Game development begins with destroying Girls' Frontline.

The story, or rather the premise, told by Lin Li in *OBSOLETE*...

This is a new robot anime created by Gen Urobuchi.

The animation is of very good quality, and it tells the story of what would happen in the world after you could get an alien mecha for about 500 RMB.

One of the stories mentions children in the Middle East obtaining mechs to fight back.

African countries are using mechs to fight back against a US invasion.

There are also stories of the US military adding various accessories to the mechs after becoming familiar with them, and using them for modern warfare.

Of course, the entire animation.

The most interesting part is the setting.

The premise of alien race dumping is quite interesting, reminiscent of the absurd reality of giving everyone in the world a gun and seeing what kind of world would become.

Su Shanshan was somewhat puzzled after hearing the first half of the story.

"Are you planning to make another mech war game?"

Lin Li shook his head.

"Making games is like making movies; we emphasize using a specific point to represent the whole picture."

“Now we have a great point, which is that I want to show a rocket launch.”

"But this thing is just an event. It may be spectacular when it is displayed, but it cannot be the core of a game."

"Unless you're planning to make a building simulation game like Kerbal."

As Lin Li spoke, he suddenly remembered a PV he had seen in his previous life.

The first PV for a game called "Cedar"

This game features a very interesting background.

It is said that there is a planet that is associated with Earth not far from Earth.

"Alliance" and "Contract"

In other words, both the US and the USSR discovered this planet, and when the "Agreement" started the Star Wars, it unexpectedly developed into the Age of Exploration.

The Buran and Columbia space shuttles flew side by side in space.

Humanity has embarked on a journey to conquer space.

However, at this time, human technology was far from reaching the level of colonization.

Therefore, the "alliance" that was being held together still disintegrated, and the "contract" also collapsed due to excessive investment in space resources and the sudden disappearance of the enemy.

Problems also arose.

The companion planet, having lost contact with Earth, has now formed a strange world thanks to the support of Earth's two major powers.

Not to mention the local natives also use EGO magic...

Therefore, chaos ensued.

Putting aside whether the game is fun or not, the premise itself is quite interesting.

The biggest feeling he had about today's rocket launch was...

"Human efforts to explore space."

Extending from this.

There are two branches, one of which is exploration.

Rockets are like sailing ships in the Age of Exploration, capable of taking humans to places they had never been before.

Another subplot is called Clash of Civilizations.

When the Romans arrived in Daqin (the Roman Empire), and when the Qing Dynasty people arrived in New York, the impact of these similar yet seemingly two different civilizations was magnified countless times.

It may be humanity's reaction to a collision with an extraterrestrial civilization.

A few years ago, science fiction often depicted an omnipotent alien civilization.

However, in recent years...

There are also more and more works that depict humanity as a higher civilization and its clashes with lower civilizations.

of course.

Regardless of the method, the collision between technology and civilization produces stories.

That's precisely why these projects seem so appealing.

Chapter 177 "Looking Up"

"So what kind of game do you want to make with this core?"

Su Shanshan asked a question.

This question, in turn, caught Lin Li off guard.

Today's project was just a flash of inspiration for him; he doesn't know the specifics of how to do it.

He hasn't really thought it through yet.

But you can try building it.

"The core of this game is the clash of civilizations, so we need to allow players to access the most advanced technologies of human society as a whole."

"Moreover, this plot should be primarily narrative-driven."

"So the role that the player plays doesn't have to focus on a particular person, but rather on a group, or even an entire civilization."

"For example, we can set the player as a virtual Earth exploration agency, such as the position of director of the Earth Federation Space Agency, which would be very suitable."

"At this point, let's see what games the players can play?"

Lin Li, when making games, always likes to analyze and expand outwards from the core points.

This approach differs from mainstream development methods.

The current development approach often involves seeing a game become popular, and then, without considering why it became popular or what its core strengths were, simply copying it.

During this time, they were stitching up some odds and ends.

Such games may be profitable, but they are definitely not fun.

Moreover, the market is becoming saturated.

Such games are gradually becoming unprofitable.

The opposite is true: if you follow the core outwards, the game you eventually develop will definitely have a point that players will find fun.

"Imagine you walking into a massive space command center in a white uniform."

"You are in charge of everything here."

"If there is anyone on Earth who is closest to the universe, then your name must be on this list."

"So, when you're sitting in your office, what's the first thing you focus on?"

“I think that as a space agency director with little experience, you should focus on technology first.”

"In a game, that would be the tech tree."

"Having established the technology tree, we need to work backward: through what actions can players gain research points?"

Lin Li continued talking to himself.

soon.

A very distinctive game framework appeared before Su Shanshan.

Within this framework.

Players will take on the role of the director of the Earth Federal Space Agency.

Gathering the energy of the entire Earth, we strive to explore outwards.

Some people may find this setting unrealistic, but Lin Li is well aware that for a game, the setting is not the most important thing.

Neglecting the setting is not good, but overemphasizing it will lead to a self-contradictory situation.

You don't need to tell players why there is an Earth Federation.

Simply tell him that you have taken office and are responsible for the entire Earth Federation's external exploration mission, and the player can immerse themselves in the role.

"But how will players explore the stars? Create a universe? Let players control spaceships to land on various planets?"

Su Shanshan listened to the first half of the setup.

A question was raised.

“This model is certainly possible, but it’s too complicated and deviates from our core principles.”

"At the heart of this game is the clash of civilizations and humanity's exploration of the stars."

"If players explore planets, wouldn't that just turn it into No Man's Sky?"

"That's not what we want."

For producers, the worst thing is wanting everything, wanting this and wanting that.

However, increasing the number of systems does not necessarily lead to an increase in enjoyment.

Conversely, some games with very simple gameplay can actually be very enjoyable for players.

"In this game, the player takes on the role of a space exploration agency, and what he can do is manage the resources of the entire Earth."

Let's give the game a name for now.

"How about we call it 'Looking Up'?"

"Looking Up" represents both gazing at the stars and the player's role as someone in charge of a space agency.

The entire game revolves around three gameplay modes.

Construction, decision-making and exploration

The construction was very simple.

It refers to the construction within the base.

Players will receive funds each time they complete a task, and can use these funds to construct different buildings.

More rocket workshops are needed to shorten rocket construction time.

Or should we have more research institutes to make rockets more advanced?

These are all part of the building gameplay.

The second item is decision-making.

This system is relatively complex.

The game is set on a fictional, unified Earth.

However, the game's start timeline can be slightly earlier.

The first mission players undertake in the game is to land on the moon.

To do this, players need to unlock the tech tree, recruit people, choose rocket models, build rockets, select the resources the rockets should carry, and finally set objectives.

And then.

Click to complete the plan.

Finally, we can just wait for the rocket to launch.

The system will react to a series of actions taken by the player, and the player will be able to see the results after a period of time.

This gameplay style is actually the same as most Tycoon Simulator games.

For example, games like Game Tycoon and Mobile Tycoon have their core gameplay concentrated in the first half, where players work hard to create a product and then watch it sell like hotcakes, thus generating a sense of satisfaction.

"Looking Up" also has a similar gameplay.

For example, in the research and development of technology, or the construction of the base, we also need to hold press conferences and choose the content to be released.

The press conferences will be very interesting.