Chapter 729 - 729: How Could You Think I'm So Wicked?

Inside Nebula Games' office, Lucas watched as Ismail and the others worked on the development of DOTA.

The subsequent development of DOTA's content was largely set.

For the short term, the game's balance wouldn't need many adjustments. This was because players hadn't reached the game's developmental ceiling yet, and they didn't have many complaints about the game's balance. In this situation, there was no need to adjust the balance in place of content.

For DOTA, the next steps involved utilizing various holidays to launch corresponding events while also releasing new heroes that hadn't been announced yet.

Later on, features like the Talent system, neutral items, and equipment such as Shimmer Cape, Eternal Disk, and Dragon Lance could be gradually introduced as players deepened their understanding of DOTA.

In addition to this, Lucas planned to establish two dedicated project teams to handle additional modes for DOTA.

One would be the OMG mode, also known as Skill Draft, where players randomly select hero models and then combine their own skills and ultimate abilities from a corresponding skill pool.

The other would be the IMBA mode, where hero abilities would become incredibly powerful, capable of instant kills.

Furthermore, there would be modes like the previously featured Turbo mode from the AI challenges, where players would gain experience and gold at a much faster rate than in the original game.

These modes were primarily intended to provide a relaxed outlet for casual players, as not everyone enjoyed high-intensity competition.

Of course, these modes wouldn't be released anytime soon. After all, the ranked ladder had just launched, and the core content of DOTA itself was already quite engaging for most players, even casual ones.

.........

There were still quite a few preparatory tasks that needed to be done for God of War.

The most outstanding aspect of the past God of War trilogy was its storytelling within dark mythology. It could be said that God of War's depiction of dark mythology influenced a large number of similar games that came after.

At the same time, the cinematic presentation and extremely violent execution also made the character Kratos deeply memorable.

However, in terms of gameplay and level design, the early God of War actually took inspiration from Capcom's Onimusha, albeit with the addition of more novel gameplay elements like powerful magic and weapons.

But the overall experience focused on platforming, puzzle-solving, and action gameplay.

Considering the VR platform, many aspects clearly couldn't be handled in the same way.

First, the expansion of the map would more extensively showcase the grandeur of the various scenes in Greek mythology.

Secondly, the use of Quick Time Events (QTEs). Having to press buttons for extended periods just to move a box or open a door clearly couldn't be presented solely in that manner on the VR platform. Instead, it would be more concretely represented by incorporating corresponding controller vibrations.

Simultaneously, brainwave capture technology could be used to better plan QTE sequences.

Finally, there was the narrative content. The story of the God of War trilogy wasn't entirely complete, as much of Kratos's story hadn't been fully revealed.

For instance, why Kratos became the Ghost of Sparta, his origins, and how he broke free from Ares's control were all things not shown in the original plot. Lucas planned to include these elements in the trilogy.

On one hand, it was to flesh out Kratos's story. On the other hand, the main story of the original trilogy wasn't very long.

In Nebula Games' project room, Anna, Rachel, and Hector looked at the related content on the large screen and listened to Lucas's detailed explanation, their faces showing surprise.

"Boss Lucas, isn't this game supposed to be a high-difficulty, hardcore game?" Anna asked, her face full of surprise.

"Yeah! Considering the combos, the use of magic, and the weapon switching mechanics, it's perfectly suited to be a high-difficulty, hardcore game!" Hector nodded in agreement.

"And Kratos doesn't die at the end?" Rachel also expressed her astonishment.

The rest of the project team members looked equally amazed.

What surprised them wasn't the idea of making a game themed around Greek mythology, as they had already worked on Hades, which had a similar theme.

The only real difference was that in Hades, the gods of Greek mythology were portrayed with great courtesy and friendliness.

But in God of War, it was completely different, leaning more towards a realistic depiction.

After all, the gods in real Greek mythology were a major drama of ethical entanglements.

Almost all forms of "evil" could be found within the multitude of Greek gods.

Therefore, within the game, "Victory" presented a mad and dark mythological story.

As for the violent art style Kratos exhibited in the game, while some descriptions indicated it was Nebula Games' most extreme art style to date, it wasn't really much of an issue.

When it came to violence, games like Red Dead Redemption and Bloodborne were also well-known examples. God of War's depiction was just more prominent. However, given the game's story background, everyone understood that only this kind of violent aesthetic matched Lucas's vision for Kratos, an anti-hero protagonist.

As for the mini-games involving Greek maidens and Aphrodite draining souls, and the scene with two maids providing commentary and observation, people weren't overly surprised.

Compared to the veteran game The Witcher 3, this was practically mild. And everyone understood that this wasn't for the sake of gratuitous content. How to better portray a mentally unhinged but still retaining a sliver of humanity Ghost of Sparta was best achieved through such explicit means.

After all, if Kratos had completely lost all humanity, he wouldn't have reached his final ending.

If there was anything that surprised them, it was Kratos's final ending in the game and the game's difficulty.

As Lucas narrated at the beginning, everyone had already pictured the corresponding scenes in their minds.

On the surface, we call him the God of War, but in reality, he can't even defeat a ghoul.

His revenge path as the Ghost of Sparta is exhilarating, and at the end, he sacrifices himself, delivering a final blow to the player.

But the ending was completely beyond everyone's expectations.

The game actually had difficulty options, and there was even a post-credits Easter egg hinting that Kratos didn't die?

Facing everyone's confusion, Lucas was speechless: "Alright, stop overthinking it."

How could you think I'm so wicked?

Although I did mess with players a bit in the past, can't I let them experience a truly exhilarating game this time around?

And while there are difficulty choices, that doesn't mean there's no challenge.

When Kratos leaves Greece for the North, the Valkyries in Odin's chamber will make players understand who the real God of War is.

(End of Chapter)

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