Villain’s Programming - Chapter 261



Only Noblemtl

Episode 261: Descendants of Goguryeo

Dojun left his valet parking at the building where ‘Real Fantasy Games’ was located and entered through the main gate.

‘I should have come here more often, but it’s been so long.’

Dojun owned 30% of Real Fantasy Games. Of course, he should have been more interested and concerned about it, but he was too busy to do so.

‘What if my requirements are too far removed from the current engine?’

Dojun tried to implement the requirements of the ‘Black Cat’ developers through the ‘Real Fantasy Engine’. However, it had been too long since he had seen the engine’s source code.

If the engine structure or source code had changed significantly in the meantime, it could have been difficult to make changes.

Dojun thought as he entered the building and got on the elevator.

‘I’ll have to pay more attention in the future. As time goes by, the influence of game engines on games will increase.’

In 2022, most game companies around the world created games using ‘game engines’, except for a few game companies that created their own game engines.

‘After competing with several game engines, the only engines left in 2022 were Unreal Engine and Unity Engine.’

The two game engines had very different tendencies. Unreal Engine was used in games that showed high-performance, high-quality graphics, while Unity was used a lot in light games.

‘That was a given. Unity didn’t even cost 5 million won, while Unreal Engine cost close to 400 million won. Real Fantasy Engine dug into the gap between them.’

The elevator opened and the ‘Real Fantasy Games’ logo appeared. When Do-jun opened the door and went inside, CEO Son Hak-bin was standing there.

“Representative Hwang, welcome.”

“Representative Son, it’s been a while.”

The two men greeted each other by shaking hands.

“Haha. I haven’t seen you since the wedding. Okay, let’s go inside.”

Dojun went into the CEO’s office and sat down.

“I guess your married life is going well. Your face has completely bloomed.”

Do-jun smiled brightly at Representative Son’s words.

“It’s so good, I regret not doing it sooner.”

It really was. Dojun was so happy living with Sally.

“Haha. Everyone else tells you not to get married, but Mr. Hwang is different.”

“They must have had a great time as newlyweds. But, Mr. Son, aren’t you getting married?”

Son Hak-bin answered with an embarrassed expression.

“Well, do you get married alone? It takes fate.”

“Look around you carefully. It’s dark under the lamp, so you may find a connection closer than you think.”

“Haha. Okay. I’ll keep my eyes wide open and take a look around.”

The two laughed and talked more about things they hadn’t been able to talk about before.

“But I heard from Team Leader Choi earlier that you had something to say about the engine?”

Dojun took a sip of his canned coffee and answered.

“Yes, there is a feature I would like to add to the engine.”

Originally, developers really hated investors interfering with development. However, Son Hak-bin’s eyes sparkled as he welcomed Do-jun’s words.

This was because engine performance increased significantly every time Dojun participated in development.

In addition, Son Hak-bin was currently looking for new features to include in the next version of ‘Real Fantasy Engine’.

“What features would you like to add?”

“As you know, artists have to ask programmers for help if they want to see their work in an actual game.”

“Yes.”

“So artists end up waiting for the programmers to do their work.”

Son Hak-bin said, hitting his knee.

“Ah! We need a feature that allows artists to check their work without having to be a programmer.”

“That’s right. As expected, Mr. Son understands things right away. And there’s one more thing.”

“One more?”

“Please add features that allow artists to create shader programs.”

“Shaders?”

Son Hak-bin tilted his head.

‘Shaders? Shaders are a field that requires both artists and programmers, but an artist doing this? That’s a bit too much. To do this, you need to have at least the skills of a programmer.’

This has been common knowledge in the industry up until now. Son Hak-bin didn’t think Do-jun was unaware of this.

“If both are supported, game development will become incredibly convenient. Division of labor will be clear. Also, if I can do everything by myself, I can do various tests, and then the quality will go up.”

“That’s what I want.”

“But don’t you know that this is impossible? Both require programming knowledge.”

Dojun smiled brightly.

“Yes.”

Son Hak-bin also smiled and said.

“So, please tell me the solution you brought.”

“Could I just use a pen and a piece of paper?”

Son Hak-bin prepared it right away. Do-jun drew a square box on A4 paper.

“Do you know the flow chart?”

“Yes. Is there any programmer who doesn’t know that?”

“What about UML?”

“I don’t use it often, but I know what it is. But why are you telling me that?”

Dojun asked with a smile.

“Both are used by programmers, but in fact, they can be used even without specialized programming knowledge.”

Neither the flowchart nor the UML contained any code. They were both about expressing relationships using shapes.

At that moment, Son Hak-bin’s eyes widened.

“no way?”

“What artists want is actually simple for programmers. They can make it just by knowing the order of commands.”

Dojun drew several square boxes and started connecting them.

“Most of the work could be done by simply connecting boxes with wires. Of course, this would have to be programmed inside the engine, but it wouldn’t be that hard, would it?”

At Do-jun’s words, Son Hak-bin looked at the A4 paper with surprised eyes.

“Honestly, it doesn’t seem easy, but I think it’ll work out if you try and make some mistakes. No, you can do it. Oh my gosh! This will solve all your problems.”

Son Hak-bin continued speaking while looking at Do-jun.

“How did you come up with all these ideas?”

“I just… thought about it and it just came out.”

In fact, this is something Dojun had seen in his past life.

‘It was Blueprint, a new feature introduced in Unreal 4. Of course, it’s a similar concept, but different.’

Son Hak-bin made a dumbfounded expression.

“I’m speechless. You did the same thing with Landscape last time, but I didn’t know you’d come up with this new concept.”

“What do you think? With this concept, can an artist do the two things I mentioned?”

Son Hak-bin nodded.

“Of course. If we research a little more, we might be able to make a game using just this.”

Do-jun was impressed. It was because he realized what Son Hak-bin was ultimately aiming for just by looking at the concept.

“Someday it will happen.”

“Representative Hwang, did you happen to name this?”

Dojun shook his head.

“No. I only thought of the concept, not the name… … .”

“Then, can I name it?”

“Of course. I guess you came up with a good name?”

Son Hak-bin answered Do-jun’s words with a bright smile.

“Yes. Just a little while ago, I saw you drawing a picture and something came to mind. Patchwork. How about ‘patchwork’ when you put together various functions?”

It was awkward at first, but after saying it a few times, I quickly got used to it.

“Patchwork. Patchwork is okay.”

“Thank you. Haha. I feel like I received a great gift today.”

“As for the gift, I’ve just given you a lot of work to do.”

“You are always welcome to do this kind of work. So, I will give you a gift as well.”

Dojun opened his eyes wide.

“Is it a gift?”

“Yes. We have decided on the core features of ‘Real Fantasy Engine 2’.”

“What is that?”

Son Hak-bin answered confidently.

“Light. Real-time light source effect.”

* * *

After Do-jun and Son Hak-bin’s conversation, the lights in the Real Fantasy Games office were on fire.

All employees were excited about the fact that they were creating ‘Real Fantasy Engine 2’ and participated. In addition, people from ‘Black Cat’ studio also participated in the development.

The goal was to immediately apply the engine to the ‘Gama Musa’ as soon as it was created in order to identify any problems immediately.

After the efforts of so many people, the prototype of ‘Real Fantasy Engine 2’ was released in just two months.

“Wow, this is amazing. It makes my work 1.5 times faster.”

“I think the quality has improved because I can do everything by myself.”

All Black Cat Studio artists were very pleased with the new engine.

Among them, the most satisfied person was AD Choi Young-gyu. This was because he was able to realize the art he had dreamed of by utilizing ‘patchwork.’

“Hehehe.”

AD Choi Young-gyu laughed heartily while looking at the characters he created, especially the female characters.

AD Choi Young-gyu wasn’t the only one like that. Do-jun swallowed dry saliva while looking at the prototype development version of ‘Gae-ma Musa’.

‘It’s crazy, it’s crazy.’

Dojun saw the back of an attractive woman before his eyes. The sun was up in the sky, and the woman’s back looked extremely attractive in the sunlight.

Every time the female character moved, every time her collar flapped in the wind, the shadows were accurately depicted.

‘Wow. This is almost like real life.’

Originally, AD Choi Young-gyu’s characteristic was that he portrayed a voluptuous body with a prominent lower body.

That wasn’t properly expressed with the previous engine, but it was made possible with the new ‘Real Fantasy Engine 2’.

“Thank you all for your hard work.”

After finishing the internal demonstration, Dojun told the developers to leave work early and sat down in front of the computer.

I turned on the internet and entered a gaming community. When I searched for ‘Ssangryong’, quite a few posts appeared.

– Does this look like Goguryeo being taken over with open eyes? Don’t people who play this game think of Goguryeo as a local Chinese government?

– I’ll have to try it out myself when the game comes out, but if those are the actual game graphics, I should be scared. When did Chinese game technology become so advanced?

– This is driving me crazy. Shouldn’t the government step in at this point? Isn’t the content of the game exactly the same as the content of the Northeast Project?

People were shaking with excitement at the news of ‘Ssangyong’ announced by Baeksent.

– By the way, what happened to the ‘Goguryeo Project’ that Black Cat was making?

– I heard that you’re so busy having fun on your honeymoon that you don’t make games?

– Well, I too… If I had a wife like that… … .

– That’s what CEO Hwang Do-jun said. It’s a well-known fact in this industry that there were ideas that could be announced in Shanghai, but there was no ability to develop them.

– Black Cat is a problem, but rumor has it that Baeksent is developing ‘Twin Dragons’ in three shifts.

– 3 shifts? What kind of factory is this?

– As expected, it’s a communist party without human rights. It’s a development environment that only China can create. But isn’t this a big deal? How can we overcome this?

Community searches included not only user posts, but also Internet articles.

Among them, the article that angered gamers the most was the government announcement.

[This is a virtual game created by the game company, and is different from reality.]

– You crazy bastards. Do you think that the content of that virtual game is true for people in other countries?

– Oh my. That’s what these kids do.

Dojun smiled brightly as he looked at the articles floating around on the Internet.

“Just wait a minute. I’ll make you forget all about the twin dragons. And what we’re showing you is not fiction like China, but real history. Of course, there are myths too. Aren’t myths part of history?”

Do-jun called Director Kim Jae-hwan. Kim Jae-hwan was in charge of historical research, myths, and the historical research on the weapons and clothing used in ‘The Dog Warrior’. He also participated in the production of a ‘video’ using it.

“Chief, how is the video production going?”

– I just received the final version.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

– It was hard work. This is exactly what I wanted to do. I think the world will be surprised when this video and gameplay footage is released. Especially China.

“Of course. I’ll show you exactly what’s written in Chinese history books as proof. The Chinese won’t be able to say anything.”

– Yes, that’s what will happen. So, when do you plan on releasing it?

“A week later.”

The next day, all the gaming press published articles.

[Black Cat Steuio. Finally, the Goguryeo project is announced. The game name is ‘Gaemamusa’]

[ The game has not been revealed yet. Everything will be announced at the game launch event. ]

The press was only given one poster for ‘Gae-ma-musa’. It was a really trivial article, but people got excited just by that.

– Are you finally coming out?

– I’ve been waiting. Gaemamusa! I’ll buy it as soon as it’s released!

– Doesn’t this actually look sloppy? If you can’t even do a proper historical investigation, the Chinese kids will laugh at you?

– I’m a little worried about that too, but this game is our only hope right now, right?

– Please, please. I don’t want anything more. Just make a game that can compete with ‘Twin Dragons’.

Originally, gamers only played games they liked. Naturally, they had strong likes and dislikes for games.

But this time it was different. Everyone was of one mind and hoped that ‘Gae-ma Musa’ would turn out well.

Of course, there were those who didn’t. They were Chinese gamers.

– Haha. The era of Korean gaming is over.

– That’s right. There is no Korean game that has graphics that surpass ‘Ssangryong’.

– Now, we are entering an era where China is the leader in gaming.

– You claim Goguryeo, a local government in China, as your own country. You crazy bastards.

So many people waited for ‘Gae-ma-musa’ for their own reasons.

And then the day of the development announcement dawned.

* * *

Dojun climbed up onto the stage at the presentation hall and looked ahead.

‘There are so many reporters here. It seems like there are a lot of people from the gaming industry too.’

I thought not many people would come since it was announced a week ago, but I was wrong. Not only Korean reporters, but also Western reporters showed up.

‘And Chinese journalists too.’

Even though it was a presentation hall, Do-jun heard the characteristically loud Chinese language. Do-jun smiled as he looked at them.

‘You must be curious about what kind of game it is. I’ll show you from now on, so watch carefully.’

Dojun opened his mouth into the microphone.

“Hello. This is Hwang Do-jun, the CEO of Black Cat Studio.”

Applause echoed across the podium. Do-jun bowed his head once more, then raised his head and spoke.

“Thank you. You’ve probably been to a lot of game presentations, so you know. At game presentations, they talk about things like this. They say that this is a game that will surprise the world, an epic story of good and evil, and that they’ll provide the best fun to users with various contents. It’s not like anyone wrote the script for it.”

Some reporters snickered at Do-jun’s words.

“I won’t say anything like that. I’ll show you right away. Let me introduce it to you for the first time. It’s Black Cat’s new game, ‘Gaemamusa.’”

As Dojun spoke, the lights went out. Light came on the giant screen behind Dojun, and images began to appear one by one.

A large number of oriental-style tile-roofed houses were visible against the blue sky, and a woman was standing on the street between the tile-roofed houses.

It was a woman wearing a flowing dress that covered her entire body, as seen often in historical dramas. She was walking down the street, looking around in all directions.

All the reporters looked at it quietly. But one group of reporters was different. They were Chinese reporters.

They said they were whispering, but it was a quiet presentation, so their voices echoed everywhere.

“What? Another computer graphics image?”

“Yeah, you can make videos as long as you pay for them. It’s always the guys who aren’t confident in their game skills who show their videos first.”

“Fuck. Hwang Do-jun is ridiculous. Isn’t that only slightly better than the Final Fantasy Advance Children movie that came out 5 years ago? Are you showing me that level now? I don’t even need to watch it to know! I feel like I’m going to die.”

The Korean reporters who understood Chinese frowned at the Chinese reporters’ remarks. They thought it was rude.

But not everyone was like that. Some reporters nodded.

‘It’s not even a meaningful game video, so what’s the point of a video of a girl just wandering around? Of course, the girl is very attractive, after all.’

It was then. Suddenly, the sound of a gong echoed all around. At that moment, the woman turned her head and looked at a place. It was a castle wall. A soldier on the wall was urgently striking a gong.

At that sound, people on the street were startled and ran away. But it wasn’t the woman. Instead, she took off the outer garment she was wearing.

– Gulp.

Most of the people in the presentation hall swallowed dryly. The camera was showing the woman from behind, and her lower body was very voluptuous.

Instead of a skinny lower body in reality, a lower body called a honey thigh appeared before my eyes. And in the woman’s hand, a huge spear was suddenly held.

The woman started running down the street toward the wall. Then, suddenly, a light came on and pointed to a place.

All the reporters looked there. There they saw Do-jun sitting on a chair and manipulating a game pad.

Every time the pad was manipulated, the female character moved, which was visible to all reporters.

At that moment, all the reporters were shocked. Among them, the Chinese reporters could not hold back and shouted.

“What? This isn’t a graphic image? This is a gameplay screen!”