Started as a comics editor

Chapter 308 Open World

The success of "Hengdao Lima" quickly spread to the entire domestic independent game and small and medium-sized development team circle.

The fact that Qingfeng Studio, a small, unknown team, produced a game that achieved both critical and commercial success is truly remarkable.

In its first week of release, "Heroic Swordsman" sold over 30 copies on the AG platform, an astronomical figure for an indie game priced at 68 yuan developed by a little-known studio.

The player approval rating has remained stable at over 95%, with the vast majority of reviews being positive.

It's even more terrifying.

This not only proves the amazing potential of the AG platform as an emerging distribution channel, but also shows everyone that with the support of Avalon, small studios also have the opportunity to step onto the big stage and even make a name for themselves!
How could a third-party team not be tempted?
What only added fuel to the fire was...

After about a week of digesting the information, Qiu Gaoxing and Wang Meng, perhaps overjoyed, inadvertently made a comment in a small developer group, mentioning that Avalon's technical team had provided crucial, hands-on game optimization advice and support before the game's release...

These words immediately propelled the craze to new heights.

Rumors began circulating in the industry that Avalon not only possessed top-notch technical capabilities and design concepts, but also deeply and uncompensatedly intervened in the development of small third-party teams, helping them to completely transform their products.

This was also confirmed by the person involved.

This completely overturned the perception of the AG platform among small and medium-sized developers.

"What? Avalon not only provides traffic, but also personally helps with optimization?"

"I heard the optimization proposal is incredibly detailed, covering everything from card loop logic to numerical balance curves, and even UI interaction details!"

"No wonder! I knew that the level of completion and balance of 'Holding a Sword and Horse' couldn't have been achieved by a small workshop working behind closed doors!"

"This isn't just a simple platform provider; they've gone to the extreme!"

In no time, the name "New Era Game Military Academy" spread like wildfire.

Avalon's image among developers has rapidly transformed from a powerful platform that needs to be looked up to into a guide with top-notch technical capabilities, an open mindset, and a willingness to sincerely support high-quality content creators.

Liu Zhe is a prime example. After repeatedly updating the data of "Hengdao Lima" and the content shared by Qingfeng Studio, he could no longer sit still.

Countless emails, phone calls, and business cooperation applications filled with eager anticipation flew to Avalon like snowflakes.

Avalon's opening of its collaboration email and backend submission channels to developers has led to an unprecedented surge in traffic.

The inbox was overflowing with emails from independent studios and small R&D teams, and the phone kept ringing. The staff in the relevant departments were overwhelmed with work.

On major game developer forums, topics such as "How to get a game onto the AG platform?" and "Can the successful model of 'Horizontal Blade' be replicated?" quickly became the most popular discussions.

Countless producers with dreams share information and exchange experiences.

Moreover, unlike in the past when the goal was simply to release or list a product, this time many developers have expressed a core demand, either implicitly or directly, in emails and communications—

We hope to receive professional guidance and optimization support from the Avalon technical team, similar to that provided for "Horizontal Swordsman".

What they crave is not just platform traffic, but also the Midas touch of Avalon.

This gave Avalon's relevant staff even more of a headache.

That's wishful thinking!
Avalon only has one boss! Tang Yao is the only person! How could she possibly provide professional guidance to each and every one of you?

"Tang Yao... my inbox is about to explode!"

Holding a stack of printed cooperation intention summaries, Li Xue pushed open the door to Tang Yao's office with a troubled expression.

"Thanks for your hard work……"

Tang Yao took the summary from Li Xue, smiled and offered a word of comfort, then quickly skimmed through it and asked, "What exactly happened?"

"Too much!"

Li Xue's pretty face was full of helplessness: "Domestic well-known and unknown independent studios, as well as many small and medium-sized manufacturers that previously focused on mobile games and now want to try single-player games, are all inquiring about the specific process and cooperation model for accessing the AG platform. If it were just that, it would be acceptable... But they are also asking if they can get the same technical support as Qingfeng Studio. How is that possible?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Tang Yao's expression became subtle, but she quickly shook her head: "That's normal, after all, everyone wants to succeed."

"But this is definitely not a solution."

"Um……"

Tang Yao slowly put down what she was holding, then thought for a moment, looked around on her desk, found a document, and handed it to Li Xue, saying, "Could you please call a meeting later to see if my suggestions can be implemented... First, we need to urgently expand our team and optimize the game submission process and review mechanism to cope with the surge in applications."

Second, we need to develop clearer platform support plans and standards, specifying under what conditions Avalon will invest significant resources, similar to those in the "Hands of the Sword" project. This requires balancing resource allocation, project potential, and the overall platform strategy.

"Third, we will accelerate the construction of a more complete AG platform developer ecosystem, and plan to launch more detailed developer documentation, tool support, and so on."

"Finally, I also came up with a plan, you can call it Project Dawn, which is simply to find out how popular the game is through player voting."

"..."

Tang Yao began to explain Project Dawn.

The so-called Dawn Project, simply put, is to determine the popularity of a game through player voting, and then proactively and preferentially promote a particular game based on the votes.

To put it simply... it means that developers upload game information, ask players for their support, players vote, and then decide whether the game will be released based on the voting results.

Yes, it's Steam Greenlight.

This was a highly controversial plan, and it was eventually cancelled.

But it's undeniable.

This program did a great job in its early stages. Greenlight lowered the release threshold for many developers, allowing a large number of excellent new games to be listed on Steam. Without it, many games probably wouldn't even have been able to be released...

Moreover, this thing has a really strong driving effect on the platform in the early stages.

"If the voting results are satisfactory, Avalon will provide some technical support and intervene to guide the developers in their development..."

Li Xue reached out and took it, then glanced at the plan briefly and asked softly, "Whether it's an online game or a single-player game?"

"Yes, my goal is to bring more games to the platform. These games don't have to be big or limited to any particular genre, but they must be fun and interesting to players."

Tang Yao explained, "Our first-party games are mainly for building momentum for the platform. This Dawn Project is to encourage independent game developers to release their interesting games on the platform, thereby building up the game platform and creating the initial clustering effect."

Li Xue pondered for a moment: "Should we let the developers compete?"

Tang Yao said helplessly, "Well... there's nothing we can do about it."

There's really nothing we can do about it.

Faced with a massive number of applications, Avalon cannot possibly dedicate resources at the level of "Hands on the Blade" to every single project.

The next key challenge is to have the discerning eye to accurately identify projects with potential, unique characteristics, reliable teams, and a willingness to accept guidance.

Avalon needs to avoid diluting its resources and also prevent attracting speculators who only want to take advantage of resources rather than genuinely refine the product.

"Will you provide further technical assistance?"

After listening to Tang Yao's words.

Li Xue nodded, and then asked.

Tang Yao nodded slowly: "Yes, because I plan to adopt a review mechanism in the early stage. Only games that pass our review will be put on the Dawn Project. We will provide assistance and certain production funds for games with high votes. Finally, when the game is listed on the platform, we will take a certain share."

"..."

Li Xue nodded again, vaguely feeling that the plan was feasible, but she did not reply immediately.

Since Tang Yao had entrusted her with this responsibility, she felt that she absolutely could not let Tang Yao down.

So after thinking for a moment, she said, "Then I'll go find someone to hold a meeting to discuss it... Do you want to attend?"

"No, I have a meeting with the frontline developers in the game department later. We're going to start discussing the next game, which is also very important."

Tang Yao smiled and said, "After all, we need some heavyweight first-party games to attract players. The platform is now in its early stages, but it is far from being able to make money passively. We need to continuously launch attractive new first-party games, and combine them with the company's existing games to achieve twice the result with half the effort."

"You should discuss it with the other staff members first. We'll talk about it when it's really necessary for me to step in, and then I'll participate."

"it is good."

Li Xue nodded slowly.

It's not necessary for Tang Yao to come forward, at least not until they fully understand Tang Yao's plan: "Then I'll go and call a meeting."

"Ah."

Tang Yao nodded, then thought for a moment, and reached out to gently hold Li Xue's small hand, saying softly, "You've worked hard, you've been very busy lately."

"Actually, the hardship is secondary."

Li Xue held Tang Yao's slender hand tightly, smoothed her hair at her temple with her other hand, and then said with a slight reproach, "But the plan to rest together and come to my house to wear a dress is ruined..."

"...Are you never going to stop?!"

Tang Yao immediately glared at Li Xue, a blush rising on her fair and beautiful face.

As the year ended, Li Xue mentioned those words even more frequently.

But that's normal, isn't it...?

"You promised me, on that day..."

"Okay, okay, there's an opportunity! Let's get busy!"

Tang Yao looked at Li Xue's pretty face, which was tinged with a little unease and shyness... She quickly stopped the conversation, stood up with her face flushed, went around behind her, and pushed her towards the office door.

...The two parted ways at the door.

Li Xue went to call a meeting.

Tang Yao also gathered the frontline development staff and went to another conference room.

After half an hour.

meeting room.

Avalon's core development team gathered together, including Kang Ming, Shi Wanglin, Sun Gong, Si Jinliang, and Chu Yuxin, who worked with Tang Yao on their first game, "FGO," as well as Li Zhongzhi, the project leader for "Left 4 Dead," Yu Lili, the project leader for "Dungeon & Fighter," and Zhang Mingyuan, the head of the engine team, who joined later.

In short.

Avalon's most important game division, with all its core, well-known developers residing there.

Everyone had arrived.

Tang Yao stood in front of the conference table, clapped her hands lightly, and spoke first: "You all know why we've called you here today... That's right, as the AG platform gets on track, we also need to finalize the development department's next plan. The main purpose of this meeting is to discuss and confirm the theme of the next game."

"The themes for both online games and single-player games need to be confirmed."

"Let me start by talking about single-player games."

"..."

After giving a brief opening speech, Tang Yao picked up a marker and wrote a word on the whiteboard behind her: "Open World".

Then she turned around, her ponytail swaying gently, and continued, "You've all seen the proposal I gave you, so you should all know what I'm thinking. That's right... For the next single-player game, I plan to make a popcorn-style action-adventure game, tentatively codenamed 'Spider-Man'."

This is a high-quality single-player game with an industrial-level production standard. The goal is to improve the player's experience in action, narrative, open-world exploration, and overall control of large-scale single-player projects.

The game's main selling point is the ultimate exhilarating experience brought by high-speed, smooth movement and combat in the three-dimensional urban space.

But that wasn't my only idea. Actually, I had another idea: to make a sword and spear game..."

"..."

In Tang Yao's opinion...

Making a good open-world AAA game is extremely difficult because the genre has a very high ceiling and a very low floor. A truly successful one might be of god-like quality at the time, such as Grand Theft Auto, The Elder Scrolls, or the two new-era Zelda games.

And those who do it poorly are just utterly boring!

However, most manufacturers don't really reach the upper or lower limits. More often than not, the overall quality isn't that great, but you can't say there's no content. In fact, there's quite a lot. It's fun to play at first, but as time goes on, the fun gradually decreases, eventually turning into a tasteless and useless game.

Ubisoft's open-world games are a prime example of this type of open-world game.

There is another type of open world, which is the best it can be within a framework. It doesn't look like a canned product, but it's also not at its limit... and the typical example of this type of open world game is Ghost of Tsushima.

The last type of open-world game is hard to categorize. How should I put it... it's hard to tell whether they're relying on their IP or are simply well-made.

But it is indeed fun to play.

Examples of this include The Legacy of Hogwarts and Spider-Man.

just now.

Let's set aside that experimental project.

Avalon aims to create a high-quality, popcorn-style single-player game, building upon its experience in action, narrative, open-world exploration, and the overall control of large-scale single-player projects.

That definitely can't be aimed at the upper limit.

Because it's simply impossible, and there's absolutely no experience, it's easy to end up with a poor imitation.

But if Tang Yao were to actually decide to make mediocre canned goods, she wouldn't be too keen. She still has some aspirations, even if it's just for preparation and practice.

So what she initially wanted to do was to create a Spider-Man game that had the IP advantage from her past life memories, because she really had a lot of fun playing it back then.

However, during this time she talked with other developers and found that without the support of the original work, the game's background story and collectible elements did not seem to be very appealing to the natives.

That's normal, isn't it?

After all, in Tang Yao's past life, everyone knew Spider-Man because of superhero movies, but there was no such thing here.

However, while they didn't feel much connection to the story, most of the developers felt that it wasn't bad...it was quite interesting, and they all thought the idea of allowing players to move quickly and smoothly in the city's three-dimensional space was really great.

So it's not impossible, but perhaps the story background needs to be slightly modified.

After realizing that the game's background story and collectible elements were not very appealing to the natives, Tang Yao did not stand still and insist on her own way. Instead, she immediately thought of another game - Ghost of Tsushima.

This is an open-world game that doesn't quite look like a canned food container, but also has an unreachable ceiling.

but.

There's a problem with that too.

The game's story background, and many other things... all need to be completely rewritten.

Because that period of history simply doesn't exist here. The main stage of the story is already the Provincial Administration Commission under the Ming Dynasty, and the other protagonist of the story, the dynasty, was overthrown by the Central Plains dynasty after its rise...

In this parallel world, even Tang Yao sometimes felt confused when she was doing research...

Because the difference is really too big.

So both games have their own problems.

"...So, my current idea is these two games: one is a modern-themed game, codenamed 'Spider-Man,' with its core selling point being high-speed movement and exhilarating combat in a three-dimensional urban environment; the other is a sword-and-halberd style game, codenamed 'Rogue,' focusing on the realistic aesthetics of melee combat and open-world exploration. But as I just said, both games have their own problems that need to be solved."

Tang Yao put down her marker and glanced at the core members in front of the conference table: "The story background and collection system of Spider-Man don't seem to be very attractive or fun. As for Vagabond, the main problem is that the story setting is a bit troublesome. I can't think of a suitable setting right now."

So I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts, considering factors like development difficulty, market potential, team compatibility, and... which direction you most want to pursue.

"..."

Tang Yao had just finished speaking.

A lively discussion immediately broke out in the meeting room.

The new developers were also amazed by the two games that Tang Yao had proposed, which sounded very interesting.

The developers who had worked with Tang Yao on the game project all along had started to voice their ideas.

Without him.

got used to.

Kang Ming spoke first, clearly more interested in modern themes: "I vote for Spider-Man! Although the collection system isn't very appealing, I think the core thrill factor is still very clear and unique!"
Players traverse at high speeds between city skyscrapers, utilizing the environment in combat; the fluid movement and spatial freedom offer an experience currently very rare in the market!

"As for the story, it just needs a little more refinement. Adding the origin story of Spider-Man, a superpowered individual, and the framework of a hero fighting criminal organizations in a modern city, would make it universally appealing and attractive."

Moreover, the suspense of the main story, the character growth and the emotional impact are all quite good. Even if the collection system is really not good, it can be transformed to give it stronger gameplay and exploration drive.

The key is that this combat system and movement mechanism are the core of the entire system!

Zhang Mingyuan, the head of the engine team, immediately nodded in agreement: "I'm quite interested in this too."

At this point, Shi Wanglin raised a different opinion, clearly attracted by the concept of "Vagabond".

"Personally, I prefer the direction of 'Rurouni'... Sword duels, the tension of flashing blades and life-or-death moments, and the realistic aesthetics are inherently very impactful! Just imagine, in a vast and evocative open world—a series of ritualistic cold weapon duels in rolling mountains, quiet bamboo forests, cherry blossom-filled courtyards, or battlefields filled with the smoke of war—the visual and immersive experience is just too strong!"

He was somewhat excited, and after a pause, he continued, "As for the issue of historical background, this is actually an opportunity! We don't have to be bound by a specific dynasty; we can completely reconstruct it artistically, or even create a fictional one!"
For example, the setting could be a backdrop similar to the clash between East and West during the Age of Exploration, where an ancient and warlike nation in the East is invaded by a powerful enemy from the distant West with a completely different war ideology! The protagonist could be a soldier protecting their homeland or a ronin seeking revenge.

Shi Wanglin's words immediately piqued the interest of many more people.

"The Age of Exploration? Foreign invasion?"

Chu Yuxin subconsciously said, "I remember there was such a history, but it seems to have ended after only a year, right? Weren't we forced to fight back with our heads down?"

"...Then let's set it as a story that takes place in that year."

“It seems that’s possible.”

"I still prefer the first project."

"..."

The group started discussing, but there was no argument, since they supported different projects.

But it would be false to say that they are not interested in projects they do not support.

And the other side.

Tang Yao did not speak.

She was deep in thought, resting her snow-white chin on her hand.

The others assumed she was considering everyone's opinions and didn't disturb her.

Actually not.

She was just thinking.