"Alright, I understand, I'll make the arrangements as soon as possible..."
"As for the customized VR access pods, Old Man, you'll need to put in more effort."
"It's settled then. I'll contact you later."
Hanging up Wang Lunshan's call, Lu Li leaned back in his office chair, hands clasped with thumbs interlaced, a look of serious contemplation on his face.
The old man had just told him something about the VR gaming circle.
Microsoft's VR equipment had passed its final clinical trials with flying colors. Players could now experience immersive gameplay for up to 8 hours without any side effects.
As a pioneer in developing computer operating systems, their research and development had always been at the forefront.
Furthermore, due to Microsoft's early access to information, they had immediately followed up on VR games after acquiring Bao Xue.
According to specialized departments, Microsoft currently held at least two mature VR titles and over a dozen game projects in development.
Moreover, Bao Xue was officially launching a VR game by March at the latest.
This sudden news had disrupted China's VR game layout. While hardware issues could be managed with some overtime during the holiday season, game development was a different story.
Wang Lunshan had first contacted the two major game studios. When asked about rushing out a compatible VR game by March, both expressed their difficulties.
They were already struggling to meet their original target of launching VR games by mid-year, which required expanding their teams. Having to advance the launch by a full three months was genuinely problematic for them.
This wasn't entirely their fault; they had been planning for VR games for a long time, but they couldn't keep up with the pace of technological advancement.
A breakthrough in cutting-edge technology had advanced the release of VR equipment, originally slated for two and a half years later, by a full two years, to the following six months.
And now, they were informed of another three-month acceleration.
They needed to bring a VR game, which had only recently been scheduled, to market within three months – the timeline was far too tight!
Even upgrading their existing PC games to VR might not be perfectly achievable within three months.
Therefore, the old man had dialed Lu Li's private number with a hopeful mindset.
Ling Jing had performed exceptionally well over the past year, showcasing a deep foundation. However, Wang Lunshan was unsure if their vision was sufficiently forward-looking.
When Wang Lunshan called, Lu Li was taken aback. He had planned to release two more PC games in the six-month period before launching the ultimate VR game, "Titanfall," with sufficient emotional energy.
However, plans had changed.
With the emotional value he had accumulated so far, he could develop a "Titanfall" of lesser quality, but this did not align with his pursuit of excellence in his work.
To do it best, to do it perfectly – this had always been Lu Li's unwavering life philosophy.
Yet, he didn't want to miss this opportunity, as the reward promised by Wang Lunshan was something he absolutely could not refuse.
A full hundred thousand Titan pilot-equivalent VR helmets and ten thousand sets of custom Bt-7274 simulated game access pods!
These were not items that could be obtained with money at the moment, and globally, very few manufacturing plants could achieve the realistic depiction of Titans that he envisioned.
Coincidentally, the attached arsenal of Tsinghua University, where Wang Lunshan was affiliated, was researching mecha component structures. Upon seeing the email Lu Li had sent, Wang Lunshan was initially shocked.
Who had leaked the information about Tsinghua University secretly building mechas?
Later, after a careful review, he realized it was based on game data, and the old professor breathed a sigh of relief. Even so, the old man broke into a cold sweat.
According to the blueprints Lu Li had transmitted, if the materials were replaced with steel and certain parts were meticulously refined, coupled with his developed precision operating system, it might just be possible to make the Titans "come alive."
Of course, he hadn't revealed this to Lu Li. Lu Li needed a polymer material Titan access pod with only one movable arm.
After hearing Wang Lunshan's explanation, Lu Li had to take on the task, even if it meant stretching himself thin.
A VR game experience without a simulated Titan access pod would be incomplete. That was his meticulously prepared "third knife" for the players, the third knife that would intersect with reality. The thought alone excited him.
However, Lu Li also insisted on the quality of his VR works.
How to achieve both... and yet also..., suddenly became a dilemma for him.
He needed to agree to Wang Lunshan's request to release a VR game in March while ensuring sufficient quality, not only to satisfy the players but also to meet Lu Li's consistent pursuit of game quality.
It was clearly unrealistic to urgently launch the two PC games he had prepared. He had just released two games this month; releasing two more might get him dissected.
Moreover, players needed sufficient time to experience the emotional impact of the story. For instance, the emotional impact of FrostNova and Patriot in "Arks of the Apocalypse" had yet to be fully absorbed by players a week after the game's release.
The difficulty of the main story missions meant players would need time to cultivate materials. Accumulating five billion emotional value within three months was unrealistic.
However, he had already saved fifteen billion emotional value. If he used this emotional value to create a game with a lower weight value...
An idea that satisfied the "both... and yet also..." thought process emerged in Lu Li's mind.
"That's right! I can create a VR game with less development effort, and then earn more emotional value through this VR game. This way, 'Titanfall' will still be released in six months without delay!"
Lu Li slapped his thigh forcefully, his thoughts instantly clearing up.
There was no need to force the release of "Titanfall" now. He would first create a VR game with a lower weight value, and then accumulate sufficient emotional value before proceeding with "Titanfall."
This would fulfill Wang Lunshan's request and not disrupt his own plans.
However, the planned "Prosperity's End" and "The Death of Soap" would have to be indefinitely postponed.
Following the established rhythm, one VR game in March, and "Titanfall" in June.
Beyond that... whatever happens, happens. Who knows what unexpected changes might arise then? Why worry about such things?
Lu Li lowered his crossed legs, opened the laptop on his desk. There were three folders on the desktop:
'Mobile Game Backups'
'PC Pixel Art AAA Game Backups'
'VR Game Backups'
He opened the VR game memo folder and began to browse...
"Only-Strong," "Wanda Colossus," "Detroit: Become Human," "Halo," "Endless Deep Sea," "Destiny," "Little Nightmares," "The Last of Us," "Battlefield," "Nier," "Assassin's Creed," "Identity V"...
(Baking the cake...)
These were all backup plans. Now, one of these backups needed to be promoted to take the position of the main consort before "Titanfall."
It's not just Microsoft that plans ahead.
I do too!
Lu Li rubbed his hands excitedly. His great undertaking was far from ten percent complete; how could he rest now?
"System, check how much emotional value I have left."
"Then tell me which game among the current options can be converted with the remaining emotional value?"
...
(My cake is huge, please bear with me.)