Chapter 320: So Much Money, So Much Freedom! (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

Chapter 320: So Much Money, So Much Freedom! (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

Inside Nebula Games' office, Chen Xu was still discussing with everyone a detailed aspect of the development of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

The overall framework hadn't been thoroughly explained yet.

But even in terms of details, a lot could already be achieved.

Especially the decision to dedicate massive resources to render a single map,

providing players with a cinematic experience.

The pursuit here was naturally an ultimate visual effect.

For competitive multiplayer modes, such extreme visuals might not be what most players seek.

But in a single-player story, an ultimate visual experience would undoubtedly draw players deeper into the narrative.

This was beyond doubt.

"As for the physics engine, the Game Department hasn't delivered the development prototype yet, but I've already gathered most of the relevant data."

"Although it's already extremely powerful compared to current VR performance, there are still many details that require manual intervention."

"When glass or walls in a room get shattered by explosions, we need to create very special effects."

With Chen Xu's various explanations, everyone present was stunned.

So many details!

"But Mr. Chen, considering the specifications of the new VR device, wouldn't such a complex and massive scene be difficult to achieve?" Qin Yi raised a question.

It wasn't that they couldn't do it, but by current device standards, it would be hard to handle.

"We're going to push the VR device's hardware capabilities to the limit within a single level," Chen Xu said.

"But then the game might feel fragmented, requiring players to endure long loading times," Qin Yi continued.

"Use CG," Chen Xu glanced at Qin Yi, replying succinctly.

Hearing Chen Xu's words, Qin Yi immediately understood.

Wow, truly a simple and crude method!

How do you make players unaware of loading, ensuring a seamless, silky-smooth experience?

The answer was simple: replace the loading screen with a CGI cutscene, and ensure the CG sequence is longer than the actual loading time.

This was an extremely simple and crude approach.

Yet very few game developers bothered to do it.

Why?

Because it didn't significantly enhance the overall game quality.

And it was expensive!

But for Chen Xu, he clearly understood the value of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

CG animation?

A minor expense. Money? No problem—so much money, so much freedom!

Moreover, compared to Warcraft, an RTS game that offered limited opportunities for subsequent revenue, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, as an FPS, could incorporate numerous monetization elements—just like Rainbow Six Siege.

Next came the sound effects for firearms, which would also be manually crafted.

For example, missile sounds would be recorded using snowmobiles, then processed and tuned.

Real-life sound effects often differed greatly from players' imaginations.

Just like war games—if the experience were as brutally tragic as a documentary, most players would lose interest.

After all, what many players wanted was their imagined version, not reality.

Like catgirls—players wanted the adorable, two-dimensional, sweet, vanilla, red bean, or coconut kind, not the grotesque versions from horror tales.

As for the feel of shooting firearms and physical actions in VR, Nebula Games originally had no experience in this area. But now, Chen Xu could only say: NetDragon, thank you.

……………………

After finalizing certain development details of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare with the team, Chen Xu returned to his office to refine the game's subsequent content.

In Chen Xu's view, the Gameplay of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was already quite mature.

Compared to current FPS games on the market, many of its designs were actually quite groundbreaking.

And when compared to the recently launched Rainbow Six Siege, they were entirely different genres with distinct player audiences.

First, the breath-to-heal mechanic—though not originally invented by the Call of Duty series.

The shield mechanic in Halo was the Embryonic Form of regenerating health through breathing, but it was Call of Duty that truly popularized the mechanic.

The biggest advantage of this system was keeping players' focus and rhythm constantly centered on combat.

After taking damage, the screen would shift into red or black-and-white hues depending on injury severity. But as long as the player didn't die instantly, a few seconds of disengaging from combat would allow health regeneration through deep breathing.

This kept players deeply immersed in the game experience while maintaining a fast-paced rhythm.

In typical FPS games, when injured, players would likely search for health packs.

This created a disconnect, breaking the tension and intensity of the story and Level Design.

But with breath-to-heal, players remained fully engaged in combat.

Additionally, there were multiplayer mode features, such as firearm customization—adding infrared sights, night vision goggles, and various attachments.

And Call of Duty's unique killstreak reward system: after achieving a kill streak, players could deploy high-tech items.

UAV drones that revealed enemy positions—essentially enabling wallhacks—pagers for targeted airstrikes, supply crates dropped from the sky, RPGs, flamethrowers, and more.

The reason Call of Duty: Modern Warfare became so popular in Chen Xu's previous life wasn't just because other games were still rooted in World War settings, or because of its excellent story.

The wide array of modern weapons also attracted many players.

If the story elevated Modern Warfare to its peak, it was the multiplayer mode that turned it into an annual franchise.

High-intensity, fast-paced combat—this was the core philosophy of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

Of course, certain special maps where everyone crouched and hid, searched endlessly, and eventually got blown up by landmines, were exceptions.

………………

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare quickly entered an intensive development phase. As a VR game, its main difference from its previous life version was the sense of immersion.

The force feedback system inside the VR pods also required Chen Xu to personally calibrate every detail.

The VR feedback from gunfire, getting hit by bullets, explosions, climbing, jumping—each action had corresponding haptic feedback.

At the same time, every minute detail was meticulously handled.

Physical feedback from explosions and gunfire, destruction of environments—these were all critically important.

Chen Xu's sole purpose was to ensure that when players played the game, they truly felt like they had become characters like Soap or Roach.

Experiencing the story of Task Force 141.

Though the task was tedious, the entire team had already gained significant experience from developing Rainbow Six Siege.

Chen Xu had also communicated with NetDragon.

They would provide technical support, and in return, Chen Xu would later offer them support in areas such as AI technology.

"Don't rush the progress. Let the people from NetDragon do more of the work—you and the tech department should learn as much as possible."

Inside the office, Chen Xu called Qin Yi in for work assignments.

Qin Yi gave a smile: "I understand, Mr. Chen."

Chen Xu nodded with a smile in return.

(End of Chapter) <>