Chapter 62 Some Modifications

Chapter 62 Some Modifications

The overall planning of Overcooked was actually relatively simple.

The story aspect was trivial—just basic cutscene CG animations. Unlike To the Moon or Undertale, this wasn't a narrative-driven game.

The true core of Overcooked lay in its map and level design.

Combined with gameplay mechanics like chopping ingredients, washing dishes, and cooking meals, the quality of level design directly influenced the player's actual experience.

Additionally, the game featured various distinct scenes. Each stage had a unique theme, requiring different models, textures, and other assets.

Another standout feature of Overcooked was its gameplay mechanics.

Players would chop ingredients, interact with objects in the environment, wash dishes, and cook.

The numerical design determined the game's difficulty and overall feel.

However, this aspect posed no significant challenge for Chen Xu.

Through the system's gacha pulls, he had recently obtained numerous skill books related to numerical design.

If he were developing a large-scale, data-heavy game such as an RTS or MOBA, it might have been somewhat demanding.

But for Overcooked, it was effortless—especially with the support of Memory Capsules.

Once these core aspects were handled, the remaining elements like music and UI weren't particularly crucial to the game.

Moreover, Chen Xu's main modifications to Overcooked focused on expanding the game's content.

In his previous life, Overcooked had virtually no MOD support.

Creating MODs would have required an enormous workload for players.

And game developers certainly wouldn't release their resources.

After all, the core appeal of Overcooked lay in its gameplay mechanics combined with diverse, dynamic maps.

If players were allowed to create expansions, what would be left for the developers to sell as map DLC?

Of course, this was also because the original development team never considered MOD support during development.

But for Chen Xu, Overcooked would serve as a pilot project.

Unlike in his previous life, games in this Parallel World were mostly built using editor engines.

While MODs were extremely common in his previous life—with some games even being built entirely around MOD gameplay—

In this Parallel World, very few game developers offered MOD support.

One reason was the hassle involved; another was the risk of exposing the game's core numerical data.

Enabling player-made MODs also required restructuring the game's internal resource architecture from a design perspective.

This made most developers reluctant to even consider it.

After all, it was troublesome and offered no immediate financial return.

Yet Chen Xu clearly understood how vital MODs could be for a game.

It wasn't just independent games—major titles could also greatly benefit and gain new life from MODs.

Thus, Overcooked would become an experimental title.

To make MOD creation more accessible, Chen Xu planned to rethink the game's entire architecture, rather than simply opening a port like most games that supported MODs.

Doing so would impose a steep learning curve on players, hindering MOD adoption.

"The Workshop (modding platform) community will require the Nebula Games Platform to play MODs. We'll need to set up a dedicated server for data backup."

"Additionally, we need to rework the Art architecture."

Chen Xu tapped the keyboard, drafting the design concept drafts.

For this part, Chen Xu intended to adopt a block-based splicing structure, similar to Minecraft.

Various in-game devices and items—such as conveyor belts, sinks, cabinets, fire extinguishers, serving stations, stoves, and even large items like hot air balloons—would all be individually movable.

Different background themes, however, would remain fixed—such as glaciers, Regular canteens, or even the world's core…

Seated in front of his computer, Chen Xu meticulously refined the settings for Overcooked.

After a day and a half, he had largely finalized the design concept drafts for Overcooked and was ready to hold a meeting to assign tasks for the new project.

………………

In a modest-sized meeting room, a group of people sat whispering among themselves.

The door swung open, and Chen Xu walked in.

Seeing Chen Xu arrive, everyone stood up from their seats.

"Have a seat. I'll briefly go over our upcoming development plan," Chen Xu said.

Hearing his words, the team members' faces lit up with excitement.

They had already caught wind of the upcoming new project and were eager to get started.

The success of Outlast had earned them substantial bonuses.

After all, projects meant money—provided they succeeded.

Moreover, the team deeply respected Chen Xu's capabilities.

They had no choice but to respect him—Chen Xu's track record since his debut was impressive enough to command their full attention.

"Unlike Outlast, this time we're shifting focus to develop a game specifically targeting a Spring Festival launch."

"But don't worry—this game's scale won't be large. It's significantly smaller than Outlast."

Chen Xu smiled as he observed their reactions.

However, his expression soon turned slightly more serious.

"Even though this project is smaller in scale, it holds exceptional strategic importance for the company's growth. I intend to use this game, launched during the Spring Festival, to gradually roll out our own platform," Chen Xu stated earnestly.

Most of those present had signed confidentiality and non-compete agreements, so Chen Xu wasn't particularly worried about leaks.

After all, Nebula Games was thriving, and Chen Xu had already hinted at the company's upcoming expansion, along with some ambitious promises.

Even if these plans did leak, it wouldn't matter much.

In the gaming industry—especially among game developers—who didn't dream of building their own channels?

Chen Xu was well aware of this.

Yet the team members, seeing Chen Xu's serious demeanor, responded with equal seriousness—and even greater excitement.

They were all young. No one wanted to stagnate in a company with no ambition.

Of course, this only worked if the company truly had the capability; otherwise, it would just be empty promises and toxic motivation.

"Here's the game we're preparing to develop. These are the concept drafts—take a look."

"After reviewing them, feel free to share any thoughts, suggestions, or ideas regarding promotion."

Chen Xu turned on the projector, and the screen displayed the design concept drafts for Overcooked.

(End of Chapter) <>