Agreeing to Create Bad Games, What the Hell Is ‘Titanfall’? Chapter 68
The bullet comments exploded!
“WTF? WTF?!”
“Sh*t, Sheng-ge, what the hell are you doing?!”
“This shooting effect? This shooting feedback? You’re really putting this into the game? Aren’t you afraid I’ll throw all my money at you?!”
“Bro, you know how to threaten people.”
“This effect is just insane!”
“You’re really doing this? Damn, kid, you’re the real deal.”
“But it’s just lifting the gun... why is the visual impact so intense?!”
“I hereby declare this a revolution in shooting game technology.”
“One promo clip, two mind-blowing moments. Wait a sec... Sheng-ge’s got a secret system, right?”
“@Gu Sheng Sam, hand over your system, bro!”
“Everyone, I beg you, let’s get in the VR pod today and try it!”
“Be bold! A thousand people begging you!”
“...”
It was pure chaos!
Just like Gu Sheng had predicted, the moment that pseudo-real gameplay footage appeared, everyone—from the streamers to the viewers—looked like they’d been struck by lightning!
The shock surged through their bodies like a high-voltage current!
A shooting game... could be done like this?!
The emergence of the second-generation FPS mode completely redefined their understanding of “shooting feedback”!
They couldn’t wrap their heads around it.
It was just lifting the gun and simulating realistic shooting mechanics—
Why was the visual impact so revolutionary?!
Finally, when the four survivors, after overcoming countless perils, squeezed into an elevator to escape the zombie horde, even the tense audience let out a collective breath.
That was so thrilling! It felt like one wrong move, and you’d be doomed forever!
“Phew...”
The man in the suit exhaled, saying:
“Guess we got lucky, huh?”
But before he could finish—
The T-shirt guy kneeling on the floor let out a small exhale, his tone full of dread: “...holy...cr*p.”
Buzz...
The observation elevator slowly descended, casting the only light in the vast supermarket.
As the elevator neared the first floor, the scene below became clearer—
A sea of zombies, packed shoulder to shoulder, mindlessly shuffling around the huge mall.
Their postures were twisted, their movements sluggish...
But everyone knew—
Once disturbed, it would be an absolute nightmare.
Finally!
Ding!
The elevator reached the first floor.
The doors slid open with a ding, spilling light onto countless twisted, grotesque zombie faces.
Back inside the elevator—
BZZZZ!!!
A roaring chainsaw burst to life. The burly coach lifted the terrifyingly sharp chainsaw high!
The four survivors inside the elevator were geared up, ready to face the onslaught.
Boom boom!
As the final drumbeat dropped, the game title appeared with a flourish—
Left 4 Dead
Buzz...
Even though the industry folks at the event had already seen this promo before—
They still couldn’t help but burst into cheers when the game title flashed across the screen!
Even Sis Zhou and Wang Pineapple let out excited screams.
This game looked way too epic!
Gu Sheng had completely flipped the script on players’ expectations of zombies since Resident Evil.
No longer were they sluggish and dumb. They were powerful, fast, and full of threat.
And those swarms of zombies, overwhelming like a plague of locusts—
The visual impact was absolutely unreal.
As for the shooting mechanics, Gu Sheng had fully abandoned the first-generation FPS style, making gunfire feel as close to real life as possible.
It might have seemed like a small tweak...
But that tiny tweak led to a huge change in feedback!
After watching the promo, A-Yin felt his whole body buzzing with excitement.
“So... that first-person shooting sequence in the middle... that’s what you mean by ‘second-gen FPS’?”
As the lights at the booth came back on, A-Yin couldn’t wait to ask Gu Sheng:
“Will that shooting mode really be in the final game?”
“Of course,”
Gu Sheng nodded, confirming what he’d suspected.
“That footage was directly captured from real gameplay—it’s just been touched up in post for the promo.”
He shrugged a little helplessly:
“Honestly, if we had the budget, we wouldn’t even need to touch it up...”
“Apologies in advance, though—given our current size, this is the best we can deliver for now.”
“But don’t worry—Golden Wind will keep getting better. And the quality of the games we deliver will keep getting better too.”
Woosh—!
Applause erupted on-site.
The bullet comments were moved to tears:
“Say no more, Shifu, say no more. I’ll buy it. I’ll buy it, okay?!”
“What the f*** are you barking for? Start the pre-order, you hear me? PRE-ORDER NOW!!!”
“Shut the f**k up and take my money!!!”
“I’m so moved... I’ll sell my blood just to support Sheng-ge!”
“This is so hype... I’ve already sold my house, just to support Golden Wind!”
“Don’t say another word, Sheng-ge, just start the crowdfunding. I’ll donate a kidney for you.”
“???”
“Let’s not get too crazy here...”
“With a game like this, you’re gonna bankrupt people!”
“This game’s gotta cost at least ten million to develop. Forget people—even an elephant couldn’t handle that!”
“Hahahaha...”
“You guys are playing on another level...”
“...”
The hype was unreal!
And, with the viewers in the livestream begging like crazy—
Of course, A-Yin and the other three had to hop into the VR pod and try the game out for themselves!
As for the other game designers—though they were reluctant to give up their turn—they could only step aside, letting the four streamers take over.
After all, those four did have the proper priority access.
Soon enough—
A-Yin and his crew entered the VR pods, connecting to the game.
Meanwhile, the live stream displayed the gameplay on the big screen.
Bzzzz...
The sound of helicopter blades faded, and the game scene gradually brightened.
A-Yin opened his eyes and found himself on a rooftop.
Turning his head, he saw his three teammates—
Liu Liu was controlling the suited man, Nick.
Sis Zhou was playing the T-shirt guy, Ellis.
Wang Pineapple was the Black woman, Rochelle.
And A-Yin himself, naturally, was the burly coach.
The four exchanged glances and confirmed their identities using the built-in mics.
Then, they looked at the table near the rooftop door.
On it were four pistols, four medkits, two crowbars, and two fire axes.
The standard four-player loadout.
“I’ll take this,”
A-Yin stepped forward, grabbed a fire axe, and gave it a swing.
“Hey, feels pretty good.”
Then he picked up a pistol and tested it.
The gun felt solid, with a nice weight to it. Really satisfying to hold.
The only thing that threw A-Yin off—
The familiar virtual crosshair was gone.
Not just that!
The ammo count UI was moved onto the gun’s frame.
The health bar? It was now on a wristwatch.
The minimap? Gu Sheng hadn’t even made one.
You have to understand—
In almost every mainstream shooter these days, the UI takes up a ton of screen space.
Health, ammo, weapon loadouts, crosshairs—
The HUD was always plastered everywhere, afraid players might not see their current status.
But precisely because of that—
It made Left 4 Dead’s design genius stand out even more.
Gu Sheng seemed to be deliberately stripping away UI, reducing its impact on the screen.
This made the game feel so much more immersive—and perfectly suited to the second-gen shooting concept!
Gulp.
Weighing the gun in his hand, listening to the faint zombie moans below...
A-Yin couldn’t help swallowing hard, heart pounding. It felt like he was actually in the Left 4 Dead world.
He raised the pistol, took a deep breath, aligning the sights—
BANG!
He squeezed the trigger. The recoil and camera shake hit him all at once, and he was shocked.
It felt so real!
He’d gone to real shooting ranges while abroad, so he knew how a gun felt.
And now, in a game, he’d felt that sensation again!
From the muzzle flash, the gunshot sound, the recoil feedback—it was almost indistinguishable from real shooting!
The only slight difference was that the recoil seemed a bit toned down—probably to make the game more playable.
“This gunplay... it’s insanely satisfying...”
He sighed in awe.
Considering the three women didn’t know much about guns, A-Yin gave them a quick tutorial.
Then, the team geared up and pushed open the rooftop door!
“When you see zombies, don’t panic. Remember: align your sights before you shoot,” A-Yin reminded them.
“This isn’t first-gen FPS anymore. Hip-fire accuracy is super low!”
“Got it—!!!”
The three women responded in unison, actually sounding pretty serious.
Entering the stairwell, A-Yin turned on the flashlight on his pistol.
The pale beam illuminated the bloodstained walls, sending chills down their spines.
From below, the faint moans of zombies echoed, adding to the tension.
No doubt about it—
In the promo, mowing down zombies had looked awesome.
But actually playing it, with this atmosphere?
They were all feeling a bit nervous.
“Boss... there’s zombies right below...”
Behind him, Wang Pineapple whispered nervously.
“I hear them,” A-Yin nodded, waving his hand.
“Come on, let’s go take a look.”
The group crept down the stairs, reaching the next level’s stairwell.
Creak...
The fire door creaked open.
A-Yin peeked inside.
At the end of the corridor, a single zombie stood, its posture twisted, occasionally twitching as it made guttural noises.
A-Yin let out a breath.
“Ha—just one, huh?”
He clicked his tongue.
“I was hoping for a horde. This? Barely a warmup...”
Hearing that, the bullet comments filled with question marks—
“???”
“You didn’t look like you were hoping for a horde a minute ago!”
“Dude, you were holding your breath a second ago—now you’re acting all cocky?”
“Right, okay. Sure, buddy!”
“Respect the confidence... let’s see how long it lasts!”
“Bullying a lone zombie, huh? Feeling good about yourself now?”
“...”
Since the VR pods were connected to the livestream, A-Yin could see the semi-transparent comments in the corner of his screen.
Seeing the comments, he sneered.
“Tch—what, you think I’m just talking big, huh? Kiddo?”
“This little thing, I’m the God of Guns. One shot, one kill!”
As he spoke, A-Yin raised his gun and walked slowly toward the zombie, aiming for its head.
“Watch and learn, boys. One shot—bam!”
BANG!
The gunshot echoed through the corridor.
With a burst of flame, the zombie’s head exploded in a shower of blood.
The body hit the ground with a thud.
A-Yin casually holstered his pistol, gave the barrel a playful blow, and grinned smugly:
“See that? I’m asking you, did you see that?”
“Tch. Just a little zombie. Dares to mess with me, the God of Guns?”
“With my shooting skills, forget one—I could take out ten or eight, no problem!”
As he spoke, A-Yin reached the end of the corridor—
“Do you know what it means to get a headshot every time? That’s—”
Rustle, rustle—
Before he could finish, a strange sound came from around the corner.
Curious, A-Yin peeked...
And locked eyes with fifty-plus pairs of zombie eyes.
A crowd of twisted, twitching figures loomed in the dark hallway, faces mangled and grotesque.
And now, like sunflowers turning toward the sun, they all looked at him—drawn by the gunshot.
“...Tsk.”
A-Yin smacked his lips, a little regretful.
“Sh*t, forgot this is Golden Wind’s game...”
“Gu Sheng, man, next time can you please design something a little more cheerful?”
The very next second—
A-Yin’s scream blasted through the hallway!
“AAAAAHHH—F**K!!! RUN!!! IT’S A TRAP!!!”
Hearing his yell, the three girls behind the fire door all flinched in shock.
Then—
They saw A-Yin, who had just reached the corner, turn tail and sprint back like mad!
And behind him—
Dozens of zombies burst around the corner, crawling, leaping, and howling like rabid dogs, charging after him at terrifying speed!!!
Liu Liu reacted instantly—
She raised her pistol and fired toward the horde chasing A-Yin, her movement smooth and practiced!
BANG!
The bullet flew from the barrel—
THWACK!
And hit A-Yin’s thigh dead on.
“Ah?! F**k???”
A-Yin was stunned.
Before he could yell in protest, Liu Liu waved her hand behind the door.
“Quick! Shoot! Cover the boss—!!!”
“Wait—hold up!!!”
A-Yin felt a chill run down his spine, frantically waving to stop them.
But before he could say anything—
Three barrels swung his way.
BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG—!!!