Chapter 783 - 783: Open World

The reviews for Xenoblade quickly came out. GameSpot, a highly authoritative media outlet in the industry and an old friend of Nebula Games, gave it a score of 9.4.

For other game developers, a 9.4 score would be a major cause for celebration, and their fans would be very excited.

But for Nebula Games' players, it felt completely normal. After all, this was Lucas's new creation; not getting such a score would have been strange.

GameSpot also lavished praise on Xenoblade in its review article.

They even gave it a very high compliment: a revival of traditional RPGs.

This was no small praise. While some players had minor complaints, most agreed.

It had been many years since a game in the traditional RPG genre had been as stunning as Xenoblade.

When we say stunning, we don't mean in terms of sales, but in terms of Xenoblade's core concept.

It combined traditional RPGs with open-world exploration, while still retaining elements of traditional turn-based strategy in its gameplay.

Xenoblade's combat system skillfully blended turn-based strategy with action.

This made combat incredibly engaging once players familiarized themselves with it.

It even made you feel like enemies' health bars were surprisingly fragile.

As for the story, it was a classic shonen-style RPG. Xenoblade's plot wasn't groundbreaking; at least for many players, the emotional impact wasn't as profound as games like BioShock, but it did create some very iconic character designs.

With traditional RPGs in decline and no outstanding contenders in the genre, Xenoblade's impressive quality naturally propelled it to the forefront.

At the same time, the concept of the open world was once again brought to the forefront by game designers.

The open world is no longer a novel genre.

The emergence of Red Dead Redemption and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sparked a wave of open-world enthusiasm throughout the gaming industry.

It seemed like a game wouldn't be considered a "real game" if it didn't include open-world elements.

However, very few games have achieved great sales success by relying solely on the open world.

Excluding Nebula Games' own products, only a few overseas developers like Atari and FOW have produced some decent open-world games.

Especially among first-tier developers, the immense cost of creating open-world games often resulted in dismal sales, leading to a decline in the popularity of open worlds.

Instead, linear games that were particularly well-suited for VR experiences became a mainstream direction in the market.

But the arrival of Xenoblade this time has once again shown many industry designers and players the potential of the open world.

This is largely because Xenoblade differs significantly from traditional RPGs in the scope of its setting.

Without this open-world-leaning concept, it would have been difficult to create such a map design and gameplay elements.

However, Nebula Games, and Lucas in particular, paid little attention to external debates.

Regarding Xenoblade itself, its subsequent DLC, Future Connected, is already in development. The story of the Mechonis and Bionis, and their future world fusion, are part of later development plans.

Lucas himself has more important matters at hand.

While finalizing the DLC arrangements for Xenoblade, Lucas also pulled a portion of the technical team to undertake a new mission: the development of a brand-new event engine.

Everyone who heard the keyword "Lucas" was a bit bewildered, not quite understanding what this thing was.

However, after the project team was formed and Lucas explained it, everyone understood.

Essentially, this so-called event engine is more of an application of in-game AI technology.

As the game industry advances, beyond graphics and other directly perceivable aspects, there's another area of growth.

That would be the AI within games, whether it's for ordinary NPCs, enemies, or companions.

Making them realistic enough can significantly enhance players' immersion. Take Elizabeth from Nebula Games' previous title, BioShock, for example.

Her highly advanced AI brought a strong sense of immersion and identification with Elizabeth.

But that was limited to a single NPC. Now, according to Lucas's explanation, this new event engine will incorporate extensive computational logic to simulate all facets of the game world's rules.

The game will feature bandits, villagers, mercenaries, mages, and thieves. Different professions or monsters will have their own living conditions.

Furthermore, these different entities will interact with each other via AI.

For instance, bandits will rob passing villagers, and mercenaries will hunt down bandits. This is the most complex part of the entire system, as it aims to create a sense of randomness, where a single action can trigger a cascade of events.

Another key aspect is openness.

The game's skeletal structure, AI, event feedback, and so on, will open up almost half of the game's pre-defined interfaces.

......

"Boss Lucas, isn't this a bit much for a VR game?"

In the project room, Hector looked at the data and the open interfaces, saying with some uncertainty.

What the new game will be remains unclear for now.

However, the core team at Nebula Games has been working on this brand-new engine for nearly two months, even delaying progress on Future Connected.

This new engine is clearly intended to serve a new title.

But the problem is that it's too free. Simply put, it's like Minecraft or Warcraft, handing players a set of development tools.

This will naturally be difficult for ordinary players, but it's completely different for creators who have some understanding of these areas.

In essence, once this is opened up, you won't have control over what characters wear or what they do, and it will be remarkably easy to do so.

"It's an experiment, and we've always had a strong handle on our player community," Lucas said with a smile, unfazed.

"So, the new game will be one that extends through mods?" Marcus guessed.

After all, the features suggest something that would be convenient for mod developers, a game similar to Minecraft?

"Of course not. Don't confuse the primary and secondary objectives. The new engine's interactive features and the creation of a more realistic world are the main focus. The reserved interfaces are just a bonus," Lucas shook his head.

"Also, I believe you can all guess what type of game this component is being developed for," Lucas added.

"Open world..." Marcus said.

As top professionals in the industry, everyone understood. This engine was tailor-made for open-world games.

And this is precisely Nebula Games' strong suit.

"Exactly. Every game has unique attributes. Simulation games focus on meticulous planning (or chaotic construction), shooting and action games focus on explosive excitement (or self-inflicted suffering), real-time strategy and strategy games focus on troop deployment (being outsmarted), and open world is perhaps the most special type."

Hector, Marcus, and the others in the project room fell silent, waiting for Lucas to continue.

(End of this chapter)