Chapter 3 Game Name: "Zen"_2
With that thought, Lu Zhixing immediately began the preparatory work for game production.
He first found the prison template he had seen earlier in the marketplace and then limited the scope to a very austere cell.
Initially, the entire prison template cost eighty thousand points, but focusing on just a single cell, and because it lacked any material other than the bare walls and floor, it could be purchased for merely 70 points.
Next, Lu Zhixing went out again, left the internet cafe, and took a bus to the old city district to find a stone bridge.
He spent 110 points to source this stone bridge and some of the surrounding scenery, such as the flowing water beneath the bridge and the nearby landscape.
With 20 points remaining, Lu Zhixing browsed the marketplace again and found some basic functions were very cheap, so he bought a simple rhythm game feature: players could press keys to play different notes.
Such a function being inexpensive was quite normal, as anyone with a slight grasp of programming could effortlessly create it in an editor.
...
After finishing his sourcing, Lu Zhixing returned to the internet cafe, put on the VR gaming helmet once more, and entered the editor.
He briefly searched the editor's built-in material library and didn't see the materials he had previously purchased.
From the current situation, it seemed they existed only in Lu Zhixing's mind.
"Could it be..."
Lu Zhixing naturally had a bold idea; he opened the editor's built-in image drawing and model-making tools, trying to recall those crystal-clear materials in his mind.
The next second, something miraculous happened.
He actually began to create models at an incredibly fast pace!
At that moment, Lu Zhixing acted as if he was being controlled, transforming into a human-shaped printer, moving those materials to the editor in an inconceivable manner!
Each detail was meticulously accurate, and the efficiency was extremely high.
Of course, because the materials themselves were quite detailed, such as the tree with its complicated texture details, creating them was as difficult as drawing a hyper-realistic painting in the real world.
In this "human printer" state, Lu Zhixing still spent several hours to transfer all these models and textures over.
But this was still an extraordinarily fast pace.
The same materials, if given to a professional art team with an efficient division of labor, would still require several days to create.
By the time Lu Zhixing had moved all the prepared materials into the editor, more than six hours had passed.
It was deep into the night.
"So that's how it is; 'Life Role-Playing Game' imprints these materials into my mind while granting me the ability to produce them. That means, the materials I acquire in the real world can be transferred to the editor after a certain period and then made into a game to be released into the virtual world.
"Just don't know if there will be a more efficient, quicker way to transfer in the future. This is truly tiring..."
Continuous vigorous work for over six hours left Lu Zhixing feeling groggy and indescribably exhausted.
He had initially planned to rest and start game production after waking up the next day, but on second thought, he decided to press on and finish the task in one go.
After all, the game he wanted to create was not complex and should only take an hour or two to complete. Moreover, finishing the game earlier meant it could be submitted for review and put on the shelf to start earning money sooner.
Lu Zhixing began sorting, classifying, and piecing together the materials, forcibly stitching them into a game.
If anyone else were watching at that moment, their faces would certainly be full of shock.
What was he doing?
It wasn't that the game materials Lu Zhixing was using were slightly unrelated; they were completely unrelated.
One solitary cell in a prison, a wild meadow, a tree, a stone bridge...
This combination seemed utterly disjointed!
But there was no choice, these were the resources at Lu Zhixing's disposal.
He had intended to use the meadow for a hunting simulator or fishing simulator, but after a brief investigation, he realized he couldn't afford gun templates or create complex gameplay for hunting or fishing, so he had to abandon that idea.
As for the game that Lu Zhixing now wanted to make...
It might be a tad bit frustrating for players, but it was already the optimal use of these materials.
And besides, it had a chance to catch on, albeit not a very big one.
Time flew by, and another hour passed.
"A job well done!"
Lu Zhixing finally took a deep breath. He did one last check to ensure the game completely realized his initial concept.
Then, he saved the project file and generated two different versions, one for standard PCs and one for VR.
Having an additional version didn't cost much extra effort, and it just increased the likelihood of success.
If the game became a hit, Lu Zhixing wouldn't mind releasing mobile and console versions later on.
Last but not least, the game needed a name.
Lu Zhixing thought for a bit and filled in a name and a brief introduction that already had in mind, which seemed somewhat mysterious.
Game name: "Zen".
Game introduction: All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows; like dew, and like lightning; looking at them this way.
Game price: PC version 5 yuan, VR version 10 yuan.
After a final review and ensuring there were no issues, Lu Zhixing submitted the game for review.
He then exited the virtual world, took off the gaming helmet, performed his ablutions, and lay down on the cot to fall into a deep sleep.
...
...
The next day at noon, Lu Zhixing woke up in the storage room on the second floor of the internet cafe.
Having spent the previous night laboring over the game, using up a good deal of brainpower, Lu Zhixing was still a bit groggy.
Ravenous, Lu Zhixing went to the internet cafe's restroom to wash his face and then obtained a cup of instant noodles from the front desk, adding a grilled sausage before finding a computer in a corner. He started searching the game marketplace with the keyword: "Zen".
Soon enough, the search results displayed the game he had created the night before.
"The approval speed in this world is quite fast."
Being able to search for it meant it had already passed the review.
However, up to this point, it remained completely unnoticed—no clicks, no sales, no reviews.
An absolute product with no reputation, no inquiries, and no buyers.
"... Relying on natural exposure is really too unreliable."
This was expected by Lu Zhixing, as such a simple, perhaps slightly misleading game passing the review was already quite fortunate. It was nearly impossible to receive official recommendation resources.
Without initial exposure, there was no chance for the game to go viral.
"Waiting like this could take an eternity, or maybe it won't see the first player until the internet cafe goes out of business.
"Need to think of a strategy!"