With the Early Access trial of Minecraft concluded, online players held diverse opinions about this game.
Some found the game somewhat interesting, especially its novel block-based building gameplay, which felt quite fresh.
However, many players still had no idea how Minecraft was actually meant to be played.
Because the entire game seemed to lack any clear objective.
In Don't Starve, players had to gradually develop themselves just to survive.
For instance, in Don't Starve, if a player didnât quickly collect resources, they would almost certainly die during the first dog attack.
Moreover, with seasonal changes, besides the dogs, powerful bosses would also appear.
Survival in Don't Starve was never easyâeven in the simplest mode.
Yet in Minecraft, many players felt staying alive was ridiculously simple.
The most dangerous time in the game was at night.
But unlike in Don't Starve, where players had to huddle beside a campfire for safety,
the nighttime atmosphere in Minecraft, while slightly eerie,
was far easier to endure.
Dig a hole, bury yourself, count to fiveâno need for beds. Wait seven minutes, and daylight arrives, instantly removing the danger.
And as for hunger? Cows, sheep, and chickensâ
these creatures were abundant in Minecraft.
If surviving in Don't Starve felt like a luxury,
in Minecraft, it was practically effortless.
Of course, higher difficulty settings were another matter entirely.
As long as players didnât deliberately seek death, survival was guaranteed.
Under these circumstances, many players were utterly confused about what the core appeal of Minecraft truly was.
This was precisely why Chen Xu had added extensive beginner tutorials to the game.
Because players in this Parallel World had no prior concept of sandbox games, let alone open-world experiences.
Thus, Chen Xu needed to guide them, helping them understand exactly where the gameâs charm and unique features lay.
Once they understood, that was when players could truly unleash their creativity.
While the industry debated Minecraftâs lukewarm reception,
Chen Xu and Nebula Games finally made their move.
Multiple domestic gaming media portals simultaneously published a series of articles and news posts:
"In Minecraft, You Can Actually Visit Bianjing, the Capital of the Northern Song Dynasty!"
"Is This Really Just a Pixel Game?"
"How to Recreate 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival' in Minecraft!"
Chen Xu, of course, had never intended to sit idle on promotionâheâd planned this all along.
Instantly, the topic surrounding Minecraft exploded online.
Designers and players across the industry were drawn in.
But what followed was widespread bewilderment.
Along the River During the Qingming Festival?
What did Along the River During the Qingming Festival have to do with Minecraft?
Did Nebula Games really use building blocks to recreate the entire scroll painting in Minecraft?
Players looked bewildered, completely unsure of what was going on.
Whether theyâd played the game or not, after seeing these headlines, curiosity drove them to click the video links embedded in the articles.
The video opened with a line of text: 'This footage is from actual in-game gameplay. All structures shown can be recreated within the game...'
At first, players didnât react much to this statement.
But the moment the video began, every single viewer was stunned.
"Damn it! My roommate just asked why I'm kneeling in front of my computer!"
"Is this a pixel game? Is this seriously a pixel game? Is this really the same pixel game I played a few days ago?"
"Ah Wei died! This graphicsâChen Xu, donât lie to me, this has to be CGI, right!?"
"Damn it! Itâs really Along the River During the Qingming Festival! I thought you were just referencing the painting, but you actually rebuilt the entire city of Bianjing!?"
Countless players who clicked on the video were immediately mesmerized by what they saw.
No one could believe their eyes.
For those who hadnât played Minecraft, it was shocking enough.
But for those who had, the experience was overwhelmingâboth thrilling and bewildering.
How could this possibly be the same game they had played before?
The video opened with a hazy drizzle.
As raindrops fell to the ground, it felt as though one were crossing a thousand years of time, returning to the banks of the Bian River in ancient times.
Under the overcast, drizzling sky, rain fell gently onto the empty streets of Bianliang.
As if hinting at the hidden perils beneath the cityâs bustling prosperity.
Soothing background audio began to play. Then, the camera slowly ascended, revealing the entirety of Bianliang and the Bian River in one sweeping view.
The camera gradually zoomed in on the cityâs buildings, allowing viewers to clearly see the structures lining the streets and alleys, including temples and pavilions.
The view passed through streets, canals, elevated pavilions, and fields. Gradually, the rain ceased.
The sun began to rise, its light spilling across the streets of Bianliang.
Gradually, the sounds of laughter and chatter filled the air as countless citizens appeared on the streets of Bianjing.
Then, the videoâs perspective shifted with the camera.
Merchants selling goods in bustling alleys, tourists wandering about.
Boats traveling up and down the canalâcarrying poets, merchants, and high-ranking officials.
Along the roads outside Bianliang, traders led oxen and horses.
In the fields, farmers toiled while children played.
As time progressed, Bianliang slowly transitioned into night.
Painted pleasure boats docked in the center of the Bian River, while countless Kongming lanterns floated in the sky.
Then, the video gradually faded into darkness, the gentle music slowly fading away.
Afterward, a making-of footage segment appeared.
Using fast-forwarded clips, it showed how the recreation of Along the River During the Qingming Festival was constructed piece by piece.
From nothing to completion, it demonstrated that players could recreate everything shown in the game if they wished.
Moreover, the lighting and shadows in the recreation of Along the River During the Qingming Festival were not achieved through post-production rendering.
Instead, they were entirely created using the gameâs existing lighting and shadow effects.
Although post-rendering would have enhanced visual quality, it would have felt less authentic to regular players.
It would be like posting a beauty-filtered one with full makeup when you promised a bare-faced pictureâit would feel like deception!
Yet even so, the 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival' built purely within Minecraft had already completely stunned the players.
Furthermore, in this demonstration, Chen Xu employed a brand-new technology.
The AI visual enhancement technology that Galaxy Smart Tech had been developing.
The tool used last year had finally completed its final countdown.
Zhong Yueâs team had already filed relevant patents for this latest technology.
In Minecraftâor rather, in this demonstration of Along the River During the Qingming FestivalâChen Xu used it for the first time.
In terms of results, it fully met Chen Xuâs expectations.
However, in terms of current optimizations, running the latest AI technology consumed considerable resources.
It demanded high computer specifications, so Chen Xu had instructed Qin Yi and the team at Nebula Games to continue refining the optimizations.
But for players watching the video, they couldnât perceive any of these technical limitations yet.
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