Chapter 183: An RPG Map
On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, Chen Mo returned to Beijing and his experience store.
The capital had already welcomed a massive influx of people. Those who had left Beijing before the New Year were rushing back from all over the country, ready to start the new year's work.
The pre-holiday hustle and bustle had subsided. People who had just finished their New Year break were still a bit groggy, pedestrians on the streets all looking like they had eaten too much and hadn't gotten enough sleep.
Chen Mo opened the door to the experience store and walked in.
After being away for over a week, everything was as usual. Chen Mo tidied up the computer chairs on the first floor, then found a rag to wipe down the tables and the massage chairs, arranging the phones and tablets attached to the massage chairs neatly.
The store always had dedicated staff for cleaning, but since the experience store had been closed for the New Year, a barely noticeable layer of dust had accumulated.
Chen Mo cleaned earnestly. After all, this was his first experience store. From having nothing to now achieving some success, he still had feelings for this place.
"Store manager? You're back?" a voice said.
Chen Mo turned around and saw Zou Zhuo standing at the door, looking at him with some surprise.
"Yeah, just got back. Happy New Year. Want a drink?" Chen Mo grabbed a can of cola and tossed it to Zou Zhuo.
Zou Zhuo caught the drink. "Thanks, store manager. Happy New Year to you too."
Zou Zhuo was a local, living nearby. He had come out for a stroll after lunch today and happened to see Chen Mo's experience store open.
Zou Zhuo was pretty excited. Usually, Chen Mo was too busy, and Zou Zhuo couldn't find an opportunity to play a game with him and learn. Since the store was empty after the New Year, he had finally caught him.
Zou Zhuo booted up a machine. "Store manager, how about giving me a couple of pointers?"
Chen Mo smiled. "Sure, I've got nothing to do anyway. Let's go."
They booted up, logged into the game, created a private room, and started playing.
An hour later, Zou Zhuo typed "gg" for the third time.
The chubby guy scratched his head helplessly. "I'm done, I'm done. The gap is still too big. No point playing."
In one hour, they had played three rounds. Zou Zhuo's Undead race had been crushed by Chen Mo using Elves, Undead, and Orcs.
Chen Mo said, "Not bad. Your skill has improved quite a bit."
Zou Zhuo sighed helplessly. "Still way too far off. I'll go back and study the replays carefully."
Chen Mo said, "Actually, your Frost Armor Spider build is pretty decent now, and your micro is okay. It's just that some of the details aren't handled well. I suggest you practice other races when you have time. That way, you'll find it easier to anticipate your opponent's mindset during a match. If you happen to catch them leveling up at the wrong time, you can gain a lot."
Chen Mo went on to explain some tactics and details to Zou Zhuo. Zou Zhuo listened, feeling like he had gained a lot, nodding frequently.
"So, what should we play next?"
Chen Mo looked at the games on the experience store's computers.
He was already a bit tired of the most in-depth game, Warcraft. As for other games like Plants vs. Zombies, Wulin Heroes, or Onmyoji, they held no appeal for Chen Mo at all.
Zou Zhuo suggested, "How about we play a Warcraft RPG map, store manager? There's a map that's been really popular lately. I played it before the New Year, and it was a lot of fun."
Chen Mo nodded. "Sure."
Zou Zhuo quickly found the map, created a room online, and invited Chen Mo in.
Soon, two random players joined, and the room was full.
Chen Mo took a look. The RPG map was called Sacred Realm. Its story was adapted from a Western fantasy novel of the same name. In this map, four players took on the roles of a Paladin, a Wizard, a Thief, and an Archer, exploring the entire map and ultimately defeating the evil boss behind the scenes to save the world.
Zou Zhuo said, "Store manager, you have good micro. Play the Wizard. I'll play the Paladin and heal you guys."
Chen Mo chose the Wizard and, along with Zou Zhuo and the two random players, began experiencing the RPG map.
Overall, the map was very well-made. On the official Warcraft forums, it consistently ranked among the top in popularity, with a large number of players and many guides available.
The level design was reasonable, the combat system was rich, and the numerical system was solid. Most importantly, the game had a Western fantasy theme that fit perfectly with Warcraft's art assets. Using the game's resources, it looked almost like a finished product, with no sense of incongruity.
There were human villages, elven cities on isolated islands, and eerie, terrifying lands of the dead. Each adventure scene gave a strong sense of immersion.
Chen Mo couldn't help but praise it. "This is really well done. The author has a deep understanding of Western fantasy."
Zou Zhuo nodded. "Yeah, mainly because they used the story background of Sacred Realm, so it doesn't feel as awkward as other domestic Western fantasy games. But unfortunately, the author doesn't have the rights. It can only be played as a fan work; you can't actually turn it into a game for profit."
Chen Mo asked, "Has Sacred Realm not been adapted into a game abroad? No Chinese server version?"
Zou Zhuo said, "There is one, but it's a small-scale VR game. It seems the game company that bought the rights ran into funding issues. They rashly developed a VR game but couldn't afford to build such a large world. So the game is okay overseas, but it's not particularly popular in China."
"Also, that game is different from this RPG map. Most large-scale MMORPGs nowadays have a problem: they're not satisfying enough. Just like Warcraft, killing a monster of the same level takes a lot of effort. While it's balanced and realistic, it's a bit boring."
"I think the reason RPG maps are so popular is that they feel really satisfying. You can chop down a hundred monsters with one swing, like slicing through vegetables. It's super fun."
Chen Mo nodded.
Indeed, in this world, many designers had somewhat biased views on VR games. After all, VR games were seen as high-end and sophisticated, so many designers' first instinct when planning a large-scale game was to make it a VR title.
But developing VR games was too risky. To create a world as large as a PC client game, you'd need at least ten times the funding and resources. With the same budget, you'd only get a game world one-tenth the size, with significantly reduced content.
So, for ordinary game developers, the safer approach was to develop for PC first and then consider porting to VR after achieving success.
Both Chen Mo and Zou Zhuo had good micro. Zou Zhuo was also quite familiar with this map. After playing for nearly an hour, they finally cleared it.
Chen Mo said, "You keep playing. I'm going to look up some information online and think about the new game."
Zou Zhuo immediately perked up. "Huh? A new game? Store manager, have you already figured out what new game you want to make?"
Chen Mo nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."