Episode 30: Dwarves and Game Development (2) Fin
The dwarves seemed to be under a misconception, so let me clarify something first.
My field is, strictly speaking, the humanities.
And that wasn’t just after I reincarnated into this world. I’d been a humanities guy even in my previous life.
You could call me humanities-born, pure-blooded humanities, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
‘Math? Science? Urgh, my head...!’
Didn’t I tell you? I gave up on math.
Of course, I do know basic common sense, like the four arithmetic operations, or that the earth still moves, or that if you blast water with Pireochu’s million volts it becomes sparkling water.
But the point is, you don’t need to learn anything deeper than that to use a smartphone or a computer without any problem!
‘In other words, writing and coming up with ideas is all I can do.’
In any other field, I’m, I’m... just a useless mushroom!
As you can tell just by looking at all the creative work I’ve done so far, hadn’t I left everything other than writing and ideation to other specialists?
That was why, for this game production as well, I’d intended to leave the technical parts to the dwarves.
But we got stuck right from the very beginning.
Apparently, since I had suggested it, they assumed that I at least knew how to make a game console.
“If I had something like that, wouldn’t I have made one already?”
“That’s... true?”
The moment I said I didn’t know either, they immediately began clutching their heads.
No, it wasn’t as if I’d asked them to implement some complicated design or excessive new function. I only mentioned the functions absolutely essential for a game, and this is hard??
They made a Bluetooth showerhead, so shouldn’t they be able to do this much easily?
As expected, they just lacked effooooort—
“Enough nonsense. Let’s negotiate some additional terms.
This looks like it’s going to be a bit more complicated than we thought.”
“Yes, sir.”
Just as I was about to start spouting that kind of nonsense.
One of the dwarves who had been discussing among themselves came over and requested negotiations.
If I remembered correctly, he was Grok, the representative of the dwarf craftsmen.
“To get straight to the point.”
Grok approached with a uniquely dwarf-like tub-thumping gait that didn’t suit his long beard or his stubborn face that seemed to embody solemn seriousness itself.
“We can’t make something like this on our own, you punk!”
“What.”
He solemnly declared surrender.
No. A dwarf, whose stubbornness and pride were said to be as full as his beard, saying something this weak?
I believed in you!
I was sure you’d make me a game console and a game.
I believed in you, dwarf uncles!
Fortunately, Grok immediately added an explanation.
“It’s not because our handiwork or technical skill is lacking.
To implement it exactly as you described, there’s something we’ll need in addition to us.”
Ah, so that’s what he meant?
If that’s the case, I can accept it.
“Phew, I’m glad you’re not saying it’s impossible.
Then what is it that you need in addition?
If it’s something necessary to make the game console and the game, I’ll support you as much as you need.”
“Magic. And we’ll need a mage who’s quite precise and skilled.”
According to Grok’s explanation, a game console at the level I wanted would undoubtedly be a high-grade magic tool among magic tools.
And no matter how much dwarves were a race of craftsmen, cooperation from a professional mage was essential to make something of that level.
It was an issue I could fully understand.
Dwarves were a race of craftsmen, not a race of magic.
And a true client like me never ignored the reasonable demands of developers!
If they said they needed a mage, I was fully willing to provide one.
As it happened, a perfectly suitable person had just come nearby.
I got ready to leave and said to Grok,
“Come with me. We’re going to bring in someone who’ll help us with our game development.”
“Ho. Seeing as you’re saying we should go recruit them right away, I guess you have someone in mind?
Where are we going?”
“To the Academy.”
A new professor who had been appointed this year to the Academy, which had changed quite a lot.
That was the identity of the mage we were going to meet.
***
After falling in love with Volume 2 of [The Genius Mage of the Slums], the people who wanted to come to the Academy weren’t only students.
The Academy wasn’t a space solely for students, but a shared living space used together with the professors.
And there were also more than enough people who wanted to enter the Academy as professors.
I’m not praising myself here; applications really did come pouring in like crazy.
Naturally, as the number of students increased, the Academy hired new professors to handle them.
From what I heard, they had even brought in another 7th-stage Sword Master.
Thanks to that, along with the principal, who was a 7th-circle Archmage, they were supposedly raising the Academy’s status in tandem.
“So the person we’re going to recruit is that principal fellow, the 7th-circle Archmage?”
“No? How would we possibly recruit someone like that?”
What strange thing is this Grok guy saying?
How are we supposed to hire someone who must be insanely busy working as the Academy’s principal?
It’s not like we’re using a dragon-slaying sword to catch an orc.
The person we were going to recruit was a different professor.
“Is that person perhaps someone close to the realm of an Archmage?”
“Not that either. If you only look at the level he’s reached, he’s merely 5th circle.”
Of course, to a magic quitter like me, the 5th circle was already plenty high.
But at the Academy, it was only the minimum requirement to become a professor.
Then why recruit such a mediocre person?
Someone might laugh at that.
But if they knew his identity, no one would be able to laugh.
Because, you see.
“It is an honor to meet you, Author Way, the great writer changing the world!
I am Logic, newly appointed professor of practical magic at the Academy.”
“Not at all. I am the one honored to meet the developer of papermaking magic and printing magic!
In a way, about half of my success is thanks to you, Professor. Haha.”
Because this Professor Logic was the developer of papermaking magic and printing magic.
Doesn’t that one sentence alone give you a rough idea?
That’s right.
This person in front of me was the very one who had laid the groundwork that allowed me to spread books across the entire nation!
You could call him the source of the cultural revolution, literally speaking.
His circle level itself was low, but he was someone who could easily be called a genius of the century.
Putting aside my personal respect and gratitude.
He was already famous throughout the kingdom, a public figure classified at the very top level.
After all, he was practically the person who had given birth to the new industries of publishing and newspapers, so naturally he ought to have that much influence.
That was why, when he contacted the Academy saying he wanted to be appointed as a professor, all the relevant people had jumped in surprise and invited him with the highest priority.
And such an incredible person—
“How fascinating!
You called it a game, did you? Please, you must allow me to participate as well!”
After hearing the explanation about games, he couldn’t hide his excitement and voluntarily rolled right into the fish trap.
He said he got the strong feeling that this would be something that would change the world.
Considering he’d developed papermaking magic and printing magic, too.
He was a researcher type by nature.
The kind of person who felt exhilaration when the things he developed influenced the world.
Well, as for me, if he said he’d participate on his own without me having to visit him three times, all the better.
If he had the skill to create papermaking magic and printing magic, he would surely be a great help in game development as well.
“So what kind of game should we make?
The form and method of the game console will change depending on that.”
Mm, as expected, something like a console where you can swap games instantly just by changing the CD or cartridge is still impossible for now.
Well, the method of making it itself is different, so it can’t be helped.
“Then we’ll need to choose the first game a little more carefully.”
If we had to make the game and the game console combined as one whole unit, that meant the opportunity cost would rise that much as well.
If we spent all that money and time making it only for it to be boring and unpopular, an otherworld version of the Atari Shock might happen on the spot.
So after thinking hard about what kind of game we should start with.
“Let’s make a one-on-one fighting game where the characters each player controls face off.”
What I ultimately chose was a one-on-one fighting game.
There were several reasons for choosing this.
First of all, it was intuitive.
You could clearly feel the sensation that you were controlling something.
The character moved according to your commands, and flashy techniques went pew-pew, so the feedback delivered to your eyes and hands would be immediate.
And since it could be neatly concluded one match at a time on a limited field.
It also seemed like the production difficulty would be relatively easier than connecting multiple stages together.
Making dozens or hundreds of stages continue onward, then placing terrain objects and monsters throughout them.
Maybe on Earth in my previous life, but with this world’s level of technology, that would be a far more difficult task.
And the final reason was that it was stimulating.
You know how they say the most entertaining thing to watch is a fight.
On top of that, this was a medieval fantasy world far wilder than Earth in my previous life.
Since it was a world where cultures like duels and hunting still lived on.
This kind of sensibility would probably work pretty well here.
“So it’s a proxy battle that you control directly yourself.
Would it feel like a golem or a familiar?
It certainly would be entertaining to watch.”
“If you can even control it directly, it might be more fun than simply watching a fight.
Doesn’t that basically mean you can fight without worrying about getting hurt or dying?
If you’re a man, there’s no way you can resist something like that.”
Professor Logic and Grok were also intrigued, offering positive predictions.
Good.
The fact that two people with completely different dispositions gave the same opinion meant it was a sensibility that would appeal universally!
I became convinced that fighting games would definitely work in this world.
“Then do we start working with Professor Logic right away to make that fighting game or whatever it’s called?”
“That is true, but...
Mm, before that, I think it would be better to try making another simple game first.”
But instead of immediately starting to make that fighting game.
I decided to insert something else as an intermediate step.
No, after listening to the two of them talk.
It seemed like developing a fighting game and a suitable game console would take quite a bit of time, didn’t it?
In that case, before that, I thought we could introduce people to what a game felt like with a simple game.
And while we were at it, get them used to it.
“Another game? What are you talking about? Didn’t we just decide that the first game would be a fighting game?”
“That’s true for games played through a game console.
What I’m talking about is a simple game you can play sitting at a table, without needing any grand development.”
“What on earth is that?”
“I call it a board game.”
Through board games, that is.
Should we start with Blue Marble first?