Chapter 729: How Could You Think So Badly of Me? (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

Inside Nebula Games' office, Chen Xu watched Ismail and his team developing content for DOTA.

The future development of DOTA content was largely finalized. The balance of short-term games generally didn't need much adjustment, as players hadn't yet fully explored the game's potential, and there weren't many opinions on its balance points. In such a situation, adjusting balance wasn't necessary as a substitute for new content.

For DOTA, the next steps involved utilizing various festivals to launch corresponding events and release new, unannounced heroes. Following that, features like Talent Mode, Neutral Items, and equipment such as Glimmer Cape, Aeon Disk, and Dragon Lance could be gradually introduced as players' understanding of DOTA deepened.

Furthermore, for DOTA, Chen Xu planned to establish two dedicated project teams to manage additional game modes. One was the OMG Mode, also known as Skill Draft, where players would randomly select hero models and then choose their skills and ultimate abilities from a corresponding skill pool. The other was the IMBA Mode, where hero abilities would become incredibly powerful, even capable of instantly killing opponents.

Additionally, there was the accelerated mode, similar to the previous AI Challenge, where players would gain experience and gold much faster than in the original version. These modes were primarily designed to offer a relaxing option for casual players, as not all players enjoyed high-intensity competitive play. Of course, these modes wouldn't be released in the near future, as the Ladder had just launched, and DOTA's existing content was quite engaging for most players, even casual ones.

………………

There was still a considerable amount of preparatory work needed for God of War.

The most outstanding aspect of the previous life's God of War trilogy was its narration of Dark Mythology, which profoundly influenced a large number of similar games that followed. The cinematic and extremely violent presentation style also made Kratos a deeply memorable character.

However, in terms of gameplay and level design, early God of War titles actually referenced Capcom's Onimusha, albeit with the addition of more novel mechanics, such as powerful magic and weapons. Yet, the overall content still revolved around platforming puzzles and action-adventure elements.

Considering the VR platform, it was clear that much of the content couldn't be implemented in such a straightforward manner. Firstly, map expansion was necessary to better showcase the awe-inspiring scenes of Greek mythology. Secondly, the use of QTEs—having to press QTEs for seemingly trivial actions like moving a box or opening a door—clearly couldn't be presented solely in that manner on a VR platform. Instead, it would need to be more concretely integrated with corresponding controller vibrations. Furthermore, brainwave capture operations could help in better orchestrating QTE sequences.

Finally, there was the story content. The God of War trilogy's narrative wasn't entirely complete, as many aspects of Kratos's story hadn't been fully revealed. For example, why Kratos became the Ghost of Sparta, his origins, and how he broke free from Ares's control—these were all unaddressed in the original storyline. Chen Xu intended to incorporate them into the trilogy, both to enrich Kratos's backstory and because the main content of the original trilogy wasn't particularly long.

In Nebula Games' project office, Yang Xin, Ruan Ningxue, and Qin Yi, watching the relevant content on the big screen and listening to Chen Xu's detailed explanations, all showed surprised expressions.

“Mr. Chen, isn’t this game supposed to be a high-difficulty hardcore game?” Yang Xin asked, surprised.

“Indeed! With the combos, the use of magic, and the weapon-switching mechanism, it’s very suitable for a high-difficulty hardcore game!” Qin Yi also nodded.

“And Kratos… he didn’t die in the end?” Ruan Ningxue also expressed her astonishment.

The rest of the project team members looked equally surprised.

What surprised them wasn't the idea of making a Greek mythology-themed game, as they had previously made Hades, which also drew from similar themes. The only slight difference was that the gods in Hades were portrayed as respectful and friendly, whereas in God of War, the portrayal leaned towards a more realistic depiction.

After all, in reality, the gods of Greek mythology were essentially a grand ethical drama. Almost every 'evil' could find its corresponding point in the pantheon of Greek deities.

Therefore, the game God of War presented a frantic and dark mythological story. As for Kratos's violent art style in the game, although some descriptions suggested it was Nebula Games' most extreme art style to date, it wasn't particularly shocking. After all, when it came to violence, games like Red Dead Redemption and Bloodborne were also highly renowned. God of War's depiction was simply more pronounced, but given the game's story background, everyone understood that only such a violent aesthetic could fit Chen Xu's positioning of Kratos as an anti-hero.

They also weren't too surprised by the mini-game involving Greek ladies and Aphrodite for Red Soul Extraction, or the sight of two侍女providing live commentary. The veteran The Witcher: Wild Hunt players just smiled without comment, and everyone understood that this wasn't violence for violence's sake. To better convey a Kratos who was frenzied yet still retained a shred of humanity, such explicit means were arguably the most direct. After all, if Kratos had truly lost every last bit of his humanity, he wouldn't have reached his eventual fate.

If there was anything that truly surprised them, it was Kratos's ultimate fate and the game's difficulty. Initially, as Chen Xu narrated, everyone had already mentally envisioned the corresponding scenes: ostensibly called the God of War, but in reality, couldn't even defeat a ghoul. Ostensibly, the Ghost of Sparta's path of revenge was exhilarating, only to end with him sacrificing himself and delivering a harsh blow to the players. But this final outcome was completely unexpected!

The game actually had difficulty options, and left players with an Easter egg that Kratos didn't die?

Facing everyone's confusion, Chen Xu was momentarily speechless: “Alright, stop overthinking it.”

How could they think so badly of him? Although he had indeed 'tortured' players in the past, couldn't he now genuinely let players experience an extremely exhilarating game this time? And even though there were difficulty options, it didn't mean there was no challenge. Once Kratos left Greece for the Norse lands, the Valkyrie in Odin's Chamber would make players understand who the true God of War was.

(End of Chapter) <>