oh, Mr. Yang…”
Jo A-yun chattered on.
The gist was that she had received about two boxes worth of candy, and Yang Gil-sang had put them in the break room.
Once again, someone’s profound sorrow struck me.
I was trying hard not to think about it.
Suddenly, Jo A-yun’s gaze fell on my monitor.
“Oh, a corpse.”
Jo A-yun began to stare intently at the corpse-related file that was open.
She smiled bashfully.
“I think this is great. E-especially the part about them being the corpses of war heroes…!”
That’s right.
The corpses collected in-game are the actual corpses of war heroes from history.
The player uses those corpses as hardware.
The four pilgrims in the Hell of War did the same.
-This body has good muscles. I’ll take it.
-Stop, you barbarian! How dare you defile his grace’s body…
-I don’t listen to guys weaker than me.
-You scouuundrel!!!
The pilgrims were fundamentally spirits bound to weapons, not bodies.
In other words, if they came across the slumbering corpse of a war hero during their journey, they would switch to that body.
The very motif of corpse looting came from there, so I was confident in the excellence of the material.
Of course, my confidence ended there.
The dilemma of how to handle this corpse looting was giving me a headache again.
I was just returning to my original problem.
“But, President…!”
“Hm?”
“Do you do corpse fusion?”
“?”
“You know, that thing…!”
Jo A-yun said excitedly.
She even clenched her fists, her face flushing, looking just like a little boy playing with a robot toy.
“The-the heart of Gwanggaeto! The arm of Genghis Khan! The legs of Lu Bu! Combine…! The King of Horsemen…!”
…If only it wasn’t for the idea of tearing off and attaching body parts.
‘A-yun, A-yun…’
Why would you think of something so gruesome?
Suddenly, I felt a sense of fear towards Jo A-yun’s worldview.
I mean, really, what must a person think about to look at the corpses of historical heroes and come up with the idea of dismembering and combining them…
*Clack—*
‘…Could it work?’
My body froze.
“President…?”
“Just a moment…”
My head was spinning.
It was because something had just occurred to me.
It was a shock, like being hit in the back of the head with a hammer.
‘Why didn’t I think of this?’
Fusion. It’s not impossible.
No, it was the perfect solution to the problem I was facing.
‘OOPArts!’
I don’t have to think of a corpse as a single, whole unit.
I can make the items obtained from each corpse function as OOPArts.
If I do that, it opens up the possibility of hardware combination growth through the combination of OOPArts!
And that would allow for the creation of various concept builds!
In fact, a very famous game I knew had a feature like this as its main content.
A game that would be released not now, but in the future.
‘Cyberpunk 2099.’
An open-world game set in an era where human bodies are replaced with machines.
The very game that caused a sensation with its period setting and historical accuracy.
Mechanical implants were one of the core growth elements that determined the game’s playstyle.
What if I expressed that in *Hellic 3* in the form of ‘organs from corpses’?
‘The combination options increase. The growth feedback that can be verified in each battle becomes clearer. In other words, the sense of fatigue diminishes.’
That’s not all.
The freedom of combination, the change in builds due to items, and the resulting concepts.
All of that was in line with the identity of the *Hellic* series.
‘Ah.’
Right, I had been unable to think outside the box.
Trapped in my own thinking, I had treated ‘using the corpse as a whole’ as something that absolutely had to be done.
I took a moment for self-reflection.
No one had forced me to do that.
No, in the first place, *Hellic 3* is about equipping multiple weapons on a single body.
In that case, wouldn’t it make sense to use the corpse in pieces as well?
I looked at Jo A-yun.
Her excited, fidgeting form looked different now.
“…A-yun.”
“Yes?”
“You’re a genius.”
Jo A-yun tilted her head for a moment, then smiled bashfully and scratched the back of her head.
And with that, I sent her on her way.
Savoring the sweetness of the candy, I began to completely overhaul the planning section related to corpse looting.
It was mid-March, the first revision of the plan.
Planning Team