Started as a comics editor

Chapter 305: Draw the Sword and Ride the Horse
When that inconspicuous post on the Avalon official forum announced that the Left 4 Dead Workshop toolkit was officially unlocked for download, the gaming community, or rather the entire player community, was quite bewildered.

Mods are certainly not a new thing here.

It's simply because the industry's development history is very different.

Therefore, game developers have different attitudes towards this.

In Tang Yao's memory of her past life, the earliest fully modified PC game mod is generally considered to be Wolfenstein.

It's not the original FPS game, but the original Wolfenstein.

At the time, three high school students created a completely modified mod for the game, turning Wolfenstein's headquarters into the Smurfs' headquarters.

The tense infiltration of the wolf's den to assassinate the Nazis in the original story has been changed to slaughtering a group of adorable Smurfs on the other side of the mountains and the sea...

That's really hilarious.

Later, id Software was founded, and under the leadership of the genius engine designer John Carmack, the FPS game pioneer Wolfenstein 3D was born.

Shortly after the game's release, due to the previous momentum, a number of mods based on the game emerged among the player community. Some of these high-quality works even surprised id Software, because they did not optimize the mods for the game at all.

John Carmack, the key figure at id Software at the time, also took notice of this.

He is a well-known advocate of open source software.

So in id Software's next game, Doom, they even changed the file structure directly. The files necessary for the game engine were isolated separately, while all the data related to the game content, such as images, sound effects, music, and textures, were put into one file. To make this file more eye-catching, they gave it the suffix WAD, which means "Where's All the Data".

This move completely eliminates the need for mod authors to worry about affecting game performance; they can simply modify the WAD file to completely overhaul the game.

With Quake, id Software went a step further, releasing an official level editor. With the editor, mod creation became more convenient and intuitive.

In fact, this incident even affected Gabe Newell, who wasn't fat at the time, and Valve, which had just been established.

Because the Quake editor was released too late, a mod author created a custom editor called "Worldcraft".

At the time, Valve was just a newly established small company. The first requirement for making games was an engine. So Gabe Newell visited id Software's headquarters in Texas and decided to use the Quake engine to create the company's first game, Half-Life.

But once they got their hands on the engine, they realized that it needed to be significantly modified to suit their game's requirements, which necessitated a powerful tool...

In the end, they did not choose the official tool provided by id, but instead chose "Worldcraft", and the reason was not only because Worldcraft itself was indeed powerful and easy to use.

Another reason is that many of Valve's employees at the time were mod creators, and they had a very high opinion of this unofficial tool.

Yes.

Valve, from the very beginning... has been a company with a modding gene.

And perhaps because they had this inclination from the beginning, they paid close attention to mods afterwards, with games like Team Fortress, CS:GO, and Dota being prime examples of modded games...

As Team Fortress became a million-player IP, creating mods for a game was no longer just a simple player activity. Since id Software started including player-made mods in official games, a high-quality mod can not only gain the favor of players, but also have the opportunity to attract the attention of official developers, allowing amateur game modders to transition into the game development industry!
This is the development process of MODs in Tang Yao's memory of her previous life. It is clear that ID and Valve played an extremely important role in it.

Later, as Valve grew, their Workshop became the largest mod community.

They can be described as being completely of the same lineage.

But here... it's a little different.

to be frank.

John Carmack's attitude toward software remained controversial until Tang Yao's time travel, let alone the fact that there was no such person here, nor was there Valve.

Moreover, even with so many examples from Tang Yao's past life, not every company supports MODs... Differences in business strategies, copyright, economic interests, and the struggle for creative freedom have always existed.

Especially here.

Most game developers here tend to ban mods.

Therefore, Avalon's sudden announcement of opening up the Workshop and editing tools for Left 4 Dead is truly surprising.

Players are used to developers' strict control over mods!

Seeing a mainstream commercial blockbuster, a newly popular superstar, so completely open its arms and even proactively provide powerful official tools for support feels...unreal. It's like being caged and suddenly released back into nature, leaving one feeling somewhat lost.

Their peers were also bewildered... but more than anything, they were shocked and puzzled.

They really don't understand it.

why?
Why is Avalon doing this? What is its purpose? What does it mean?
But I don't understand it.

After the initial shock, all parties reacted swiftly.

Especially the players and Modders.

Less than two days.

The Left 4 Dead Workshop has a bunch of weird and wonderful mods, mainly mods that replace the appearance of the four main characters in the game.

But these mods, as soon as they were released... saw downloads exceeding 10,000 or even 100,000 within minutes!
this moment.

This game, and indeed the AG platform, has demonstrated its immense power to the fullest extent.

The reactions to this have varied.

When the first wave of tech pioneers overcame the initial exploratory phase and successfully uploaded their parody models and weapon modifications to the Steam Workshop, most players were simply happy to see it happen. They would download and check out anything that interested them, and at the same time, they felt that the AG platform had suddenly become more interesting.

Their peers were shocked and bewildered.

For modders, this is like opening the gates of heaven! Especially for individuals who have been struggling with a lack of platforms, tools, and audiences but have ideas, the Left 4 Dead Workshop is the stage they've been dreaming of. The game provides solid underlying support, the official toolkit lowers the technical barrier, and the huge player base guarantees the exposure of their work.

Countless dormant ideas began to emerge! Modders unleashed their talents, presenting them to millions of players.

See this scene.

Even some astute small and medium-sized developers have begun to reconsider the value of mods, unlike the large companies that are burdened with heavy baggage. Seeing the amazing vitality of the Left 4 Dead community and the rapid emergence of high-quality player-made content, they have started to re-evaluate the value of mods.

Perhaps... this is more than just extending the game's lifespan? Perhaps... this is a completely new, low-cost, high-engagement model for content production and community operation? Perhaps... we can learn from it?

In short.

The explosive popularity of Left 4 Dead, along with AG's disruptive actions, has truly stirred up the entire gaming industry recently.

My poor domestic counterparts.

They knew the game would be a hit during the pre-release hype for Left 4 Dead, so they chose to avoid direct competition.

They're waiting for the hype surrounding Left 4 Dead to die down so they can continue pushing forward with their own mobile game project.

For most games, especially single-player games, the hype tends to gradually decrease after a week of release.

Although it will not experience a precipitous drop.

But it will definitely fall back down.

This is inevitable.

but.

Left 4 Dead is a rather unique game...

Industry peers waited for the game's popularity to wane, but instead received news of the official editing tools being released for Left 4 Dead...

In its second week of release, this game's sales not only didn't drop as quickly as typical games, but actually increased...

Because with the opening of the Workshop, the number of downloads of the toolkit skyrocketed within minutes.

The forum was instantly flooded with various technical discussion threads.

Player character models have become incredibly diverse, ranging from classic anime characters to all sorts of random things.

This completely overturned the game's visual experience, presenting a bizarre and fantastical new look full of possibilities.

Many players who had already completed the game couldn't resist opening it again to try out those messy character models.

The first draft of a truly new map also appeared. Although it was rough, consisting of a simple corridor and room pieced together from basic materials, and the level design was not particularly sophisticated, its significance was extraordinary—it proved that players could create new battlefields out of thin air.

Encouraged, countless mapmakers began to work diligently.

Meanwhile, some players have begun to try modifying the game rules. There is a Hell Mode that increases zombie health and damage, a Musou Mode that has unlimited ammo but unlimited zombie respawns, a Cold Weapon Era where all weapons are replaced with melee weapons, and even a Tank Battle Mode where all special infected are replaced with Tanks... The boundaries of gameplay have been expanded wildly.

Live streaming platforms have become the best showcase for these mods.

Because the game is really popular, there are many people streaming it, and many people watching it.

And we watched helplessly as the game's playability and entertainment value increased exponentially.

This has attracted more and more players.

They were interested in the game itself, but were also drawn to all sorts of other things, which directly led to a second wave of purchases!

But the Workshop is only one aspect... More importantly, the fun of playing the multiplayer campaign is highly praised by players. Left 4 Dead has even been dubbed the "ultimate game for playing with friends."

These players spread the word from one to ten, and from ten to a hundred.

It really attracted a lot of players, including many who don't usually play buy-to-play games.

And these players don't buy the game alone! They usually invite friends or family!
Also.

The competitive mode in Left 4 Dead has also received high praise, which is one of the reasons for the increased sales.

At the beginning.

Players do indeed buy games primarily to complete campaigns in cooperative gameplay.

But soon, another mode—the competitive mode—was discovered and shone brightly.

If cooperative campaigns are a crucible testing teamwork and the will to survive, then adversarial mode is a magnificent gladiatorial contest full of cunning and unexpected twists.

When players transform from hunters into hunters lurking in the shadows, and when the monsters on the other side become humans.

Then the nature of the matter changes.

Fighting with others is endlessly enjoyable.

Many players fall for this tactic; after finishing the campaign, they seamlessly switch to and become addicted to the versus mode.

This further increases the game's stickiness.

This led to more players buying the game.

The final result was—

In its second week, Left 4 Dead was even more popular than in its first week after release!
This completely silenced those in the industry who were waiting for the hype surrounding "Left 4 Dead" to die down...

No!

Is this ever going to end?
……

Avalon.

Tang Yao's office.

...The evening glow shone through the window, casting a warm golden hue over the sleek, modern office.

Outside the window, the city lights were just coming on, and traffic was flowing like a river, creating a stark contrast to the tranquility inside the office.

Tang Yao sat slightly turned to the side, her whole being immersed in this warm atmosphere, exuding a unique sense of relaxation that comes after work has come to an end... This can be seen from her posture.

Her long, shapely legs were elegantly crossed, as if she were immersed in some kind of reverie. Her toes swayed unconsciously, and with each sway, the hem of her finely crafted straight-leg trousers, covering her ankles, would naturally slide up slightly, revealing her slender ankles and her fair, delicate skin, which was faintly visible in the light.

The success of Left 4 Dead... has already been celebrated.

Right now, she's playing a game.

Therefore, he appeared exceptionally relaxed.

only.

The screen in front of her... did not display the familiar post-apocalyptic scenes of Left 4 Dead.

Instead, it was that martial arts-themed card game – "Hengdao Lima".

There was a sudden knock on the door.

then.

A mature and elegant older woman walked in carrying a stack of documents, her face showing barely suppressed excitement.

She paused for a moment when she saw Tang Yao playing a game.

Is it still in trial mode?

"Ah."

Upon hearing this, Tang Yao stopped swaying her toes. She slightly raised her eyes, the warm golden sunset outlining the delicate profile of her face: "Many problems have been solved, but the values ​​are still a bit unstable. I plan to have them adjust them again... Let's not talk about this. Is there anything else?"

"...It's nothing, I just wanted to report to you."

Li Xue carried the documents to the desk, put them down, glanced at the screen, and then looked back at Tang Yao's fair profile.

She took a deep breath and began her report.

"Left 4 Dead... the data for week two is out."

Li Xue opened the top document: "Instead of declining as expected, game sales have increased by 15% compared to the first week."

"..."

Tang Yao released the mouse, temporarily putting down the game, and looked at Li Xue's beautiful face, listening attentively.

Although you can listen while playing...

But she felt that was too frivolous.

"The editing toolkit has been downloaded over four million times, and the total number of character model mods uploaded by players is increasing every day, with the most popular ones exceeding 500,000 downloads..."

Li Xue paused, her tone filled with amazement: "And although it's only been a few days, the Creative Workshop has already seen the emergence of many player-made maps. Some of them are quite complete, like the police station map, which has been downloaded more than 200,000 times in 24 hours. The gameplay modification mods are also incredibly diverse."

"in addition."

then.

Li Xue turned to the next page: "AG platform's peak daily active users have reached a new high, surpassing the first week of release..."

Li Xue's voice wasn't very loud.

But every number she uttered seemed to carry a burning heat, clearly falling into the office bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun.

Left 4 Dead sales bucked the trend in its second week, Workshop data exploded, and AG platform activity reached a new peak... Each of these points represents a rich reward for the previous all-or-nothing gamble.

Tang Yao listened quietly.

Overall, Left 4 Dead has given Avalon so much this time.

A high-stakes gamble that fails is terrible.

But success is equally terrifying.

The horror here does not refer to disaster, but rather to the overwhelming impact and significance of a huge success that far exceeds expectations.

This success proved that her initial decision was correct, but it also meant that Avalon was instantly propelled to a higher, more dazzling, and also steeper position.

It will bring praise, benefits, expectations... bringing Avalon unprecedented attention and scrutiny.

really.

soon.

"……but."

Li Xue closed the folder, her tone tinged with barely perceptible worry, and steered the conversation to another issue: "Tang Yao, while the success and continued popularity of Left 4 Dead is certainly gratifying, the AG platform's capacity and the pressure of maintaining its ecosystem are increasing exponentially. Our strategy of opening the Creative Workshop has far exceeded expectations, but this also means..."

Tang Yao continued, "This means that relying solely on Avalon's own R&D capacity is simply not enough to satisfy the endless appetite of players and modders."

"Ah."

Li Xue nodded slightly: "My new game has a relatively short production cycle, but even so, there are bottlenecks in the production speed and quality stability. The most critical issue is the continuous supply of platform content. Relying solely on Avalon to develop new games and DLCs on its own, or expecting players to spontaneously produce a large number of high-quality mods, seems unreliable. Neither can keep up with the speed of platform expansion and the speed at which players consume content. This is a very serious problem."

"It's normal... The success of Left 4 Dead Workshop proves the enormous creativity within the player community, and also demonstrates the huge potential of the AG platform as a game distribution and community interaction platform. However, it's simply not enough for Avalon alone to guide and support this force."

Tang Yao chuckled and replied, "For the AG platform to truly succeed and build a massive ecosystem, attracting third-party forces to join is the only way out and the inevitable outcome."

Li Xue hesitated for a moment: "Would they be happy to accept that?"

"That's hard to say, but the success of Left 4 Dead proves the huge potential of the AG platform... But this is our first-party game, and we may need a third-party game to prove it again!"

Speaking of which.

Tang Yao's gaze shifted to the paused game interface of "Holding a Sword and Riding a Horse" on the screen: "We need to create another perfect example, a model to demonstrate the true power of the AG platform to small and medium-sized manufacturers..."

Li Xue followed her gaze and looked over: "...Standing with sword drawn?"

"Yes, sword drawn, horse in hand!"

(End of this chapter)