Started as a comics editor

Chapter 304 I can’t figure it out

The highly anticipated game Left 4 Dead has finally been released.

to be frank.

After its release, this game really surprised many players... not because it had a lot of content, but because it had too little content and the gameplay was surprisingly simple.

Yes.

Compared to other FPS games that are complicated by gun attachments, innovative mechanics, and all sorts of messy gameplay, Left 4 Dead's gameplay is quite rudimentary.

The game's main cooperative mode can be summarized in one sentence: four survivors—whether player-controlled or computer-controlled—must work together to use firearms or melee weapons to fight off thousands of zombies, striving to survive and escape to safety.

It's that simple. There's no complicated plot, no vast open world, and no complex character development or job division. There are only wandering zombies and the guns and ammunition you use to fight them.

It's safe to say that any player who has tried the game can accurately describe the essence of Left 4 Dead, and even summarize it in a few words: horror, cooperation, survival, and endless shooting thrills!
However, it is precisely this simple shooting game that makes it so unforgettable.

Countless players have become completely engrossed.

The reason for this is...

it's actually really easy.

Its success lies in taking subtraction to the extreme and refining the remaining core elements to their peak.

For example, the atmosphere is precisely captured. This time, unlike Outlast, it doesn't rely on jump scares to create it. Instead, it's the unsettling flickering of flashlight beams in the darkness, the distant, faint growls, the sudden bursts of zombie hordes around corners, and the highly recognizable and oppressive sound effects when Special Agents appear... The environment itself tells a story of terror, keeping the player's nerves constantly on edge.

For example, the game has an extremely low barrier to entry, so players don't need to study complex systems at all. They can just open the game and jump into battle, focusing all their energy on the present moment: listening for sounds, observing the environment, managing ammunition, communicating with teammates, and dealing with unexpected crises. This pure focus maximizes the atmosphere of terror and the tension of battle.

Another highlight is the exquisite pacing, from the oppressive exploration and small-scale skirmishes to the tense special agent raids, and finally the devastating zombie horde outbreak. The appearance of the Tank pushes the emotions to their peak, ending with a breather in the safe house... The pacing is well-balanced, keeping the player in a state of high emotional engagement throughout.

Similarly, the design of each special infected is by no means for showing off skills. Smoker's dragging, Hunter's pounce, Charger's charge, Boomer's bile splatter to attract hordes of zombies... their existence will force players to pay attention to the position and status of their teammates and to learn to divide tasks and cooperate.

It can be said.

The greatness of Left 4 Dead lies in this... It strips away all the unnecessary elements and perfectly integrates FPS into the cooperative survival genre. With its extreme atmosphere and ingenious mechanics, it transforms this seemingly simple gameplay into a cooperative survival arena that gets players' adrenaline pumping, full of variables, and unforgettable with every experience.

The fit between the theme and the gameplay is... truly terrifyingly high!
Players experience the most intense emotional impact and the purest gaming fun in the process of fighting their way through the enemy lines.

This astonishing depth and enduring charm hidden beneath its simple exterior is precisely why it captivates players worldwide, earning accolades as a masterpiece and leaving them with endless aftertaste.

Cooperative shooters aren't unheard of; in fact, some have... but none are as fun as Left 4 Dead!

Players have never actually played this before!!!

This time.

Left 4 Dead even showed signs of becoming a groundbreaking genre.

Although it wasn't exactly a groundbreaking game, just like Minecraft's status in sandbox building and survival games in Tang Yao's past life, Left 4 Dead, to some extent, became a benchmark for cooperative shooting games... Even though this game came out later, many players would unconsciously use Left 4 Dead as an analogy when discussing similar games.

It can be said that he became famous in one battle.

And coincidentally, Left 4 Dead didn't have any direct competitors during this release window...

Excellent quality, a high degree of novelty brought by the perfect fit between the theme and gameplay, plus a touch of social features.

Left 4 Dead has started its killing spree!
This will be another window for the rise of live streaming.

Within two days of the game's release, many streamers keenly sensed its popularity and began playing the new game.

And it quickly attracted a huge player base.

The live streaming platform was bustling with activity, with top streamers' rooms seeing a surge in popularity and a deluge of comments scrolling across the screen.

Because of the game's cooperative survival theme, it has also brought about a trend of 'collaboration'... which has led to a surge of new streamers.

Their live streams attracted even more new players.

Like a snowball rolling downhill.

The game's popularity is becoming increasingly alarming.

And that goes without saying for the players.

Players absolutely love this game, and sales are skyrocketing.

The player community was absolutely in an uproar.

Discussion forums on the AG platform, various gaming forums, and social media topics are filled with explosive positive reviews and thrilling game clips.

"Awesome!!! Avalon!!! Let's see who dares to say you guys are cheating from now on! This game is addictive!"

"Hahaha, playing this game with my buddies was so funny, I laughed like a pig and screamed like a pig! It's definitely a masterpiece! I don't understand anything about its artistic merit! But this game is so much fun to play with friends!!"

"Avalon has truly perfected cooperative survival... and the atmosphere is amazing! The Storm and Rain level was fantastic! The storm was coming! The rain was pouring down! The zombies were swarming in! I was sweating buckets while playing it!"

"The witch's cry is my biggest nightmare this year! All I can say is that Avalon is still Avalon, they did a fantastic job!"

"The special sensory design is absolutely brilliant!"

"Two hundred yuan is such a great deal! Game of the year pre-order!"

"..."

Questions before release.

Almost instantly, they all vanished.

Avalon has firmly established itself... Now no player thinks of them as just an online or mobile game company.

But sales volume is secondary.

The explosive popularity of "Left 4 Dead" has had the most profound impact on its peers.

While players were immersed in the joy of celebration and cooperation, game developers, especially those specializing in FPS games, felt an unprecedented shock, which even overturned the perceptions of many of their peers.

They really didn't understand for a moment... why this game was so popular?
And among them.

There was one who was the most special...

……

A game.

The Black Carnival, the final act.

The stage hangs alone in the center of the desolate amusement park, and a spotlight pierces the darkness, shining on the four survivors.

In the distance, the faint glow of the city's fires outlined the silhouette of the Ferris wheel.

At this point, the player's objective is very clear: to use the amusement park's stage fireworks and lights to create a grand performance that will attract the rescue helicopter.

Jin Feng manipulated the character to casually throw a gasoline can onto the edge of the stage.

then.

He stopped moving and just stared silently at the countless empty seats in the audience.

In stark contrast are his teammates.

His teammates were excitedly shouting in the background: "Hahaha!!! Guys!!! Ready to be rock stars!?"

"Come on, come on!"

"can not wait anymore!"

"Lights! Sound! Action!!"

"..."

They talked excitedly.

Then, following the signal that the setup was complete, one person pressed the control switch.

boom--!
In an instant, the stage seemed to awaken from its slumber!

Countless dazzling fireworks, like angry dragons, roared and soared into the sky from the edge of the stage, their crimson, bright purple, and dazzling gold lights tearing through the night sky and illuminating the entire area.

At the same time, deafening, powerful rock music surged forth like a tidal wave, with strong drumbeats and distorted guitars instantly filling every corner!
“Ooooooooooooo!!!”

Almost at the same second that the music blared, in the distance, a chilling, tsunami-like chorus of howls from the horde of corpses also erupted simultaneously!
They've arrived.

The cold, impersonal message flickered on the screen.

The empty stands instantly came alive!

Countless twisted figures, as if crawling out of a rift in hell, tumbled and scrambled, roaring and pushing, surging wildly from every passage and every dark corner toward the four tiny figures in the center of the stage! They were the most enthusiastic audience of this deadly concert!
“Awesome!!!”

"Ahhhh!!!"

"Fire!!!" And watching this scene.

The players in the voice channel became even more excited.

You could even call it ecstasy!
They were yelling and shouting.

They started shooting.

Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta——

Soon, the deadly gunfire suddenly lit up, unleashing a torrent of scorching metal towards the audience! Bullets tore through flesh, and blood splattered under the spotlight.

But this is just the beginning!
boom! boom! boom! boom!
The gasoline drums that had just been carefully placed at the edge of the stage were detonated with pinpoint accuracy! A huge fireball shot into the sky, and the scorching shockwave, carrying flames, instantly engulfed the horde of corpses charging at the forefront!
Fire! Fireworks! Gunfire!

The three elements intertwine, creating an absurd yet magnificent symphony amidst deafening rock music and the death howls of zombies!
Brilliant fireworks burst forth, illuminating the hellish scene below, a landscape of flying flesh and burning flames.

Zombies fell in droves, like wheat being cut down.

But more and more shadowy figures continue to follow, endlessly.

Very shocking.

It was truly shocking.

Even just looking at it, Jin Feng felt awe.

Yes.

He didn't move; he just held the mouse stiffly.

In the voice chat, the shouts of his teammates gradually became distant and indistinct.

At that moment, his mind went completely blank...

He sat there, dumbfounded, his eyes fixed on the visual spectacle on the screen—a sky full of fireworks, raging flames, a surging tide of corpses, and a deluge of gunfire and blood.

Light and shadow, particles, physical collisions... all of this, in such a chaotic scene, ran incredibly smoothly without a single stutter.

Morning Star Engine...

Jin Feng thought of this name almost immediately.

He really didn't want to admit it, he really didn't want to admit it... even though he remembered it back then, Avalon, a small, unknown company at the time, supposedly took over the engine team that he had kicked out.

He didn't admit... or rather, he didn't want to believe that what Yi You had given up could have such terrifying vitality in someone else's hands.

impossible!

Absolutely impossible!

Avalon lacks substance! They've only been around for a short time! They're just rich!

How could it possibly have such a great effect over there?!
So when he played Left 4 Dead, he did so with a critical, even nitpicking, mindset.

But as you progress through each level, from hotels and shopping malls to this crazy amusement park, the impeccable optimization, precise atmosphere creation, and smooth and exhilarating combat experience... every detail silently speaks of the engine's power and the development team's talent.

He became engrossed, even temporarily forgetting his identity and his prejudices, and purely enjoying the fun of the game.

until now.

Until this visual feast of the Black Carnival, in the most brutal and gorgeous way, slapped the powerful performance of the Morning Star Engine in his face!

This engine... was it really developed by the team that was abandoned by EasyGame back then?

That project that the company and I both deemed to have no future?

This classic scene before us is worthy of being recorded in gaming history; this incredibly smooth carnage is a massacre of carnage; the technological foundation that supports it all...

impossible……

Jin Feng still wanted to deny it.

But an extremely complex emotion was churning within him.

There is an unbelievable shock, the sting of being slapped in the face by reality, the anger at one's own shortsightedness, and an indescribable...bitterness.

It's only been a few years...

Avalon, the former junior partner of EasyPlay, a small company that took over EasyPlay's abandoned products, suddenly soared to great heights thanks to its amazing talent and a completely transformed engine.

just now.

Its success is so dazzling, and its technology is so advanced.

Its future is so limitless!
And what about NetEase Games, which was once a leader in the gaming industry? What is it still relying on to make a living? Those increasingly sluggish, assembly-line online games? Those mobile game imitations that chase trends but are always a step behind?

Looking up...

The word suddenly popped into Jin Feng's mind uncontrollably.

Avalon, which once looked up to EasyPlay, is now... perhaps EasyPlay will have to look up to it instead.

This reversal of identity, this mockery of fate, intensified the bitterness deep within his heart.

He just can't understand it!

Why?

We're all game companies.

Avalon has neither heritage nor history!
They simply made a quick buck by taking advantage of the mobile game market!

How did things get like this... that they suddenly started making single-player games, and those games became a global phenomenon?
Is this right?
Is this reasonable?

How is this done?
Can't figure it out.

Jin Feng really couldn't understand it.

He looked at the players on the screen, still reveling in the dazzling fireworks and brutal battles, and for the first time felt that the character he was controlling and himself sitting in the seat were in a somewhat absurdly similar situation... both were in chaos, facing an unpredictable future.

"Hold on! Hold on! Hold on to the steps!"

"TANK! On the left! It's a TANK! Focus fire!!"

"Cool!!!"

"Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! This scene design! This atmosphere! Avalon is a masterpiece!!"

"Game of the Year! Best Co-op Game!! I won't accept any arguments!!"

"Hahaha! Awesome! This is fucking awesome! Avalon, you're my god—!!!"

The shouts of teammates mingled in the voice channel, the excitement, tension, and adrenaline rush almost bursting out of their eardrums.

They were laughing and chatting happily...

But Jin Feng only found them noisy.
So he took a deep breath, turned off the game, and slumped helplessly into his chair.

……

Left 4 Dead... sold nearly three million copies in just one week!
Three million copies!

A dark horse.

A true dark horse.

Even before its release, this game was already generating a lot of buzz! But to sell so many copies in such a short time truly exceeded many people's expectations!!!

Not to mention, the game has been out for a week and still has nearly a million concurrent players!

Avalon!

AG Platform!

Left 4 Dead!
These keywords instantly became the hottest topics in the gaming industry.

And it was at this time that Avalon suddenly announced... the Left 4 Dead editing toolkit was coming soon! And along with the toolkit came the Steam Workshop service!
At that time, the game will allow players to unpack the game's vpk file and extract game resources, such as model textures.

This also means.

Players can now freely change models and create their own maps!
Many people don't actually know what this means.

The players... and even their peers, were completely baffled.

But soon.

They'll know.

(End of this chapter)