prynovel Chapter 5: The Importance of Game CG
Chapter 5: The Importance of Game CG
After leaving the library, Lin Lang distributed the books he had bought to Chen Nan and Shen Qi, and then returned to their respective residences.
In the bedroom, Lin Lang lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, still thinking about what had just happened.
What was supposed to be a great event to promote history turned out to be such a terrible thing.
This also illustrates the growing forgetting of the history of the Great Xia Dynasty among the masses, and further demonstrates the importance attached to this "historical competition".
They all want to change the current situation.
The game "Three Kingdoms Kill" still has room for improvement, and the copyright application was successful from the very beginning.
The first version of the game was a success, and the character models, character introductions, and skill designs were almost perfect.
The art, UI, and audio have also been completed.
The remaining tasks include game promotional CGs, stress testing, and security testing, all of which need to be addressed!
Stress testing and security testing go without saying; these are essential steps before a game is released.
On the one hand, it ensures server stability by simulating high-concurrency scenarios; on the other hand, it ensures server security, game logic, and anti-cheat measures.
As for game promotional CGs, their main purpose is for promotion, showcasing style and visuals to attract players.
It's not necessary to do it!
Originally, due to insufficient funds, we planned to skip this step and use the money for other purposes.
But Lin Lang's idea is different now: the game's promotional CGs must be made! And they must be a large-scale production!
Modern people know too little about the history of the Three Kingdoms; some might even say they know nothing.
Therefore, Lin Lang plans to attract a group of users first by using the game's promotional CGs to grab their attention visually.
The visuals bring a vivid image to the user's mind!
Then, you can feel the character's personality through voice acting.
Since it's a competition to promote history, Lin Lang's job is to awaken them and let them feel the charm of the Three Kingdoms!
I told Chen Nan about this idea when I came to the company the next day.
"President Lin, promotional CG for games is indeed necessary, but the staff who used to be in charge of this have all left. Can the remaining people do a good job?"
Chen Nan also agreed with the idea of using the game's promotional CG, but problems were also present.
Each project has employees with different skills. Now the company only has ten people left, but it's not impossible to create game promotional CGs.
But the quality is definitely not comparable to that of professionals!
"I've considered the issue you raised. Who said you were responsible for handling it?"
Lin Lang was amused.
How could a mere week allow non-professionals to create game promotional CGs?
Even if I managed to create it, I wouldn't dare use it!
The original intention was to attract users with this, so let's not let this cause people to give bad reviews!
"Find a top-tier professional studio, tell them what we need, and we can provide them with sketches of the various characters to use as models for creation!"
Lin Lang patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't give me any cyberpunk style, I want the original Three Kingdoms feel! Weapons, armor, mounts, everything must be perfect."
"Let's go with the ink wash painting style for the CG!"
Only ink wash painting style can truly represent the Great Xia Dynasty!
Don't even try to get involved with that kind of cyberpunk aesthetic!
However, the artistic threshold of ink painting style is extremely high. It is not enough to simply outline a model with black lines. It requires the nuances of brushstrokes.
Ink is divided into five colors (burnt, thick, dark, light, and clear), and white is considered equivalent to black.
The team must have someone who understands ink painting style; otherwise, my subordinates would probably have turned into cartoons by now!
Moreover, dynamic effects are extremely difficult to make look natural.
The splashing ink dots and transitions in the ink painting style, as well as the silky smoke and clouds, require special materials, especially when incorporating battlefield elements.
Chen Nan stood to the side with his mouth agape, never expecting that Lin Lang would hire a professional team to create a Chinese ink painting style game promotional CG.
Is this price acceptable?
We had considered hiring other teams before, but we gave up on that idea due to insufficient funding.
Unexpectedly, Lin Lang's idea was even more outrageous than his, requiring him to hire a top-notch professional team!
"This price...is beyond our reach!" Chen Nanqiang replied with a forced smile.
"You're saying you can't accept this without even discussing it? You go and negotiate first! If you don't have enough funds, I'll figure something out!"
Lin Lang kicked Chen Nan in annoyance, and only then did Chen Nan obey orders and obediently go to find someone to discuss cooperation.
After seeing Chen Nan off, Lin Lang began organizing his staff to conduct tests.
This includes not only security testing and stress testing, but also internal testing.
I organized a few rounds of testing with the employees the day before yesterday, but that's far from enough. We need to test it multiple times before we can be sure.
While Lin Lang was working among the various employees, he was also looking forward to Chen Nan's reply.
Once the game's CG is finalized, we can start considering publishing!
The production speed of this "Three Kingdoms Kill" game is unprecedented, after all, it has the support of the system and the author's understanding of it.
That's how they were able to complete the operation from scratch in just a few short weeks!
Several hours later, Chen Nan finally replied to Lin Lang, saying that the production team had been found, and it was Apocalypse Studio, with whom they had collaborated before.
Lin Lang hadn't expected that they were also skilled in ink wash painting style. He had witnessed their level of skill during their previous collaborations, and they had perfectly met his needs.
Having worked together before, we have more confidence this time.
However, Chen Nan received another piece of bad news: the price was too high, a whopping 15 yuan per minute!
The first version of this game features 25 generals, each with at least a minute of CG animation. That would cost at least 375 million!
Upon hearing this, Lin Lang told Chen Nan to chat a little longer, as he would be there soon.
Actually, I had already anticipated this outcome; the price wouldn't be low, especially for a more demanding ink wash style.
Not long after, Lin Lang arrived at the Apocalypse Studio.
"Long time no see, Mr. Lin. This price of 375 million is already at cost. You won't find anywhere else like it. Besides, this is the result of our team's hard work; we need to eat too!"
The owner of Tianqi Studio is a middle-aged man in his thirties. Due to long hours of working overtime and staying up late in front of the computer, his hair is in serious trouble!
When he saw Lin Lang coming over, he understood that he wanted to talk about the plan, but he didn't give Lin Lang a chance to speak at all.
Lin Lang was not in a hurry. Instead, he sat down, took a sip of tea, and slowly said:
"Brother Zhang, what's the rush? I'm here to discuss the plan again. You know I make Three Kingdoms games, and each character requires a CG cutout."
"There are so many famous figures in the history of the Three Kingdoms. We have at least 500, and each character's CG scenes will be at least a minute long. Do you think this order is worth it?"
500 minutes of game CG!
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yang couldn't help but smile. This could be considered the biggest order in recent years!
But Zhang Yang quickly regained his composure. "But I just heard General Chen say there are only 25 military officers?"
"Yes, we're still in closed beta. We're releasing 25 generals first to see how they perform. If it's effective, we'll naturally add more generals as needed!"
This is not an exaggeration by Lin Lang.
If the results are good, he really plans to release 500 more generals.
Upon hearing this, not only Zhang Yang was stunned, but Chen Nan, who was standing next to him, was also stunned.
500 military officers! You're quite the talker!
As Zhang Yang considered the quantity of this order, it was impossible not to be tempted!
The studio itself isn't very big, so receiving such a large order is quite a rare opportunity.
If we take this on, we'll be able to make a profit every three years!
"Alright, Mr. Lin, since you trust me so much, I'll show my utmost sincerity and offer you a 30% discount!"
"That's great! Let's sign the contract right away!"
"Um... wait, Mr. Lin, didn't you just say 500 minutes and 500 military officers?"
"Let's start with 25, and then add another 50 when we release the next version!"
Zhang Yang: "...Okay..."
In the end, Lin Lang successfully signed the contract and requested that it be given to him within a week.
Chen Nan looked at Lin Lang beside him with admiration; this guy could brag without blushing or shaking his hands.
If I hadn't been an insider, I would have really been fooled by him!