Game Maker: Starting by Healing the Players

After Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was released, games from various major game developers also gradually launched, some achieving remarkable success.

At the same time, the excitement generated by World of Warcraft's new expansion launch event was also incredibly explosive.

Combined with various cutting-edge technologies, it could be said that many domestic game designers were deeply impressed.

As the technology for CosmosVR and ZeusVR continued to mature, new models were also introduced, and their prices were not much more expensive than high-end PCs.

It could be said that the number of users on the VR platform had already surpassed the PC platform as early as last year.

Major game developers were also shifting their focus to VR, not just staying on PC.

This led many designers to discuss what the mainstream direction of game development would be in the future.

Would PCs only be able to accommodate niche indie games, making it difficult to produce any more blockbuster hits?

"From Call of Duty: Modern Warfare to World of Warcraft, I have to admit that VR's market share is getting bigger and bigger!"

"Indeed, and with the emergence of new technologies like brainwave control, players' ways of playing games have also changed. Previously, some games with unique genres have also come to the VR platform."

"However, VR games still have a very fatal flaw right now: the game development cost is too high. If it can't be lowered, it will basically remain a carnival for major game developers."

"That's true. It feels like major game developers will lean towards the VR platform in the future, and platforms like PC will be more of a haven for indie games, right?"

Of course, many game designers were not pessimistic and held opposing views.

"That's too absolute. Regardless of the platform, the most important thing is the game's content. Can you say that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild isn't a phenomenon?"

"Exactly, the most important thing is the game's quality."

"That's different. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was simply a Switch exclusive game developed by Nebula Games purely for promotion. The gameplay could also be ported to the VR platform, and it could even provide better visual performance."

"Indeed. The main issue is that the overlap between PC and VR is too great; it's hard to find a game that is suitable for PC but not for VR."

"Does RTS count?"

"It can count, but the key is that the audience for RTS is not as large as it used to be. After so many years, the most popular is still Warcraft, and now I suspect more people are playing RPG maps than playing regular RTS matches."

The debate was intense, and this debate wasn't solely focused on game direction but more on exploring the future direction of the game industry.

This was a topic that would always be talked about with great interest. Before PCs appeared, the discussion was about game consoles.

After smartphones appeared, the discussion was about mobile phones versus PCs. Now that VR is becoming mainstream, the discussion is about VR versus traditional PCs and mobile devices.

......

Lucas didn't pay much attention to the industry discussions.

He was currently in his office introducing the relevant members to Ismael.

As for Ismael, he was the author of the Zack map that Lucas had played before.

And it wasn't just Ismael alone. Besides Ismael, there were two other people who participated in the creation of that Zack map. One, like Ismael, was employed by Atari, and the other was an employee of the FOW studio acquired by Zeus.

After Lucas heard about it and thought it over, since they were all old rivals, he invited them to join.

There were no particular complications, as these individuals were not on the fringes at Atari and FOW, nor were they high-level executives. Moreover, personnel changes are a normal occurrence in the game industry.

Nebula Games also had many employees leave throughout the year.

Some went to SkyNova and NetDragon domestically, while others went to companies like Atari and FOW abroad.

Similarly, employees from other game companies also joined Nebula Games.

However, Ismael and the others were a bit confused at this moment.

Because a Zack RPG map somehow landed them in Nebula Games, to collaborate with a world-class team?

After joining, they were received by Lucas, and after the three of them completed a concept test about the Zack RPG map he had developed, they were unexpectedly incorporated into a newly established project called 'Guardians of the Ancient Ruins'?

In the meeting room, after a brief introduction, Lucas called everyone together for a meeting.

Most of those who knew the inside story understood Lucas's intentions, as the Zack RPG map wasn't a secret, and after Ismael confirmed his joining Nebula Games, everyone had experienced those few Zack maps during this period.

The general feeling was that while it was indeed interesting to play, could the content sustain it as an indie game?

Even after seeing the complete concept draft of Dota that Lucas provided, they were still a little confused.

Ismael was among them. Although the map's concept and gameplay were very close to the Dota of his past life, Dota itself had gone through countless version updates in his past life, and it originated from the game community, essentially being nurtured by countless players.

So, Ismael, like most people, only had a basic concept of this gameplay but no complete understanding. Seeing the concept draft before him, Ismael felt one thing: it was cool.

Compared to the maps he had designed before, this project called 'Dota' — Guardians of the Ancient Ruins had a much richer setting.

Just the map and the settings for forest shadows and resources felt explosive to him.

But was it enough as an indie project?

Ismael was unsure.

"Don't think of it as an RTS. Just like the Warzone mode in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, the core of Dota lies in its diversity and progression." Lucas said with a smile.

This was also one of the biggest characteristics of competitive games.

Diversity; even if the map is the same, even if the heroes, item builds, and players are the same, each match still offers a different experience, much like the variables and constants in BioShock.

Progression was an essential element in all games, and in Dota, progression was divided into two aspects: in-game and out-of-game.

In-game, every player starts at level one, enjoying the satisfaction of killing opponents. Even if it's not enjoyable, after this match, it's a brand new start.

Compared to the difficult-to-improve skills in RTS, Dota's out-of-game progression was seemingly simpler. It wasn't just about improving reaction time; understanding the game was the most important thing, as this was a game where tactics mattered more than individual skill.

Seeing everyone's confused looks, Lucas smiled and didn't say more.

After all, it was difficult to fully grasp the potential of this type of game just by looking at the surface.

Otherwise, Blizzard wouldn't have missed out on Dota in their past life and instead ended up with Heroes of the Storm, which had been struggling to gain popularity for almost ten years.

"When the game is released, everyone will understand the charm of this game. Of course, before that, Rachel and Anna, you two will be responsible for another project." Lucas said with a smile.

"What project?" Rachel and Anna asked curiously upon hearing Lucas's words.

"To create animations for Dota, so players can better understand the game's world and lore, which will help with promotion and hype." Lucas said with a smile.

Anna and Rachel: ! ! !

Did they hear that wrong?

"Your department will handle this part." Lucas said with a smile, confirming it.

After all, Nebula Games was a world-class company, so they had to do something impressive for promotion.

Doing promotional CG videos like in the past felt a bit cliché. Since everyone said Nebula Games was a film company delayed by games, they had to be careful with films, but Lucas felt animation should be no problem.

(End of chapter)

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