Chapter 637: Imperial Dynasty FPS Conference
As for the current state of FPS games...
Domestic FPS games still lag somewhat behind those abroad.
And similar to the previous life, domestic FPS games are mostly online multiplayer titles, while a large portion of foreign FPS games are single-player experiences.
Creating a truly massive FPS game is extremely difficult. It requires not only professional knowledge of various firearms but also a grand modern battlefield framework, specialized military knowledge, historical knowledge, and advanced understanding of modern weaponry.
If possible, Chen Mo would have liked to create a massive modern battlefield, but the difficulty was too high...
Making a basic FPS was simple enough—just a few maps, some guns, and character animations. But the problem was that players had long grown tired of that kind of game. "Wolf Soul," "Blazing Assault," and several foreign FPS titles had already moved past that stage.
Although as an S-rank designer, Chen Mo could access various databases and even obtain some classified military knowledge through the Game Committee's connections, time was simply too tight.
Moreover, Chen Mo's personality never allowed him to force himself into areas he wasn't skilled at or to make games he wasn't prepared for.
He had indeed drawn modern weapon skill books before, but those were all basic and superficial. They were enough for making aircraft and tanks on the level of "Prototype"—essentially empty shells. If he tried to make them more complex, he would be out of his depth.
For Chen Mo right now, it was more appropriate to choose a game with relatively smaller scope, simpler production, and broad appeal among players.
...
On the seventh day of the new year, the first official workday.
For Chen Mo, every Spring Festival was pretty much the same—nothing special.
This was probably true for most modern young people. The New Year didn't feel like a joyful holiday; it felt more like a ritual, and an unpleasant one at that.
The New Year was unavoidable. If you didn't go home, you'd definitely feel very lonely. But if you did go home, you'd have to face things you didn't enjoy.
It was a bit of a dilemma. For some young people, they even wished the Spring Festival would just disappear altogether.
Chen Mo didn't feel like staying long at his parents' place either. After all, making games was when he truly spread his wings and felt happiest.
Besides, now that his time was flexible, he could go back to visit his parents anytime, not necessarily during the Spring Festival.
Most of the experience store's employees had already arrived, except for a few who lived far away and had requested leave in advance.
There weren't many players in the store either. After all, it was the first day back at work—who had the free time to come play games?
However, three familiar faces did show up today: Jia Peng, Wen Lingwei, and Chang Xiuya.
Su Jinyu and Qian Kun had already made arrangements. After not seeing each other for so long, everyone was happy. To celebrate, Chen Mo treated everyone to lunch, welcoming the three back.
On the first day of the new year, most people clearly hadn't adjusted from their Spring Festival state. Chen Mo didn't assign any special tasks, just asking everyone to finish up any remaining work and get back into the groove.
This was also a good time for Chen Mo to draft the design concept for the new game.
...
Imperial Dynasty Interactive Entertainment Headquarters, Conference Room.
Lin Zhaoxu sat in the central seat, silently reading the meeting materials in front of him while listening to the other designers' discussions.
There weren't many designers present, but they were all influential figures within Imperial Dynasty, and almost all had experience designing FPS games.
Qin Xiao, the designer of "Wolf Soul," one of the three major domestic FPS games.
Jin Jieguang, the operations manager for "Gunfire Chronicles."
Sun Bing, the lead designer of "Gunfire Chronicles."
Additionally, there were the operations manager, core feature designer, and professional knowledge consultant for "Wolf Soul," as well as the core creative team of "Gunfire Chronicles."
Although the domestic FPS game scene couldn't match the depth of European and American developers, Imperial Dynasty had gathered most of the domestic FPS talent.
In the domestic market, FPS games were considered a strong genre for Imperial Dynasty.
At least for now, the FPS field was still a three-way standoff among Imperial Dynasty, Zen Interactive, and Thunder Interactive.
The theme of this Imperial Dynasty meeting was to discuss a new FPS game project.
Clearly, Imperial Dynasty had also received the Game Committee's notice and was considering developing a new FPS game.
But whether to do it and how to do it—Lin Zhaoxu hadn't made up his mind yet. Hence this meeting, gathering the more experienced FPS designers within Imperial Dynasty to discuss.
Jin Jieguang cleared his throat and said, "Let me first briefly outline the focus of our discussion. The Game Committee's intention is quite clear: they want us to use the latest Pangu Engine to create an FPS game, partly for military training in VR. Today's discussion will focus on whether we can do it, and if so, in which direction."
Lin Zhaoxu looked at Sun Bing. "You go first."
Sun Bing nodded, organized the materials in front of him, and said, "Regarding this issue, with President Lin and President Qin present, my opinion can only serve as a humble introduction. I can't definitively say yes or no, but I'll share some of my thoughts on the current state of domestic FPS games."
Sun Bing was the lead designer of "Gunfire Chronicles." Although "Gunfire Chronicles," like "Ancient Calamity," was essentially a dead project, it was still slightly better than "Ancient Calamity" and could maintain operations.
Strictly speaking, "Gunfire Chronicles" died because of its ranked match system. In terms of game quality alone, it was above average domestically. As the lead designer, Sun Bing had extensive experience in FPS game development, so his opinion was quite important to Lin Zhaoxu.
Sun Bing had clearly done his homework before coming. His speech was well-organized and logically sound.
"Currently, the domestic FPS market is a three-way standoff among 'Wolf Soul,' 'Blazing Assault,' and 'Overwatch.' In terms of gameplay, 'Wolf Soul' and 'Blazing Assault' are more traditional, while 'Overwatch' represents a relatively innovative FPS approach."
"Previously, everyone believed that 'Overwatch' would represent the future direction of FPS games, as it was incredibly popular for a time and even won Game of the Year. However, looking at the subsequent situation, 'Overwatch's' development has stabilized, and it may not have room for further growth."