Chapter 140 Setting
Things went unexpectedly smoothly.
After several rounds of frank communication and finalization of contract details, the independent studio finally accepted the acquisition proposal and officially changed its name to "Magnetic Power Studio", becoming the first direct development team under our "Iron Stone" company.
Lin Yan acted quickly and rented a whole half floor on the other floor of the office building where Ruilin Technology was located as the new home for "Iron Stone" and "Magnetic Power Studio".
In his words, "The closer you are to the water, the easier it is to get the moon. It also makes management and resource coordination easier, and saves my wife from running back and forth."
The office environment is decorated in a simple and bright style, full of technology and creative atmosphere.
I also have my own independent office, which is spacious and bright with a great view.
But to be honest, I spend very little time there. I prefer to stroll into the open office area of Magnetic Power Studio with a laptop, find an empty workstation and sit down, or just squeeze in with them.
The atmosphere here is exactly what I imagined a game development team would be like.
The air is filled with the smell of caffeine and creativity.
The programmers stared at the codes scrolling on the screen, sometimes with frowns, sometimes excitedly typing away on the keyboard; the digital screens of several newly hired art girls (and boys) had gradually sketched out the first batch of concept drawings of the bizarre game world I described; the copywriters' desks were piled with various science fiction and suspense novel reference books and sticky notes filled with their own imaginations.
I spend most of my time here brainstorming with them.
"Can the puzzle logic in this area be optimized? If the player doesn't think of using the AI to ask the NPC right away, will they get stuck?"
“I think the character’s personality setting can be highlighted a little more, so that when players interact with it, the tendency of the conversation will be more obvious.”
“Come and take a look at this set of original paintings! Isn’t this color tone and atmosphere exactly the kind of slightly eerie yet attractive feeling we were going for?”
"Big Brother Numeric, could you please calculate for me the influence weight of this dialogue option branch?"
I found myself enjoying this atmosphere immensely.
I was not giving orders as a high-ranking boss, but as the soul and original designer of the project, exchanging ideas with them and solving problems.
I can provide core creative and AI technical support, and they use their professional capabilities in their respective fields to make my sometimes vague ideas clearer, more comprehensive, and more executable.
Sometimes we would argue fiercely over a technical implementation plan or a plot turning point, but we would always find the optimal solution in the end.
This feeling of working together purely to make something great is what keeps me motivated every day.
Lin Yan would occasionally conduct "surprise inspections" under the guise of inspecting investment results.
Every time he came, he would show an expression that was both angry and funny when he saw me arguing heatedly with the programmers or discussing the details of the character's hairstyle with the artist.
One time, he pulled me out of a crowd and whispered, "Mr. Chen, did I arrange such a large office for you just to use it as a decoration?"
I said confidently, "The office is too big, and it's lonely for me to be alone. It's so lively here, and inspiration is bursting!"
He shook his head helplessly and smiled: "Okay, as long as you are happy. Just pay attention to your image, after all, you are the boss."
"In front of them, I am the Chief Creative Officer first, and the boss second," I corrected him.
Of course, there are times when I feel exhausted.
When a stubborn bug remains unsolved or the plot reaches a bottleneck, I feel unprecedented pressure.
At this time, I usually quietly return to my office, close the door, and stare out the window for a while.
But it often doesn’t take long before a team member knocks on the door, perhaps offering a cup of hot coffee, a new solution, or simply asking, “Teacher Chen, can we talk about that place again?”
Looking at their eyes that were also full of enthusiasm and expectation, my fatigue and anxiety quickly disappeared.
Just as its name suggests, the Magnetic Power Studio has begun to truly gather a powerful "magnetic force" that attracts everyone to move towards a common goal.
I know that this is only the first step in a long journey, but seeing the seeds of dreams finally fall into fertile soil and having a group of excellent gardeners to care for it and grow together, this feeling is really indescribable.
And Mr. Lin, who occasionally shows up at my workstation on time at the end of the day, leans against the wall and patiently waits for me to finish discussing the last question, and then takes my backpack very naturally, is the sense of security and warmth that belongs to me alone, in addition to this wonderful feeling.
We brainstormed for days just to come up with a name for this game.
All kinds of cool-sounding, literary, and suspenseful names filled the whiteboard, and were then crossed out one by one.
Finally, someone mentioned the image of "clock", which instantly lit up everyone's mind - it not only fits the atmosphere of "time" and "fate" that we want to create, but also can be perfectly integrated into the core mechanism and plot clues of the game.
After much deliberation, the name "The Moment of the Dead Bell Scorching" was finally decided.
It has a sense of desolation of a post-apocalyptic wasteland, as well as the urgency and weirdness of the passage of time. Everyone is quite satisfied with it.
What surprised me even more was that through Lin Yan’s connections and the studio’s original channels, we actually invited a very famous original artist in the field of two-dimensional style to be responsible for the main character design and key plot CG.
When I saw him sketch out the first versions of the vague characters in my mind with smooth and gorgeous strokes, I almost jumped up with excitement - yes! That's the feeling!
However, after the excitement wore off, more specific problems emerged.
That night, I was deeply troubled by the basic settings of several members of the main character group on the computer screen.
Their personalities, backgrounds, and abilities all seem to have taken shape, but it always feels like they lack some impressive spark and cohesion.
Lin Yan just returned home from a social event, smelling slightly of alcohol and tired.
I pulled him onto the sofa as if I had found a life-saving straw.
"Lin Yan, come on, use your smart brain to help me analyze this!" I pointed at the screen. "If a team were to go on an adventure together and face a life-or-death crisis together, what do you think would be the core division of labor and emotional bond between the members?"
Lin Yan loosened his tie and leaned back on the sofa. His eyes looked a little lazy because he was slightly drunk. He glanced at me with a smile and blurted out: "Isn't this simple? Caregivers and the cared for?"
I was stunned for a moment, then realized he was teasing us about our usual behavior. My face flushed and I punched him: "Oh! I'm serious! We're talking about games!"
He chuckled twice, grabbed my hand, and then became a little more serious. "Okay, let's be serious. Actually, if you think about it carefully, in many classic works, the protagonists always have one or two "big boss"-type characters whose strength far exceeds that of ordinary people. They are either the team's strongest military support or the wisest. They seem aloof and difficult to approach, but they are always bound to the protagonist for various reasons, becoming the most reliable backing, and even developing a unique bond. The reason this setting is so enduring is that it provides a sense of security and dramatic conflict. I think you can also refer to it."
I nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm... indeed, this trope is very common. A powerful and mysterious companion is both a cheat and a plot driver."
But then I felt a little unwilling, "But... I always feel that it's a bit too cliché. I want to do something different, or rather, something that is more in line with the tone of our game."
"Oh?" Lin Yan showed some interest and turned to look at me. "Tell me, what do you want to do differently?"
I stared at the sketches of the characters on the screen, struggling to organize my words. "I don't want to establish a purely 'power ceiling' or 'almighty god.' In this 'scorched' wasteland of time, I think... the definition of power could be more diverse. For example, perhaps there's a character whose 'power' lies not in combat, but in their ability to keenly perceive subtle shifts in the timeline, or even foresee brief fragments of the future. However, this ability comes with a tremendous mental burden, perhaps even a curse, requiring the 'protection' and 'anchoring' of their teammates to stay sane..."
My eyes lit up the more I spoke. "For example, another character might have once been a member of an important organization, possessing a wealth of background information and hidden rules about the world of 'Death Clock'. She's the team's 'database,' but because she knows so much, she might have become extremely cautious or even a little pessimistic, requiring the impulsiveness and passion of her teammates to ignite her..."
Lin Yan listened quietly, the drunkenness in his eyes gradually replaced by concentration.
He nodded. "Interesting. You didn't eliminate the 'strong backing' feature, but instead made this 'strength' more multidimensional, even imperfect and costly. You made the relationship between 'care' and 'being cared for' a two-way or even multi-directional flow, rather than a one-way dependency. This way, the character relationships become more complex and tense, and it truly fits the strange and cruel tone of your world."
"Yes! That's what I mean!" I excitedly grabbed his arm. "Everyone is 'strong' in some sense, and 'weak' in some sense. They need each other to be complete, not just dependent on each other!"
Lin Yan took my hand in his, smiled, and ruffled my hair. "It seems that Director Chen already has an idea in mind. So why are you still hesitating? Just deepen it in this direction. Don't forget, you still have that unique AI plug-in. These complex character relationships and emotional dependencies can be reflected through the deep interaction between players and them."
After he said that, I suddenly understood, and my previously blocked thoughts became clear in an instant.
"Boss Lin is indeed wise!" I was in high spirits and leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek. "This is a reward!"
Lin Yan's eyes darkened, and he took my arm around my waist: "Is this all the reward? Mr. Chen, that's too insincere..."
"Hey! I'm still thinking about the character settings... Um..."
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