Game Director from Hell

Chapter 35: Hell of Pleasure

I should say it went smoothly; we finally managed to recruit Myungkyu.

After finishing the salary negotiations and conveying detailed work instructions, it's already June.

It's been over a year since we started development, and the progress includes Chapter 1's main map design and Chapter 2's modelling.

Although the work speed is less than half of what was initially planned for the 2-year development, it's okay. With Myungkyu now on board, the work should pick up speed.

"Myungkyu, Myungkyu oppa! Good morning!"

"Myungkyu, Myungkyu oppa, are you wearing a blue shirt today? Cool tone suits you well."

"Uh, hello!"

I should really focus on my work.

Even though I try not to, these thoughts keep popping into my head.

...In reality, I can only hope that they'll figure it out on their own.

What's the point of giving them guidance separately?

I exchanged greetings with Myungkyu as he just arrived at the office and started my work.

Today was about reviewing the completed map and monsters for Chapter 2.

It was a one-on-one meeting with Han Seorim.

"Is it good?"

"Yes, it is. You have put a lot of effort into this."

She seemed quite confident not just for show.

The models were mostly a dark purplish colour, and depending on the angle you looked at them, they had an otherworldly appearance, visible in both 2D and 3D. From a game design perspective, it made sense to incorporate this "otherness" and "obstruction of vision" right from the design stage.

Although I couldn't pinpoint art specifics, it was clear that a lot of technical thought went into these models.

I was curious and asked, "How did you do this?"

"The base concept was oil painting, right? But oil paintings typically have a rough and hard texture. It's great for creating depth, but as sunbae mentioned, creating a fluid shape was difficult."

I nodded my head in agreement.

Certainly, if this was a game from ten years later, we might have had the technology and resources to create a liquid-like shape with more ease, but it's 2010, and we're just a small company. We lacked the technology and manpower to realistically depict the fluidity of liquid in a human form.

"So, I thought about it. What if we use anamorphosis?"

"Anamorphosis?"

"Yes, it's called anamorphic. You know those pictures where someone paints a pit on the ground, and when you stand on it and take a photo, it looks like you're inside the pit?"

Ah, I roughly understood.

It's like optical illusions.

Come to think of it, there were exhibitions related to this.

"Did you use that?"

"You can apply anamorphism to sculptures too. Essentially, it's an extension of the concept of distorting statues."

To be honest, I didn't quite understand what she meant.

I just rotated the monster model in amazement.

When viewed from the front, it looked like a distorted tree, from the back, a bent human figure, and from the side, a person happily flexing their joints.

The sense of otherness when this merged with the map was intensified.

It was indeed an optical illusion.

Depending on the angle, the map and the monster could either blend together seamlessly or appear entirely separate.

But that wasn't the end of it.

"I paid special attention to this."

Whether it was because the work was finished or because she was proud of the result, Han Seorim began to demonstrate it to me.

What was floating up on the screen were cylindrical metal pillars scattered throughout the map.

What purpose did they serve?

The reason was soon revealed.

"Hmm?"

When she placed the monster next to one of the pillars, the reflection of the monster on the pillar transformed into the image of an ordinary crying person.

My eyes widened.

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Han Seorim explained with a mischievous smile, "There's a technique called anamorphic transformation. It makes distorted objects return to their original form when reflected on a surface. I got the idea from there."

At that moment, Han Seorim's voice faded away.

As always, the sensation of an idea popping into my head felt like fireworks going off in my mind.

When I looked at the model, it became clear that in Chapter 2, the most challenging element in the level design process was the concept of 'time.' If I can solve this, I won't have to represent the flow of time.

The Hell of Pleasure fundamentally coexists with pleasure time and real time equally. So, to implement that within the game, I'd have to create a concept of time, which is not good either system-wise or in terms of the game's pacing.

Of course, it isn't. If I only represent the passage of time here, it would create a stark contrast with the rest of Chapter 2, and it would lead to significant resource wastage.

"But I don't have to worry about that."

Now, let's think about the main mechanic of Chapter 2. "Returning to reality and becoming frenzied prisoners, in other words, monsters. Drifting through dreams and revelling in pleasure, in other words, farming objects."

What if we organically connect these two concepts?

For example, we can designate those pillars as "farming item locations."

The way to farm items would be to defeat the monsters near the pillars.

When you defeat a monster, the distorted corpse is erased in a burst of light, leaving behind only the intact image of a prisoner on the pillar, as if the prisoner's soul was preserved there.

Players could approach these pillars, touch the intact prisoner's form, and retrieve the item.

"Let's enhance the setting."

I'm not creating the game for the sake of Hell's realism. The goal is to make an enjoyable game based on Hell.

So, I decided to add more depth to the pillars created by Han Seorim.

"Let's make the pillars represent different aspects of the final boss in Chapter, such as pain, trace, and abilities."

This way, we can represent both the pleasure of the prisoners and reality simultaneously through the passage of time. With this approach, we can quite convincingly explain the incongruent appearance of the pillar in the distorted world.

In addition to the setting, the pillars offer two more benefits.

First, from a programming perspective, it simplifies the farming system implementation. With just one action, players can complete farming, reducing the workload. It will save development time and be positive from both a resource and player understanding perspective.

Second, from a gameplay perspective, the pillars scattered throughout the map could naturally guide players by marking them as "reward locations." This is a technique commonly used in open-world games. By creating structures that catch the player's eye, you can increase their curiosity and anticipation.

I chuckled to myself.

"I can make it more intuitive."

We don't need to explicitly create a passage of time in the game.

There's no need to create the passage of time within the game. Originally, I planned to have different monsters to be hunted at different times of day. That would create negative stress - the pressure to complete objectives within a specific timeframe and the changing farming routes would become tiresome.

But if we root these monsters reflected on the pillars in a "reflection" form, there won't be such stress.

"Players can focus more on their gameplay."

As my thoughts continued, Han Seorim started babbling, "How is it? Isn't this amazing? I spent over a month just trying to implement this..."

She had discovered something new.

Han Seorim was the type who always tried to explain herself when it came to results she was highly satisfied with, seeking praise.

Seeing her like this, I inadvertently spoke, "It's the best."

"Huh?"

"You're the best. It has to be you."

It was a genuine compliment without any exaggeration.

As an art director who could expand the director's ideas with just one model, she was truly irreplaceable.

I can't thank the heavens enough for being able to find Han Seorim nearby right after my regression.

"You've worked so hard."

I stood up from my seat and looked at Han Seorim.

Then I noticed something.

Han Seorim was blinking her eyes rapidly.

Her movements had come to a halt.

And at that moment when I reached out my hand...

"Eek!"

"Huh?"

Han Seorim took a step back, her face turning bright red, and a smug smile appeared on her face.

Suddenly, she opened her mouth, stammering, "Uh... gross... embarrassing... die."

As if she was throwing a fit, Han Seorim shouted and hid behind the partition.

...That girl seems embarrassed.

***

It's a moment when planning needs some adjustments.

Actually, it's not too difficult of a stage, so the pressure is not too great.

Well, it's not like we've implemented the system entirely or made changes after that, right?

If it's after the system is implemented, it can be dreadful; even moving the UI by 1 cm can be a big programming task.

It's about preventing such painful moments from happening before they occur.

Of course, the current adjustments are not perfect.

In gaming, things can change right before the release.

For the sake of fun, a shift in a better direction is always necessary, and compromising on that due to the intensity of work is not an option.

I told the art team, "Let's start by modifying the map design. We need to change the farming route to be based on cylindrical metal pillars. Some adjustments are needed in the mechanics as well. Oh, it won't be too much work. Just changing the positions of existing objects."

The farming of weapons and their resources is the alpha and omega of progression in Hellic 2.

So, the most important aspect to focus on at the level design stage is the correlation between the map's progression and the pace of progression.

Providing the right stimuli at the right places and corresponding rewards for the enjoyment of progression.

We must certainly uphold the basics of the game.

"I've sent instructions via internal email. Just make slight adjustments to the object positions and the nearby background models."

"Yes."

"Next is Myungkyu."

"What should I start with?"

"For now, apply the weapons made by the art team and the interaction in the farming path. Oh, and there's one bug we need to be careful about."

"I think I know what it is."

Myungkyu awkwardly smiled and raised his hand above his head and then stretched it out.

Yes, it's the 3-meter Alice bug.

"After the demo version release, we discovered that the size transformation trigger was caused by collisions. But this farming is supposed to be done in a form attached to the pillars, right? I'll send you the bug report and the solution via internal email, so please pay special attention to that part."

"Got it."

"For more details, come to me separately and let me know. The meeting is adjourned."

Clap!

I clapped my hands.

Jo Ayoon is not here today because it's her practical class day.

All that's left is the schedule.

"We need to complete the outline of Chapter 4 by the end of this year. I plan to finish the process, including substantial adjustments, testing, closed beta, and official release, by the second half of next year. Please work hard, especially the art team. If you need additional manpower, let me know. We can take on some short-term outsourcing projects. That's it, everyone, dismissed!"

We all returned to our respective departments.

Looking at the bustling office, it finally feels like something is happening.

It's been almost two years since the three main elements of the game - planning, programming, and art - started coming together.

If you also consider the sound department, led by Jo Ayoon, it's not a bad setup.

What if we expand from here, create a more organic team?

The thought crossed my mind briefly, and I erased it.

"Slowly."

Let's take our time with talent acquisition.

We have everything we need for now.

***

The distinctiveness of a chapter is determined primarily by its mechanics. Of course, art, sound, and narrative also contribute to the distinctiveness, but ultimately, players judge the game in the realm of "experience," which is why mechanics are crucial.

Isn't it true that, no matter how new backgrounds and stories unfold, if players keep repeating the same laborious tasks for hours on end, their engagement will diminish? Fatigue will increase, and boredom will set in.

Therefore, mechanics are the most critical aspect I, as the director, must focus on, and it's the one proposition that I can't receive much help from other team members on.

I find the solution to this myself.

"Hellic is a game cantered around items and objects."

That's why I adopted narrative tooltips. Furthermore, I emphasized mechanics based on tools.

In other words, all the game's mechanics should start with items and end with items.

This applies not only to combat but to all aspects of progression.

So, when it comes to expressing the uniqueness of mechanics and chapters, the most important thing is the individuality and traits of the items.

Up to this point, the remaining answers come easily.

"There are four item growth paths in Hellic 2, and there are four chapters in Hellic 2."

Therefore, each chapter should provide a superior growth path.

Some outlines have already been set.

In Chapter 1, "Hell of Heretics," the long-range shotgun build is the most superior.

The heretics are monsters that exclusively engage in melee attacks, and even the boss has patterns that change in difficulty depending on distance control.

On the other hand, what performed the worst in Chapter 1 was the "Drug Route."

In the actual demo version evaluations, there were a lot of sceptical comments about the Drug Route, such as, "It's fun, but the efficiency is too low, isn't it?"

"We'll reverse that in Chapter 2. We want players to realize that there are no useless routes."

The theme is "constraint" and "surreal."

Initially, I set constraints to be much more pronounced compared to other chapters, even to the point of implementing in-game time. Through this concept, I wanted to express the precarious balance between pleasure and reality.

Even now, after the planning has been discarded, "drugs" remains a fantastic theme.

Think about the universal image of drugs. In terms of the game's interpretation, drugs represent the cure of abnormal states.

So, in Hell of Pleasure, I adopted drugs as a way to highlight that theme.

Now, let's move on.

How can we make players search for drugs and in what form?

Should we spread poison throughout the entire map?

"No, seeing your health constantly depleting would be stressful."

Should we give all monsters a venom attribute?

"That would be too dull. Besides, it's something players can avoid, depending on their playstyle. We can't have players getting poisoned against their will."

Especially for players who are prone to scepticism.

So, let's bring in a proven and good precedent.

Click

I operated the mouse to activate the search engine.

Then I opened the image tab.

What I saw on the screen was none other than a "trap."

That's it.

"A trap that you can't avoid."

The introduction of a hazard element in the form of farming items is precisely that.

In most games, when players encounter such elements, they face a choice.

Will they skip the risky elements and give up, or will they take the risk, even if it means facing more significant consequences in pursuit of greater rewards?

However, Hellic offers only one choice.

Since Hellic's traps provide both rewards and penalties simultaneously.

The trap will activate during the looting process of monster corpses reflected on the pillars.

In other words, we will plant a curse on the pillars.

Players will realize that they will suffer from an abnormal state when looting in front of the cursed pillar, but they won't be able to avoid it.

"In Hellic, all stats are increased through items. Without farming items and resources, there is no growth. If you don't open the boxes, the clears will become more difficult."

Players will follow the natural course and get poisoned, all while choosing the path of farming. They will struggle with the abnormal state and seek better antidotes and more reliable defences.

Of course, there is a way to detoxify without going through the drug route.

However, the difficulty of doing so will be quite severe, and the more challenging it becomes, the higher players will regard the drug route.

Traps are sweet threats.

Once the balancing is completed for the gains and losses, they will create a suitable sense of danger.

What should I call this mechanic? Yes.

"Honey Trap."

That would be fitting.

"Yeonho, are you having lunch today as well? We'll go get it!"

"Sunbae, sunbae! Take care of your health!"

With laughter and excitement, the two friends grabbed Myungkyu, who was sandwiched between them, and left the office.

The last thing I saw was Myungkyu's reddened ears.

...I had a lot to think about.