š Chapter 3
"What!? 30GB of storage, are you kidding me?"
"They couldn't have copied and uploaded all the junk in the folders, could they?"
Niklas Vogel was shocked by the game's size; after being an auditor for so long, this was the first time he'd seen a game with such a massive capacity.
"This is an absolute joke. To the producer named Blue Whale, I hope you didn't upload any 'films' from your drive."
With a huge question mark in his mind, Niklas clicked the download button.
Fortunately, as an internal reviewer, the download speed was incredibly fast.
While the game was downloading, Niklas opened the game's PV animation.
The camera swayed with the waves, and the silhouette of the Black Pearl emerged in the blood-red sunset.
Narrator: "When moonlight tears flesh, when the abyss devours soulsācan you navigate these cursed waters?"
"Holy moly, this PV is so high-end!" Niklas exclaimed.
Scene: Under the moonlight, white bones were everywhere, gold ornaments and tattered dresses fluttered in the wind. A pirate snatched a treasure map from a skeleton crew member's hand. The Aztec gold coin on the map glowed with a faint blue light.
The Flying Dutchman broke through the waves, Davy Jones's octopus tentacles wrapped around the ship's rudder, deep-sea crew members leaped from the ocean floor, and cannons ignited with smoke.
Blackbeard held the Admiral's Blade, and undead crew members, like puppets on strings, lunged at the pirates. In the background, Queen Anne's Revenge was engulfed in ghostly flames.
Niklas swallowed: "My goodness, this PV could be a movie. The special effects are comparable to a blockbusterāno, even more spectacular than a blockbuster."
However, at this moment, doubts arose in Niklas's mind.
Was such a game PV actual in-game footage?
Niklas shook his head. Impossible.
"How could such a PV be real in-game footage? If there's a game with graphics like this right now, I, Niklas Vogel, will eat excrement while standing on my head!"
"Now, it's all about creating hype with PV promotional videos. I have to say, your hype has piqued my interest a little."
"But if I open the game interface later and find a crude contrast, I'll find it very hard to accept. For a game producer who 'hangs a sheep's head and sells dog meat' like you, I'll immediately give it a 'failed review.'"
Niklas snorted. He hated how current game companies were exploiting players. This time, he had made up his mind to give it a 'failed' rating, forcing the producer to reflect properly.
He glanced at the game's download progress; it was already at 90%.
Next, he checked the uploader's detailed information.
"Huh!? An individual creator?"
This was highly unusual. Usually, such a grand PV production could only be pulled off by large companies, which was quite unconventional.
Perhaps it was outsourced to a third-party company, Niklas thought.
Regardless, this PV had successfully piqued his interest. He wanted to see the quality of the game content.
The game finished downloading, and Niklas clicked on the game icon with the pirate ship logo.
An opening cutscene appeared, identical to the PV. Niklas chose to skip it.
He arrived at the menu page, and just the menu page left him stunned.
A black pirate ship sailed on a vast and turbulent sea, with lightning flashing across the sky.
A pirate stood at the bow, chest out, gazing straight ahead.
Next to the pirate, the first option was "Voyage of Adventure."
This was an online multiplayer game, with no save/load options.
This menu page alone had already shocked Niklas.
"The initial menu is a dynamic page!"
Could it be that a masterpiece was truly about to descend?
Clicking "New Adventure," the screen changed, and a character creation system appeared.
"This..."
This was the first time Niklas had seen such a detailed character creation screen. The character's bones, muscles, height, hairstyle, beard, tattoos, and pupils were all customizable.
There was also another option below.
"If you are not satisfied with the character creation, you can choose to input text or voice, and the system will automatically generate the character's appearance based on your input."
No way, there's such a feature? It must be fake.
Although he thought that, Niklas still opened his mouth: "I want a tall, elegant woman with long, straight black hair!"
Hmph! Let's see if you can generate that.
A few seconds later, a model of an elegant woman appeared: tall, with long, black hair cascading like a waterfall, slightly curled at the ends, and refined, three-dimensional features.
Niklas's brain was a bit frozen; it actually generated one.
And there was even a 3D rotation option.
Niklas rotated the model to the elegant woman's back. Her slender figure and long, black-stockinged legs almost made him drool.
"You're the one, elegant woman. Let's enter the world of adventure!"
After selecting the class, Niklas eagerly entered the game world; he was already somewhat frantic.
"I absolutely will not eat excrement while standing on my head! The in-game graphics are definitely trash, absolutely trash!"
The screen flickered, and Niklas's adventure began.
An hour later, Niklas was completely slumped in his chair.
"Mom, a masterpiece has arrived!"
"Pass it, pass it, pass it, damn it!"
Niklas frantically clicked his mouse, pressing the 'Approve Review' button. He was eager to share this masterpiece with players worldwide.
"The era of trash games is over! The Age of Sail is about to begin, ah!"
Niklas suddenly stood up and roared, leaving his colleagues around him bewildered.
No one could understand Niklas's feelings. As an auditor, he was overjoyed to the point of tears, proud that he could play this game.
Meanwhile, Matthias Engel also received news of the approval.
He let out a sigh of relief; approval meant it could be released.
How to price it?
After some thought, Matthias decided on a reasonable price: 298.
There was no deluxe edition, no collector's edition, only a standard edition.
After setting the price, Matthias hesitated for a moment before clicking 'Release.'
Once released, his game would be searchable in the Steam Platform store.
If the game sold well, it would naturally climb the rankings.
For a game like his, with no promotion or advertising, Matthias didn't expect anyone to buy it immediately upon release.
He could only hope that some player would accidentally discover the game one day and play it out of curiosity.
To his surprise, one copy was sold immediately after release.
This surprised him. Who was being so supportive?
Little did he know, that one copy was purchased by the auditor Niklas Vogel. He bought it as soon as the game was released, eager to join this Age of Sail and embark on a grand adventure.
The one-hour trial earlier was simply not enough; he was left wanting more.
Niklas's unusual behavior caught the attention of his other colleagues.
Several colleagues walked over and stood behind Niklas, watching him play. Their expressions changed from initial calmness to later being utterly speechless.
"Holy moly, which company developed this game?"
"It's not a game company; it's an individual creator named Blue Whale."
"What? An individual creator can make a game like this? No way, these graphics are exactly to my taste. I'm buying a copy to try it out too."
Several auditors became the first buyers of this game after its release.
"Ding! Player's emotions are high, gaining 10 game coins."
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