Chapter 279: Redefine RTS (Fifth Update, Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

Chapter 279: Redefine RTS (Fifth Update, Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

Staring at the screen, Zhang Yi sitting in front of his computer had only one feeling.

It was feeling stifled.

This sensation was like having a large, delicious meat bun placed right before you.

The aroma wafted toward you, making your mouth water uncontrollably.

Then, you picked up that warm, steaming meat bun.

You took a fierce bite.

First, you felt the soft, fluffy texture of the plain dough, and the juice from the meat filling seeped into the wrapper.

Even your tongue had touched the dough soaked in meat broth.

But just then, someone suddenly snatched the bun away from right in front of you, forbidding you to eat it.

Even worse, instead of hiding the white bun, they waved it right under your nose, letting you smell it—but still not letting you taste it.

Isn't that outrageous!?

It was just too damn outrageous!

Not just Zhang Yi—every player who had experienced the Warcraft demo immediately pre-ordered it and began venting their frustration and 'rage' on the official Weibo account.

A trending search titled 'Death to Cliffhanger Authors' quietly surged to the top of the leaderboard.

Although players' reactions this time were just as fierce as when the Monster Hunter: World demo launched, many others were also marveling at the game's performance.

After all, the Warcraft demo had truly left them stunned.

Every player who tried it started discussing the game’s quality in relevant gaming communities.

"Too… damn… awesome! Every CGI animation feels so impactful!"

"How could it not be impressive? Now I finally understand why this game had a 700-million-yuan development cost!"

"I felt something was off from the beginning of the story. Arthas really did fall to darkness!"

"The Prince of Lordaeron has become Lordaeron's Dutiful Son… sigh…"

"Don't call him Lordaeron's Dutiful Son, that's ridiculous!"

"Uther feels exactly like that classmate who used to tattletale on everyone back in school."

"+1! It's like Uther is telling Arthas, 'You can't do this, or I'll go tell the teacher!'"

"I wonder what fate awaits Arthas later. And just what exactly is this Frostmourne?"

As players continued discussing, Warcraft's popularity skyrocketed.

Even though it was just a demo, it had already given them more than enough to appreciate.

Whether it was graphics, gameplay, or content, Warcraft clearly delivered far more surprises than expected.

In terms of story, although it was only a demo, it was evident that Warcraft possessed a vast worldview, and the current narrative was merely the tip of the iceberg.

Especially the first chapter of the demo: 'The Fall of Lordaeron,' which fully showcased its high production quality.

As for gameplay content, though limited to Campaign Mode, the core gameplay had already been fully revealed.

The innovative unit and Hero (attack type) designs in the game were so groundbreaking that calling it 'redefining RTS' was no exaggeration.

For most RTS players, Warcraft delivered a shock.

First, the game introduced innovative mechanics, offering a more refined RTS control system.

Features like Patrol, Unit Grouping, Attack, and pausing were all implemented exceptionally well in Warcraft.

In addition, the introduction of the Hero—a completely new concept—made countless RTS players' eyes light up.

Although the multiplayer mode's performance was still unknown, judging by what had been shown, as long as the balance was decent, it would undoubtedly be an excellent game.

Not to mention the deeply layered, epic narrative and perfectly crafted quests.

Even in just the demo, there was already so much content.

Each of the four races had their own storyline—Orcs' story began with Thrall, Humans' with Arthas, and the Night Elf and Undead storylines were yet to be played by most, so their details remained unclear.

Moreover, these story campaigns weren't isolated; they were tightly interconnected.

For example, Thrall leading Orc warriors to rescue Hellscream showed their hostility toward humans.

Later, in the Royal Capital of Lordaeron, court officials' discussions revealed they were fully engaged in war against the Orcs.

Meanwhile, the so-called plague was clearly linked to the Undead.

And Arthas’s fall to darkness seemed inseparable from the Scourge.

The story drew in even players who weren’t typically interested in RTS games, urging them to buy the full game.

Meanwhile, the unique, seemingly flawless RTS mechanics attracted countless RTS fans.

For countless players, the real question was how Warcraft would perform when it officially launched on November 15.

………………

At Hero Entertainment, Zhou Qi stared at the Warcraft gameplay on his computer screen, completely bewildered.

Before this, he had imagined many possible scenarios.

But he never expected this.

What he had thought was mere bragging turned out to be completely true!

The Hero designs in Warcraft, along with the overall RTS elements, impressed Zhou Qi deeply—especially from a gameplay perspective.

If the data balance could be properly fine-tuned, this would undoubtedly be a top-tier RTS masterpiece.

Moreover, its inherent quality exceeded Zhou Qi’s expectations entirely.

Previously, he had assumed the reported 700 million yuan development cost was just Nebula Games exaggerating.

But after actually playing the demo, he realized he was wrong.

This wasn’t bragging—Nebula Games was actually an honest person!

Why make such exquisite modeling for an RTS game?

And were those CG animations free of charge?

You actually reported the 700 million yuan development cost as exactly 700 million yuan?

After playing the Warcraft demo, Zhou Qi felt somewhat numb.

In terms of single-player story, not only did it surpass Human Wars, but no other RTS game—domestic or overseas—could compete with Nebula Games’ Warcraft in this aspect.

Some RPGs might not even stand a chance.

The game’s story-driven narrative was gripping enough on its own, but Nebula Games had also invested heavily.

All these CG animations served dual purposes: introducing background lore and acting as invisible rewards for completing levels.

Which RTS game had ever dared to do this before?

Zhou Qi had heard from industry insiders that Chen Xu had once been a comic artist before making games.

Now, it seemed that after finding success in game development, he was practically using games to produce animated films.

Zhou Qi grumbled inwardly.

"Half-defeated, but not completely. As long as Warcraft's multiplayer versus mode lacks balanced Numerical Design, there's still a chance," Zhou Qi took a deep breath, beginning to self-soothe.

After all, Chen Xu was making his first RTS game—there was no guarantee he could handle balance well.

And while introducing Heroes added dynamic gameplay variety, it could also be the very thing that ruined balance.

It could be a sharp blade for expanding territory—but sometimes, that blade might cut its own wielder!

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