Chapter 29: Player Discussion
The next day, in Nebula Games' office, Alex handed over the complete conceptual design, along with the image requirements for key characters like Johnny, Johnny's wife, Eva, and Neil, to Lisa and Jane. Upon seeing the conceptual design and the accompanying script, Lisa and Jane were moved. However, it was clear that it wasn't the time to immerse themselves in the game's story, so they wondered:
"Isn't it a sci-fi game? Alex, the central theme is clearly romantic!" Jane was so confused that she even changed the title.
"Yes, and the sci-fi we agreed on?" Lisa nodded.
Yesterday, in the meeting room, Alex had described the setting: the journey to the Moon and the technology used to manipulate memories. They had also privately discussed brains in vats, dystopias, cyberpunk, and more. And now, with the conceptual design in hand, they realized they had been completely tricked! In reality, it was a romance disguised as science fiction!
"How is it not science fiction? Look at this memory modification technology, right?"
"We'll add some more sci-fi background elements later, like the car the two doctors drive to Johnny's house. We'll make it a bit more sci-fi."
"And that doesn't matter. The important thing is that the game's content reaches the players' hearts."
"Alright, alright, everyone, let's get to it! We have limited time!" Alex coughed lightly twice.
Meanwhile, the online conversation about this event was intensifying. After all, the event was approaching. Officially organized events, as expected, had their own promotions. Some participating game designers also promoted their titles on their official blogs.
However, most were PC and mobile games, mainly due to their shorter development cycles. Some renowned game developers, like Epic Games, also participated. Of course, they weren't main studios. After all, these large companies have numerous studios under their umbrella. That's why many players had heard the news and were commenting on it.
"By the way, the [Science Fiction Tournament] is about to begin!"
"Science Fiction Tournament? What the heck is that?"
"It's the competition organized by the Game Department."
"That, I had completely forgotten about it. This Tournament is terrible. What kind of games are they selecting?"
"I mean, we don't have to be like Undertale, but at least we can have something decent, right?"
"This time it's a little different. Players can also vote. Before, the main judges were the leaders of the Game Department. The games aspiring for awards, without a doubt, took care of the leaders."
"So this time it's fun for the people?"
"Anyway, that's pretty much what it means. This time, it will undoubtedly be biased towards the general public." "Be skeptical."
"But do you think there will be many meta games participating this time? The meta element is very fashionable lately." "It shouldn't be likely. After all, Undertale wasn't even online when the tournament started."
"Do you think Alex will participate?"
"Are you dreaming? Don't you even look at the time? If Alex wants to participate, I'll cut off my penis!" "Hey, are you that bad?"
"Nonsense! It's obvious it's impossible! During the tournament launch, Alex was working on Mirror and Undertale. How would he have time to develop a new game and participate in this event?"
"Damn! He's in trouble! Check out Alex's official blog!"
"What the heck? Are you kidding?"
"I feel sorry for the one above for a second."
"Damn! It's real!"
Undertale, as an indie game, has become incredibly popular, like no other. The main reason is that it exemplifies the concept of the meta element. Coupled with its impressive sales, it has become a perfect example of the fusion between art and commerce. Naturally, it has attracted the attention of countless game designers.
As for the media, that's obvious. What does it mean for an ordinary game designer to create a game like this? It means traffic and hype! As for what Nebula Games and Alex will develop next, the industry and players are unanimous. It's likely to be an Undertale sequel or another metagame.
But who would have imagined that Alex would publicly announce on his official blog that Nebula Games was developing a special game to participate in this event? He didn't specify what it was, but players, industry designers, and the media didn't pay much attention to it. After all, no matter how special it is, it's still a game, right?
The key is time! With only two weeks between the announcement and the registration deadline, how would Nebula Games make it in time? After all, according to Nebula Games' previous project schedule, it was evident that the game for the competition was not prepared in advance.
After this news broke, many designers in the industry considered that Nebula Games was playing it safe. David Cannon, who had previously remained silent due to Undertale, wondered if he would constantly keep an eye on Alex. Less than four minutes after the official publication, he retweeted and commented:
"A moment of success does not guarantee lifelong success. It's a shame that some game designers don't understand this, and even take official competitions as a joke. I doubt their projects will pass review."
Clearly, David Cannon had bad intentions. Upon seeing Alex's official post, he immediately intervened to deflect criticism. Although the comments were still full of sarcasm, this time they gained some support.
After all, developing a sci-fi game for a competition in just over ten days? Incredible! Alex's response to David Cannon was simple: he posted a screenshot of David Cannon's previous official post deletion, along with a graph showing Undertale's ratings and sales figures, and finally an emoji.
The emoji pack showed the recently popular bunny looking at a clown with disdain, and Alex added a line of text next to it:
"Don't look for me, I don't want to talk to clowns."
Upon seeing Alex's response to this emoji, countless players instantly laughed. It's killer and heartbreaking! It's no wonder David Cannon has such a bad reputation in the video game industry, both among players and within the industry. Below this emoji pack, many players' happy responses can be seen.
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