OBS Chapter 4754 The Changes in the Battle Realm (Part 2)
Chapter 4754 The Changes in the Battle Realm (Part 2)
Chapter 4754 The Changes in the Battle Realm (Part 2)
"What exactly happened?" Schiller asked, looking at Arkham Batman.
"See for yourself." Arkham Batman took a flyer from the printer next to him. It was clearly a printed version of an advertisement, a kind of promotional poster, but it had a lot of text on it.
"Manhattan Amusement Park—A Multiverse Amusement Park! Tired of the same old dungeon mechanics in some games? Overly harsh economic systems? Looking for something fresh and exciting? Come to Manhattan Amusement Park for a brand new multiverse virtual gaming experience!"
Schiller's eyes widened: "The 'certain games' he mentioned, could it be the Battle World?"
“Exactly,” said Arkham Batman. “Although he didn’t name names, it’s probably to avoid legal trouble. But it’s clearly referring to the Multiverse, since before this, you were the only multiverse game company.”
Schiller shook his head somewhat helplessly. Arkham Batman asked, "Aren't you angry?"
"Would you be surprised if I told you I knew there would be competitors?"
“No, not at all,” said Batman Arkham. “Actually, I think it’s bound to happen sooner or later. Powerful beings from the multiverse and beyond will definitely find a way to peer into the Battle Realm. They will also realize the benefits of this model and will certainly try to imitate it, and quite a few of them will be able to do it, or at least be able to do some of the functions.”
"Although you are now the largest monopoly, small companies also have their advantages. Even if you just make a quick buck by capitalizing on the novelty, it's still a sure thing. After all, everyone understands how virtual games work now, so they won't be as wary and will be happy to try them out. One generation plants the trees, another enjoys the shade."
Schiller sighed: "So this Manhattan amusement park is the multiverse game company created by Dr. Manhattan?"
“That’s right.” Arkham Batman nodded and said, “Then I should also say, would you be surprised if I got more than just this one ad?”
"Who else?" Schiller was genuinely surprised.
Batman from Arkham took back the blue poster from Schiller and handed him a green one. Schiller looked at it and exclaimed, "Brainiac Creative Studios!" Their tagline was "Super AI for the best gaming experience."
And this guy isn't just making games. He claims he's going to create a 'multi-functional communication network software' based in Brainiac, encompassing communication, payment, gaming, and other social sharing features—he's practically changing his profile picture to a bird of prey from Antarctica.
Games are just the first step, as people are quite accepting of games these days. However, since Brainiac's rank isn't particularly high, they also have a need to manufacture hardware. One is a brainwave access device, and the other is a holographic virtual reading pod. Although they're only being rolled out in a few universes right now, they're all given away with a click.
"Have you used it?" Schiller asked.
"Don't be ridiculous. You want me to lie in a coffin made by an evil artificial intelligence?" Arkham Batman said. "I'm doing a great job as president, and I'm not thinking about dying yet."
Schiller thought about it and realized that Batman certainly wouldn't connect his brainwaves this way; after all, it wasn't very safe. Besides, they mostly played games to build alliances and train themselves, not for entertainment. So, Fighting World was enough.
However, it's hard to say about others, especially young people. Many people disregard personal information and privacy when it comes to playing games, agreeing to whatever the game company asks them to. I imagine quite a few people would do that.
With two formidable competitors suddenly appearing, it's impossible not to feel pressure. But Schiller was still looking for solutions, and he mentioned the upcoming transformation of Fighter Online. Arkham Batman strongly agreed, saying, "In my opinion, the allure of this model isn't just that others will develop more and more creative games, but that we can use a creation simulation system. You know how useful that is."
Schiller knew, of course, that for super geniuses like Iron Man, Batman, or Mister Fantastic, having direct access to the backend system for editing the universe was practically equivalent to the question setter revealing the answer directly. Even though it was just a small-scale virtual simulation system, the principles were similar, and their ability to uncover the threads of cosmic truth was more important than anything else.
Take Stark from the central universe, for example. His previous information flow conversion technology was essentially a simplified version of a small function of a creation system. Most carbon-based life forms would already be quite advanced at this point, but if they could create things out of thin air using information, wouldn't they truly become creators?
While achieving this level of sophistication is unlikely, for these individuals, the exploration itself is a source of enjoyment. This virtual creation system alone would be enough for them to study for a lifetime, not to mention the various related disciplines—they would be swimming in an ocean of knowledge, oblivious to the world around them.
Schiller realized he had made the right move. Compared to these smaller companies, Doujie's biggest advantages were its high status, strong technical capabilities, and its status as the legitimate entity appointed by both sides' top management, ensuring its security and stability.
These small, privately-run factories are prone to problems. If you enter their virtual system and it crashes, you could be in danger. With so few staff, the selection of instances is limited; you're mostly just trying something new.
Even so, Schiller still intended to try it, saying, "May I go in?"
"Of course, this thing is publicly available, anyone can get in. Besides, they came here specifically for the Battle Realm, so they'll naturally have anticipated your arrival and have a plan. What do you plan to do?"
“I wasn’t trying to cause trouble,” Schiller said. “I just wanted to play some of the games they released. You know what kind of games they are.”
“A Batman has already been to the Manhattan amusement park,” Arkham Batman recalled. “That Batman said it was pretty good, and in terms of art direction and production quality, it was on par with Fighter Online. But they probably started working on it a long time ago and polished it many times, so it’s normal that it’s of a high standard.”
What about game design?
“He was afraid of giving me spoilers, so he didn’t go into details. I called you over so we could go and investigate together.” Arkham Batman gave a disdainful look. “Those dungeons in the Battle Realm are too easy for me. If he could make something decent, that would be fine too.”
Schiller stroked his chin, thinking, and said, "If the Batman feedback is good, then the basic quality is there. The only question is how it works. Is duo queueing allowed?"
“It can be done in squads, but not necessarily in teams,” Arkham Batman said. “I prefer individual battles.”
"Okay. When are you free?"
"I still have some work to do today, probably tomorrow afternoon."
How do I get to this place?
"Just come to the Presidential Palace, I'll take you there."
“Wait a minute,” Schiller suddenly said, “the new season starts in a week, and I’m very busy. Can someone else go with you?”
Who do you want to replace?
You'll find out then.
The following afternoon, Arkham Batman was greeted by Schiller, who was wearing a black shirt. His skin looked paler than Greed's, as if he hadn't seen the sun for years, and his gray eyes were even lighter in color. He looked like a thin, fragile sheet of paper.
But Batman Arkham wouldn't underestimate him. He knew of Schiller's formidable reputation, though he hadn't had any in-depth conversations with him. Greed claimed to be harmless, yet he sent this guy out; it seemed like he had ulterior motives.
However, Arkham Batman wasn't much of a talker, and Schiller was clearly not one for small talk either. The two didn't exchange many words. Arkham Batman took out the poster and stared at it for a while. Soon, many blue particles generated around them, and a quantum portal opened—this was Dr. Manhattan's signature technique; he possessed the ability to manipulate quantum particles.
Walking through the quantum tunnel, you arrive at a vast, azure space. While seemingly empty, it's far from shabby; everywhere you look, there's futuristic furniture. At the same time, because the space is so open and expansive, there's absolutely no feeling of oppression; it's quintessentially science fiction.
Batman from Arkham briefly surveyed the space. But soon, the blue particles rose again, and a massive city reappeared before them, with Doctor Manhattan's figure appearing on the advertising screen of the tallest building.
"Welcome to Manhattan Amusement Park." His voice rang in their ears. "Manhattan Amusement Park will be part of the multiverse Manhattan City. The rest of the city is still under construction and is not open to the public at the moment. Please follow the arrows to enter the amusement park."
Batman from Arkham understood. It seemed that Doctor Manhattan's ambitions extended beyond the game; he wanted to build a city spanning the multiverse, or perhaps something even grander.
Blue guide strips appeared on the ground. The two followed the strips, walking through streets and alleys until they arrived at the entrance of the amusement park. It looked like an ordinary amusement park, but the moment they stepped inside, particles surrounded them again, and they found themselves in a large hall.
The walls were still all white, the furniture was futuristic, and there were many streamlined robots. But this time there was a huge pillar in the middle, and a blue holographic screen floated on the pillar, displaying the name of the game.
There were only three games. However, they were divided into easy, medium, and hard difficulty levels. Arkham Batman immediately asked, "Any extremely hard or nightmare games?"
Both of these difficulty levels are options within the Battlegrounds. Above Hard is Extreme Hard, and above Extreme Hard is Nightmare. The previous Deadly Escape instance was an Extreme Hard instance. However, Arkham Batman found Nightmare, even above Extreme Hard, a bit too easy for him.
"Hard dungeons are player-versus-player battles, and the difficulty depends primarily on the player's skill level. If you want to participate in a more challenging game, I recommend choosing this mode."
Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that these three games aren't actually three instances, but rather three modes. The easiest one is the story mode, the medium one is monster-fighting, and the hardest is player-versus-player combat.
"Is there any way to limit it?" Arkham Batman asked. He was still applying the Battlegrounds model, since Battlegrounds are divided into those with and without restrictions.
"It won't be completely restricted, but it will be modified." Dr. Manhattan answered patiently. "Your attributes will be balanced. At the same time, your abilities will be categorized as skills. This won't completely eliminate your abilities, and it will also allow for fair competition between players in different instances."
“That’s good,” said Arkham Batman. “I’ve been wanting to try out the intermediate mode for a while now.”
Then he looked at Schiller: "Let's play this difficult one."
“Okay.” Schiller nodded.