Chapter 521: The Pangu System
Create a game that fully demonstrates the superiority of the Pangu System?
Chen Mo thought for a moment and said, "I do have some ideas, but I need to first see what this system can actually do before I can say for sure."
Qiao Hua replied, "Of course. How about this—if you have time tomorrow, you can come to the Game Committee. I'll have the relevant technical staff show you the specific usage of the Pangu System within the Illusion World Editor."
After hanging up the phone, Chen Mo began to consider: what kind of game should he make?
Obviously, to showcase a brand-new physics engine, the best approach was to construct a very unique game world and an innovative combat system.
Just like in many martial arts novels, some masters possess profound inner energy, but without the corresponding techniques to display it, they can't pull off the impressive act properly.
Only when the inner energy is deep and the techniques unleashed are visually stunning will the onlookers applaud in awe, not understanding the details but recognizing the brilliance.
Clearly, both the Game Committee and the Seventh Horizon were in urgent need of a game to demonstrate the revolutionary innovations this new physics engine would bring to the gaming industry.
Although the research on both sides was progressing almost simultaneously, whoever developed a better game first would gain the advantage of making the first impactful impression.
No wonder the Game Committee placed such importance on this.
Chen Mo wasn't the only one; some other S-class or A-class designers had also received this news.
Obviously, the Game Committee couldn't pin all its hopes solely on Chen Mo. This matter could be seen as a collective task for all game designers in the country.
As for what specific game to create, these designers were also engaged in heated discussions.
"I think we should make an enhanced version of 'Earth Online.' To highlight the advantages of this physics engine, the best choice is to create a world completely similar to the real world!"
"Imagine if the physics rules in the game were exactly the same as in reality—how much impact would that have on players?"
"I don't think so. In reality, there aren't many gameplay elements that particularly highlight physics rules. Think about it—walking, driving, fighting—these actions aren't that special. Even traditional physics engines can replicate them perfectly."
"What really needs an advanced physics engine are games that are somewhat unrealistic, like wall-climbing or cold weapon combat. These action games are the easiest to showcase the physics engine."
"I think there are other ways to demonstrate the physics engine, like building airplanes or rockets. Imagine if we made a game about building a rocket, and the rocket successfully breaks through the atmosphere following the game's physics rules, sending a satellite into Earth orbit—wouldn't that prove how awesome the physics engine is?"
"No, no, no. I think whether a physics engine is truly impressive depends on the sense of impact. For example, in traditional shooting games, when a character is hit by a bullet, they just twitch violently and bleed. But in the real world, being hit by a bullet could cause an entire arm to shatter. Even if wearing a bulletproof vest, the person might be thrown backward by the bullet's force. That's where the physics engine really shines!"
"Upstairs, if you do that, will the Game Committee approve it? You make a gunfight game, and one shot blows off someone's arm—isn't that too bloody?"
"That's a minor issue. After all, this game carries a political mission. To showcase the physics engine, I believe the Game Committee will be more lenient with censorship."
"Heh, naive!"
...
Different designers had different opinions on what kind of game would best demonstrate the power of the Pangu System.
But since the goal was to showcase the strength of physics rules, the focus had to be on the sense of impact.
In high-tech settings, like gun battles, the scenes are often too brutal, making it harder for players to notice the physics engine's role.
Chen Mo's idea was that cold weapon combat was the best way to leverage the physics engine.
In early combat systems, limited by the physics engine, the attacker and the target were essentially just performing repetitive calculations of attack and health loss.
The attacker slashes the enemy with a sword, dealing ten points of damage. Visually, the sword hits the enemy and blood spurts, but no matter where it hits, it's always ten damage.
Of course, later games improved on this. Different hit locations triggered different effects. For example, in many games, hitting a shield barely damages the enemy, while attacking from behind deals extra damage.
In some shooting games, hitting the head, neck, torso, hands, or legs all have different damage formulas.
Now, with the advancement of AI technology and physics engines, combat systems can be pushed even further.
Of course, technology alone isn't enough.
To build a truly comprehensive combat system, a large number of other settings are needed.
Chen Mo already had a good idea in mind, but whether it could be realized depended on seeing the actual performance of the Pangu System.
The next day, Chen Mo arrived at the Game Committee.
Of course, the actual R&D department for the Pangu System wasn't here, but at the Game Committee, he could access the system's permissions through the network.
Qiao Hua explained, "This is still a test version with some flaws. It should be fully completed in a while. But some pretty impressive features are already usable. You can try them out."
On a high-end computer, Chen Mo could connect to the Pangu System and run the Illusion World Editor.
It was like adding a new interface to the Illusion World Editor, through which the Pangu System could be used to create the game's physics rules.
This included the world's gravity, character strength, the weight and density of various materials, and special physics rules.
The first few points could be seen as basic rules. Once set, the world would operate according to those physics rules.
Additionally, there were special rules that overrode all basic physics rules. To create richer game content, many different special rules had to be constructed.
Obviously, the more special rules there were, the richer the game content.
For example, a designer writes a rule: If a player attacks the soles of any humanoid creature's feet, that creature will be launched ten meters into the air.
Then, in the game, when the player attacks the soles of any humanoid creature's feet, that creature will fly ten meters high, no longer constrained by the basic physics rules.
Of course, no sane designer would actually make such a design in reality. This was just an example to illustrate that with this physics engine, as long as the designer had enough patience, they could create a unique and rich game world.