Chapter 1121: The God of War (Second Update)
Chen Mo was experiencing a… very peculiar sensation.
In real life, if someone accidentally bumped into another person while walking, they’d be scolded: “Where are you looking? Are your eyes on the back of your head?!”
Now, Chen Mo felt like his eyes really were on the back of his head.
Before him was a gleaming bald head, with a striking red tattoo on the back of the skull.
Bulging muscles, a burly physique, and a sharp axe.
This was a very classic game character: Kratos from *God of War*.
Chen Mo tried raising his hand, and the muscular man in front of him made the same motion.
He turned, gripped the axe handle, and casually swung it a couple of times. The texture and weight of the handle transmitted to his hand felt exactly as if he were holding it himself.
The mode was next-generation VR, where the player fully shares the character’s actions and sensations. The only difference was the perspective, which was an over-the-shoulder view.
Chen Mo pondered for a moment. “Hmm… much better than I imagined.”
In fact, Chen Mo had used third-person follow cameras many times in traditional VR games, like *The Last of Us*. But he had never tried it with a next-generation VR system like the Matrix Game Pod.
That’s because traditional VR pods read the player’s conscious signals to execute specific actions. For example, if the player thought “attack,” the game character would automatically perform the attack. But in the Matrix Game Pod, the player’s control over the character was far more precise, even allowing them to move a specific finger.
So, whether this over-the-shoulder perspective was suitable for next-generation VR had always been a question.
After experimenting, Chen Mo found that using this perspective in the Matrix Game Pod was much better than he had anticipated.
How to describe this feeling… Strictly speaking, it was like manipulating a marionette.
In other words, there was a puppet (the game character) standing in front of you. Whatever action you made, it made the same one. And all the sensory feedback it received would simultaneously appear on your own body.
Alternatively, you could imagine having an extra pair of eyeballs on the back of your head, allowing you to observe the entire world with them.
At first, Chen Mo found it very uncomfortable because this perspective went against human biological instincts. But after getting used to it, he found it incredibly satisfying, as his field of vision had become much wider.
Why did Chen Mo insist on using an over-the-shoulder perspective for this game?
Because if he abandoned the camera work and the protagonist’s actions, the game’s visual appeal would be greatly diminished.
Imagine this: the player is controlling a ruthless character who, by design, kills gods and demons alike, possesses exquisite combat skills, unparalleled strength, mastery of various weapons, and has defeated countless enemies…
But when it comes to fighting, they swing their axe wildly like an amateur, shouting like a scared girl, with combat moves that are completely untrained. It would be hard to feel any immersion as “a god of war.”
So, how to make the player feel like “I am a god of war” was the most urgent problem to solve for this game.
Consciousness implantation was one solution, just like how he taught players to shoot: by subtly correcting their gun-holding posture through consciousness implantation as they aimed and fired, gradually making their movements more standard.
Once the movement issue was resolved, there was still the problem of visual appeal. Many of Kratos’s moves were beautifully cinematic, but in a first-person perspective, the player could feel that “my moves are cool” but couldn’t see *how* cool they were.
Moreover, in specific boss fights, the flashy execution moves had to be presented with specific camera language to maximize their aesthetic impact.
So, Chen Mo’s *God of War* aimed to preserve the essence of the original’s camera language as much as possible while continuing the advantages of cinematic games.
Of course, the game would support switching between two perspective modes. If some players couldn’t handle the over-the-shoulder view, they could experience the game entirely in first-person.
…
In fact, Chen Mo was also paying attention to other designers’ discussions about the future trends of the gaming industry. But as a perennial lurker, he had basically stopped participating in such discussions.
Mainly because, given his current influence, every word he said would be repeatedly analyzed by other designers and players, and might even be severely distorted. So Chen Mo couldn’t be bothered to say much anymore, and he had basically stopped accepting interviews.
What would the ultimate form of games look like in the distant future?
No one knew, but it would undoubtedly be an infinitely diverse era. As technology continued to innovate and human imagination kept evolving, various game genres might present a dazzling array of possibilities. Even MMORPGs like *World of Warcraft*, which seemed almost obsolete, could, many years later, ride the wave of next-generation VR to once again become a dominant genre.
Clearly, it was too early to declare any game genre obsolete.
Just as many designers suspected that cinematic games might no longer be suitable for next-generation VR, Chen Mo was about to use such a unique work to prove that viewpoint wrong.
“What will the future of games look like?”
“Perhaps games are the future itself.”
Chen Mo looked at the tech tree on his virtual wristband and murmured thoughtfully.
…
…
Lin Xue climbed out of the Matrix Game Pod and yawned.
She was at the seaside mansion. Although Lin Xue had to come here every time she logged into *World of Warcraft*, she only ever went from the bedroom to the entrance of *World of Warcraft*. She hadn’t touched the other fun things in a long time.
It had to be said that once you got into *World of Warcraft*, it was truly addictive. Now, Lin Xue had become a leader in her guild, commanding respect with every call. She logged in at fixed times every day to organize activities, more punctually than her live streams.
The chubby guy, who often flaked on streams, was also developing into the guild’s main tank. Many viewers joked that game addiction could effectively cure a streamer’s laziness…
Although she was quite sleepy during the day, entering sleep mode significantly improved her mental state. Lin Xue stretched. If she didn’t remember just lying down in the Matrix Game Pod, she might have thought it was a normal morning.
“First, I’ll clear a few quests, grind some gold, then prepare for the guild event…”
Lin Xue was planning as she walked toward the Dark Portal, the entrance to *World of Warcraft*. But just as she was completely unprepared, a massive stone pillar suddenly crashed down in front of her!
“Boom!!”
The thick stone pillar fell like a small mountain, making Lin Xue feel the ground tremble.
Startled, Lin Xue looked up and saw an ogre, nearly nine meters tall, opening its gaping maw and baring its fangs at her.