Game Development Giant

The game "Mario Maker", as its name suggests, is a Mario game that allows players to edit game levels based on game materials and editors provided by the game manufacturer, and then let themselves or others challenge the levels they designed.

This game mode is not uncommon. This game mode has been available on eight-bit machines.

For example, Namco's "City of Battle", Nintendo's "Motocross", and many others. The reviews and responses at the time were good, which enhanced the playability of players, but no one has ever been able to I thought that thirty years later, using only the materials of the first generation Super Horse, this "Mario Maker" would actually have such a big response among players.

It seems that this game is not a piece of cake, but a masterpiece.

But in fact, what this game provides is just some materials. Its only gameplay is the same as other editors. You can edit the levels yourself and then let others pass them yourself or let others pass them. Of course, there will be corresponding Ranking list, well-made levels will be praised by others. Some level maps are ridiculously difficult, and some are very simple but also very playable.

It seems that after twenty or thirty years, players who have been baptized by countless various games have once again returned to the time when they first came into contact with "Super Mario" twenty or thirty years ago. kind of situation.

This game seems to bring a pure feeling of gaming.

It doesn't have a meaningful plot, nor does it have high-definition modeling and graphics that can count how many pores a person has. What it has is just the game and the level itself, which is a pure game.

This game was first announced by Nintendo at E3 in 2014 and officially released in 2015.

Of course, because there is no Chinese version of Wiiu, Jester only watched others play it. He himself has never played it.

However, just watching the video also made him a little bit eager to move.

I almost asked him to buy a WiiU.

Fortunately, he held back, because within a few weeks of the official release of this game, news came out that was very bad news for Nintendo, that is, Wiiu was cracked and could run pirated games. However, the first cracked version can only run 50% to 7% of the game, but it is managed according to the cracking management.

As the cracked version evolves, it is only a matter of time before it can run all games.

In fact, Jester doesn't have to play WiiU. In his opinion, "Mario Maker" is worth playing on this console. As long as someone makes the many poisonous pictures in "Mario Maker" into a Little Bully yellow card and then takes it out, it will be great. ah.

In fact, not only players, but many top game producers are also very interested in "Mario Maker".

There are even some very outstanding game producers who live broadcast their use of "Mario Maker" to design levels. For example, Koji Igarashi, the father of "Castlevania", live broadcasts the levels of his "Mario Maker" In the design journey, the designed level maps are very technical, not only very challenging, but also very interesting.

Designers like him. I wonder how many players there are in the "Mario Maker" player camp.

Jester's mind quickly flashed back to the game "Mario Maker" that he had seen in the world he was in. It was basically not much different from what his employees were playing on the computer in front of him. In the same way, I used some materials from previous generations of ultramarathon series, and then designed a level myself. It seems that this level is very difficult, but theoretically it can be passed in terms of design.

But the operational requirements for players are very high.

Not only must you be extremely familiar with the layout of the entire level. And the route is also very different from other levels.

Basically, there must be no mistakes or oversights in the entire process. The entire level failed. This level of difficulty is not the difficulty of a brainless trap like Cat Leo, but a level that is carefully designed to make the player's operation, understanding, and interpretation very difficult. .

After Jester watched the other party play several times, he couldn't help but admire him.

However, after trying four or five times in a row, this player has never been able to pass a level. This level is in mid-air and requires the character he controls to run and then jump into the air.

There was only a foothold for a brick in mid-air, some distance away from the place where he jumped.

You must know the distance and strength very accurately before you can successfully jump to this foothold. Otherwise, the character will fall to death and the game will be over.

Of course, there are other challenges ahead.

However, because the tester's skills were not good enough, or he was not familiar enough with the picture, he did not challenge it to the back to see how the subsequent levels were designed.

Jester naturally caused a stir among the employees here. Seeing that their big boss was also interested in the gadget they made, they invited Jester to come and play with it, and Jester didn't refuse. , also pick up the controller and play this difficult level map.

He controlled the equally funny and cute Sheriff Balotelli, and after a few proficient key operations, he finished the game skillfully.

The level design at the beginning was not difficult, and it was easy to pass a long distance. However, slowly, the difficulty of the level suddenly increased. After Jester persisted for more than ten seconds, he finally failed.

The people watching next to him continued to encourage Jester to try again.

And Jester was a little unwilling to admit defeat. He didn't expect to be able to pass this level in one go. He watched others play several times and already knew that to pass this level, he needed n times of familiarity and the operation of his fingers. Only after it becomes an instinctive memory can success be possible. He remembered that he had watched a live broadcast of a very difficult level challenge after the release of "Mario Maker".

Jester had just finished dinner at that time, around seven o'clock. Out of boredom, he clicked on a live broadcast of "Mario Maker".

The anchor inside is live broadcasting a difficult poisonous picture of "Mario Maker". He has just started playing the live broadcast. It can be seen that he is not very familiar with this picture, and then he dies over and over again. If I were watching other games, I might have lost interest after seeing this kind of idiot who always died after watching it a few times, but for a game with unparalleled emotions like Mario, I became more and more excited as I watched it.

The same goes for Jester himself. He watched the four-and-a-half-hour customs clearance journey until 11:30 p.m., and it was only this level that was conquered by this anchor. As for the number of times Uncle Mario died during it, it is even more unknown. How many times.

Now Jester plays this level by himself. The difficulty of the level is similar to that of the live stream he watched back then. There can't be any mistakes, and there are some very unique settings. If you don't pay attention, once you fall into the designer's trap, you will have to start over. .

Therefore, Jester was extra careful during his second attempt.

But it's a pity, although it lasted five seconds longer this time. We moved forward a short distance, but still ended in failure.

Jester pursed his lips and shook his head.

Although some people continued to encourage him to continue trying, Jester shook his head after thinking about it for a moment. He handed the controller to other people's hands, and then said with a smile: "Forget it, this level is designed to be quite difficult and very interesting. If I want to pass the level, I may need to try for a few hours... By the way, this Who made this thing?”

Said. Jester asked about Balotelli's editor.

Someone immediately answered: "No one did it. Some time ago, someone was reminiscing about the Balotelli series. There are many fans of this game, including our company. Even many new employees started to interact with this game for the first time." It’s a video game, so someone suggested that we use the first few Balotelli materials to make an editor, and then we design the levels ourselves and let others play it.”

"At that time, this proposal was just put forward, and many people hit it off immediately, so this thing was born."

After listening quietly to what was said, Jester finally understood that this editor turned out to be the product of collective intelligence. After nodding his head to express that he understood, Jester said: "This is a good idea. I think this can be made into a game on its own - of course, it can't be so rough, it still needs a lot of refinement, but as a prototype, this thing is enough."

With that said, Jester continued to ask: "Who made the original proposal?"

"Jack Lovey."

Soon, someone said a name that Jester was not familiar with, and Jester didn't remember such a person in his mind. Maybe it didn't exist in the original history or was in the original history. An unknown role.

"Who are you?"

Jester continued to ask, but his moral answer was that Jack Loffy did not come to the lounge. He had not finished the work he was responsible for, so he continued to work after eating.

Jester nodded after hearing this.

"Then one of you should inform him and come to my office after three o'clock in the afternoon. I have something I want to talk to him about."

When the people around him heard Jester's words, their eyes instantly started to shine with envy in their eyes. They could also guess what Jester had asked before contacting him. This was Jester's plan. It's really possible to make Balotelli's editor game as if it were a real game, and that's probably if the person who came up with the idea can satisfy Jester.

Then it is very likely that this job will be handed over to the young man Jack Lofe.

Thinking that Jack Luofe could be given such an important task less than two years after he came to the company, if he succeeds, his future career will be smooth sailing.

How enviable!

This is the true thought of many people present now.

Jester then left.

His time was precious, and he would not stay in the break room for too long. Before three o'clock, Jester, who was reviewing documents in the office, received a call from his assistant, saying that there was a Jack Lofi. He said you asked him to come at three o'clock. Only then did Jester remember that he forgot to tell his assistant.

Jack Lofi is a very young man.

He was in his early twenties. Jester had seen a personal resume he filled out after coming to the company. This was his second year joining the company and he graduated from the University of Southern California.

"sit."

Jester asked the other party to sit down on the sofa. It didn't take too long for him to talk about "Made by Balotelli" because he still had many things to deal with: "We don't have much time between us, so we can only It’s a long story short.”

Jester said, and the young man Jack Lovey listened, and he listened very seriously.

He looked a little excited.

After all, who wouldn’t be excited about such a good thing?

In addition, his big boss, Jester, is famous for promoting young people to take on important tasks. There have been many examples before. Some young people who had just joined the company not long ago were recognized by Jester. , and then lead the project independently, and then become famous.

"What do you think should be done to make the game "Made by Balotelli" interesting to players? I even use a more exaggerated word to express it, that is, to make players crazy about this game. What about design? You know, although gamers are very sentimental, the character of Balotelli can be regarded as one of the symbols of video games. His series sales are the largest in history, and his image recognition is among the best in the United States. Even more than Mickey Mouse.”

Hearing Jester ask this question, Jack Loffy's expression became serious.

He knows that if he can answer this question well, then the big boss will most likely entrust him with an important task. The game he is responsible for is probably his beloved "Super Balotelli" project. If the answer does not suit his boss In other words, if there is no way to impress your boss, then you may not mention it at all.

Regarding this issue, Jack Luofe really thought about it during this period.

When Balotelli first started editing his own levels, it was just out of an idea he had when he was a child. When he played Super Balotelli for the first time, he once lamented that if he could make his own levels Enough.

However, with the joint efforts of many colleagues, this thing was finally made in the lounge of Mars Entertainment.

Jack Luofe suddenly had an idea.

Can this thing be turned into a game that is loved by a wide range of players?

He thought about this issue very seriously. (To be continued...)