Private Game?

"Time to get to work, time to get to work!" In an office building in Teemo Business District, downtown Yordle City, a newly listed game-review company began its busy day.

The company had more than two hundred game reviewers, yet it still seemed short-handed. Overtime was a common occurrence. The market was simply too large now. There were already tens of millions of people working in the industry worldwide, and yet it still seemed far from saturated. Every year, countless graduates continued entering the field.

Ever since the Federation of Planet D was established in the twenty-third century, artificial intelligence had begun spreading across the globe. The replacement of most manual labor left humans with fewer and fewer things to do. With so much free time, the entertainment industry instead flourished, and as an important part of that industry, the gaming sector naturally advanced by leaps and bounds.

"Storm Tribe, Empire Conquerors, Spirit Sword Demon Sealing Record, Onmyoji 28..." In the office, Xiao Chen, who had only recently joined the company, opened the list of games they were testing. Looking at those major IPs one after another, envy appeared in his eyes.

All these games were produced by major companies. They were major productions that had already received massive publicity two years ago. The fact that the company had managed to get so many high-profile works for evaluation showed that its connections and strength were extraordinary. Unfortunately, none of that had anything to do with him...

As a newcomer, he naturally had no chance of reviewing works with major IPs. Such games were usually assigned to industry veterans for precise evaluation and risk assessment.

The games newcomers like them could test were mostly designed by private developers.

Because artificial intelligence was so advanced, game-platform templates and frameworks were now highly mature, and basic costs were not high. As a result, many cash-strapped private game enthusiasts could create virtual games with nothing but their creativity. But without a development team and a vast army of artists, privately designed games generally had to attract audiences through clever ideas.

Once the threshold was lowered, the quality of private works became wildly uneven. True masterpieces were one in ten thousand. Most were cultivation games that sold sex appeal or male-male romance. Some otaku men and women were still willing to pay for such games, and in this day and age, anyone who could afford to live as an otaku generally was not short of money...

Xiao Chen idly swiped across the screen, searching for something that might lift his spirits a little. Suddenly, he saw a black metal icon.

"That logo isn't bad!" Xiao Chen perked up slightly as he looked at the icon of a game called Star Sea. The icon had a strong metallic feel. Judging by the title, it seemed to be a science-fiction game, though that was hard to say. The science-fiction genre was something many major companies did not dare touch, let alone private developers.

It was probably another game that advertised one thing but delivered another. Either it was about a girl accompanying you on an interstellar adventure, or it wore a science-fiction skin while actually being a hack-and-level-up game in the style of a legendary title—replacing warriors and mages with Force Warriors, and the Dragon Slaying Treasure Blade with laser swords... How tacky.

He wondered why anyone still played legendary games these days. How many generations had that nostalgia gimmick fooled already?

With the attitude of giving it a try, Xiao Chen clicked in anyway. Testing a legendary-style game early in the morning was still better than testing a cultivation game. After all, playing too many of those cultivation games could leave a man's prostate congested.

"Welcome to Star Sea. Come, sign the contract and become a citizen under the great Lord Xi Ye!"

A booming voice interrupted the dazed Xiao Chen. He raised his head blankly and stared at the tall, imposing NPC in front of him. His entire body began to tremble.

"Good grief... Th-this is really a private game?

"This model is way too realistic!"

Xiao Chen stared around him in disbelief. The place seemed to be a temporary base, furnished entirely with metal. There were all kinds of unfamiliar instruments, mechanical arms, and numerous incomprehensible devices that looked incredibly high-end. His heart instantly filled with indescribable excitement.

The highest-rated science-fiction game on the market was currently Titan, produced by Blizzard Company. An ID cost 88,100 Federation Currency, making it the most expensive game on the market. When he was in school, he had scrimped and saved for three years just to scrape together enough money to apply for an account. Yet even that game was utterly outclassed in terms of scenery design and the realism of its NPC models!

The details, the metallic texture, and that NPC model—the lines on his face, the rise and fall of his muscles as he breathed—it was practically more realistic than a virtual science-fiction film!

Had he actually stumbled upon one of those legendary civilian masterpieces?

Unable to resist, Xiao Chen reached out to touch the NPC. But before his hand could make contact, an enormous pressure suddenly struck him. Caught off guard, Xiao Chen fell hard onto the floor. The intense pain in his backside left him even more astonished. A hundred percent tactile realism? This game sure is bold!

"Do not touch this lord!" the tall NPC glared at him and said harshly. "Do it again, and you will be executed on the spot!"

"Fully intelligent NPC?" Xiao Chen drew a deep breath. With artificial-intelligence technology now mature, fully intelligent NPCs were no longer anything unusual. Still, the personality settings of this NPC were rather interesting.

After thinking it over, he decided not to provoke the other party any further. If he got slapped to death with this hundred-percent tactile realism, it would certainly be unpleasant. As he thought about it, he looked toward the enormous metal door beside him.

There was a window in the door. Through it, he saw the scene outside the base. It was desolate, with no greenery anywhere on the scarlet ground. Judging by its appearance, the game had probably used the surface of Mars as its model.

That did save some effort, but the details were still exceptionally well done. The texture of the gravel on the ground was incredibly realistic, and the physical effects produced by the wind were also excellent. It was nearly impossible to find any flaws!

After thinking for a moment, he reached for the handle, wanting to open the door and take a closer look at the scenery outside. But a current of electricity suddenly knocked his hand back. Just as he was staring in surprise, the NPC said, "Mortal, a body like yours cannot survive on this planet. After you sign the contract, this lord will perform biological modifications on you. Once the population here reaches five hundred, this lord will organize you to gather resources outside and establish a home!"

"Oh..." Xiao Chen wore an expression of sudden understanding. So it hasn't been unlocked yet!

But that made sense. With production quality like this, even the workload required just to build the scenery would be enormous. A private developer naturally lacked the ability to develop too many areas. He immediately understood that this was probably only a half-finished product!

This kind of situation was not uncommon on the market. Many private developers possessed exceptional skill but received no support. They would often design an opening model first, then use it to attract investors to fund their game.

At that thought, he immediately began professionally scoring the game.

Game type: Half-finished product.

Game visuals: Five stars. Perfect details and superb texture. Judging from the visuals alone, it was unquestionably a cross-generational work!

Game models: Five stars. Refined and intricate, showcasing the strength of the game's art team.

Replayability: Unknown. No gameplay had been unlocked yet. This was a crowdfunding game.

Overall evaluation: A highly promising half-finished product with an exceptionally powerful art team. With a good game-design team, this might become a work capable of replacing Titan. Investment risk: three and a half stars. Reason: too little content had been developed—almost no content at all—making me wonder whether the work has any plans for the future. Investors are advised to clarify this first, or hire an excellent design team themselves!

After reaching his conclusion, Xiao Chen excitedly prepared to return and write his report. Finding a nugget of gold in a cesspit was quite an achievement!

But then he suddenly realized that there seemed to be no menu button. He froze for a moment, then turned toward the only intelligent NPC at the scene and asked, "Excuse me, how do I exit?"

This time, the NPC said nothing. Expressionless, he simply pointed toward a device in the center of the base that looked somewhat like a teleportation device from a science-fiction film.

An exit system tied to nodes?

Xiao Chen paused. Although this method made the game more immersive, it was also rather troublesome. It was not especially appealing in the fast-paced entertainment environment of the present day. It seemed this game really was missing an excellent design team.

After thinking it over, he did not hesitate. He quickly stepped into the Teleportation Device, opened the menu, and selected the option to exit Star Sea. He had to submit his evaluation before anyone else discovered this game. He could not let such an achievement slip away!

A streak of light flashed, and Xiao Chen vanished from the Teleportation Device. Once the person had left, the previously cold and arrogant NPC suddenly plopped down onto the floor with a clang. He removed his imposing metal helmet, revealing an extraordinarily handsome face!

"This lord is exhausted!" The NPC muttered to himself, "That idiot finally left!" Then he addressed the air, "Intelligence, can we really fool them this way?"

"Rest assured, Lord!" An electronic voice suddenly rang out from within the base. "Just wait patiently, Lord. Before long, citizens will be flowing in endlessly!"