My game, you have no right to award

Chapter 194 Avoiding Detours
Zhou Kuang originally lacked the ability to judge Yang Ji's artistic level.

As a pure planner, he learned and mastered design skills, along with some basic knowledge of programming.

In terms of art, he can only be described as having the ability to communicate and collaborate with art professionals in his work.

Logically speaking, he should be limited to this.

However, after gaining all of Eiji Aonuma's life experience, everything changed completely.

Eiji Aonuma has over forty years of experience in the game industry, and from the beginning, the other party was an artist.

And most importantly! When he first joined the workforce in his early twenties, he was already working on the top projects at the world's top game companies.

His mentor is Shigeru Miyamoto, one of the few people in the game industry who can be called a "master"!
It can be said that Eiji Aonuma's entire worldview regarding game development was deeply influenced by Shigeru Miyamoto.

It's not just about the artistic aspects, but about every aspect of the game development process.

Therefore, Zhou Kuang can still clearly remember how those top game artists created concept art and how they conceived the art style of the game.

This allowed him to clearly see that Yang Ji was still a level below these masters.

If these masters are "god-level", then Yang Ji is already close to "quasi-god-level".

Don't underestimate Yang Ji's skill level. In fact, the number of artists in the gaming industry who can be called "near-gods" probably doesn't even reach three digits.

However, although the "quasi-gods" are only half a step away from these masters, that half step may be greater than the gap between a fledgling game artist and these "quasi-gods"!
It's more accurate to describe it as an insurmountable chasm than as just a step away.

Zhou Kuang even remembered that in Eiji Aonuma's memory, many top-tier game artists who were stuck at the quasi-god level spent ten or twenty years before realizing just how big this insurmountable barrier was.

The day they realized this was the day they understood that they could never become masters.

Many artists may even be completely devastated by such a gap, losing all ambition and never being able to reach the creative state they had when they were "near god-like".

Zhou Kuang called this "the shattering of the Dao heart".

It's not that these artists are emotionally fragile, but rather that their energy, age, and time don't allow them to continue refining their skills. Otherwise, why would game artists of their caliber easily choose to give up?
Looking at Yang Ji in front of me, although he had slight dark circles under his eyes, his eyes were bright and he was looking at me expectantly, waiting for my answer.

You can hardly see any wrinkles on the other person's face.

He's still very young...

This means that the other party still has many opportunities to develop their own style!

Yang Ji definitely has the potential to become a master!
This judgment was made by Zhou Kuang based on Eiji Aonuma's experience.

As for the probability, no one can say for sure.

It could be a 50/50 chance, or it could be that there was never any possibility of it from the start.

This is not just a matter of hard work, but also a matter of talent.

Yang Ji's talent is already one in a million, but it's not enough to become a master!

Far from enough!

Only artists with the most outstanding talent, who dedicate their entire lives to the projects they love, can break through to that level.

Whether Yang Ji truly possesses such exceptional talent can only be determined through experimentation.

After all, practice is the sole criterion for testing truth.

What Zhou Kuang is doing now is using Eiji Aonuma's experience to guide Yang Ji so that he doesn't take the wrong path.

Try to save him some time so that he can focus all his energy on exploring his own artistic style.

Only game artists who possess an artistic style that is truly independent of everyone else can become "gods of art"!
Now, in the project "Code: Shadow", Zhou Kuang's requirement for Yang Ji is to take the initiative to lead him to the doorway to the "God's Rank".

As for what path to take next, Zhou Kuang didn't know.

If he had chosen Shigeru Miyamoto's key to talent back then, perhaps he could still try now and see if he could pave the way for the other party.

Because Shigeru Miyamoto is a true master of art, while Eiji Aonuma is not.

Like Yang Ji, Eiji Aonuma is a "quasi-god-level" rather than a "god-level".

Eiji Aonuma devoted the rest of his life to being a good game director, so his personal artistic skills naturally didn't reach any greater heights.

Zhou Kuang did consider choosing Shigeru Miyamoto, but he ultimately chose Eiji Aonuma.

This is because Shigeru Miyamoto's personal talent is so strong that the guiding role of his experience is relatively limited.

In contrast, Eiji Aonuma reached this position step by step through his own efforts.

Therefore, for Zhou Kuang, the other party's experience was of greater guiding value.

More importantly, Eiji Aonuma dedicated his life to developing open-world games, while Shigeru Miyamoto did not.

He is a womanizer, having affairs with many people.

Zhou Kuang was destined never to possess the abilities of Eiji Aonuma himself, because he was merely a spectator in the "movie" of Aonuma's life, watching the entire process rather than truly becoming Eiji Aonuma.

Therefore, pointing out the direction was all he could do.

Zhou Kuang thought of Yang Ji's sketches and the contents that had been included in the documents, and sighed inwardly.

Still too inexperienced!
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that we had absolutely no clue.

However, Zhou Kuang knew that people should be given the opportunity to make mistakes.

Making mistakes is part of the learning process; it's impossible to never make a mistake.

That would violate objective laws.

"Great, you seem even stronger than when we first met!"

Zhou Kuang smiled and gave a thumbs-up as encouragement.

Hearing such undisguised praise, Yang Ji scratched his head sheepishly, a smile he couldn't hide on his face.

"Next, you will continue to refine the plan."

Zhou Kuang stood up, and the others quickly followed suit.

"Next Monday, I will go to the office to meet with all the employees in our team and officially announce the start of the project."

"However, you must understand that the project has already begun!"

Zhou Kuang emphasized these words.

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression turned slightly serious.

It's finally starting.

They will be dedicating themselves to this massive game project for at least the next few years.

However, rather than shrinking back, their current feelings are more like a mix of anticipation and a desire for challenge.

"Oh, right, keep this document; I need to take another look at it."

Zhou Kuang said.

The group naturally had no objections; it was already a printed copy, and they could print another one whenever they wanted.

After all four people had left, Zhou Kuang stopped smiling and looked at the thick document on the coffee table.

Bending down to pick it up, Zhou Kuang turned around and sat back down in the executive chair behind his desk.

Zhou Kuang opened the document and began to read it again.

very good……

good……

He really liked the idea.

But... that's not enough!

I still feel like something's not quite right!

Zhou Kuang frowned, staring at the paper in his hand, slightly lost in thought.

Although the group had done a very good job, Zhou Kuang still felt it wasn't secure enough.

It doesn't feel as solid as the original project proposal, which was a complete overhaul of "Crab Crab's Treasure Hunt Adventure".

What methods should I use to elevate this proposal to a higher level, or even several levels?
As Zhou Kuang pondered, he opened the system panel and then subconsciously opened the system inventory interface.

He remembered that there was one thing in his backpack that he had kept but never used!
It'll get moldy if we don't use it soon!

Zhou Kuang looked at the description of the prop.

[Record of Splendid Chapters]

[Introduction: This item carries thousands of years of Chinese cultural heritage. Using it will greatly enhance the host's understanding of Chinese culture and greatly improve the interpretation of traditional Chinese cultural content in any game owned by the host.]

Doesn't this perfectly match the theme and subject matter of the "Code: Shadow" project?

The previous work, "The Netherworld Mountains and Seas," borrowed the background of the Classic of Mountains and Seas, and if we have to say, it can indeed be considered part of Chinese culture.

However, the history is too far back, and there are indeed fewer written records compared to other dynasties and historical backgrounds.

For modern people, the sense of immersion is far greater than when choosing more well-known historical periods.

Therefore, Zhou Kuang refrained from using this item in "The Netherworld Mountains and Seas".

Another reason is that Zhou Kuang only obtained the "Splendid Chapters" when the "Netherworld Mountains and Seas" project was nearing its end, and he felt it would be a waste to use it like this.

If he had obtained this item at the very beginning of the project, it's hard to say whether he would have used it.

Zhou Kuang had been waiting for the right moment to use this item.

When Feng Qi and Yang Ji jointly decided to adapt "The Secret Records of Longyuan", Zhou Kuang was quite happy.

Because in the background setting of "The Secret Records of Dragon Abyss", the historical period is the Song Dynasty!
Although many people associate the Song Dynasty with "Great Song" or "Great Coward," there is still a great deal to write about during this period.

It is an excellent choice as a backdrop for artistic creation.

At the same time, no matter how much people despise the Song Dynasty, they cannot deny the cultural and economic development of society at that time.

This development has resulted in a wealth of written records and cultural works.

This means that for artists, there are far more models to refer to from the Song Dynasty than from other dynasties.

So back then, Zhou Kuang had already wanted to use the "Splendid Record of Splendid Chapters" prop in this project.

Although they were unable to acquire the IP adaptation rights for "Dragon Abyss Chronicles", Kuangshi Games still decided to develop an open-world action role-playing game with a martial arts theme.

Therefore, what Zhou Kuang needed to do was find a historical period as the story background for this game.

He waited until today just to say the words "the project has started"!

Because, at the very moment he uttered those words, the system had already given him a prompt.

The project "Code Name: Shadow" has been officially registered with the system!
This means that the project has already begun.

The launch of the project signifies that "Code: Shadow" has met the condition of becoming "any game under the host's name that contains Chinese cultural content".

It has finally met the conditions for using "The Record of Splendid Paintings"!

Although the game has not yet started formal production, according to Zhou Kuang's understanding of the project, the item description of "Splendid Chapters" which states that it "greatly enhances the project's interpretation of traditional Chinese culture" does not require the project to actually start production.

Just like the tools he used before that could increase project progress and efficiency, their effects are subtle and gradual.

It could even be said that the earlier this tool is used, the better the effect.

Without hesitation, Zhou Kuang used the "Splendid Chapter Record".

He had just used the prop when, with a snap, he passed out.

……

……

……

"Um……"

"Ok?"

Zhou Kuang opened his eyes and got up from the ground, looking completely bewildered.

"Young Master, you're awake."

A burly man dressed in black beside him clasped his hands in greeting.

Zhou Kuang was completely confused. Wasn't he just in his office?

where is this?
Zhou Kuang looked around and realized he was on a ship.

The ship was now rocking precariously on the water, with scattered lights in the distance, but the surrounding area was completely dark.

The ship they were on was sailing in the darkness, heading in an unknown direction.

Just as Zhou Kuang was about to ask a question, he realized that he couldn't control "himself" at all.

(Be careful and vigilant from now on)
He suddenly realized that this was what "he" was thinking.

This feeling was very strange; he was aware of his own thoughts, but he had no control over his body at all.

That being said, who is "oneself"?
"I didn't sleep."

"Old Chen, where are we?"

Zhou Kuang suddenly asked.

"We're almost at Dinghai Pass."

The man beside him leaned down and whispered in his ear.

"it is good."

After saying that, he didn't say anything more.

Zhou Kuang wasn't good at history, so even when he heard the place name "Dinghaiguan," he still didn't know where it was.

However, Zhou Kuang was able to understand from "his own" thoughts that this was a military stronghold.

After a while, the burly man next to him coughed slightly and leaned closer again.

"Young master, I have a feeling something is wrong with this shipment."

"When the Qi Family Army delivered the goods, they didn't even seal the package with wax, they just stuffed a piece of paper inside."

He cautiously surveyed his surroundings, and only after confirming that no one was eavesdropping did he whisper, "I see some iron pipes in here, like those Western things."

Zhou Kuang replied, slightly annoyed.

"Old Chen, you know the rules of canal transport better than I do."

"Whether it's clean or not, money will tell."

He patted his fanny pack, then looked disdainfully at a distant, brightly lit building that could barely be identified as a tower.

"It's none of our business what they pretend to be, but it's better than us having to pawn something for those eunuchs!"

(End of this chapter)