Looking at everyone, Lucas simply explained the special features of these two games.
Among them, in terms of gameplay, Animal Crossing doesn't have any earth-shattering or tear-jerking amazing gameplay.
To summarize in three words, it's: playing house.
Building your island bit by bit, communicating and connecting with the animals on the island.
This game itself is a very slow-paced, everyday game.
Even changes to the island won't take effect instantly.
Plus, it's tied to real-world time, which means it's not a quick-fix kind of game.
Planting a tree takes four days, refreshing fruit takes three days, renovating a house takes a day, and even buying something in the game requires waiting a day for delivery.
But these aren't really the core of the game.
Building a small island and getting to know the various residents on the island and becoming friends.
Loving the world and being loved by the world is the core of this game.
It can be said that the animals in the game are the biggest core point of the game.
These animals have all kinds of personalities, and even their dialogues are completely different, giving players the feeling that there's a real person acting as each animal resident.
Likewise, in Lucas's view, these animal residents in the game can be applied to Nebula Games' AI technology.
It can be said that Animal Crossing is the most suitable game to showcase AI performance technology.
Catch a butterfly in front of the animal residents on the island, and they will stop and clap to encourage you.
They get sick, they argue, and even act as peacemakers when others argue.
The baby crocodile, Fengnian, loves sports and wants to show off his abs all day long, but secretly tells the player that he often falls asleep halfway through doing push-ups.
Little tiger Ran Jie is a night owl who often wanders around the island late at night, and if she gets stung by a bee, she will give you medicine.
Piero, the clown, is an artist, and sometimes he writes poetry to show off, but it is discovered that there are many typos in it.
The design of Animal Crossing is not very difficult.
Because it's mostly about numbers and values.
For example, when players go fishing, how many times will they encounter sea bass.
And whether buying and selling turnips will lead to instant riches or a meeting on the roof.
Each resident that comes to the island.
All of these have a suitable set of numerical logic behind them.
Animal Crossing itself doesn't have any level design or plot.
It's a nurturing game.
It requires players to invest their time and experiences.
And then reap from it.
From a design perspective, the more important thing is the small details.
For example, each resident on the island must have a dialogue that allows them to interact perfectly with the player.
Even making players feel that they are real people.
Because only in this way can players become good friends with them day by day, instead of just treating them as NPCs.
This is very important.
Moreover, it is completely different from ordinary social nurturing games.
Animal Crossing is also an anti-social nurturing game.
Why do I say that?
Because other social nurturing games actually use players' negative emotions.
They lure players into comparing themselves in the game, using subconsciousness to create a sense of superiority and inferiority, and stimulating players to magnify their desires, in order to achieve their so-called socialization.
Animal Crossing is completely different. On the one hand, it is connected to reality, hoping that players will not escape life, and on the other hand, it encourages players to leave and put down the game.
It can be said that this is not a game that is free in terms of gameplay, but a game that frees players mentally.
As for the other game: Super Mario Odyssey.
In terms of design, it is much more complicated than Animal Crossing, because this is a game that takes the level design of sandbox games to the extreme.
Compared to the previous Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Odyssey blurs the levels in the sandbox world, giving players an alternative freedom.
This also makes many players feel that Super Mario Odyssey is an open-world game.
But in fact, it is essentially a complete sandbox game.
The official gives each level a target size, but you can completely ignore it. As long as you collect enough Power Moons, you can just leave.
Likewise, this game can also fully utilize the performance of the Switch.
Players can make special gestures by waving the controller to make Mario perform special actions.
For example, when climbing, waving the controller will make Mario climb faster.
Complex actions such as triple jump, long jump, roll, ground pound, backflip, and side flip each have corresponding buttons and gestures.
Among them, the most significant feature in terms of gameplay is the 'hat' system, and compared to traditional jumping and punching attacks.
The hat function in the game can be said to be much more powerful.
In addition, the greater role of the hat is 'possession'. Players can possess some NPCs and enemies through the hat, and use their characteristics or skills to pass through different levels. This also gives players many new attempts to make.
Moreover, the game's as many as 17 scene changes and art styles are extremely amazing.
In terms of plot, Super Mario Odyssey has absolutely nothing special.
It's just that Bowser continues to kidnap the princess and propose marriage for more than thirty years, and then is stopped by Mario, the red-hatted plumber.
In the end, the princess travels around the world, leaving Mario and Bowser to 'become a couple'.
The fairytale-like story and art style allow people of all ages to enjoy the fun of the game.
No blood, no violence, it's just a very pure game.
Keeping players' attention focused on gameplay and level design.
It can be said that Super Mario Odyssey has completely achieved the ultimate in gameplay.
Each scene has three different collectibles: coins, local currency, and moons.
And the difficulty is also different. Ordinary coins are equivalent to a guide to the route and the purchase of simple items.
Local currency requires a little challenge, and collecting local currency can unlock some specific store collectibles.
As for the final moon, that is the most difficult point and the ultimate challenge.
The in-depth level design allows players to have a perfect difficulty experience.
At the same time, the respawn point design also reduces the sense of frustration in the game.
Secondly, the most important core is the various collectibles in the game.
It can be said that the plot is never the core of Mario.
When you complete the main storyline of the entire game and look back at the moons, you will find that you seem to have gained a lot, but you have not even accounted for half of the total.
Continuous and unexpected surprises are Odyssey's best reward for players' efforts to explore, and it is also the most essence of the game's level design.
Moreover, the moon is just a completion measurement or medal, and what really attracts players is the challenge it represents.
There are a large number of challenges hidden in the corners of the game. These challenges are also strange and numerous, including running music notes, organ jumping, racing, grabbing coins, etc., as well as volleyball, jumping rope, remote control racing, puzzles, and other novel gameplay, testing players' skills from various angles and breaking the boundaries of imagination.
Listening to Lucas's introduction, everyone's eyes lit up.
Although they haven't seen the detailed design concept drawings.
But just by listening, they can feel the fun of these two games, especially Odyssey.
Moreover, from the game's style and content, everyone felt its characteristics even more.
That is, whether it is Odyssey or Animal Crossing, the direction and design ideas hidden under the game are directions that are completely different from mainstream games.
(End of this chapter)
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