Chapter 16: Encountering a Detractor
In the conference room, Alex explained the content of Undertale to Lisa and Jane. The Mirror section was no big deal; simply follow the template and add the corresponding character illustrations and text. The main experience ahead would be developing the Undertale content.
In its earlier stage, Undertale was the work of an indie game designer. However, it has captivated countless players worldwide and is considered a classic metagame. However, unlike metagames like Pony Island, Ashe, and The Stanley Parable, Undertale seamlessly integrates meta and RPG elements, even subverting players' perception of traditional RPG scenarios. The core concept of the game is relatively clear. Undertale primarily focuses on narrative combined with meta-features, while gameplay is just a touch of flavor.
Of course, there are some aspects that Alex plans to improve. For example, compared to its predecessor, Undertale will undoubtedly require improved art. The simple pixel art style and hand-drawn lines of the original Undertale were not meant to be a good thing. It was simply a lack of funds; after all, it was an indie game. As for the claims about Undertale's unique art style by some supposed connoisseurs and media outlets after its explosive popularity, they are completely absurd. Pixel games are not necessarily built with cheap money.
For example, the original Octopath Traveler sought to use pixels to create a modern yet nostalgic experience, and some nostalgic games also deliberately use them. As a story-driven metagame, superior graphics clearly only add value to the game, not detract from it. Minecraft, for example, chose a pixel art style because its blocky gameplay, similar to building blocks, complemented the pixel art. However, Undertale's art style was clearly not compromised for the sake of gameplay.
Of course, putting graphics aside, Undertale's story and music are true classics. Finally, Sans's personality and Undyne's "battle with a true hero" are authentic classics.
After briefly introducing them to the main content of Undertale, Alex also showed Jane the designs of the main characters. There was the kind and gentle Mother Sheep; the King, who seemed benign before the battle, but emerged with a trident, imposing like a god of war; the two skeleton brothers, one tall and one short; and the seemingly benign Little Flower, a master of facial expressions... Alex would oversee the designs of the main characters. As for common monsters, they were outsourced and only needed to be inspected and approved if they met the requirements.
Then came the plot: the Normal Plot, the Kind Plot, the Massacre Plot, and the Hypocritical Plot. Alex had outlined the plot of each of these different lines using the [Memory Capsules] he had previously extracted from the system. The rest was mainly Lisa's responsibility.
After organizing their responsibilities, Alex sat down at his desk and entered the backend of the official engine to prepare the basic structure of Undertale.
"Jane, did you develop games like this when you developed Mirror?" Lisa asked, still a little stunned, contemplating the incredibly detailed draft in her hand.
Jane, who was already working on the design with the character design requirements nearby, looked bewildered. "Yes, what's wrong, Lisa? Is there a problem with developing games like this?"
"It's a huge problem! It's so fluid! The ideas are so clear!" Lisa's eyes widened, but she kept her voice low.
Although Undertale seemed small, it was so fluid that Lisa felt she could tie a dog to it. Remembering the chaos of game development in her previous company, Lisa suddenly wondered if all the employees she had hired were just playing with her.
While sighing, Lisa carefully reviewed the story of Undertale, trying to find a way to complete it. Alex, sitting in his seat, wasn't thinking about anything else. At that moment, he was experimenting with the official engine. The available computing resources were approximately twenty times greater than before. As for the backend, the currently available resources are 0/1024 MB. Using the units of the previous life, that is approximately 1 GB. But Alex reviewed the tutorials and the new relevant content. In the parallel world, this resource is more than enough. If you want more, improve your professional designer title or invest money.
How to improve? Either you have to work hard, which is known as veteran status. Or, you have to win prestigious awards or have a positive impact on the video game industry. To some extent, it can be said that the birth of Mirror drove innovation in the adult video game industry. After understanding this, Alex shook his head and stopped thinking about it. Instead, he began to develop Undertale.
This indie game was not difficult for Alex. With the technology of the parallel world, developing such a game would not require much effort. The real effort lies mainly in the plot, character portraits, and music. It should be noted that Undertale's music is exceptional. This point is also reflected in many other indie games. Plot, music, and creative gameplay have always been the three pillars of indie games.
"Lisa, who is it! Come out and bite us!" "A scammer! He's probably jealous of Mirror's sales, and with his new game about to come out, he's here to scam people and get attention. He's a repeat offender."
Noticing Lisa and Jane's noise, Alex felt curious.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing Alex approach, Lisa took the phone from Jane.
"It's him! A scammer."
Alex took the phone, which contained a video republished by a company called Hype Games. Upon clicking, he saw a middle-aged man reviewing a game. The image was of Mirror, with a clothed character, of course.
"Today's game designers will do anything to attract players' attention."
"Vulgar, absolutely vulgar!"
"Video games are a deeply artistic profession. Calling something like that a game is a disgrace to the industry." "Can such a game designer contribute to the industry?"
"He cannot!" If this kind of content appeared in the game I'm developing, Blooming, which is about to be released, I would be ashamed. So I hope game designers reduce the tricks and focus more on creating truly good games, instead of resorting to vulgar content just to increase sales.
The video lasted about two minutes, and David's words were quite sincere. However, upon reading the comments, Alex found something more interesting. In addition to many players praising him, there were also many criticizing him.
"David Cannon, are you at it again?"
"Vulgar? Then I have to criticize him!"
"Other people's games are vulgar! My games are art!"
"Tell me, when will you promote your new game?"
"Hey, buddy, David Cannon's segment wasn't serious. Hadn't they already inserted it? The game is called Blooming."
After watching the full video, adding the comments and Lisa's explanation, Alex understood the situation in general. The other party was David Cannon, a designer at Hype Games, and, of course, also the company owner. His reputation in the gaming world was ambiguous.
According to him, David had had an impressive job in the past. Even in recent years, although his games hadn't been a blockbuster, they weren't that bad. On the other hand, his criticism was based on his bad reputation. He often deliberately disparaged popular and controversial games to promote his own. This didn't just happen to Alex; many other video game designers had been subjected to this type of criticism.
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