Chapter 1026: The Undead’s Knees Receive an Epic Buff
Beneath this review, a crowd of clueless bystanders instantly swarmed in, and many people’s first reaction was disbelief.
“Hand-animated? Are you kidding me? A performance that outshines even motion capture—Chen Mo did that by hand??”
“This is seriously blowing my mind. If it’s true, then why bother hiring actors anymore? Just have Chen Mo tweak whatever performance you want, and it’s done?”
“I can’t even imagine the workload… Serent really isn’t human. I bet he’s an AI or something…”
“Serent is actually a pawn of AI invading the real world? Whoa, the more I think about it, the creepier it gets!”
Although everyone was letting their imaginations run wild under this review, it was clear that the news “Joker’s expressions and movements were all hand-animated by Chen Mo” had caused a massive shock. And what it implied went far beyond just “Chen Mo showing off his skills”—it represented something much bigger.
Take *The Dark Knight*, for example. Chen Mo allowed streamers to broadcast the movie live. Why?
Sure, the audience watching the stream saw it in 2D, which couldn’t compare to the experience of Matrix Capsule players, but the core of *The Dark Knight* lies in its plot and Joker’s brilliant performance. If viewers could see it all on stream, wouldn’t Serent be losing out big time?
Actually, this was a form of indirect advertising.
The current high price of the Matrix Capsule meant it was only a luxury for the wealthy. As long as the Matrix Capsule kept its current price tag, next-gen VR would remain a niche circle for the rich to enjoy among themselves. If *The Dark Knight* couldn’t be streamed, it would only spread among Matrix Capsule players, leaving ordinary audiences unable to see it.
Of course, Chen Mo could have chosen to release the movie in theaters and earn ticket revenue, but he wasn’t really trying to break into the film industry. He was just showcasing the cinematic effects of next-gen VR within the Matrix Capsule to players.
For now, Chen Mo’s main goal was still to sell 10 million Matrix Capsules worldwide as quickly as possible, unlocking the next tech point as soon as possible. By dominating the high-end market, future development would accelerate.
Moreover, *The Dark Knight* hid a very crucial piece of information.
If Chen Mo could hand-animate movements to make a bunch of in-game models deliver lifelike performances on screen, could AI achieve the same in the future?
As a cheater, Chen Mo was indeed stronger than AI. But if a task took Chen Mo a week, could a high-level AI complete it in three weeks or a month?
If so, wouldn’t that mean movies made through game development methods would become mainstream?
Such movies wouldn’t need to go through the trouble of hiring big-name actors. If a role required exceptional acting skills in the future, just let a high-end AI spend months fine-tuning it, right? As for faces, that’s even less of a problem—you could create any look you wanted.
Of course, this idea was still just an unrealistic speculation for now. After all, current AI technology was far behind Chen Mo, and having him hand-animate movements might not cost less than hiring a major movie star. But regardless, *The Dark Knight* reflected a trend—it represented the infinite possibilities brought by the continuous advancement of AI technology.
…
After the *Oasis* update, the next step was the exciting “reheated leftovers” segment that many players were looking forward to.
GTA’s online mode officially launched, allowing players to experience the core fun of GTA together in this mode.
The story of GTA Online still took place in Los Santos, but this time, players didn’t have to control the three protagonists through a set storyline. Instead, they could use their own characters to develop freely in the city.
Upon arriving in Los Santos, players would encounter the notorious scammer Lamar, who would give them tasks like racing and robberies. As their level increased, players could also enter flight school to learn driving skills, earn money by completing various jobs like heists, street races, and confrontations, and then buy houses and cars to fulfill their life goals.
Strictly speaking, GTA Online wasn’t a traditional online game. It was more like a networked mode of a single-player game. Although players were in the same city, the gameplay experience was still relatively separated and fragmented. The online mode was mainly introduced to satisfy players’ desire to team up with friends, race together, and buy houses in Los Santos.
Chen Mo didn’t plan to turn GTA Online into a highly polished virtual world just yet—at least, the timing wasn’t right.
Additionally, the highly anticipated remastered version of *Dark Souls* officially launched.
The original prices of *Dark Souls* and *Dark Souls: Prequel* were both around 2,000, so for veteran players who had already bought them, the next-gen VR remastered version cost 400 to purchase.
This price was very reasonable. It had to be said that although *Dark Souls* was difficult and hardcore, the “reheated leftovers” were indeed delicious. As soon as the remastered version came out, almost every *Dark Souls* player who owned a Matrix Capsule bought it without hesitation.
As for the biggest difference between the remastered version and the original VR version, it was that players had more flexible options for their actions.
The two key changes: first, players were no longer restricted to fixed attack and dodge animations. When attacking, they could use different attack stances, and when dodging, they didn’t have to roll every time—sometimes, a simple sidestep to avoid a monster’s attack was enough. Second, the undead’s knees received an epic buff—they could jump freely now.
Core *Dark Souls* players understood just how earth-shattering these two changes were for the game!
The reason *Dark Souls* was chosen as the first game to remaster was based on gameplay considerations. After the Matrix Capsule launched, the combat modes of *Detroit: Become Human* and GTA were both gunfights. The current next-gen VR games still lacked a melee combat game, and *Dark Souls*… well, it was a beloved game that everyone enjoyed.
Besides, Serent also needed some negative emotion points.
After the remaster, players could fully experience *Dark Souls*’ combat system with complete freedom. They no longer had to roll on the ground every time a monster attacked—they could duck, bend, sidestep, or jump to avoid attacks, only rolling as a last resort.
The same applied to attack methods. Players’ armor and weapons were pre-set, with weight and material already determined, but how they used them was entirely up to them. For example, with a greatsword, players could swing it horizontally, vertically, diagonally, stab with the tip, or slap with the flat of the blade… As long as their strength stat allowed them to wield the sword, they could do whatever they wanted.
Of course, since it was a new platform, just *Dark Souls* alone as a suffering game wasn’t enough. The veteran players had been clamoring for a new game, so it was time to make one for them to suffer through.
But before that, Chen Mo needed to unlock the new tech point first.