Chapter 160: Really, I Believe You! (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

Chapter 160: Really, I Believe You! (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

Everyone was quite excited.

VR games weren't anything special by now, but the key point was—this was Nebula Games' very first internal VR project!

Although Chen Xu had already mentioned that this was just a DEMO, most likely greenlit because the Game Department had some requirements, it didn't change the fact that it was still a VR game.

Being among the first to participate in the company's inaugural VR development—that was an achievement worth boasting about, a milestone in their careers.

The two other employees from the Art Team were thrilled.

And Ruan Ningxue was equally happy, simply excited to be involved in her first VR project.

"Mr. Chen, what kind of DEMO are we developing this time?" Ruan Ningxue asked in the meeting room, her earlier excitement still bubbling over.

Hearing her, the other two Art Team members also stared at Chen Xu, full of anticipation.

"A story related to family ethics," Chen Xu replied after a moment's thought, offering what he considered a suitable description.

Family ethics?

Could it be something like It Takes Two?

At the mention of "family," Ruan Ningxue immediately pictured two doll figures—small, wooden and clay-made puppets.

But when she looked up at the title on the big screen, along with some keywords and a simple concept sketch of Lisa, Ruan Ningxue fell silent.

Where was the warmth they were promised?!

On the screen was the main title Silent Hill PT, accompanied by a grotesque image of Lisa—one eye missing, the other rolled back, her face smeared with blood, yellow teeth bared in a ghastly grin.

Ruan Ningxue and the two other previously excited Art Team members fell into stunned silence.

"As you can see, we'll be developing a horror-themed DEMO game. This is the game's primary monster—Lisa, who could also be considered the protagonist," Chen Xu said with a smile, observing the three silent figures.

From a visual presentation standpoint, the impact was immense—even without considering its future adaptation into VR.

The concept art alone was already deeply unsettling.

Because it was just too hideous.

But then again, that was only natural. It was a horror game, after all. If it weren't grotesque, how could it scare players?

Imagine if the monsters in a horror game were instead tall, sexy, seductive beauties.

That wouldn't be horror—that would be something entirely different.

Players would be too eager to meet these so-called "frightening" female ghosts, wouldn't they?

As long as you're bold enough, even ghosts can take maternity leave.

"M-Mr. Chen... this is our new game?" Ruan Ningxue's voice trembled slightly as she looked at Chen Xu. The gap between reality and her expectations was simply too vast.

"Don't worry, it's not that scary. Aside from Lisa, the only other truly disturbing element in the game is an embryo. Oh, and if you're afraid of cockroaches, we'll have to add those too," Chen Xu said with a chuckle.

Hearing that, Ruan Ningxue could only remain speechless.

Really, she believed him this time!

But in truth, Chen Xu wasn't lying.

This was precisely what made the Silent Hill PT DEMO so special.

In his previous life, many players—and even professionals in the gaming industry—had hailed this DEMO as a near-perfect work.

And indeed, it was.

No one knew what the full version of the game would have been like, nor should it be mythologized too much.

After all, even Konami and Hideo Kojima themselves might never have known exactly what the complete version would look like, since it was canceled.

But as a demonstration, the DEMO could only be described with one phrase: flawless.

It executed every single element perfectly.

The Infinite Corridor created a powerful sense of spatial confinement. It used player movement and psychological immersion to push the protagonist forward, while darkness and endless hallways consumed the player's visual field.

Even though the entire game took place in a single hallway, it delivered an overwhelming sense of oppression.

Then there was the color tone—conveying a sense of helplessness. Whether in horror films or horror games, color was always paramount.

This DEMO uniquely employed a pale, warm-toned aesthetic. Over eighty percent of the scenes in PT were built using warm colors, except for the dimly lit room where Roach first crawled through.

The entire demo relied on combinations of yellow, brown, red, and dark green, yet the lighting techniques leaned toward the cold spectrum—using fluorescent lights with a slightly bluish hue.

Even more unnerving, despite the brightness of these fluorescent lights, their illumination barely reached a few meters.

This stark contrast created a sense of cold violence and loneliness.

Inability to vent, inability to speak, inability to express—these emotions blended together, elevating the overall sense of terror to new heights.

Listening to Chen Xu explain the game's settings and the symbolic meaning behind the art, Ruan Ningxue and the others present felt a chill run down their spines.

"Mr. Chen, this will scare players to death," Ruan Ningxue couldn't help but grumble inwardly.

"Don't worry. The VR version isn't meant for regular players. It'll be experienced only by professionals. Plus, we'll adapt it specifically for VR devices and coordinate with the Game Department's Research Institute for double safety measures," Chen Xu explained.

………………

After Chen Xu finished explaining the design concept drafts of PT, Ruan Ningxue and the two other Art Team members began their respective tasks.

Just as Chen Xu had said, the workload wasn't large, nor was it complicated.

The entire game took place in a single fixed scene. The only changes involved the atmosphere, color, and minor details like photos and glass objects.

Meanwhile, Chen Xu turned his attention to researching the new VR hardware and game development engine.

He had already experienced the new VR system at the Research Park.

Of course, it wasn't the kind of black technology involving subconscious implantation.

Players still needed to maintain mental focus during gameplay and wear motion capture suits, gloves, and other equipment.

Inside the gaming pod, various motion sensors were installed—not only to monitor the player's physical condition and cut the connection if any abnormalities occurred, but also to provide a more realistic experience.

For example, if a player wanted to run, even a slight movement of their feet inside the pod would trigger corresponding feedback in the game.

Of course, what actions were supported and how they were operated still depended entirely on the game's design.

If the game didn't include a running animation, no matter how hard you kicked inside the pod, the game graphics wouldn't respond.

It sounded a bit strange, but after playing for a while, people got used to it.

Just like how players accustomed to mouse and keyboard often felt slightly awkward the first time they used a controller.

But with time, they adapted.

Precisely because of this, playing VR games was still extremely taxing on the player's mental energy.

This was also why most VR games were so expensive to develop—designers had to pile on countless details.

The more details, the stronger the immersive experience. And what were those details? Money.

After gaining a general understanding of the key differences between VR games and PC games, Chen Xu began designing the finer details of Silent Hill PT.

As for motion capture materials, Nebula Games wouldn't handle that themselves. Since the Game Department provided subsidies, they'd outsource the entire process.

Their goal was to produce the DEMO as quickly as possible—and honestly, the scale really wasn't that big.

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