Chen Xu couldn't help but laugh at the senior, but seeing the senior teaching Gao Xiaojie and the others how to control their husbands startled him. He thought to himself, "This is it. Two innocent and cute little girls have been ruined. They've met the wrong person!"
After a few casual words, the conversation returned to the game. Liang Xiaohui said, "Liu Sha called me last night and told me about it. I downloaded the game and played it that very night. I played all night and have collected five Heavenly Books now. I have to say, this game is incredibly engaging. If it weren't for the copyright issues with Lao Jin, I would have bought the rights to develop your game myself. It would definitely be a huge hit."
Gao Xiaojie said thank you, and Liang Xiaohui continued, "But now that something like this has happened, it's not the time to talk about money. This time, D is co-developing this game with Yinfeng Company. We in the industry all know this, because they've been clamoring for a long time to push domestic single-player games overseas. The idea is good, but I've seen that game too. The script is like Wuji, which domestic players can't understand, let alone foreigners. It's simply a deformed product!"
Cui Guangwei also said, "Xiaohui and I discussed it and we both felt that D and Yinfeng acted very unfairly. They didn't need to use such methods to suppress newcomers if they wanted to create hype. So after discussing it, we have already protested to D. Although we are a small company, we have some influence. Although we dare not say that we can do anything to them, we can still withdraw the news."
"Thank you so much!" Gao Xiaojie smiled confidently. "Thank you, seniors. But now things have taken a turn for the better. You don't need to protest to them anymore. Let them continue to promote it."
The three of them were stunned by these words. Liu Sha said, "Xiaojie, are you out of your mind? Even if we can't beat them, we can't just take this beating. You put so much effort into coming up with this game, and you can't stand being insulted like this?"
Gao Xiaojie, Zhan Jing, and Chen Xu exchanged a smile. Chen Xu said, "Senior, you didn't see the text message I sent you earlier, did you? We've already solved this problem."
"Solved?" Liu Sha asked in surprise, "How was it solved?"
"Seniors, please come with me to the computer lab. I have something good to show you."
Cui Guangwei and Liang Xiaohui followed them to the computer room with great curiosity. At that moment, a group of people in the computer room were working hard to study the software.
"RPG Game Maker?" Liang Xiaohui was a little dizzy when she saw the name. She said, "Sister, games made with this software can actually be played? Who do you think still plays these 8-bit NES games these days?"
Cui Guangwei entered first and was even more bewildered after seeing the game screen: "This...you guys made this?"
Liang Xiaohui walked over and was stunned. Even their company couldn't produce game graphics of this quality! You see, the most expensive part of a game is probably the engine; without an engine, there are no graphics. And an engine capable of creating graphics like this would likely cost tens of millions!
This isn't an exaggeration. Square Enix later adapted Final Fantasy VII into a CG film, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, but the script was so incomprehensible that despite its stunning animation, beautiful characters, and exciting fight scenes, it flopped at the box office. As one classic online comment put it, the entire box office revenue was less than the money spent on making Tifa's hair flow.
Upon seeing how to use the software, Liang Xiaohui almost fainted!
This is way too easy! It's practically foolproof!
They created a character design with ease. If a team were to complete the same task independently, it would take at least a week! 3D modeling, setting actions, etc., there are templates that can be directly applied. All they need to do now is consider which image is more attractive and which action is cooler... They skipped the initial stage and moved on to the later fine-tuning process.
This will save you so much trouble!
As mentioned earlier, Square Enix spent an unknown amount of money to make Tifa's hair flow, and to make such an animation realistic, it was a piece of cake for them! And the visuals were just as excellent and exquisite!
If this method were followed, all the game companies in the world would go bankrupt!
"Where...where did this software come from? How could such a powerful software exist in this world?" Liang Xiaohui and Cui Guangwei exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes filled with shock: "Blizzard? EA? Impossible! How could such a thing exist?! With software like this, anyone could make a game. What's the point of us working so hard to start a company, organize a team, and work overtime?"
Gao Xiaojie understood their feelings. After watching Liang Xiaohui light a cigarette and take a few puffs with almost trembling hands, he said, "Although this is absurd and bizarre, you have seen this software. It was given to us by the great SMMH. It's like God gave us a month to make a game that can compete with single-player online games."
"SMMH?" Both of them worked in IT, so naturally they couldn't possibly be unaware of this famous name. Although different industries are like different worlds, many people had been infected by the Beacon virus, and Liang Xiaohui had also heard about the hacker war from various sources. She knew perfectly well that for programmers worldwide, the name SMMH was synonymous with god! He was God!
This God is even involved in gaming? That's truly unimaginable.
If anyone had dared to say they could create a beautiful game within a month before, Liang Xiaohui would have blown smoke in their face and said, "Are you dreaming?" But looking at this software, and after confirming that she wasn't dreaming, she felt that a month was already a long time.
However, Liang Xiaohui breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that the software could only be used for one month and would be automatically uninstalled afterward. This software was terrifying; its appearance would be a revolution in gaming history… In 2050, the graphics produced by this software would be nothing more than garbage, but in the present, it could easily destroy the entire single-player game industry… and even online games.
With just a few minor modifications, this software can create online games. After all, software mainly focuses on graphics, so it's a very simple thing!
"Damn it! If we'd known you had this trick up your sleeve, we wouldn't have come. We were scared out of our wits!" After learning the whole story, Liang Xiaohui finally calmed down and said triumphantly, "We're going back right now and withdrawing that protest letter. Let them curse us, let them curse us all they want! Hahaha, once your game is released, our two companies will promote it for you in the industry for free. We guarantee it'll be a huge sensation. Humph, let's see if we can slap those bastards from SingleP and Yinfeng in the face!"
Everyone thought this senior was incredibly tough and incredibly kind. At this moment, Cui Guangwei thought for a moment and said, "Don't rush, I have an idea that we can try."
Compared to his wife, Cui Guangwei appeared very refined and gentle. Seeing everyone looking at him, Cui Guangwei calmly adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and slowly asked, "Can you finish this game within a month?" After receiving an affirmative answer, Cui Guangwei smiled and said, "Then that makes things much easier. You should do your best to make this game even better. Of course, I believe that with SMMH's amazing software and this junior's perfect script, this game will definitely be a huge hit, but I still hope you can strive for perfection."
"Because on the 31st of next month, Shanda, The9, Softstar, and even well-known game companies from abroad such as EA and Square will hold a game exhibition, similar to ChinaJoy. The exhibition will showcase many video game products and new works from various companies. Although most of them are online games, Softstar is participating, and there are also some single-player games."
"This event is huge, and many game companies have been invited, including Yinfeng. They plan to launch 'Shushan Swordsman' at this time, aiming to penetrate both the domestic and international markets. Our little game company, though terrible, is also among the invited companies and will get a booth..."
Chapter 62 of the main text: The Hillbilly Plan, formulation
After saying this, Cui Guangwei deliberately paused for a moment to build suspense. At this moment, Chen Xu and Gao Xiaojie's eyes lit up at the same time, and they said in unison, "You mean?"
Upon realizing they were saying the same thing, the two exchanged a glance, and Chen Xu preemptively asked, "You mean you want our game to participate in this exhibition as well?"
Gao Xiaojie quickly added, "Shouldn't we also make ourselves direct competitors with Yinfeng and D, so everyone can compare and see which game is better?!"
After speaking, Chen Xu and Gao Xiaojie exchanged a glance and smiled at each other.
The group of guys nearby finally realized what was happening, and then they all shouted excitedly, thinking that this senior looked so refined, but he was actually wicked and cunning at heart! How could he come up with such a trick? And Chen Xu and Gao Xiaojie, they were practically adulterers! Their reactions were so perfectly synchronized!
Cui Guangwei chuckled: "Which game is better? Do you even need to ask? It shouldn't matter if our booth is opposite theirs, because we have a wide network of connections. Besides, with the momentum of Yinfeng and D, they'll definitely be spending a lot of money on advertising. Small companies generally wouldn't want to be right across from them. Otherwise, seeing them making a big splash while our booth is deserted, wouldn't we go crazy?"
"Yes, thank you, senior!" Chen Xu and Gao Xiaojie nodded repeatedly, immediately understanding what Cui Guangwei meant.
Gao Xiaojie had seen the TV series "The Legend of Shushan Swordsmen," but Chen Xu hadn't. However, both of them had complete confidence in their software; the superb graphics and captivating storyline made it hard not to attract attention at such an exhibition! Because besides casual gamers, the majority of attendees at these exhibitions were staff and even executives from major game companies. These people wouldn't just flock to the most exciting spots; the game's outstanding quality was bound to catch their attention!
From visuals to plot, it completely overwhelms the competition. With a low budget and low investment, it thoroughly defeats the games that the competition spends money to create. This is equivalent to slapping the competition hard in the face!
No, it wasn't just one slap, it was dozens of slaps over and over, followed by each person spitting on it and then stomping on it hard!
What could be more satisfying than this?!
Chen Xu and Gao Xiaojie's excited discussion immediately livened up the atmosphere around them. Liang Xiaohui, looking annoyed, exhaled a smoke ring and said to her fiancé, "How come I never realized you were so cunning before?"
Cui Guangwei chuckled as he touched his glasses, saying, "I'm doing this for the good of my juniors. How could I let such a good opportunity slip by?"
Liang Xiaohui chuckled and said, "We'll get some other companies we have good relationships with to help us out then, and those bastards will be mortified!"
Then she came over excitedly, wanting to tell the younger students about the idea and make them happy, but as soon as she got there, she heard Chen Xu's voice: "Damn it, of course we have to show up as students! Otherwise, how can this slap be loud enough?! Everyone should dress as unfashionably as possible, replace all the resin lenses, and wear those old-fashioned, super thick glasses with the bottom of beer bottles. No washing your hair, wear the most tattered clothes possible, and make everyone think we're beggars!"
Gao Xiaojie added from the side: "Also, no one is allowed to speak Mandarin. Everyone must speak their local dialect, so they'll think we're all from the countryside, like country bumpkins. We'll just put a few super beat-up laptops on the booth. Of course, the laptops need to have good hardware, otherwise they won't be able to run the games. We don't need many people either. We won't even provide bottled water. The more shabby we are, the better!"
Chen Xu continued, "Yeah, yeah! They're rich, aren't they? They're arrogant, aren't they? When they're all banging drums and gongs and nobody pays attention, we country bumpkins will attract a huge number of players to line up in long queues. I'll swear I'll write my name backwards if I'm not embarrassed to death!"
Liang Xiaohui broke out in a cold sweat, thinking to herself, "What an adulterous couple! How can these younger students be so insidious? Back when I was a freshman, I was as innocent and pure as a little lily, nothing like them!"
A group of animals discussed excitedly and finally settled on a "country bumpkin plan." They were going to make a big splash, spending huge sums of money, surrounded by handsome men and beautiful women, maybe even a few cosplaying maids, greeting everyone they met with, "May I help you, sir?" in perfect London English accents—it was incredibly prestigious.
And look at this place! It's incredibly tacky and dilapidated, so much so that people might mistake it for a beggar's guild rather than a game exhibition hall. Then someone comes up and asks about the game, and upon hearing it was made by students, they ask how much it cost. The person thinks, "It must have cost millions!" Millions? That's a pipe dream! Just a few hundred bucks! And that's all for food!
With such a stark contrast and such a strong comparison between games, Chen Xu and Gao Xiaojie both agreed that if they were the CEOs of Single Player Games Network and Yinfeng, they would probably want to smash their heads against the wall on the spot!
As for whether or not you'll offend anyone? If you make a game like this and it's successful, why would you be afraid of offending anyone?
Moreover, such issues have never been within the scope of these animals' considerations. If you're allowed to do something on the first day of the month, then I'm allowed to do something on the fifteenth. How can there be a situation where the magistrate is allowed to set fires while the common people are not allowed to light lamps?!
A group of people were spouting all sorts of wicked ideas, making the two veteran graduates break out in a cold sweat. They thought to themselves that kids these days are really terrifying. Looking back on their own time, they realized how innocent and naive they were back then!
However, everyone knows that the success or failure of this project depends entirely on the quality of the game itself. If the game is bad, then it won't just be about showing off, it will make you look like a real country bumpkin!
If that were to happen, everyone would feel that it would be a huge disservice to their alma mater and the great SMMH. One or two of them might as well go buy some rat poison, eat it with steamed buns, and die.
This "country bumpkin" plan is being kept strictly confidential. Not even his girlfriend is allowed to leak it. Otherwise, if the news gets out beforehand, it won't cause such a sensation.
However, since this is something anyone can do, and there are plenty of computers in the computer lab, those who are willing can have their wives join in. Although the girlfriends of these guys in the computer interest group may not all know anything about computers, women are naturally more discerning about aesthetics than men, and the addition of these women is enough to complete the most difficult initial tasks... creating character models, selecting scene maps, and so on.
The game's production is divided into several modules, such as creating the large map, creating the small map scenes, selecting martial arts skills, and writing the game script.
They had all done these things before, so they weren't unfamiliar with them. With a clear division of labor, they could start immediately.
Chen Xu also joined the work, but his role wasn't fixed... The other programmers were mainly responsible for the overall game development, while the computing interest group had already written the code once before, so they weren't unfamiliar with the new software and just followed the original steps. Therefore, Chen Xu didn't have much to do there. His job was to help everyone choose character designs and scenes at the beginning, and then do odd jobs—basically, he did whatever was needed. This was somewhat similar to the position of a libero on a football field, or perhaps a logistics manager combined with a firefighter captain.
Liang Xiaohui and her husband weren't idle either. Anyway, their game company didn't have many people; it was just a small company. Moreover, most of the people working for them were people they got along well with, so they called them all over to help out.
With so many people working so enthusiastically, Chen Xu naturally couldn't fall behind, and during this period he was practically skipping classes openly... You know, skipping classes in college is actually a very happy thing, although, in the mainstream view, we don't advocate this kind of behavior.
But there is indeed a saying circulating in universities: "Required courses can be skipped, and elective courses must be skipped." Last-minute cramming, like a last-minute gasp.
Those sophomores and above skipping classes is commonplace for them, while Chen Xu and his freshmen don't dare to be so arrogant. They were all stammering and running to their counselor, Chen, to ask for leave.
"What leave do you need to ask for!" Senior Liu Sha led Chen Xu, Wu Yuan, and Gao Xiaojie directly to Counselor Chen's office and threw a pile of blank papers in front of him: "Sign, sign your name in the bottom right corner."
Counselor Chen pointed at the pile of white paper with a puzzled look and asked, "What is this?"
"A leave slip!" Liu Sha replied matter-of-factly.
"Damn it, at least write a reason on the leave slip!"
"What kind of reason is that! Didn't you do the same thing when you asked Lao Wang for leave back in college?"
Chen Xu and the others were all a little sweaty. Unexpectedly, after Chen's counselor jokingly scolded them, he actually came over and signed it. It was a thick stack of papers, enough for the three of them to take leave for half a year!
After leaving the room, Liu Sha handed the leave slip to Chen Xu, saying, "Here, just write down whatever reason you want. It'll be fine with the instructors." She then explained that Chen Xu's advisor had only recently graduated and joined the department; she'd even called him "senior" last year, so there was no problem with it. She added, "Be careful what you say on the leave slip. I remember one girl who took four leaves in one month, once every week, always saying she had her period. That was really something..."
Chen Xu and the others were also a little embarrassed. They had originally planned to split the leave slips in half, since he and Wu Yuan were the only male freshmen involved in the game development, and Gao Xiaojie and Zhan Jing were the only females. However, Gao Xiaojie said she would take one-third, because Zhan Jing was a good student who didn't skip classes, and besides, they would need to copy her notes later.
Upon hearing her say that, Chen Xu couldn't help but recall the quiet girl with a few strands of dark blue hair, sitting attentively in the classroom while the people around her were either sleeping or reading novels, and she was still there listening to the lecture very seriously.
And just like that, a month passed quickly...
Chapter 63 One Month
This past month can be described as "painful yet joyful".
Almost every morning at eight o'clock, the students would gather in the computer lab of the student activity room, even more punctual than when classes started! They would work until 11:30, when the takeout ordered by Chen Xu would arrive, and they would rest until 2:30 in the afternoon... because everyone needed to take a nap at this time. If they didn't take a nap, they would have to work hard all afternoon and evening, and their brains simply couldn't keep up.
This is where we have to praise Chen Xu's cleverness. He included a little piece of music in Gao Xiaojie's "RPG Game Modifier" called a lullaby. This lullaby is also a result of future technology. When you click on it, you hear a very soothing piece of music, but within this music, there is information that can affect the subconscious mind and accelerate sleep.
While it couldn't achieve the same deep sleep effect as Xiaomin's method of using radio waves, it was enough to put this group of animals into a deep sleep for a short time, then wake them up at 2:30 AM. And they slept very, very comfortably!
So many people wanted to copy this music and put it into their MP3 players so they could fall asleep quickly at night, but they found that no matter what they did, they couldn't copy it, leaving them helpless.
With a lullaby, a nap can make the livestock energetic again. The meals that Chen Xu ordered were also very generous, with meat and vegetables, good taste and large portions. Basically, each person's meal quota was 15 yuan, which was split between Chen Xu and Zhan Jing. All in all, the monthly cost of food for dozens of people would be tens of thousands of yuan.
Chen Xu and Zhan Jing didn't care about the amount of money, but Gao Xiaojie felt he owed them too much. However, Liu Sha said it was fine to eat well; it was just a few tens of thousands of yuan. He kept the receipts, saying they'd just go to the school for reimbursement after the game started. "Damn," Liu Sha replied, "you don't know how much nutrition subsidies the athletes preparing for the Universiade get—over a hundred yuan a day! This will create a sensation and bring the school a lot of prestige; reimbursement is a piece of cake."
During this month, Chen Xu also went through this struggle with everyone, and felt very good.
Chen Xu can be considered a fairly ordinary person. Apart from his experience of obtaining a supercomputer, his early life was similar to that of many ordinary people. He had no worries about food and clothing from childhood, and from elementary school to middle school and high school, although he had some hobbies, his most diligent effort was probably when facing the cramming education, burying himself in a sea of questions and doing them desperately.
Children who grow up in such an environment are often criticized by their elders as a "lost generation," who believe that they have never struggled or suffered. You can even ask contemporary college students, and at least half of them do not have a definite goal, nor have they ever worked hard for a non-academic goal that they desire.
For the past month, the group has almost always been together, eating and drinking. During the National Day holiday, none of them went home. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, they all got together for a one-night break and had a meal to share mooncakes...
The game was completed in just twenty days.
In pursuit of perfection, the group spent the next ten days repeatedly playing through all the game's storylines, talking to all the NPCs, testing all the martial arts moves, and finding and fixing all the bugs...
But at dawn on October 28th, when they saw "RPG Game Maker" suddenly disappear from all the computers as if it had never existed, and then looking at the 2.45G game installation file, everyone couldn't help but cheer. Chen Xu and Wu Yuan even brought a large bottle of champagne from the supermarket and opened it, and there were also more than a dozen cases of beer brought from the computer room. While everyone cheered, they were also grateful to the great SMMH for his help.
What these people didn't know was that the SMMH guru they admired, Chen Xu, was also feeling grateful to them at that moment.
This was the first time in Chen Xu's life that he had experienced the joy of success after hard work. This joy had nothing to do with money or the tedium of studying. It was so interesting, so memorable, so arduous, yet after all the hard work, it was so sweet.
The students who participated in this project will surely never forget this month.