Chapter 61: Bursting with Energy
Unlike winter holidays and summer movie seasons, the video game industry is also different. This is mainly because, to watch movies, audiences need to go to the cinema. For games, whether PC or virtual reality, only the equipment is needed. The only drawback is virtual reality games, given their high cost.
Furthermore, currently, devices with a good virtual reality gaming experience, such as game consoles, are still relatively scarce for individual users. Most are found in experience stores, similar to internet cafes. Therefore, the video game market is completely different from the so-called movie season. However, this is also less frantic than the film industry.
In reality, the competition is also quite high. Many game developers and designers continue to focus on this period. After all, setting aside professions like teaching and students who are still working, for common players, this is possibly the most important holiday after Independence Day. Additionally, during the winter holidays, most people have a somewhat larger budget than usual. Naturally, this attracts the attention of video game developers, leading to fierce competition.
There are discounts on major gaming platforms, promotions for online multiplayer games, and new releases from developers and designers, including some virtual reality blockbusters.
For Alex, the next two months were definitely too late to develop a large-scale game. But it was also impossible to do nothing. Although the team had few internal projects after Outlast's completion, the workload across all departments was considerable. As for the platform, there was no need to worry about tracking or collecting external information, including player and user feedback.
Although the team was small, the necessary data was still available. The completion of Outlast did not mean the end of work. After development, the team, leveraging the experience gained in Outlast's development, adjusted and tested the official game engine, including various action parameters. While it significantly improved productivity compared to previous official game engine tools, it was not a panacea.
It was like molding clay figures: some turned out beautiful, others horrible. Therefore, Alex was developing a transition project, partly so the team could review and digest the work, and partly because time was pressing.
Additionally, judging by players' online comments, there seemed to be some confusion about him. Furthermore, this year's New Year's Eve fell much later than usual, and Valentine's Day coincided with the winter holidays.
Judging by the current film schedule in the entertainment industry, there are quite a few romantic movies. But there are no games in that genre. He would be the one to fill that void. He would give couples a big surprise during the winter holidays!
"A game for couples? And, by the way, I can use player discounts to promote my own Nebula gaming platform. Kill two birds with one stone!" After chatting for a while with Lisa and Jane, Alex returned to his office, reclining in his chair. Looking at the keywords he had previously highlighted, an idea struck him.
It just so happened that he had a great game that fostered harmonious relationships between couples. It could serve as a transition project for this project, and it could even connect with some players.
He opened his computer, created a new folder, and then pulled out a drawing pad and a pencil from a nearby drawer to begin a simple sketch. Soon, simple character designs appeared on the paper. Cartoon characters: Onion King, Crocodile Chef, Dog Chef, Bearded Chef, and a dog named Kevin with a bell.
After sketching the main characters, Alex began to write the conceptual design for the new game. Overcooked, also known as Overcooked, is the casual simulation game Alex plans to develop.
For Alex and the Nebula Games team, developing Overcooked was not difficult. Compared to Outlast, it requires far fewer resources. Obviously, resources and other aspects would have to be redesigned. After all, Overcooked's art style is distinct from Alex's previous games. It's a cartoon-style game, and also a benchmark in the cooperative genre. It is considered a perfect example of this genre. Its adorable and cute art style has made it incredibly popular. Whether you like it or not, it's hard not to like it.
The game itself has a strong indie feel. It was developed by only two people, and when it was about to launch, they barely had money for a $2.60 meal. However, after its launch, it quickly sold almost two million copies and was nominated for Best Multiplayer Game at the TGA Awards. This has established it as a unique series.
As for parallel worlds, there are some similar cooperative games, but they generally lack particular characteristics. Once a genre is chosen, all that remains is to decide what to create. Overcooked 1, the first game in the series, was a great success and established the aesthetics and gameplay style. However, it still had many flaws, such as a lack of online connectivity, a limited number of maps, and some control issues. Overcooked 2 was a great success, solving many of these problems and retaining its unique gameplay. As for Overcooked: All You Can Eat, apart from the graphics, there were not many significant innovations, only some more suitable beginner tutorials and assistance. It is essentially a compilation of Overcooked 1 and 2's content.
After considering it, Alex made a quick decision. He would focus on Overcooked 2, retaining its basic configuration, gameplay, and art style. He would also make some adjustments to the user interface and visual effects. Additionally, he would add some excellent maps. As for the story, it was not crucial. After all, the plot of the Overcooked series was basically a backdrop. Just like in previous Nintendo games, whether Mario or Zelda, the story revolved around saving a princess and defeating a boss. For this type of game without narrative, the levels are the main core.
But for now, let's first create the game's structure. At the same time, compared to the previous version of Overcooked, Alex is also preparing to make new changes to the content. This can be considered a test of the platform's features. Undertale, Outlast, and To the Moon are three games that have reached his own platform, Nebula. However, there is still one feature that has not been implemented: the platform's creative workshop. The main reason is that the characteristics of these three games are destined to be incompatible with it.
Overcooked is a good experimental example, as it is a level-based game. If it can be combined with the features of the creative workshop, from a content perspective, it can be better than the previous version. It's just that the planning still needs to be organized.
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