To ascend, I had no choice but to create games - Chapter 122
Chapter 122: Chapter 104: A Harmony of All Things, A Beauty Too Great to Endure (Third Update)_2
Having understood the reasons of the other party, Fang Cheng then carefully learned about the matter of the seeds and set about making preparations.
With a fierce pinch, all the trash on the ground was crushed into powder, and tens of thousands of square kilometers of ground instantly turned into flat land; walls emerged from the ground to serve as the boundary for the Botanic Garden.
With a wave of his hand, the Immortal Spell was cast, and a three-dimensional map of the nearby area appeared in miniature form beside him, looking like a scaled-down courtyard box.
Dragging his finger across the courtyard box map and drawing on a nearby snowy mountain, a surge of snow water came rushing forth, crossing through the courtyard box and streaming into the ocean.
A twist on the ground here, and a pat in another place there, hills and valleys were effortlessly created.
Fang Cheng took up a brush to paint, and numerous small paths appeared on the ground; they were intertwined and complex, subtly hinting at the mysterious ways of the Heavenly Tao, leading those who walked on them to feel as if they were journeying through a secluded realm, further immersing players into this world.
Rockeries and exotic rocks were pinched into existence one by one; finally, the entire courtyard box was constructed into a vast garden, a destination where one could feel the tranquility and beauty.
Summoning the Star-devouring Beast, Fang Cheng sent it a Divine Sense, and the massive creature immediately understood Fang Cheng’s intention, beginning to help dissipate the clouds here to let the sunlight shine brightly.
There was no moon at night on this planet, so Fang Cheng simply gathered dust to manifest a moon in the sky, reflecting moonlight.
Under this moonlight, the Botanic Garden looked even more serene; under the virtual reality all-in-one machine, the feeling was sure to be even more profound.
There had to be rain, and there had to be snow; the Botanic Garden could even accommodate different weathers at the same time, slowly cycling through climates to reveal different scenic beauties.
Once the setting was complete, what followed was the most important thing—the seeds.
Infusing the Immortal Spell into the seeds, Fang Cheng had Alpha plant them one by one.
Numerous universal aid machines set out, cradling the seeds and, following Fang Cheng’s instructions on the courtyard box map, planted the seeds into the soil.
These seeds, which Fang Cheng had pre-arranged with Immortal Spells, would grow to be like plants that sleep, appearing as mimics in front of the players.
After the entire courtyard box was arranged, a variety of plants were scattered about, and the surrounding scenery was beautiful and pleasant.
Because they were personally crafted by an Immortal, the entire courtyard was filled with Taoist charm; the plants even absorbed and exhaled Spiritual Energy on their own, turning this place into a blessed land for Immortals.
After completing all this, Fang Cheng looked at the Botanic Garden, which had taken on a new look, and felt very satisfied.
In the past, when he made things by himself, they were always a bit rough, so it didn’t feel quite right.
But now, doing things meticulously by himself was actually quite fun, which gave him another new hobby alongside cultivating Spirit Grass and sitting in Quiet Cultivation.
With further development and summarizing relevant experiences, he would be able to use this to create games next time.
Seeing everything here, Tian Xuan was completely dumbfounded.
Like a little deer running relentlessly within the courtyard box, Little Heavenly Way took in her surroundings, breathed in the fragrant air, and rolled back and forth on the lawn, not wanting to leave at all.
The richness of the Taoist charm here was even more intense than in her small world, giving her the feeling of wanting to call this place home.
Meanwhile, Alpha recorded the entire process. Its system kept operating, finally asking, “May I modify your information to ‘Gods’?”
“There’s no need,” Fang Cheng said indifferently. “All right, these plants are all mimics, and once they are activated, the mimicry will be lifted. When visitors arrive, they will need…”
Fang Cheng was about to say that Alpha should remind the players not to do anything rash, but then he stopped.
He had dealt with players many times before and knew that they were a rebellious bunch, even Wei Yan would nod in agreement upon seeing them.
If they were directly told what they couldn’t do, they would certainly do just that.
After contemplating for a moment, he said to Alpha, “I need you to set rules; list the things players are not allowed to do in an ambiguous way within the rules. And make it impossible for them to lift the plants’ mimicry, okay?”
“Don’t worry, I can do that,” Alpha nodded, “I am the universal aid machine Alpha, this kind of task is very simple for me.”
“Good.”
It didn’t take long for Alpha to generate a vast number of rule explanations, and the method to prevent players from lifting the plants’ mimicry was hidden within these contradictory rules, making it impossible for players to find the correct method to lift the mimicry.
Having done all this, Fang Cheng was utterly satisfied.
Seeing that the time had come to be Monday morning at 9:20, he had Alpha post the rules where needed and then returned to his studio with Tian Xuan.
Behind them, Alpha’s swarm thinking kicked in.
They started to divide the work and methodically wrapped up Fang Cheng’s tasks, and, following his instructions, posted the rules in every corner.
Back in the studio, work followed suit.
The progress on the Dimensional side was relatively smooth; after the initial adjustments, the streamers and players finally started to create content actively and continuously.
Although “Quiet Cultivation” failed in its attempt to achieve enlightenment, Fang Cheng was still set on seeing the game through to the end.
After all, the game was a medium that had already connected him with the players.
Having chosen to seek enlightenment through the players, even if it ended in failure, he was committed to accompanying them until the very end, thus concluding their intertwined fates.
So he carefully reviewed all the work reports, agreed to the planners’ requests for revisions, and finished up everything just before the end of the afternoon shift, after which he brought out the new game.
“I visited an amusement park during my vacation and got some inspiration, so I created a walking simulator. It’s called ‘Amusement Park’, and this game is its first chapter, ‘Botanic Garden’.”
Huang Ping, who had been racing against time to crazily get work done in hopes of pushing for one final effort before the day ended, was stunned.
Next to him, Xiao Douzi was also taken aback.
They checked the clock, realized there was only ten minutes left until the end of their shift, and immediately put on a gloomy face, saying, “Boss, why are you only mentioning this now?”
“I thought you were quite busy earlier.”
“We could have played at noon!”
“I think it’s better to get some sleep at noon. It’s a bit torturous not to nap midday.”
“I think what you’re doing right now is more torturous!”
They hurriedly searched the public resource library for the game, quickly downloaded it, and managed to start playing in the final five minutes.
Without waiting to use the company’s integrated machines, they immediately began experiencing the game on their computers.
Just like the name of the game suggested, it was a botanic garden; what players could do was simply walk through the garden and shut out their surroundings.
There were many such games on the Steam platform, and most were accompanied by a narrative that fit the game’s aesthetics, thus showcasing the author’s unique artistic talents.
The recent game “Nameless” was just that kind of game.
But the Living Immortal’s “Nameless” was a strong narrative-focused game; could the boss’s game achieve a better effect?
And after experiencing it for a while, Huang Ping realized…
Definitely so!
The game’s graphics were refreshing and comfortable, with the climate in each area changing slowly with time, each frame as perfect as if it were part of a dream.
The high-quality dynamic visuals were comparable to a movie’s CGI in beauty, and the unique and mystical ambience seemed to shine through the screen, offering both of them a sense of spiritual peace.
The game’s visuals had transcended the category of simply being pretty or not, reaching another level altogether, making it hard to believe that a 3D game’s graphics could be so exquisitely touching.
The starting screen alone left the two dumbfounded.
In the end, it was Huang Ping, who was more experienced and knowledgeable, who first came to his senses. He stared at the screen and remarked emotionally, “Boss, the artist here is extraordinary. This modeling, these scenes, the natural feel of the landscape as it changes, must be hard to find someone to do the game visuals like this.”
In Huang Ping’s view, such modeling standards and original painting quality were rare internationally, and the few who were collected as treasures by major studios were guarded jealously, fearful of others taking them away.
After quietly admiring it for a while, just as Huang Ping was about to move and enjoy what it felt like to roam in such a heavenly world, the end-of-day bell rang.
“Boss…” Huang Ping asked pitifully.
“Sure, consider it overtime.” Fang Cheng replied with a smile.
Huang Ping sighed, feeling it was definitely going to be a sleepless night.
But to his surprise, he slept exceptionally peacefully that night.
In his dream, the moon hung high as he and his girlfriend lay on the grass, surrounded by the gentle sound of water and the crisp chirping of insects, with sakura petals continuously falling before them.
At that moment, all was in harmony, and the beauty was beyond words.