Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Tutorial Modeling
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It felt like I’d just woken up from a terrible nightmare.
There were moments of crisis where I nearly staggered.
To sum it up, it was cosmic horror.
The moment that forbidden knowledge was hammered into my head, my thoughts refused to function.
How should I put it... Yes, it felt like my brain had been scrambled.
After facing the abyss of truth, I was sick for a while.
One day, I met my doppelgänger in a dream, and the bastard was wearing a magical girl outfit.
A week passed since that crisis, and I was only just now getting a grip on myself.
It was on a day like that.
That the person who reopened the wound appeared.
“Since it's come to this, let's have you cross-dress one more time.”
It was Yang Gil-sang.
Lunchtime, at a snack bar.
I resisted the urge to smack Yang Gil-sang on the head with the spoon I was using for my bibimbap.
“You have to strike while the iron is hot. How about another round of Alice cosplay for the Japanese market?”
*What the fuck are you talking about?*
I’m proud of my superhuman patience for holding that back.
...Right, I get it.
How can anyone feel another's pain as their own?
It’s human nature to feel a paper cut on your own finger more keenly than someone else getting stabbed.
Yang Gil-sang must be the same.
Unless fan art of his bald head starts circulating, he'll never truly understand how I feel.
A person's life is always a lonely one; I didn't expect him to understand.
I just politely refused.
“I'm not doing it.”
But Yang Gil-sang was persistent.
“Really? You're going to miss this opportunity?”
Did I hire the wrong person?
I noticed Yang Gil-sang adjust his glasses and widen his eyes.
“Yeon-ho, let's think about this from a business perspective. This is a free marketing opportunity. Someone already lit the fire; all we have to do is throw another log on it.”
“I have no intention of using my body as a log.”
“Even if that log becomes development funds?”
*Clank.* My spoon stopped.
Yang Gil-sang's gaze sharpened.
“Yeon-ho, what's more important? Your shame or the development budget? Huh? You said you were serious about development. Didn't you say your wish was to pour your life into creating one masterpiece?”
...I did say that.
“Studio Rewind has to become the best in the industry, right? And for our first step, we need to properly establish ourselves in the Japanese market. The timing is perfect. We've already drawn a ton of attention, and interest in the game is high. We have less than a month until pre-orders start. We need to make a big splash right now.”
Pre-orders.
The word echoed in my mind.
In that moment, Yang Gil-sang's demeanor changed.
“You just have to close your eyes once. Means? Methods? Are we in a position to be picky? You know how huge the Japanese console market is, right?”
Of course I do.
I know, but still.
“Gil-sang.”
“Speak.”
“Could you try not to smile while you say that?”
“Oops.”
Doesn't speaking with such an amused face make you less persuasive?
The studio's future, my ass. I suspect this guy just wants to see me cross-dress again.
Of course, all the points Yang Gil-sang made were valid.
Especially considering the pre-orders, an event now less than a month away.
“Yeon-ho, I'm not just saying this. I know you're reluctant, but this is pretty good material. Even besides the reasons I mentioned, it'll be beneficial in the long run.”
I had been determined not to listen to whatever he said.
But I couldn't.
What he said next was enough to shake my resolve.
“The trend of the 21st century is emotion. And what creates that emotion is character. Do you know what companies care about most these days? Creating a story. They romanticize the company's journey from its founding by the chairman to its evolution into a success story.”
Yang Gil-sang snatched the last piece of radish kimchi and ate it.
“It's the same for directors. The era of developers just making good games is over. Now, you need a strong persona. Isn't this the perfect opportunity? A director with a deep love for his game. It's a great image, and the stage is already set, isn't it?”
It was a bit of a leap in logic, but everything Yang Gil-sang said was true.
Especially considering future trends.
It goes without saying how important initial sales are for a game's release.
And what drives those initial sales is the recognition of the studio and the director.
In other words, the loyalty of the core customers.
There are many examples.
But the most representative would have to be Alid Russo.
I remember the day *Lost Kingdom* was unveiled, in the not-so-distant future.
There was something I still remembered.
-The Return of a Legend.
That single sentence was enough to send a storm through the market.
A storm created by overwhelming recognition and customer loyalty.
*Lost Kingdom* had already shown the power to shatter all of that year's records with its pre-order numbers alone.
The industry had been so shocked by it.
It was even more shocking because it happened at a time when people were saying, "Pre-ordering is for suckers."
Of course, the fact that the game lived up to those expectations made for a brilliant narrative, but that's a separate story.
To sum it up, that event was created by Alid's persona as a "legend" and the loyalty of the countless customers who believed in that persona.
At the same time,
“Yeon-ho, let's just be a man and cross-dress.”
This mind-numbing statement actually had merit.
“You know, they say European nobles used to wear skirts back in the day, right? A man wearing a skirt? It's actually a very classic...”
“Stop.”
I cut him off.
A breath escaped me.
My shame, and the company's future.
I placed them on either side of a scale.
You could call it my last struggle.
Of course, it wasn't particularly meaningful.
“...”
The truth is, I knew it too.
My inner resistance was just preventing me from thinking about it too deeply.
Cross-dressing once. The potential gain was just too great.
Especially since "love for the game" is one of those things that's hard to convey to customers, no matter how much you try to craft an image.
As I realized that, a sigh escaped me.
*What's so great about cross-dressing?*
*What's so great about sales?*
*...Everything.*
My fists clenched.
I forced my reluctant lips apart and dug my own grave.
My voice came out trembling.
“...I'll do it, okay?”
“Oh!!!”
A huge grin spread across Yang Gil-sang's face.
I looked away from him and thought.
A thought suddenly flashed through my mind.
*...There are four.*
Four shackles that bind me.
Willingly stepping into the cold world of AAA games, the Hell of War.
Unable to escape, hanging on to sweet rewards, the Hell of Hedonism.
Swept up in someone's malice along the way, the Hell of Grudges.
And finally, having chosen all of it myself, the Hell of the Self-Destructors.
The realization hit me.
*Ah... so that's what it was.*
Yes, that must be it.
*This place is...*
Hell.
I was still in hell.
***
One day in August, during a sweltering heatwave, a photo and a comment appeared on Studio Rewind's official account.
The comment was in Japanese.
『Thank you to all our Japanese users for your interest in *Hellic*.
(Photo of Yeon-ho in a full-body Alice costume, holding a cheeseburger and giving a thumbs-up)
We will continue to work hard.』
A short message, but its impact was immense.
The event planner, Yang Gil-sang, smiled.
*The results are undeniable.*
On his monitor were the reactions from a Japanese community.
『-This guy is serious wwww
-This dude wwww his heart has already become female www
-Damn handsome guys die
-Starting meme production』
New fuel to fan the flames of the already-formed meme.
Yeon-ho's sincere cross-dressing photo prompted the creation of even more memes.
There were a few that were truly horrifying to look at, but Gil-sang examined them carefully.
He considered it part of the fun.
Of course,
*It should be about time for it to appear.*
Gil-sang's real goal lay elsewhere.
*Come on, now you're all curious. Time to start looking.*
There was a phenomenon that followed once a meme became popular enough.
People would start getting curious about the meme's origin.
After all, aren't humans a species that lives on curiosity?
Continuous exposure to the same content inevitably makes people wonder about the protagonist's name, job, and the background of how it became a meme.
The image-making began from there.
*Oh, there it is.*
Gil-sang's eyes sparkled as he saw the reaction he'd been waiting for.
『Who the hell is this guy, and why does he keep cross-dressing? Is he a real pervert?』
Someone had become interested in Yeon-ho himself.
From there, interest in *Hellic* and Studio Rewind began to surface as well.
Gil-sang made his move.
You have to cast bait to catch fish.
He subtly dropped some general information about Yeon-ho and Studio Rewind into the community.
『The director of *Hellic 2*, releasing on the PS3 at the end of this year.
He's already known as an outstanding rookie in the industry, but there was a reason he wasn't well-known in Japan.
It's because *Hellic* has only been making PC games until now.
Director Cheon Yeon-ho...』
The rather long post covered everything from when Yeon-ho found Han Seo-rim and the two of them made *Hellic 1*, to recruiting Jo A-yun, who was a high school dropout at the time, to make *Hellic 2*, finding a graphic modeler from the same university, and hiring a senior programmer who had graduated to complete *Hellic 2*.
It read like a youth drama, and this was despite Gil-sang simply listing the facts without any special embellishment.
It was a good sign.
It meant the record itself had a clear narrative that could move people.
Gil-sang was confident that the Japanese gamers reading this story would feel much the same as he did.
He was right.
『For reference.
(Photo of Yeon-ho on an awards stage, smiling with an emotional expression)
I've clipped this photo from a famous article.
People who chase their dreams are always cool.
Though I guess his face is just handsome on its own...』
In addition to the information Gil-sang had provided, they completed Yeon-ho's profile through their own research.
The response was quite good.
『So he's a person who has finished Act 1 and is running toward Act 2.
It's amazing that he doesn't stop.』
Everyone wants a happy ending.
They want to see the hardworking person achieve victory, to see them smile with joy the moment they finally reach their dream.
At least, Yeon-ho, who had started with indie games, was the protagonist of such a story.
『He was an amazing guy, wasn't he?
Cool.
Can't just call him a cross-dressing pervert wwww』
Before long, the users who had been enjoying the meme developed a favorable opinion of Cheon Yeon-ho as a person.
They praised his passion, acknowledged his achievements, and grew curious about his work.
In other words, they began to look at the game more closely.
『Maybe I'll buy it. If it's a GOTY winner, it seems worth trying.
┕I'm planning to buy it.
┕Can't you just play the PC version?
┕I only play on console, PC is inconvenient.』
Gil-sang smiled.
*It's over.*
It started with just one cross-dressing photo.
But it was because of that photo that they were able to get this far.
Just as Gil-sang had planned, he had succeeded in packaging Yeon-ho with an image like "a rookie director who triumphed through passion" or "a young prodigy who loves games."
You could call it internet-article-style clickbait, drawing people in with a provocative title to build curiosity about the information.
An era where even narratives and people were manufactured and used for marketing. This was such an era.
Gil-sang asked his secretary.
“Pre-orders start tomorrow, right?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Let's make sure everything's checked.”
He had lit the fuse at the hottest moment, so the bomb would explode even bigger.
He'd done everything he could.
Now, all that was left was to see the results.
His heart trembled with anticipation.
Gil-sang decided to gladly enjoy it.
*Well...*
There was a minor problem, but he let it slide.
The minor issue of Yeon-ho's fan-made content being created in even more bizarre and horrifying forms was outside Gil-sang's interest.
Isn't there a saying?
As long as the results are good, everything is fine.
***
The pre-orders were a success.
“I heard it was 200,000 copies? We've more than broken even.”
200,000 copies from pre-orders alone.
200,000 console packages.
It was an unbelievable number for a studio of our size, but when you looked at the factors one by one, it wasn't that strange.
After all, the game had already been proven as an indie GOTY.
Not only had the PC version performed well, but we had also done tailored marketing, so of course the impact would be huge.
Conversely, if you asked if the number was too small considering all we'd done, the answer was the same.
The number of people who would go so far as to pre-order and rush to play a game already released on PC wasn't dramatically high.
“That's great. We can breathe a little.”
“Sure, it went well.”
This is what was supposed to happen.
It was marketing that literally burned my own body.
Sales raised by abandoning my shame.
In fact, it would have been wrong if it were any less than this.
I felt my pores tingle with a sudden chill and asked Han Seo-rim.
“Seo-rim, are they still making those fan arts?”
“Do you want to know? Lately, you and the prison guard...”
“...No, stop. My bad.”
I closed my eyes.
Recalling the past suffering.
I couldn't face reality, so I chose to ignore it.
Especially when Jo A-yun came running with an excited look on her face, holding her phone, I would squeeze my eyes shut.
The achievement gained after such hardship.
It was exceptionally sweet and relieving.
*I probably don't have to worry about Japan anymore.*
I had only pushed the marketing because the opportunity arose.
Anything more was Sona's job, so it was best to step back now.
Besides, I couldn't afford to worry about it anymore.
The next task was now upon us in earnest.
In the middle of the conference room, with my back to the beam projector, I reflected.
I had already pushed aside all stray thoughts.
*Vanilla version complete.*
We've created the game's skeleton.
That is, we've roughly finished forming and verifying the core of the farming and combat systems.
The QA department's evaluation was overwhelmingly positive.
It was a rewarding response for the roughly six months we'd poured into it.
The fact that there's inherent fun to be had in the bare-bones vanilla state means the core content of the game is complete.
Of course, continuous checks on the details are necessary, but there won't be as many arduous tasks as before.
What felt ironic was that this development order is actually common, yet we were only now able to attempt it.
Realizing it was because we finally had an environment where we weren't struggling with manpower or development costs made me feel how much things have changed.
*Now...*
We've crossed the biggest ridge, so what's left is to add flesh to the bones and cover it with skin.
In other words, the process of polishing this game and wrapping it up nicely.
“Let's get started. Time to dress it up.”
Graphics, sound, narrative composition, the narrative work to weave them together, and the level design to apply to the actual product.
Beyond that, refining the vanilla version into its final form and cross-verifying it.
There was a lot to do.
“Yeon-ho, what about our sleeping room now...?”
“Get out. The programming team won't have much to do for a while. And it's not a sleeping room, it's an on-call room.”
“...*Sob*!”
Myeong-gyu cried out.
Just then, Han Seo-rim asked.
“How was the concept art?”
It was a question about the concept art she had sent over a while ago.
“It was good. You can proceed as planned. We need to get into the modeling process. Distribute the parts well.”
The art team had already grown to 30 people.
It was unavoidable. Once you get into graphics, it splits into character modeling and map modeling, and beyond that, there are too many specialized fields like animators, texturing, rigging, and so on.
In this line of work, it's more beneficial to hire a specialist for one area, even if you only need one person.
From now on, Han Seo-rim's role would be focused on managing them.
I trust her capabilities.
If there was one concern, it was that she might snap under the pressure at some point.
She might not look it, but her mental fortitude is on the weaker side, so she needs someone to support her.
That's my job, so I'll have to pay attention.
“You handle the confirmations and combinations yourself and just show me the final product. If a draft is really ambiguous, then come to me.”
“Got it.”
“Next, A-yun, stick by my side for a while. You need to be familiar with the storyline to lay down the BGM. As for the graphics, let's look at them together when I review them.”
“Yes...!”
“And...”
My gaze turned to the dramatic duo.
These two were about to do something very important.
“Kim Hye-ji, Jeon Yu-mi.”
““Yes!””
“I'll give you the details separately, but I figured I should have you mentally prepare in advance.”
*Hellic 3* had a bizarre concept for its playable characters.
It was designed so that each body part could be set differently in the form of "parts," and as a result, the playable character assembled from these parts became an asymmetrical monster.
Of course, that could be seen as a unique feature.
That was why the character's base form was made to be grotesque.
However, if the form was too bizarre... say, a woman's legs combined with a man's torso, wouldn't more people feel repulsed?
A more mainstream solution was needed for those people, and I decided to use my initial idea for that.
“We're going to add customization elements.”
In other words, cosmetic customization.
In some games, it's a category classified as skins or appearance gear.
Simply put, it's a method of overlaying the appearance of one part onto another. Through this system, users would be able to erase the grotesqueness of the original playable character.
For the two of them, that meant.
“You know what this means, right?”
“...That we have to create a lot of models?”
“Exactly.”
The graphic modelers have to implement all the different models that will perform all the playable character's motions.
“I've assigned you plenty of subordinates. We'll outsource if necessary. I'm counting on you.”
In that moment, the dramatic duo couldn't live up to their name.
I wrapped up the meeting.
“We're looking at a development period of about three years. That means you have to handle that much workload, and that's how much money I'm going to pour into this.”
I'm even willing to extend the period if necessary.
So, there will be no compromise on quality.
“All the external news is positive. Don't worry about anything else and just focus on the results.”
I summarized the framework.
“We're planning for seven chapters, with two to four hours of playtime per chapter, for a total volume of about twenty-two hours. That means there will be many times you'll feel exhausted. I can't promise you much. But I can promise you this one thing.”
Right now, with nothing properly made yet, there's only one thing I can promise.
“I'll make sure you get your salaries on time. With full overtime pay and incentives. Tell the team members, too.”
From what I'd experienced and learned, the best kind of boss was one who didn't stiff you on pay and paid well.