Chapter 239: Yuanmingyuan
Passing through the portal, the little figure arrived in a brand-new world.
Before him stood a massive fountain, with blooming flowers in the flower beds on either side. In the distance, magnificent palaces were extraordinarily beautiful, set against a backdrop of blue skies and white clouds, like a fairyland.
Soon, one by one, the buildings of Yuanmingyuan appeared in the scene.
The Great Palace Gate, the Hall of Uprightness and Brightness, the Hall of Preserving Harmony and Supreme Peace, the Ruyi Pavilion, the Hall of Embracing Antiquity and Modernity, the Natural Painting, the Green Wutong Academy, the Sitting on Stone by Flowing Water, the Moon Altar in the Clouds, the Spring Scenery of Wuling, the Wenyuan Pavilion, the Beauty of the Western Peaks, the Autumn Moon on Calm Lake, the Penglai Island and Jade Terrace, the Guanlan Hall, the Hidden Paradise, the Western Mansions, the Lion Grove, the Jade Exquisite Pavilion...
One by one, the classic buildings of Yuanmingyuan appeared in the scene.
Clear lake water, exquisite gardens, Chinese-style architecture, Western-style architecture—different locations had different scenery, and even the trees were made distinct from one another.
Moreover, unlike the Forbidden City video, this time there was a little figure acting as a tourist throughout the tour. With the little figure as a reference, the audience gained a clearer understanding of the sizes of these buildings.
The daylight gradually dimmed, and the pixel-style world entered night. Lights lit up in all kinds of buildings, creating a stunningly beautiful interplay of illumination.
The sun rose, and under the glow of the morning light, everything looked like a fairyland.
Finally, the background music gradually faded, and the little figure suddenly woke up with a start.
He was still amidst the broken walls and ruins of Yuanmingyuan.
The background music turned mournful as well. The little figure looked at the remnants before him with a sense of loss, and the video ended abruptly at that point.
...
The buzz from "The Forbidden City" hadn't fully subsided yet, and as soon as "Yuanmingyuan" came out, the players' enthusiasm was reignited.
"Second video is out, Yuanmingyuan! Damn, Chen Mo has proven that this game can not only recreate existing buildings but also build ones that don't exist!"
"And it's so fast, too? The Forbidden City just came out two weeks ago, and now Yuanmingyuan is out?"
"Building Yuanmingyuan in two weeks? That... even with extreme effort, it's tough! I feel like this game must have some simpler assembly methods, like auto-generation based on certain rules."
"Makes sense. Looking at it that way, this game seems really fun!"
"Also, compared to the Forbidden City, this video clearly shows improvement. First, they added the little figure to show us that the sizes of these buildings are exactly the same as real ones. Second, they added a storyline and even elevated the central theme!"
"Awesome, my dude! Just for these two buildings, I have to support this game no matter what!"
As soon as this video came out, it was reported not only by major gaming media but also by many traditional media outlets.
Even a low-rated news program on CCTV's news channel took over a minute to introduce these two videos and the game "Minecraft."
Especially the Game Committee, which was very satisfied with these two videos, mainly because they promoted traditional Chinese culture. Whether it was building the Forbidden City in the game or recreating Yuanmingyuan, both were highly positive things. So, even in the official app store and the Fantasy World Editor, some recommendation slots had been reserved for "Minecraft" early on.
After these two videos were released, "Minecraft's" popularity skyrocketed, even threatening to overshadow "Thousand Prisons."
Moreover, more and more players began to care about when the game would be released and how much it would cost.
...
In the studio, Chen Mo was still busy.
He was now using a speed regulator, building various structures in the PC version of "Minecraft" at an almost absurdly fast pace.
The PC version of "Minecraft" was far inferior to the VR version in terms of graphics, performance, and immersion, but the only advantage was that it wasn't as tiring. Chen Mo was now working nonstop to create all kinds of impressive buildings, putting in twelve to thirteen hours of intense effort every day. Under VR mode, he simply couldn't keep up.
After consuming so many potions, Chen Mo's reaction time and hand speed were already terrifying. Combined with his extensive knowledge of architecture and the boost from the speed regulator, his efficiency was astonishing.
Of course, Chen Mo also took some shortcuts.
In his previous life, there was a mod called "WorldEdit" that greatly reduced the time needed for players to build structures. When developing "Minecraft," Chen Mo had specifically created similar tools to use as an official builder for these complex structures later on.
Repetitive tasks were all handled by computer calculations and synthesis, or he secretly added some special effects to the videos. Chen Mo's progress was fast.
His intense work state had actually been going on for a long time. During the development phase, Chen Mo had already built many unique structures, but he just hadn't released them yet.
This time, he deliberately released two of the most impressive building complexes to give "Minecraft" a huge boost in presence.
But this wasn't the end. According to Chen Mo's plan, after "Minecraft" launched, there would be a special gameplay mode called "Chen Mo's World," which would include all kinds of impressive building complexes that would be continuously updated.
So, Chen Mo had to keep working hard before the launch to bring in some of the most amazing buildings, making the game content richer.
And the annoying part was that this work could only be done by him. Others couldn't help much, because building something like the Forbidden City in "Minecraft" was already an incredibly skilled technical task. In this world, only Chen Mo could do it.
But this work wasn't boring, because almost half of the studio's staff was constantly watching Chen Mo from behind.
"The boss is really amazing, I'm in awe..."
"With that screen-switching speed, I'm getting dizzy. I don't know how the boss can keep track."
"I feel like the boss and I are playing different games..."
Amid everyone's praise, Chen Mo's progress noticeably accelerated, and one by one, classic building complexes from reality and imagination appeared.
...
In the gaming industry, designers were also hotly discussing "Minecraft" and "Thousand Prisons."
"Chen Mo is truly amazing. He's turned 'Minecraft,' a game of stacking blocks, into something spectacular! Those two promotional videos, one of the Forbidden City and one of Yuanmingyuan, are incredibly well done!"
"Yeah, the key is that everything in the videos is actual in-game footage. That means players can play it and build it themselves. That's amazing!"
"Indeed. I was confused when I heard Chen Mo made a block-building game. It didn't seem like his style? Especially since the early promotion was basically crushed by Di Dynasty. I thought Chen Mo was going to fail, but after these two videos came out, it feels like a comeback!"
"Mainly, this move really pleased the Game Committee by promoting traditional culture! Those guys at the Game Committee love that! Chen Mo won't be short of official recommendation slots going forward."
"But I think it seems like only Chen Mo can pull this off. I still haven't figured out how the Forbidden City was built. How many auxiliary tools did he need?"
"Didn't they say it's all blocks, built entirely by hand?"
"Damn, you believe that? It's definitely a bluff. Such a huge project, without any auxiliary tools, built entirely by hand? It wouldn't be possible even in a year, right? It must be more work than making the game itself!"
"Maybe... Chen Mo is just different from ordinary people?"
"Let's put it this way: there are definitely auxiliary tools. We'll know when the game launches!"