NOVEL NEXT Chapter 67
Summarizing the three days of G-Star in one word—it was a “great success.”
The booths were densely packed with crowds.
And the lines stretching endlessly from the front of the booths could only be described as a triumph.
Literally, teeming with people.
The cosplay area, intended for cosplayers to showcase their craft, was overrun with people eager to take photos, leaving no room to move.
The booths were in chaos, with people waiting to enter the Experience Zone and others trying to exit.
Thankfully, additional support staff arrived from the Head Office on the second day, which was a relief.
Thanks to the employees who came to assist us, the booths ran much more smoothly, allowing us to successfully manage the remaining two days.
Though there were minor issues, such as a small trouble with the NDSoft booth on the last day, we ended the event with a satisfying conclusion after confirming our objective popularity in Korea.
***
A week after successfully wrapping up G-Star in Seoul, Outrage was officially launched.
Even until just before the release, there was much deliberation over the update schedules for the Korean and Japanese servers, but it was ultimately decided that the content updates for both would remain the same.
For a typical game, this decision might have seemed overly ambitious due to potential performance inflation, but this was possible because Reverse Arcadia lacked top-tier “super-powered” characters at the current time.
While such characters might provide a short-term boost in revenue, they often erode a game’s lifespan in the long run.
Additionally, given that Tower Defense games generally attract players who dislike such overpowering meta strategies, there was no reason to introduce characters that could disrupt the balance, especially since we were already maintaining the top sales position simply by our current popularity.
The users in both Korea and Japan praised this decision initially, but their admiration quickly turned into cries of frustration within just a few short hours.
The leveling of character performance essentially meant that it was no longer possible to rely on single overpowered units.
After the update, the forums began filling with posts of commanders who had failed miserably in their attempts to conquer Outrage.
[Nickname : Anonymous]
[Title : I asked for something spicy and savory, not a fiery death…]
[Image clip: Gaia mocking the commanders with a disdainful expression.]
Truly, if Gaia is this tough, how are we supposed to defeat the final boss? HAHAHA
I tried all the strategies, but there seems to be no solution past Stage 3.
[Comment List] [Oldest First]
– This is so easy it’s a problem, right? You can tell Jihojin aimed to make it challenging. HAHA
– Oh man, they were whining about having nothing to do earlier, now look at them whining again. HAHA
[Nickname : FairyA]
[Title : Reverse Arcadia Gallery<< Historic failure, what a joke!]
[Image clip: Gaia taunting the commanders.]
Before the Outrage update, the game was too easy, leaving nothing to do.
After the update, it’s now too hard to play. HAHA
No matter what, they’ll complain, HAHAHA
[Comment List] [Oldest First]
– Seriously, this is hilarious.
– If we ran the game the way these guys suggest, it’d definitely fail. HAHA
[Nickname : Anonymous]
[Title : Seriously, is it even possible to beat Stage 3?]
The knockback strategy that worked at G-Star didn’t help this time; it’s unstoppable now.
If we try brute force, not only do the legions annihilate us, but Gaia wipes us out instantly.
Honestly, I have no idea what to do anymore.
Is there anyone who has cleared it in both Korea and Japan yet?
[Comment List] [Oldest First]
– Anonymous: Not in Japan either.
– The veterans who boasted are all crying in fear now. HAHA
… Clearly, the community was in an uproar.
Though I didn’t intend to make the game this difficult, too many people complained that it was too easy, so I aimed to balance it out.
Still, most of these players vented their frustrations on the community boards and dove right back in, so there’s no real cause for concern.
Before my regression, we used to call this phenomenon WWE (Worked Wrestling Entertainment).
Nonetheless, while monitoring the community to keep track of public sentiment, I stumbled across an intriguing post on the integrated subculture gallery.
[Nickname : Arang]
[Title : Wow, it looks like China has released a phenomenal subculture mobile game!]
[Image: Teaser art for Tactical Girls Closed Beta]
It seems the open beta has finished, and the Chinese players are going wild.
The game is called Tactical Girls, and like Reverse Arcadia, it’s set in an apocalyptic world.
Since I don’t know much Chinese, I used a translator to summarize the story: it’s about genetically modified girls fighting zombies and mutants with guns in a post-apocalyptic world.
Based on leaked gameplay footage, the illustration quality is impressively good, and the SD characters are adorable.
When the official release happens, I plan to give it a try myself.
[Comment List] [Oldest First]
– Honestly, a Chinese game looking decent? Rare.
– Needa-chan!
– No Korean server?
– It seems like only the Chinese server has opened for now.
‘Oh… So the open beta has finally ended?’
According to the community reactions, Tactical Girls’ open beta seemed to have ended successfully.
Had the server crashed after nine days like in my previous timeline, it would’ve been a disaster rather than praise.
Clearly, supporting Won-jung proved effective.
It was a good decision.
Satisfied with this conclusion, I was about to continue monitoring the community when a phone call came in.
Surprisingly, it was Won-jung.
‘This guy… not much of a gentleman, huh…’
While musing, I answered, and the familiar sound of Chinese filled my earpiece.
[Are you well, Director Jihojin… no, you’re the Department Head now, aren’t you?]
“Yes, that’s correct.”
[Haha, I should’ve congratulated you earlier. Sorry about that.]
“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. Oh, and by the way, I got the gift you sent the other day.”
The warmth in Won-jung’s voice was evident.
[Speaking of which, what did you think of the open beta report I sent you the other week?]
“Ah, I read it, but I was too busy at the time to call back. The user reviews seem quite positive, don’t they?”
[All thanks to you, Department Head. Thanks to the positive feedback from the closed beta, we had more users at the open beta than we expected, but thanks to the server and technical support you provided, we managed to complete it successfully.]
“That’s a relief.”
[If it weren’t for you, I don’t think we could’ve wrapped up development so cleanly… You’re truly my ‘shudidi’.]
‘Shudidi’ – the Chinese term for a brotherly relationship, the highest level of guanxi one can form aside from sworn siblings.
Won-jung must’ve been deeply moved by the help I gave him when he was struggling.
[Anyway, I’m planning to establish a company for the official launch no later than the first half of next year… As we agreed, should I send the share contract to Enson GT?]
“Of course. Once we receive it, our Legal Team will review it and respond promptly.”
[Thank you. And, Department Head…]
“Yes?”
[Well, there’s something else I wanted to ask… Would it be possible for us to get more support from Enson GT’s program?]
“Isn’t Jacky team already providing enough support?”
[Ah, it’s not for us… but for a friend who needs it.]
‘Support’…
Given Jacky team’s recent open beta success, we were planning to significantly increase support for indie developers, so the support itself wasn’t an issue.
Yet, blindly trusting Won-jung and granting it wasn’t responsible.
We’d need to at least know who the candidate was before making a decision.
“Support isn’t the issue, but I need to know the candidate before making a judgment.”
[It’s a friend you may not have heard of named Feng Wei, another Shanghai-based game developer.]
Ah.
The surprise at the name Won-jung mentioned was inevitable.
The person he referred to was a powerhouse far beyond my expectations.
Feng Wei.
In the previous timeline, he was the owner of Hua Yang Games, a leading Chinese mobile game developer known for its successful 3D RPG games.
Of course, that was based on the previous timeline, but at this current moment, he was merely the owner of an up-and-coming game development company.
“Do you know what kind of support he’s looking for?”
[As far as I know… he desires overall support in 3D technology and technical personnel.]
This information matched the previous timeline perfectly.
Before the regression, during this exact time, Feng Wei had started transitioning from a 2D belt-scroll action game called ‘Melt Down 2’ to a 3D cartoon-rendered ARPG game called ‘Melt Down 3’ due to technical limits.
I remembered an interview where he spoke about his efforts to transition to 3D around this time.
Honestly, there was no logical reason to refuse the support.
I already knew from the previous timeline the potential and resilience of Feng Wei and Hua Yang Games.
From a complete lack of 3D technology, they successfully developed a 3D cartoon rendering game within just two years.
Minimizing trial-and-error for a company destined for success would be highly advantageous and an opportunity I didn’t want to miss.
After contemplating for a while, I asked Won-jung:
“Can you give me his contact information?”