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Chapter 107: This is a Truly Fun Game!
Upon hearing Eric's words, Alex cracked a meaningful smile. He remained silent, quietly inserting a black knight wielding a huge sword into the Living Sacrifice Path map.
'Is the game too difficult?'
Alex had considered this question carefully, conducting a market study before development. Why didn't he launch Dark Souls 1 first, following the story, instead of choosing Dark Souls 3? It's because Dark Souls 3 is much more accessible to new players in terms of difficulty.
Furthermore, Dark Souls is not a game that deliberately tortures players.
Only after mastering Dark Souls and playing it once or twice, and then defeating enemies with effort, will you discover that this game is absolutely thrilling, a truly fun game. It's just that the price of this enjoyment is a bit high.
Obviously, Eric didn't know this.
Observing Alex's expression and actions, Eric knew that Alex had no intention of changing. He could only mourn the loss of future players. 'Players, I did my best!'
In the worst-case scenario, when designing the game's death screen, he could simply ask the art team to make the word "death" more attractive. Additionally, when monsters, bosses, and traps kill characters, he could add more close-ups of their deaths. He would try to make players' deaths unique and original.
The entire Dark Souls game has been in development for a long time. Most of the content is practically complete. What remains are the initial, final, and testing phases. These mainly involve the game's levels, as well as the player-controlled character's use of various weapons in boss battles. All of this needs to be tested after development.
Based on the results of these tests, a decision will be made whether to make detailed adjustments or simply release the game as is.
In addition to Dark Souls' development and the participation in the Valiant Hearts: The Great War expedition, there has also been a lot of activity in Three Kingdoms Tactics and Fall Guys.
In Fall Guys, the operations team will focus on various aspects of the game, such as collaborations with cosmetic skins.
As for the maps, in addition to the official themed maps, the Creative Workshop has been crucial to maintaining Fall Guys' popularity.
Furthermore, compared to its predecessor, Fall Guys has introduced several new modes: individual and team speedrunning, simple level-based fun, and rooms where players can customize their own rules.
However, compared to its peak, Fall Guys' popularity has decreased significantly, with a daily concurrent player peak of around 150,000.
On the other hand, Three Kingdoms Tactics boasts a remarkably high player base, with a steadily increasing number of players compared to its launch period.
In addition to new releases, the game also launched single-player arenas, 2v2 Dragon Tiger arenas for four players, and various new skin promotions. Nebula Games has avoided in-game promotions to increase revenue.
However, the expansion of its player base has led to a natural increase in revenue. With monthly revenue stabilized at $2.2 million, it is evident that Three Kingdoms Tactics will be a sustainable source of income for a long time.
As for Fall Guys, it is crucial to maintain the robustness of its operations and the dynamism of its community. Its popularity will not be as high as at its launch, but it should maintain a long shelf life. The same goes for Three Kingdoms Tactics. As a board game, it will undoubtedly last a long time.
Meanwhile, at the Nebula Game Experience Store, Alex and his team were preparing for the next phase of Dark Souls' promotion.
Back in the project room, all the employees involved in Dark Souls' development were gathered.
Eric reported on the game's integrity, the strengths and weaknesses of the current tests, and areas for improvement. During the meeting, Eric once again mentioned the difficulty problem he had mentioned before.
With a complex expression, he looked at Alex and hesitated for a moment before finally saying: "Alex, are you really not adjusting the stats of the Dark Souls bosses?"
As soon as he finished speaking, not only Eric, but also the employees working on the combat system and numerical levels nodded. They were truly impressed.
After finalizing the numerical parameters of each boss and inserting the monsters and bosses according to Alex's instructions, they became the first group of testers.
They had experienced the game from the beginning and were mentally prepared for its difficulties. After all, the stats, the placement of monsters, and the various traps and mechanics of the map were all there. But when they started, they realized how naive and immature they had been.
The difficulty they had imagined was completely different from the actual experience!
As a result, the first boss, Gundyr, the Judge of Ashes, left them stumped for a long time. Only a few on the team were relatively talented, and it took them several attempts to defeat Gundyr, the Judge of Ashes. And that was just the beginning.
Not only the boss, but even smaller monsters like Crystal Lizards and Sword Masters were first-time casualties for most of the team. Even the Unkindled inside Firelink Shrine, after three consecutive attacks triggered hostility, gave them a beating. This made them question life itself.
As for the Lothric Knights on the Lothric Wall behind them, whether they were swordsmen or spearmen, or the treasure chest monster, the plump Winged Knight, and the Man-Serpent, apart from those skeletal zombie minions, they all felt like bosses! Even those skeletal minions, unless it was a one-on-one fight, would probably be defeated if two or three of them teamed up, along with some zombie dogs.
Upon hearing Eric's words, Jane, Lisa, and the rest of the staff responsible for music, scene design, and other content expressed surprise.
'Is this game that difficult? Are people questioning Alex's stats?'
After all, Alex was very well-known. Furthermore, the question did not refer to a detail, but to the essence of the game: its data.
"I'll try it later," Alex told Eric with a smile.
Hearing Alex's words, Eric scratched his head before continuing to report on the relevant content. John, from the marketing department, took notes.
About twenty minutes later, Alex, along with Lisa, Jane, and John, who was developing a promotional plan based on the actual gameplay, arrived at Eric's project team. Upon arriving, they saw the words "You have died" in large letters on a large demonstration screen mounted on the wall.
Apparently, someone had died during testing and had not yet exited the game. Upon seeing those familiar words and the grayish, dark red UI, Alex smiled.
"Let me take a look."
Pulling up a chair, Alex sat down in front of his computer, exited the game, and re-entered.
Eric and the others nearby watched him with anticipation, eager to see the scene they had been waiting for.