novelsite Chapter 585 Don’t forget your original intention
Chapter 585 Don’t forget your original intention
Chapter 585 Don’t forget your original intention
"The design is excellent, but I think the ways players die are a bit too monotonous."
Is the focus really on how he died...?
"We can add some ending scenes based on the NPCs' professions and characteristics, such as the chemistry teacher poisoning someone, or the swimming coach drowning in the pool..."
For example, you might be romantically enjoying the city night view from a rooftop when suddenly a corrupted female NPC pushes you off the building… The point is to increase the sense of surprise and unexpectedness.
[Hey! This isn't a surprise, it's a shock...]
"You can even customize character animations. This game world has a really high degree of freedom... no, it's almost ridiculously high, isn't it?"
[Can a higher degree of freedom elevate your moral standards?]
"Since the game offers such a high degree of freedom, why not add some combat elements, such as weapons and items, or fighting skills, to expand the game's scope?"
[Expanded? Expanding the dating simulation into a comprehensive dating, gunfight, and combat simulation... or simply a dating simulation?]
"That's a good idea. Our game already has a five-dimensional attribute system for characters, and it also includes some side quests where heroes save damsels in distress. We can design some hidden storylines that can increase a character's combat power."
Although the chaotic ending is still part of the main storyline, it can at least satisfy the interests of some players who want to pursue a more physical or combat-oriented path.
Yes, yes, at least players can struggle a little before they die so their deaths aren't so gruesome, right? I thank you on behalf of the players...
"Alright, alright, hurry up and play the storyline for female players again."
[Uh... this beginner NPC's face... why does it look so much like my bro? And it's in 3D high definition!]
"Wow~ That face... oh I mean, the art style is really good..."
Hey, you fangirl, move away from the screen! Your drool's dripping onto my keyboard...
"Are you kidding me! Xiaoxian... I mean, how could this NPC be so easily seduced by other women?"
[Haha! This is the only character design in the whole game that I find reasonable. This time, the game planners definitely did a thorough background check...]
"Damn it! You lousy game planner, come out here! You designed the main characters to be such awful, they change their minds all the time, how are we female players supposed to finish the game!"
"That's why it's nightmare level difficulty. It's precisely because we understand that female players generally have lower psychological resilience that we chose to change their minds rather than become perverted after careful consideration."
【Hmm! At least I'm alive! At least it's not a survival game anymore, hehe...】
Amidst the inner turmoil and sarcastic rants of a certain gamer, the game development team members engaged in a friendly and enthusiastic discussion about suggestions for modifying the game's content.
However, because Duan Xian frequently showed up to make appearances, most of the women in the department expressed their opposition to the character design of a certain male NPC.
Then it gradually turned into a verbal attack on the dog-themed planners, and they even started threatening to mobilize the art department sisters to create an artistic version of the dog-themed planners' work...
This scene was witnessed by Yan Feng and his group, who had come to inspect the area from a short distance away.
"Uh...hehe! Our game department has a lot of young people, so the discussion atmosphere is bound to be a bit witty and humorous, hehe..." Song Bin chuckled dryly.
Yan Feng glanced at the bustling crowd and curled his lip. He hadn't had high hopes for this game to begin with, and now he felt it was even more unreliable.
"How much money can a game make? But you just said that your second movie is already in the preparation stage?"
Ultimately, film is the area he cares about most.
He hasn't forgotten the promises Yan Weiwei made to him.
He didn't have high expectations for becoming an overnight sensation like Drunken Fist or Wing Chun, but even if it could slightly increase the popularity of their Yan Family Twelve-Road Spring Kick, that would be an extra bonus.
He didn't ask for much; he didn't need the return to double like the previous film investment by Lingjing Media. He just wanted to avoid losing too much money so he could feel that his investment was worthwhile.
Consider it an advertising fee.
"Yes! We just acquired the film and television rights..."
When this was mentioned, Song Bin's voice sounded somewhat lacking in confidence.
"Oh? What's the movie called?" Yan Feng asked expectantly.
If they've already acquired the film and television rights, then it must be a well-known, big-budget production, right?
Is it a vibrant modern metropolis? Or a war-torn Republic of China era?
As the second-largest shareholder, it's not unreasonable for me to ask for an ad insertion, is it?
Just as he was starting to think about what cool poses the male and female leads should use to showcase the style of Yan's Twelve-Road Springing Leg, he heard Song Bin weakly say something even less confident.
"The Fortress of Shanghai..."
"The Fortress of Shanghai? That name sounds... kind of familiar?" Yan Feng tried hard to recall.
Fan Shigang, who had been following behind Yan Feng carrying his bag, suddenly opened his mouth in surprise.
"The Fortress of Shanghai? Isn't that that movie that flopped so badly a while ago?"
The reason he knew about this movie was because his junior sister, Kong, had always liked Jiang Nan's works, so she specially invited him to see this masterpiece described as a "romantic science fiction love opera" some time ago.
However, the result is quite obvious.
With a Douban rating as low as 2.9, this movie is full of flaws from beginning to end, and you can't stop complaining about it.
Even Kong Shimei, a die-hard fan of Jiangnan, admitted that the tears she shed while yawning during the movie were the result of the water that got into her brain when she bought the ticket...
If the original novel uses a rough science fiction shell to wrap a seemingly perfect love story, attempting to interweave a warm and bright love story against the backdrop of a brutal war.
So this movie is basically a fragmented love story crammed into a nonsensical apocalyptic backdrop.
The combination of cheap special effects and disastrous acting by popular idols successfully turned a big-budget IP into a one-and-a-half-hour-long personal music video for idol stars...
Although it's obvious to anyone with a discerning eye that this is simply a money laundering scheme, there are deeper reasons why it's so bad.
But what shocked Fan Shigang was that someone would actually be so stubborn as to try a second time with a work that had just flopped!
"A flop movie?"
How could Song Bin explain himself to Yan Feng's suspicious gaze?
Can he say that the group's senior management made this decision out of strategic considerations?
As for the strategic considerations involved...
Okay, he was just a tactical executor...
……
"Mr. Meng, should I take this job or not?"
Meanwhile, in a coffee shop.
Han Fei, the other tactical executor, is also seeking tactical guidance from the strategist who formulated this strategy...
"To be honest, I am grateful to Chairman Gao for recognizing my talent. Without Chairman Gao and Lingjing Media, I, Han Fei, would not be where I am today!"
I had already made up my mind that no matter what the second work was, I would be available whenever Chairman Gao needed me.
But unexpectedly, it turned out to be…
He looked at the culprit across from him, who was leisurely drinking milk tea, with a bitter expression.
"Mr. Meng, you may not be aware that in the film and television industry, once an adaptation of a work fails, the probability of a remake failing increases significantly."
After all, the first impression is what it is, and few viewers who have already fallen for the show are willing to give it another chance, for fear of being disappointed a second time.
Therefore, apart from a few well-known classic masterpieces, almost no works are remade multiple times.
Even with classic masterpieces, the surprise and shock brought by the first viewing is the best. Unless the remake far surpasses the original, viewers who are already familiar with the plot will only have higher expectations for the work and lower tolerance.
For example, several of Jin Yong's works have been adapted for television, and the results have been getting worse with each remake.
Now, Ms. Gao actually wants to remake the recently flopped "Shanghai Fortress," which I think is too risky.
"Mmm! You're absolutely right." Meng Lang sipped his milk tea.
It tastes good, I'll bring one back for Attorney Lin next time~
"Actually, if we continue to film 'Pegasus 2,' even if we don't make a fortune, with the reputation of the first movie as a foundation, at least it won't lose money!"
I really can't understand why Director Gao would take such a risk.
Han Fei looked helpless, his tone full of complaint.
Why? Because, of course, the artsy, hipster vibe can't save the world...
With TVB in the past and CCTV in the future, the world is not lacking in artsy and artistic types; what it lacks is the science fiction to unlock the future!
With Xu Jinsong's downfall, Nomad Pictures, which was in trouble, also declared bankruptcy and liquidation. Among the assets liquidated was the adaptation rights to "The Fortress of Shanghai".
However, it's clear to everyone that this work has already flopped beyond repair, and its disastrous reputation means it has almost no value for further adaptation.
Therefore, Lingjing Media acquired these "inferior assets" at a bargain price.
Meng Lang's purpose... was naturally to lay the groundwork for future wars.
When he was "looking out for himself," Meng Lang's vision was limited. He thought he could use the guise of making a movie to quietly build a "Meng Shan Fortress" and create a safe haven for himself and his family in the apocalypse.
Later he realized that when the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact.
The Earth has been completely ruined; retreating to a corner can only slightly delay the inevitable.
There is a description like this in "And Then There Were None"...
[At some point, Earth's orbit was filled with our floating railguns.]
The defensive perimeter of Huanwu City is lined with turrets, third-generation robot guardians cover the mountains and plains, and unmanned seventh-generation fighter jets blot out the sky...
The existence of a "surrounding Wushi City defense circle" indicates that the coastal areas where the giant sea monster landed have most likely fallen completely, and the enemy has advanced the battlefield to the inland areas in the central region.
Regardless of whether the "Magic City Fortress" existed in that world or not, it has most likely become a ruin from this brutal war.
The good news is that in the next episode, "Daughter of Time," Xiaoyu will dominate the battlefield.
Not only did they use the Night Demons' mind control skills to create chaos within the enemy ranks, but they also created the bizarre spectacle of smaller monsters fighting each other.
Even the arrogant Juejuezi was forced to join forces with the Night Demon Clan to seek self-preservation.
Leaving aside the giant lizard that drastically altered the battlefield environment by crawling out of the star core.
At least in the first half of this game...
The advantage is mine!
The brothers' step-by-step accumulation of skills finally led to a qualitative change at this moment.
Meng Lang didn't expect to completely wipe the Night Demons out of Earth's vast oceans in a short time; the balance of power had shifted. But at least he saw hope in preserving humanity's main land-based living space.
He needs strategic depth, and he needs the dominant civilizations of Eurasia to maintain the integrity of their strategic space and war potential in the face of the Night Demons' man-made behemoths.
Therefore, the coastal areas will be the focus of contention between the two sides in the future!
The film "The Fortress of Shanghai," which flopped so badly it trended on social media, naturally came into his view...
Did you think he wanted to remake a romance drama disguised as science fiction?
No, this is clearly a "tactical discussion conference on local battles against the Night Demons" disguised as a movie!
However, what he needs is not a coastal fortress like an isolated island, but rather a feasibility study of building a future version of the "Normandy Line" or the "Pacific Wall" by relying on several or a dozen large urban clusters.
At this moment, Zero's task list has just completed the modeling of the Suzhou city map. It has begun to design future war fortresses and simulate future wars based on the city model of Shanghai, according to Meng Lang's requirements.
That will be a comprehensive defense system encompassing land, sea, air, and space...
Meng Lang naturally wouldn't tell Han Fei the truth about this "strategic decision".
Only after Han Fei finally finished venting did he put down his milk tea and ask somewhat seriously.
"Director Han, what made you want to make movies in the first place?"
"what?"
I was stunned by Meng Lang's sudden, irrelevant answer.
Why do you want to make movies?
A moment of confusion flashed across his eyes.
To showcase what you've learned? To realize your ambitions? To fulfill your initial dream?
I recall the lonely figure of myself writing the script with red eyes for three days and three nights.
A series of answers flashed through Han Fei's mind, but in the end, the one that remained was that fleeting glimpse he had at the driving school that day...
As the car body swirls up fallen leaves, its taillights sweep past in stunning arcs.
The piercing, agonizing noise of the tires seemed to reignite the passion that had been dormant for over a decade.
When I was in my twenties, all I could think about was winning.
By the time this 35-year-old, slightly balding man gets to think about how he can't lose...
What were my feelings when I wrote that script...?
"Is it for the money?" Meng Lang continued to ask.
Han Fei nodded somewhat embarrassedly, but then shook his head.
Seeing this, Meng Lang smiled with satisfaction.
There's no need to linger over a life already written; the tension and relaxation as you head towards the end is already the final chapter.
What we need to pursue is a new chapter in life, not a sequel to the old one.
Making money is certainly important, as it determines whether we can go further, but making money is not the only measure of success, nor is risk the only factor in evaluating an investment.
"At least when Chairman Gao decided to invest in you, a new director, he took a considerable risk, didn't he?"
Han Fei nodded with a somewhat ashamed expression; he had already understood what Meng Lang meant.
Yes, when did he gradually forget the focus and passion he had when he was making movies, and get lost in the pursuit of fame and fortune?
Is it amidst Director Han's flattering words, the flashing lights of the cameras, or those tempting job offers placed before you...?
He admitted that when Gao Yuan invited him to direct the remake of "The Fortress of Shanghai", he hesitated and was afraid.
He was afraid of losing the honor he had gained and afraid of missing out on huge benefits.
What I fear even more is that everything I've just gained will vanish like smoke in the blink of an eye...
Making sequels to rake in easy money is indeed the safest option, but how is that any different from Conan, who has been making sequels for 20 years and is still in elementary school?
Can the audience recapture the excitement and thrill they felt at the beginning?
He has already wrung out many first drafts these days, and he admits that in his current state, he simply cannot write a script like "Pegasus 1".
In the end, it can only be a mediocre work, or even a work whose reputation collapses.
Meng Lang's words were like a wake-up call, clearing his eyes, which had been blinded by the glamour and profits of the entertainment industry.
I'm getting restless...
"I understand, Mr. Meng. You are trying to tell me to never forget my original aspirations!"
Don't worry, whether it's movies or racing, I will never give up on my dreams!
Meng Lang's smile froze on his face.
Who would have thought that this inspirational story would have side effects?
Can we please not be so greedy and only ask for one dream at a time?
Watching Han Fei leave in a taxi like he was on steroids, Meng Lang silently stirred his milk tea.
Let me think, which clause is the lifetime driving ban?
(End of this chapter)