Chapter 453: Entering the Game (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

“Assassin’s Creed”’s development was relatively smooth.

Regarding the various action-related systems, Chen Xu and the entire team had already developed so many games that they had accumulated a wealth of experience.

This installment of “Assassin’s Creed” primarily revolved around the stories of Ezio and Altaïr.

Chen Xu still adopted a large sandbox-box garden design.

He meticulously crafted the various scenes in the game, mainly because the vast expanse of maps stretched from Florence during the Renaissance, to the Sacred Land of Jerusalem, and then to Byzantium and other subsequent locations.

If it were to be made as an open-world game, it could only be like “Red Dead Redemption”, virtualizing and connecting several states from reality.

Moreover, if it were an open-world game, additional content would inevitably need to be added to enrich the gameplay.

However, for early “Assassin’s Creed” games, especially the Ezio Trilogy and the stories of characters like Altaïr and Connor, an open-world approach was not suitable.

The entire character story progression was completely non-RPG-like, with a very tight plot rhythm.

If it were made into an open world, the entire plot rhythm would instantly become fragmented.

One moment Ezio is protecting his mother and sister, and the next he’s hunting, fishing, and playing cards with Da Vinci. Does that make sense?

Open-world or linear games are not that simple.

What type a game is, and what kind of rhythm players should experience, is actually closely intertwined with its gameplay and story.

And the story rhythm of the Ezio Trilogy was clearly not suited for an open-world format.

Therefore, Chen Xu adopted a sandbox-box garden design, allowing players to focus more on the story while progressing through the main quest.

Of course, this did not mean the game lacked side quests and collection gameplay.

Unlike purely linear games like “Uncharted”, the original “Assassin’s Creed 2”, compared to the rather dull and monotonous first generation with Altaïr, actually had quite a few side quests and exploration elements in the Ezio Trilogy.

For instance, traditional tomb exploration, guild gameplay in the Brotherhood, tower defense gameplay in Revelations, and excellent side quests involving characters like Da Vinci and Copernicus were all present.

Beyond these plot and map settings, Chen Xu also significantly optimized the combat.

He made the game's combat system more aligned with VR performance, enriching it with elements such as poisoning and the chain reactions of NPCs after scattering coins.

He also fixed some bugs from its previous life; at least in Chen Xu’s “Assassin’s Creed,” players couldn’t get rich by bribing heralds with 500 Yuan and then stealing back 503.

………………

Amidst player anticipation, “Medieval: Deliverance” unveiled more gameplay details on Zeus Platform.

The grand war scenes, high-level narrative effects, and more detailed gameplay elements attracted many players.

The clash of cold weapons, broad and domineering, was impressive. Additionally, players could assume various roles in the game, not just that of a soldier.

They could be farmers, blacksmiths, or even thieves.

From a gameplay perspective, it certainly felt quite rich.

Chen Xu, on his end, wasn't idle either, successively releasing promotional videos for “Assassin’s Creed” and showcasing the VR theme accessed through the Animus.

On the cross at the pinnacle of Florence Cathedral on the Apennine Peninsula.

The assassin, clad in a white hood, crouched there, overlooking the entire city of Florence, then spread his arms and leaped down.

From the highest point of the Doge's Palace tower in Venice, the assassin overlooked the entire Apennine Peninsula, spread his arms, and plunged down.

Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance.

Italians of various styles filled the streets and alleys.

Acre, an ice-blue harbor city exuding an aura of cold solitude.

Damascus, with its vast yellow sands.

The verdant mountains and azure harbors of the Northern Kingdom, the rolling yellow sands of the Southern Kingdom, and the Sacred Land of Jerusalem, located at the junction of these two great kingdoms.

Rome, Constantinople…

The lands once trodden by master assassins like Altaïr and Ezio were showcased in the video.

It presented the cultural landscapes of these specific historical periods.

Unlike the previous cool assassin showcases, this promotional video focused more on demonstrating the game's visuals.

And because it was produced in a sandbox style, story CGs were used during transitions to mask loading times.

This made the visual presentation of “Assassin’s Creed” second only to the previous “Uncharted.”

However, “Assassin’s Creed” had one advantage that “Uncharted” couldn't match: it depicted historical landscapes.

Coupled with the immersive VR experience, the anticipation of countless players skyrocketed.

Players who had initially resisted the allure of the dashing Ezio, intending to wait and see, finally lost to the temptation of the VR theme and eagerly pre-ordered.

“Holy cow, this isn’t ‘Assassin’s Creed,’ it’s a travel simulator! The cities and scenery are just incredible!”

“Now I understand why Chen Xu went traveling before. He wanted us to experience traveling within the game too!”

“233333, is Nebula Games transitioning into a travel company? First ‘Uncharted,’ now ‘Travel Creed.’ ”

“Say no more, just this Renaissance Apennine Peninsula feels worth buying right away!”

Watching the visual presentation of “Assassin’s Creed,” many players enthusiastically declared they would buy it.

Amidst the players’ discussions, “Assassin’s Creed” and Zeus’s “Medieval: Deliverance” successively announced their demo and launch dates.

“Assassin’s Creed” would begin its demo on September 1st, with the official game launch on September 5th.

“Medieval: Deliverance,” on the other hand, was set for September 10th, but Zeus Platform chose to directly launch without a demo, clearly full of confidence.

However, Chen Xu didn't pay too much attention to Zeus Platform.

After all, all the necessary promotion had been done; what remained was to see the game's sales, player feedback, and reviews.

For this installment, Chen Xu primarily focused on the stories of Ezio and Altaïr.

As for the stories of assassins like Connor Kenway and Edward Kenway, they would be gradually told one by one in the future.

After all, “Assassin’s Creed” was a very large IP, and it would undoubtedly become one of Nebula Games’ signature IPs in the future.

………………

On September 1st, like other eagerly awaiting players, Song Ren had been guarding the “Assassin’s Creed” VR game theme since early morning.

His goal was to be among the first to enter the game.

At this moment, he was enjoying the beautiful scenery of Florence.

However, one thing left him a little dissatisfied: his movement range was very small.

As soon as he stepped outside the designated area, a 'desynchronized' message would appear, and he would be thrown back into the vast, white Animus space.

Furthermore, there weren't many buildings he could climb. After wandering for quite a while, he now felt a bit bored.

He strolled around for a couple of circles, then exited the VR theme while waiting.

He needed to find something to pass the time.

He opened his communication software, took a screenshot, and sent a message.

“Old Zhang, are you at work? Come play games! Look how exciting the visuals in this ‘Assassin’s Creed’ are, Florence during the Renaissance! Oh, by the way, haven’t you been to Italy? Is the Florence in the game very different from reality?” After sending the message, Song Ren chuckled twice.

After two or three seconds, Zhang Yi replied to Song Ren with a message: “Scram!”

“It’s alright, Old Zhang, you focus on your work. I’ll check if the game is fun for you first, and it’s just a demo, don’t get too worked up.” Sending the message, Song Ren mentally pictured Zhang Yi’s expression and let out a laugh like the clang of a barbell.

After ‘tempting’ Zhang Yi with more text, Song Ren stopped replying.

Because the system notified him that the demo’s start time had arrived. If he could enter the game now, then Old Zhang’s purpose was already served!

Without a hint of hesitation or delay, Song Ren closed the communication software and entered the demo game through the Animus in the VR theme.

(End of Chapter) <>