In the small studio, Lu Li paced back and forth.
He continuously sifted through classic Soulslike titles in his mind, the curve of his lips growing more pronounced.
To be honest,
Lu Li felt that every Soulslike game was tailor-made for VR. Imagine, in a VR world, players stepping into a bizarrely drawn, eerily dark environment.
Suddenly, a creature wielding a massive club unreasoningly plunges the club into the player's body. That sensation... especially if the club had fleshy barbs on it... tsk!
Even if the pain sensitivity were reduced to zero, that strange feeling of impact on the skin, of penetration, would still remain.
Or perhaps, cold steel infused with icy sword intent making contact with skin, feeling the flesh, tissues, and bone collide and fracture as the blade enters, emitting that teeth-grinding sound.
The immersion would likely be off the charts, and they'd barely need to implement an anti-addiction system. Players would be too busy being tortured in Soulslike games to last eight hours, unless they were superhuman or masochistic.
Therefore, simply tormenting them wouldn't suffice; it would only accelerate player attrition.
Not every player wants to be a constantly abused victim. Something must entice them to endure the torment and continue fighting.
The success of "Dark Souls" stemmed from players' faith in linking the fire and their initial curiosity about masochistic games.
However, in VR, these elements aren't enough for players to overcome immense physical suffering and press forward, to rise up and retry after repeated failures, crushing bone and flesh... it's not enough.
These elements alone are insufficient, making a direct VR remake of "Dark Souls" unsuitable.
"It's still missing something..."
"Still missing... what..."
"Sense of accomplishment..."
Lu Li muttered, his eyes suddenly brightening, "That's right, there's the sense of accomplishment! Finding hope amidst repeated setbacks, honing skills through countless deaths, and the triumphant feeling after stubbornly defeating a powerful enemy through the baptism of bone and blood!"
"This is the core element that allows masochistic games to take root in VR!"
Instantly, the gloom that had been hanging over Lu Li's head vanished.
With the addition of the sense of accomplishment, fewer Soulslike games would fit the requirements.
At this moment, the nascent forms of two games, one bright and one dark, surfaced in Lu Li's mind.
"Would a gun parry be too early in the VR world? And for the first game to experiment with, a slightly more 'normal' art style is very necessary to slightly reduce player discomfort."
"So, for 'Bloodborne,' with its extremely dark art style and the gruesome sight of skin-peeling wolves right at the beginning, that might be a bit too intense for later."
"Then there's only one choice—"
Lu Li snapped his fingers in the air, "It's you, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice!"
Its bright and gentle art style, a brand new parry mechanic, the satisfying 'ding ding' of deflecting blows, and the visceral experience of swords cutting flesh.
Most crucially, its setting—Shadows Die Twice—offers players the chance to resurrect on the spot and fight again, greatly enhancing their competitive spirit.
Moreover, Sekiro's difficulty isn't excessively unreasonable. As long as players are willing to invest time in practicing basic skills, memorizing different boss combat patterns, and honing their abilities, they can eventually brute-force their way through.
The pent-up frustration accumulated from falling countless times is perfectly released upon defeating the final boss, yielding an unparalleled sense of accomplishment that no other game can provide.
It's a true test of one's will and technique, defeating an enemy several times more powerful than oneself. That feeling can only be truly experienced by the player present.
A joy indescribable by words, comparable to a perfectly recreated intimate scene in a movie, or the climax of a martial arts film, where the player is the most dazzling protagonist.
All the flashy moves and techniques are honed bit by bit by the player, and in an environment enveloped by such realism, the sense of accomplishment is unmatched by any other game.
"I'm getting a bit impatient."
With this thought, a flicker of yearning appeared in Lu Li's eyes. Ever since experiencing "Titanfall," his passion for VR games was second to none.
"Perhaps... I should start by developing..."
Knowing it was a type of information exchange code, deciphering it became much simpler. Bai Zhiyuan spent a week understanding the basic theory of the ACs2 code and meticulously recorded the blinking frequencies of the pilot helmet's lights.
Assuming a strong flash as 1 and a weak flash as 0, the sequence was: 01001010, 01000001, 01000011, 01001011, 00111111.
Then, using this code's meaning as a reference against the ASC2 code table, Bai Zhiyuan translated each binary digit.
Finally, an accurate message was obtained: 【jACk?】
"Jack?"
Bai Zhiyuan's face froze. An uncontrollable emotion welled up in her heart, making her eyes, stinging like an onion's core, instantly redden. Tears began to stream down her face.
Late at night, a choked sob echoed from the quiet room:
"BT, it's real... it's still here..."
"Mr. Lu Li, you are a god."
...
(Have you noticed that in chapters featuring my Lu Li, Bai Zhiyuan's storyline also takes up half the space? Several times, and no one noticed... Ah... my damned, misplaced, straight-man romance...)