Super Spender

Chapter 199 - 199: 194: What is a Movie-Level Image? (Part Three)

Next, not just the players and reporters, even Yuri Johnson and Kay Lee were watching with intense concentration, they were fascinated. They had completely forgotten this was a video game. They felt like they were watching a movie, especially when these twenty or so people pushed the BOSS. They had already seen all kinds of powerful effects of the Major Eight Sects and the stunning effects literally stirred up the players watching right in front of their computer screens.

When they saw the BOSS, all the locked angles made everyone gasp. Especially when one realizes that you’re up against a monster as tall as a six-story building, it’s daunting. It may not sound like much in a game, but imagine for a moment standing at the bottom of a six-story building and engaging in a duel with a creature of that size. How terrifying does that sound?

The approaching BOSS fight left everyone thoroughly astounded. The battle was way more thrilling than any sci-fi movie out of Floral Village, especially with the endless skills of the BOSS, coupled with the various positioning requirements for the players. It’s a game of high difficulty.

However, one thing became etched in everyone’s mind, the young man always holding the frontline against the gigantic BOSS. His size seemed out of place on the screen. To prevent this dissonance, Celestial Order had created a spell that could increase the player’s size and strength.

Also, in many games, if the BOSS’s axe is long, it only harms its target and nobody else, unless the skill description states it’s an Area Of Effect damage. But here it’s not the case. It’s all too real. Even the room attacks. The BOSS’s axe came down and the shield in the left hand of the Celestial Order man in the front enlarged instantly to block it.

But because he’s smaller, at least smaller than the BOSS, his character instantly takes a kneeling posture, including the details like dust rising from the ground. And the rest of the axe that overflows would hit other characters too.

Another melee class got slashed, and although quickly healed, it left a strong impression on the players. From beginning to end, the video felt more like a blockbuster movie from Floral Village than a game featuring a dungeon boss fight.

One couldn’t deny though, the glorious and terrifying skills presented in the video game left a deep impression on everyone. At the very end of it all, they finally brought down the BOSS. When the team exited the dungeon, a beam of golden light shot up, and right at the dungeon’s entrance, the names and statues of the 20 players stood firmly.

When the video ended and the music began, the lights of the IMAX cinema lit up. The livestream revealed the stunned expressions on the spectators faces while online viewers were completely blown away by what they saw.

At the event, after the shock had worn off, applause broke out. Some reporters couldn’t help but ask questions. Seeing the excitement in their eyes, Leo Johnson knew he had succeeded! He had bet and won! His game, with everything it offered, definitely had the potential to surpass Monster World!

Yuri Johnson, stepping back up to the temporary stage in front of the movie screen, picked up the microphone and said with a smile, “I’m sure all the journalists and players have seen what can be truly called a film-like screen! This is the game we’ve honed for ten years! I believe it will be a revolutionary invention. Now, I’d like to take some questions from our journalist friends.”

Oddly enough, the first journalist that Mr. Johnson picked was a blonde foreign lady. She asked, somewhat excitedly, “Mr. Johnson, do you know how I felt while watching this clip? It’s almost as if I were watching a blockbuster production from Floral Village! So my question is, Mr. Johnson, do you realize how amazing your game engine is, how it can be compared to the special effects seen in Hollywood releases? You might change not only the gaming industry, but also the film industry!”

This lady didn’t really ask a question but excitedly stated a bunch of things. The other journalists were taken aback, but they had to agree! The graphics were so amazing that everyone thought it was a Hollyvvood joint, and even with the skill bars, most people just ignored them. They were watching it like a movie! This brought them to the question that the foreign journalist had posted: they too had seen the NPC rendering, and it was far more realistic than special effect rendered characters. They wondered how the game engine developed by NetEase achieved this?

A foreign journalist warmed up the room by heaping praises, which made Yuri Johnson very happy and he called upon a second journalist. This reporter was from a professional gaming media, he stood up and voiced his concerns, “I have to say Mr. Johnson, your team has developed an astonishing game! In terms of graphics, it is indeed unprecedented! However, I’m worried about how high the computer’s configuration has to be to run such graphics?”

“Thank you for the question, my fellow journalist. This indeed is a part of what I wanted to address. The reason it has taken us so long to complete this game is that the current computer hardware has finally met our requirements. Most importantly, our gaming engine has made a significant breakthrough. While providing high-quality graphics, it also minimizes the demands on the user’s computer. In other words, any mid-range computer worth around 4000 Flame Nation coins can handle this game perfectly well!” Yuri Johnson said with a smile.

“Wow, that’s fantastic news, thank you for the answer, Mr. Johnson.”

“Damn, that’s awesome? I was just worrying about what kind of superior configuration would be needed to run this game. But from what I see, my current computer could do it!”

“Yeah, hell, though my computer is a bit outdated, but for this game, I’m totally getting a new system!” Gamers online were discussing eagerly, and numerous players were already excitedly chatting away.

“Mr. Johnson, if you’re just starting to advertise this game, does that mean that it’ll be quite a long time before the game is released general public? After all, we all know that there’s quite a gap between the start of a video game’s promotion and its public beta test.” Another journalist specializing in gaming asked.

“Hehe… I’m sure many players watching the live stream, as well as our journalist friend over here, are eager to know the answer to this question. But I can frankly tell you all; unlike the typical game development cycle, I’m pleased to announce that this game was fully completed before we called this press conference! Although we had some differences when deciding on the game’s charges, as soon as we finalize the fee model, we will immediately start preparing for the game’s operation.” Yuri Johnson quickly replied.

“So, Mr. Johnson, are you planning on charging players based on time spent or on items sold in the game? Also, I noticed that the game seems to switch to the first-person perspective once entering a dungeon?” The reporter immediately followed up.

“Hehe… This journalist is quite observant. I’ll answer your second question first. It’s not that the game switches to the first-person viewpoint once a player enters a dungeon, but only specific ones use this format. Just like the one in the trailer we’ve just watched. It belongs to the legendary difficulty, the hardest level in our dungeons! In such difficulty, the player’s viewpoint changes to the first-person, as seen in the video, allowing players to feel like they have really stepped inside the game world. Of course, the player’s movements are greatly limited in this view as it’s not a Gods-eye view.”

“Regarding your first question, charging players based on item usage is currently the mainstream method. However, this greatly affects the lifespan of a game. And if we aim to make a quality game, maintaining balance within the game is crucial. Therefore, a time-based fee would be fair to all players. It’s a dilemma. So there are some disagreements between me and the CEO of the company. Although we haven’t made a decision yet, there is a high probability that it would be a time-based fee. This mainly involves some matters of the Top Three veteran players, as everyone should know, this game and Top Three share the same root. Out of responsibility for the players, we can’t ignore the old players of Top Three.” Yuri Johnson said.

“Thank you, Mr. Johnson.” The reporter promptly sat down.

Yuri Johnson quickly pointed to another reporter, “Mr. Johnson, I noticed that you mentioned some disagreements with the company’s CEO in your speech. As far as I know, WY should be your own company.” This reporter apparently caught the hint in Yuri Johnson’s words.

Once the reporter’s question was asked, everyone present instantly perked up their ears. Yes! This could be big news. Could it be that Yuri Johnson was no longer the CEO of NetEase?

Yuri Johnson slightly smiled, then replied: “Actually, I’m no longer the largest stakeholder of the company. The current largest stakeholder of WTY is a former player, a Top Three player. I believe the players who have played Top Three should have heard his name. His game ID is Literati Saucy Poet.”

As Yuri Johnson finished his sentence, there was a stir among the group of gaming journalists below, whereas the players watching the live stream at their computers immediately blew up. After regaining their composure, numerous players were dying to share this news with everyone around them. In particular, the Top Three player community, there were very few players who hadn’t heard the name Literati Saucy Poet.

Didn’t know who he was? Just look at the global server rankings, the top 201 accounts in front of the list all start with ‘Literati’. Now, how about that! The mesmerizing story of Literati Saucy Poet’s rise to power had been documented by many and posted on the official forum. Of course, on the night when these 200 accounts appeared, Literati Saucy Poet wrote a reply to his allies saying he would consider their suggestion of acquiring WY..