Game Director from Hell

Chapter 23: Sound Insertion (1)

It goes without saying, but Han Seorim's design was different from the image of a deity I had in mind. How could she depict 'formlessness' as a form? I understood that. Knowing this made it even more astonishing. The artwork was a direct representation of the emotions I felt when encountering a God.

"How is it?" Han Seorim asked with a bright smile.

I couldn't answer immediately because I was lost in thought.

"Oh, I see."

This was the answer given by Han Seorim of Lost Kingdom. It clearly indicated that the design was an 'expression' that even someone like me, who knew nothing about art, could understand. It was an expression related to the concept of having no form. Han Seorim symbolized the idea by using a method of collage rather than drawing.

I became convinced.

I was certain that anyone playing the game Hellic 2 would understand the purpose of this design. Those who delved deeper would contemplate the symbolism of each part that made up the divine entities, and those who went even further would engage in reflections about the form of the God, just as I did when seeing a God.

Of course, it might be overthinking on the part of those who got deeply immersed, but it was undoubtedly wholesome, aspirational, and profound.

"Shall we go with this design?"

Suddenly, Han Seorim felt very distant.

Could I really create a game that was worthy of this design? Would I not be squandering this talented individual?

I suppressed my emotions and replied, "Confirm."

I should just create it. A game that matches the standards. Hiring Han Seorim was indeed the best decision I had made.

Only a few gateways remained. To implement this, I needed the complete version of the original artwork, and beyond that, the 3D modelling process.

This time, I decided to take matters into my own hands because Han Seorim's design had sparked a few ideas.

"I'm going to add patterns. Separate mechanics that act independently."

"How so?"

"First, we shouldn't make the God's attacks visible to the player.....Yes, it would be better to make it seem as if the fist suddenly appeared in front of them."

This idea was inspired by what I had seen with my own eyes. The God's fist descending had no preceding motion; it merely appeared, and then the result followed without any process.

As an example of implementation, I said, "The God raises its arm high. It stays like that, and then there are three ground tremors. We should omit the motion of the fist descending and only create the motion of it hitting the ground."

"Wouldn't it feel like it's abruptly stopping?"

"That's what we want. The feeling of it stopping abruptly is the point."

Of course, this approach would introduce some complexity for the players. They would have to die without understanding the pattern, suddenly encountering a fist they had no knowledge of, and this would lead to a rapid increase in the game's difficulty.

A compromise was needed.

This was easy.

"Let's make a red circle appear in the space where the fist is about to strike. It'll signal that this area is dangerous."

"Huh?"

"Instead, we'll show the markings only when there are three ground tremors. More than that would be too easy."

In a game, there are important elements that affect the boss's setup: design, narrative, and difficulty. Think about it, if a boss, fully designed, were to fall to a few sword strikes, would its dignity be properly preserved? The pressure must be fully felt by the player.

Let's use a combat metaphor for this. The design is the boss's first impression. The difficulty represents the boss's skills, assets, and character. Only when these two elements come together does it create an appealing opponent, a true boss.

"These patterns will be used even before entering the boss room. Since these patterns will continuously appear during map progression, pay extra attention while creating them. Oh, and don't make the other patterns too hastily."

I recalled, "Using only martial arts moves for a God would be ridiculous. Let's try to make it as divine as possible. The main gimmick for the boss battle is the 'trial.' The patterns should suit that theme.

Instructions were recited. "First, the mirror pattern, where the boss transforms into the player's appearance and uses the same skills. The boss's texture should remain as close to the original form as possible; only the silhouette should match the player."

The God transformed into the shape of a girl, exchanging several moves with the butterfly's assistance, successfully dodging and attacking the player.

"Secondly, the divine sword pattern. We'll put a long precursor for this. Three ground tremors, clouds in the sky, and after that, four black swords will appear. They will swing a total of five times in a predetermined order. The player must pay attention to the rhythm and stand in the right positions."

Of course, the actual girl's confrontation with the swords was more treacherous. Also, there was no regularity in how the swords swung.

It's a game design compromise.

Later, I found out that each sword symbolized something, but that could be revealed through the narrative at the end of the game or left for players to speculate.

"Finally, the heavenly punishment pattern. This will only appear once when the boss's health reaches 10%."

Silence amid the intensity was crucial.

Sound would be strictly controlled during this part, allowing players to focus solely on one sound.

"At this moment, we'll erase the entire background. Everything will turn pure white, and only shadows will remain on the ground. The boss will summon four avatars. A madman wielding a cross, a woman running with a smile, a figure kneeling on the ground, and a monster shooting thorns while strangling itself."

This setup symbolized the four stages of hell to be continued in the next chapter.

The way to dispel each apparition was to successfully strike them before they attacked.

"All of them should be represented as black silhouettes. That concludes the patterns."

After giving these instructions, Han Seorim pressed her temples and held her breath.

"Is it too much?"

"It's not too much. Three patterns make it a chapter boss, and the design itself is shadowy against a white background, which will save time. Don't you think so?"

"How about implementing the motions..."

"Okay."

So, Han Seorim and I, the dynamic duo, looked at each other.

"Hmm..."

"Uhh..."

We seemed overwhelmed.

Of course, there was no mercy to be had.

"Should I?"

"..."

Around this time, a certain fact starts to resonate with me. Being a developer is, without a doubt, a profession that doesn't get along well with sleep, especially in small studios like ours.

"How many hours of sleep have I had recently?" A sudden sense of crisis crept in, and I had to contemplate. Adding up the hours of sleep from the past week, the conclusion was somewhere around 25 hours. Why am I reflecting on this now, you ask? The question itself is meaningless. The question itself is the answer. This was a signal. My body was telling me that if I didn't take a break now, I would reach a point of no return.

"Sigh..."

I exhaled deeply, wiping my face. My head throbbed, and my eyes felt heavy. It seems that even a young body has its limits.

But...

"I can't afford to cut back on time now." At least, I had to complete the prototype within this week. That way, I could assess the overall impression and make adjustments to the details. It was also crucial to catch as many minor bugs as possible. Most importantly, I needed to allocate time for Jo Ayoon to direct the sound. This was not an unrealistic scenario. It was the reality. "This is the final stage." The game's prototype was nearing completion. The basic functionalities were working smoothly, and now all that remained was to fix the major bugs I had discovered. "Preeeek..." The tedious grind of debugging. Unfortunately, there was no one to share the workload with.

The only person left in the office was me. This was because I had adjusted the art team's work schedule after completing all the designs. If they had relaxed too much, they would just end up delaying the next task. Well, even if they were here, it wouldn't help much. The rest of the team consisted of guys who knew nothing about programming. There was one resolution I made at this moment. "After G-STAR, I need to look for a programmer." Originally, I had planned to hire one after finishing this development, but given the signals my body was sending, it seemed necessary to expedite the process. I had no intention of dying from overwork in this life. Even when considering the budget, it made sense. Right now, I was juggling multiple tasks simultaneously, with the main one being the release of the demo version. However, it would be different later on. Until I finished modelling for the remaining chapters, I would focus only on planning. When actual programming became necessary, I would hire personnel with as little cost and distribute labour as possible.

The personnel issue was something to think about later. "...I'll think about it when the time comes."

Anyway,

"Bugs, please go away now."

I finally finished the coding. With the game growing in volume, the time it took to fix bugs seemed never-ending. The thought that I could finally take a breather gave my body a sense of relief.

Today is Sunday. I checked the clock; it was four in the afternoon.

"Shall I play it once by myself?"

The estimated playtime for the demo version of the game is 30 minutes. It starts with a 5-minute tutorial in the prologue map, followed by teaching the basic game rules in the condensed Chapter 1 map. Then, players get a taste of the boss's patterns.

Even if I participate in an exhibition, I probably won't get a big booth, so I opted for a high turnover approach.

I made up my mind.

"Let's just do it until dinner."

With determination, I ran the prototype.

Five hours passed by.

...The way things go in life is truly unpredictable.

"Ah."

Alice had grown three meters tall again.

It was a development filled with all sorts of trials and tribulations. Alice's three-meter nightmare, in particular, had become so annoying that it appeared in my dreams. Even if I solved one problem, another one would pop up elsewhere. And just when I thought I had finally resolved them all, Alice would grow again.

I had fixed every problem I found, but honestly, I couldn't shake the feeling that this issue might surface again.

...I'll think about it when the time comes.

"Do you all understand it roughly?"

The art team's presentation was over.

The enthusiastic duo was ecstatic about playing the game they had created in real life. However, Han Seorim was not.

"Ugh... It needs some adjustments."

"Seorim...?"

"Why? What's the reason? Why?"

The duo was in disbelief, denying reality, but they couldn't break Han Seorim's determination.

"Huh? Isn't it a bit messy? The map and boss design."

"Where?"

"Everywhere."

"..."

Both of them looked like they had just received a death sentence. I felt the pain in my chest, but I had to accept it.

"Then, let's proceed like that."

Changing the UI position by just one centimeter is still a programming task. I felt like three-meter Alice might jump out again, but I couldn't compromise on quality.

I had to endure it.

"Everyone, disband and start working."

And so, it took four days. That was the time it took for the prototype to be adjusted. Fortunately, three-meter Alice only appeared once.

"Great job!"

"It's over! It's finally over!"

Now, only one thing remained. I took out my phone and sent a text to Jo Ayoon.

"Ayoon, let's get to work now."

Sound.

It was time to add sound to the game.