novelhk Chapter 19: Is this what a Roguelike game is like?
Chapter 19: Is this what a Roguelike game is like?
Around four o'clock in the afternoon, Shen Huaizhou came out of his office.
Once all the drafts, code, and art assets were organized, it was ready to be handed over to the studio team to begin production.
As for the demo, it has already been placed on another hard drive.
Similarly, it has already been handed over to everyone in the studio for testing.
The game will undergo in-depth optimization from the demo; these tasks can be left to the professionals.
As for me?
I, Shen Huaizhou, am just a writer; I don't know how to make games. At most, I'll be able to make 10,000 games.
Oh, this world doesn't even have a delta yet, that's it, who's going to join me in blocking the dam?
"Twenty? I feel like we can't even earn back ten dollars."
"I think ten yuan should be enough, since we're not really confident about our finances."
"Really ten yuan?"
"How about twenty yuan? Otherwise we won't be able to pay our wages, and my dad won't let me eat it anymore."
"ε=(´ο｀*))) Sigh, maybe we should wait until Lao Shen comes out and ask him. This is his game."
Shen Huaizhou, who had just come out, didn't react for a moment.
I thought they were planning to sell the studio for ten dollars.
For a moment, Shen Huaizhou even began to doubt the meaning of life.
He even glanced back at what was behind him.
Wait a minute, with my computer specs, I could sell it for three to five thousand even as a used one.
This is the top-of-the-line model!
A top-of-the-line PC specifically designed for gaming!
Shen Huaizhou shook his head.
Both Xue and Da Chen are out of their minds. They're planning to sell the company for just ten yuan?
Forget it, this studio would be a mess without me.
……
"Ten yuan, I think that's a bit too little."
Inside the office, Chen Qingshan and Su Jianxue argued about the price of "The Binding of Isaac".
With the popularity of "Getting Over It".
In just one week, the game has sold 100,000 copies.
Some companies have already inquired about the possibility of distributing and selling this game on overseas platforms.
So, in preparation for the release of The Binding of Isaac later.
They are arguing about the pricing of the game.
If it's too high, players probably won't buy it; but if it's too low...
Shen Huaizhou pushed open the conference room door.
He plopped down on his bottom.
"Excuse me for interrupting."
In the meeting room, besides Chen Qingshan and Su Jianxue, there was also a marketing operations person named Chen Xiao.
The purpose of the meeting the three people just had in the conference room was to determine the price of Isaac.
"I think we shouldn't have sold 'The Binding of Isaac' at a low price this time."
Shen Huaizhou thought it was a game that cost ten or twenty yuan.
That really insults the charm of The Binding of Isaac.
Before he transmigrated here, the total sales of The Binding of Isaac series had already exceeded ten million copies.
The original version sold 7.1 million copies, while the remastered version sold over 3 million copies.
When this game was released, it only lasted for a little over three months without any promotion.
Sales have already exceeded 45 units.
At this point, the developers approached them, intending to release the game on the 3DS handheld console.
It will be released in digital format.
However, due to the religious elements in the game, I missed out on it for a while.
In 15, a remake of the game was released on the 3DS.
Furthermore, it became a phenomenal work in the roguelike indie game genre.
Ten or twenty yuan?
Whom do you look down on?
"So, what do you think... we should price it?"
Su Jianxue turned around, her bright eyes smiling gently.
"You won't lose out if you buy it for 99 yuan, and you won't be cheated if you sell it for 99 yuan."
"Ten or twenty yuan is really too low."
"It's not even enough to pay our employees' salaries. I believe this game will definitely not disappoint us."
As he spoke, Shen Huaizhou sat down, waiting for the game department's designers and artists to enter the conference room.
The construction and production of games.
The amount of money the company put out this time was only slightly more than that for "Getting Over It".
Next up is a gameplay demo.
Everyone stared curiously at the large screen in the conference room.
Su Jianxue and Chen Qingshan, in particular, also wanted to know.
Will this game, priced at 99, actually sell for that price?
Soon, the game interface slowly appeared on the projection screen in front of us.
The rudimentary scene, and—
Handwritten text!
Even the puppet that is the main character is more sloppy than Uncle Bennett!
Is this game really worth 99?
Can this thing even be sold?
Soon, Shen Huaizhou began to control the little puppet in the game, making it move.
Half an hour later, in the conference room of the Insomnia Game.
Shen Huaizhou stared at the designers, whose eyes were practically sparkling, and smiled slightly:
"The key to Isaac lies in the interplay between its mechanisms."
"Whether it's money, blood, lightning, keys, or power-ups, props, or rooms."
"These resources can be continuously transformed and recycled."
"The most important thing is not simply accumulating numbers, but rather that players need to figure it out themselves."
"The real gameplay of this game lies in the combination of these items and their combinations."
"Of course, I've also compiled all the combinations of game items, so I can create an encyclopedia entry for it after the game is released."
"To make it easier for players to look up information themselves."
"This time, I even prepared an English package for the game Isaac."
"To make it convenient for overseas players to download directly."
"I don't know, what do you all think?"
The game itself contains religious elements, so Shen Huaizhou did not try to replicate them too heavily during the production.
Whether players pay attention to this or not while playing the game is not important.
The most important thing is the gameplay.
Another point is that, in order to facilitate the future firepower of this game, Shen Huaizhou has reserved an interface for MODs.
This is also the key to the game's longevity.
Chen Qingshan turned to look at Su Jianxue, while Su Jianxue looked at everyone sitting down.
Every designer, upon hearing about this operation and approach, was deeply moved.
And after those countless possible operations.
They all seemed to be under a spell, their eyes shining!
Is this Isaac?
Is this what roguelike games are like?
Wow! Old Shen is amazing! This guy is a genius!
The people in the conference room stared at Shen Huaizhou as if they were looking at a naked lamb.
"What do you think Mr. Shen is thinking?"
"Yeah, yeah, this design is simply brilliant! Roguelike, so this is what roguelike games are all about!"
"It's this modeling... it needs some optimization... otherwise I really can't bear to do it."
"Otherwise, would anyone actually buy this garbage-quality picture for 99 yuan?"
"By the way, I'll leave the optimization to you guys."
"Optimize what needs optimizing, get back to work, if it sells, the graphic designer gets a raise this month!"
Su Jianxue slammed her hand on the table and immediately made her decision.