Chapter 46: Being Realistic Doesn't Mean Being Transported to the Underworld!
A motion capture studio was contacted to produce various materials. Meanwhile, Alex led the entire team in the development of Outlast. The game's costs were not low, but not as high as expected either.
After completing the budget report, the total cost of the game, including subsequent advertising expenses, was tentatively set at $1.2 million. While it could increase, it would not exceed $1.6 million. For a horror game, this figure is quite high within the genre. The team was extremely excited. After all, this was their first major project.
Time passed. Art, action, and other resources were produced non-stop. The game's plots were also finalized, and the dubbing process was already underway. The protagonist's actions were also being polished through trial and error.
"I feel a little creepy right now. How terrifying will the final product be?" In the office, Jane, sitting in front of her computer, observed the concept art on the secondary monitor next to her, with a lingering fear in her heart.
These concept drawings primarily consisted of scenes: a darkened psychiatric hospital, scenes filled with blood and corpses, a darkened room with a mentally disturbed patient hiding under a bed, and footage recorded with a DV camera in night vision mode.
These pieces of concept art perfectly captured Outlast's unsettling atmosphere. Just looking at them, let alone playing them, gave you goosebumps.
It must be remembered that during Outlast's development, she had stayed up late. Why? Because she was scared! That day, she didn't know what was going on, but she simply took the DV camera Alex had given her and tried it out at night. The resulting unsettling atmosphere completely overwhelmed her.
Of course, it was precisely because of this that the concept art she created, following Alex's instructions, turned out so captivating.
"Yes! And in the game, players can't resist, they can only run!" Lisa, who was beside her, exclaimed with excitement as Jane spoke.
Alex, working on the action design, smiled and said, "Isn't it exciting? And if there are weapons, it could easily become a first-person shooter. After all, fear comes from a lack of firepower." Why do horror games often include weapons? On the one hand, it enriches the game's content, and on the other, it offers players a suitable escape route.
This approach is quite suitable, as the previous version of Resident Evil adopted this model. However, this approach also has a major drawback: it can easily turn horror games into first-person shooters. After all, fear comes from a lack of firepower.
As long as there is enough firepower, fear can be suppressed. The previous version of Resident Evil also gradually deviated from this aspect. After the fourth generation, it focused more on shooting, until the remake returned to the horror genre, and in Resident Evil 8: Village, the pacing was perfectly achieved.
Of course, for most players, the game's horror or pacing is not the focus. Their attention is completely absorbed by Lady Dimitrescu and her three daughters.
"But, Alex, when will we start Outlast's pre-release promotions? I see many players online asking about the new game," Lisa asked.
Unlike before, when there were only three in the R&D department, the new employees now formally address Alex, rather than simply calling him by his first name.
"Yes, development seems to be progressing very quickly. It should be available online around December," Jane said.
Outlast is not very large, and the main workload focuses on the production of various actions and artistic resources. Thanks to the speed of the gameplay, there is almost no trial and error. Development is progressing smoothly.
"There's no rush to spend money on pre-release promotions. We'll start in mid-to-late November."
"My official blog already has quite a few followers. By the way, have you forgotten what day tomorrow is?" Alex asked with a smile.
What day? Lisa and Jane paused and then looked at the bottom right corner of their desks. October 30th?
"Halloween! I already recorded all the promotional material in advance, just waiting for this day to be released during the holidays."
"After all, fans have been waiting for a month. Announcing our new game just today is very comforting, isn't it?" Alex said with a smile to Lisa and Jane, clicking on a short video he had uploaded to his desktop.
The video was short, only ten seconds long. At first, the screen was dark. The next instant, an image appeared, but it wasn't a normal image. It was the DV's night vision mode. A battery indicator was visible in the upper right corner and a red dot blinked in the upper left corner, indicating that the DV was recording. The DV recording was of Alex's office. A chair had fallen to the floor and documents on the desk had been purposely messed up.
The entire video was completely silent. Combined with the DV's night vision, it was unsettling and eerie. At the ninth second, the DV screen suddenly trembled, as if the person recording it was being attacked. Curiously, there was still no sound. The video ended and faded into darkness.
The office was filled with silence. Lisa and Jane looked at Alex for a long time without saying a word.
"Alex, I think for peace of mind, we shouldn't take it to the underworld," Jane slowly said, looking at Alex.
This preview was clearly a clear signal to players that they were developing a horror game. But the key question was: could this preview be at peace? It was probably already taking it to the underworld. A Halloween launch, and a DV recording specifically recorded at midnight. You are truly incredible, Alex!
Lisa, standing beside him, couldn't help but say what she wanted to say: "And Alex, didn't he say he was a love warrior? Outlast has nothing to do with love, and can't we use something earthly to build hype?"
"Why does it have nothing to do with love? Haven't horror game enthusiasts been saying there are no good horror games in recent years? Why am I developing Outlast? It's my love for these players! Doesn't that count as being a love warrior?"
"As for being earthly, don't you think this promotion fits Outlast's theme? And this will definitely attract more attention than a normal advertisement. We have to take advantage of this hype!" Alex said seriously.
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