Chapter 138: Random Mode Reviews
The new Random Mode quickly became a hot topic on various Dark Souls forums and communities.
"This mode is so hostile to players with bad luck! I have a friend whose items are withered souls or pieces of feces, and his weapons are just whips!"
"What? Are there whip weapons in this game?!"
"I have a vague idea, aren't you the friend you're talking about?"
"The truth is that the first boss I fight is the Dancer of the Boreal Valley. I'm sick!"
"What's that? On the way to the Cemetery of Ashes, I defeated Black Knights, Crow-Men, and Serpent-Men; I didn't miss a single one!"
The new Random Mode has rekindled the desire to play Dark Souls in many players who had previously lost interest. Although the balance of the Random Mode is usually based on luck, sometimes it's more about skill than luck.
For example, some lucky players, thanks to their destiny, usually collect a variety of powerful high-level weapons and the Soul of Cinder from the beginning, which elevates the gaming experience to an easy mowing level.
Meanwhile, those with the destiny of a Warlord can find themselves in the awkward situation of looking for an item and discovering a piece of feces when they pick it up, which elevates the gaming experience to a hellish difficulty level, annihilating enemies in a similar way, but with different goals.
This mode has also awakened a new obsessive-compulsive disorder in many players, after their masochistic nature. In the original game, many players didn't even look at collectibles, believing they were probably souls or weapons they considered useless, which offered little gaming experience. They just seemed to satisfy their addiction to collecting.
But in Random Mode, the situation is different. The item you missed could turn out to be the Soul of a Nameless King or the Shield of a Black Knight. Naturally, for players, no item is left untouched.
'What if the next item is really incredible?'.
Additionally, there's another point, and it's the biggest appeal of the random game. Players never know if the next item they unlock will be trash or a treasure. The thrill of the draw is truly seductive.
With these attributes, some ordinary players, after completing a first playthrough and watching a group of Souls experts analyze the background and plot of Dark Souls, now reopen Dark Souls and embark on their journey through the flame once again.
After all, the multiplayer mode of Dark Souls was mainly based on repetitive play. While monsters and bosses are improved with multiplayer, and some items only appear in several playthroughs, this is clearly not enough for average players to keep playing.
Random mode, however, is different. It is more entertaining, and each reset is like a new adventure. Players never know what items they will collect, or what bosses and monsters they will encounter.
After the introduction of the random mode, the popularity of Dark Souls not only resurfaced, but also experienced a small increase in sales. This was because, as demonstrated on major streaming and video platforms, Random Mode was incredibly appealing.
Of course, attracted by it, these players could awaken their special physical abilities and remain in the world of Dark Souls once they embarked on the Fire Transmission path, it depended on their stamina.
For players, the original content of Dark Souls was already enough to keep them hooked for a while, and the introduction of Random Mode offered even more incentives to spend more time on the game.
However, beyond this, there was another question that worried players: when exactly would Alex plan to develop a Dark Souls sequel?
In the offices of Nebula Games.
With the completion of Dark Souls' development and the launch of the new mode, the entire team was relatively idle for now.
In addition to the Nebula Games platform customer service, the forum and community operations department, and the workshop review department, a significant change also occurred.
In the game department, the departments with the most activity are Three Kingdoms Tactics, Fall Guys, and Overcooked, which require continuous operation.
Unlike single-player games like Dark Souls, these three games are primarily multiplayer. Therefore, they all require constant maintenance.
Except for Three Kingdoms Tactics, which maintains exceptionally high user engagement, the other two games, while no longer at their peak, still maintain a significant number of active players.
Naturally, Alex would not abandon them, but he was simply not paying attention to them.
Stretching, Alex checked the information that his assistant, Lynn, had compiled for him. Since his main focus was on game development, he sometimes overlooked important industry news.
Lynn, on the other hand, was compiling crucial information for him.
A quick glance revealed no recent news. The industry was mainly focused on the two new virtual reality games from Aether Games and NetDragon.
However, the information that Lynn had compiled about AI technology companies had caught Alex's attention.
As for the major AI companies, they were undoubtedly well-positioned. The healthcare, security, and military sectors, involved in facial and iris recognition, were vast, and clearly not the kind of companies Alex would be interested in.
Additionally, large AI companies are rarely monolithic. They all employ money-oriented strategies, focusing on acquisitions and building their own massive data reserves.
As for common AI companies, their scale is much less impressive.
Upon reviewing the information Lynn had compiled, Alex observed several AI technology companies that met the requirements for using item cards. He individually extracted the data files of these companies and saved them in a nearby folder. Then, he stretched and left the office.
It was lunchtime, and in the entertainment area, Lisa, Jane, Eric, and a group of employees were reclining in chairs with headphones on or playing together.
Currently, including the cleaning lady, Nebula Games has 85 employees. It is not a medium-sized video game company, but it is not exactly small either.
Alex walked over and several employees greeted him. On the single sofa, Lisa and Jane connected their controllers and experienced the new Dark Souls mode on the big screen.
"Lisa, what bad luck you have! That Irithyll Straight Sword is a mess! I'll give you a Dragonslayer Axe later!" Lisa complained, looking at the items Jane had opened. "Is this your luck, Lisa? A Fire Pot?" Jane retorted.
"Your luck is...!" Alex opened a can of soda he had taken from the freezer.
"Alex, why don't you try it?" Jane said, about to hand Alex the controller.
"I'll forget about it. You can have fun." Alex waved his hand. Mainly because he didn't trust his luck. After all, he had always relied on quantity to win in this system's lottery. So far, he had only won two special items and was unaware of how much he had lost.
Jane continued to play. Lisa, standing beside her, thought: "By the way, Alex, when will we develop the Dark Souls sequel? I see many players urging us in the forums and on the official blog!"
Eric, who had just arrived, heard this and immediately interjected: "Yes, Alex, when will we develop the sequel? Judging by the current story and perspective, a sequel should tell the story of previous events, right? A prequel would be more appropriate!"
Hearing the chat, the other employees perked up their ears and looked at Alex with anticipation.
They knew more about the sequel than the average player. This was because the game development process had been deliberately planned, clearly as a preparation for a sequel. The only thing they shared with the players was a deep desire to know the full perspective and story of Dark Souls.
Looking at the expectant people, Alex shook his head: "You're right, it is a prequel. But there are no plans for now, and Dark Souls has only been online for less than two months, so it's too early to talk about a sequel."
"At least wait until the players calm down. Of course, if you don't mind, I can create a folder called Dark Souls: Prequel. Also, if nothing unexpected happens, the company will make a big move soon."
"A big move!?" Hearing Alex's words, everyone became more curious.
"You'll know when the time comes." Alex smiled and did not respond, then stood up and returned to the office.
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