Was this a manifestation of the unconscious? The created character resembled Camilla.
Not that they looked completely identical. I mean, the two games had different graphics from the start, with Abyss sporting a fantasy art style that focused on character appearance and skills, while Eternal had a realistic, somewhat grim apocalyptic look.
Despite such art style, should I feel proud of managing to create a version of Camilla, or should I applaud the viewers who recognized her despite the changed graphics?
[Is this… Camilla?]
[It’s more impressive that some people recognized her, LOL.]
[Her hair and eye colors are exactly the same.]
[The Camilla I knew didn’t look like this!!!]
[Camilla must have struggled a lot in the apocalypse…]
[Why does this character look so ugly?]
[Probably because they look realistic.]
[Kayak is a real person but still pretty much looks like Camilla.]
[When you think about it, it’s not even a character; the host just made their own avatar.]
[It’s not a character, it’s mirroring! LOL.]
[Is the host a narcissist?]
“Um, well… I’m not a narcissist. It just turned out this way while making it, yes. You all prefer this version, right? No? Just look at it.”
As I pressed the button to prepare for matching, the character in the lobby quickly sprang out and struck a pose.
The character resembling Camilla drew a dagger, starting to scan the surroundings.
“Ooh….”
I guess since it’s a survival game, the excitement is palpable even before it begins. I wish they’d created something like this in Abyss too.
As those thoughts crossed my mind, the screen transitioned with a signal that the match was ready.
*
Eternal, the new game launched amidst gamers’ expectations, was a game that couldn’t really be classified into a specific genre.
Probably because it mixed various successful games. With all sorts of elements jumbled together, it was hard to say what kind of game this was.
Still, one clear characteristic of Eternal was that it prioritized survival as its main theme.
Up to 100 users drop all over a vast island in a massive survival battle.
Players start the survival game with only basic equipment. They rummage through the island to gather gear and gradually grow stronger.
It was a matter of survival.
Also, it borrowed elements commonly found in survival games, where the survival zones gradually close off, reducing the areas available for activity.
However, the reason why Eternal received positive reviews and was considered innovative by users was different.
Eternal is not just a simple survival game. There are distinct professions with unique skills, and players can hunt neutral monsters that randomly spawn on the island to grow, allowing for RPG-like elements to be found within a survival game.
Even though it has RPG elements, there isn’t a separate level system; instead, there exists a similar proficiency system.
By farming items scattered across the island to craft higher-tier equipment, hunting creeps that spawn on the map, or engaging in battles with enemy users, players could gain more proficiency compared to the previous two scenarios.
As proficiency increases, the overall stats of the character also rise. Starting from health, and also boosting defense and attack power, players could enjoy the fun of becoming stronger as they grow, just like in RPG games.
In contrast to other AOS games where gear disparities can crush opponents, if proficiency is drastically different, one hit could be enough to take the opponent out entirely.
Additionally, by hunting epic monsters that appear in various parts of the map to obtain special materials, or using currency gained from defeating other players to acquire special equipment, Eternal offers numerous elements that deepen competition among users within the game.
It prevented the so-called “boring victory” where one could win just by hiding in silence. This was why the common strategy of just hanging in there wouldn’t work in survival games. Even if one survives by holding out in a comfortable zone, the gap in growth will make winning impossible in the end.
While it may be possible to make it to the rankings, the game system determines that the less one engages in battles with others, the lower their contribution is considered. Therefore, points are awarded less, making combat inevitable. Whether for the sake of victory or to climb tiers, one cannot avoid facing opponents.
This was also the reason why viewers watching the broadcast consistently recommended Eternal to Kayak.
In the famous game Abyss, where Kayak is known for having top-tier combat skills, could they truly shine here as well?
Can the physically top-rated Kaya, who is a veteran in the Abyss, really thrive in this place?
Whether she thrives or not doesn’t really matter. It was interesting enough to watch the once-veteran Kaya, now a newbie, fumble around while busy giving lectures to viewers in the Abyss.
Some viewers were even caught up in a strange anticipation that Kaya might receive her first unsolicited advice during her broadcast.
This all happened as soon as Kaya started her first game.
*
“So, we start by parachuting down… This is a basic rule of the game.”
[That’s so like the game LOL]
[Survival game basic rule]
[They said there are 100 players, it’s crowded]
[Teacher, where are you going?]
“Well, I have no idea… Where should I go?”
[Let’s go to a safe side]
[It’s a bit small, but dropping here is probably fine]
[Just go for a multi-kill safe drop]
With Kaya’s question, a flood of advice came pouring in. Some said this spot was good, others claimed it was better for newbies, and some insisted she should rush her chosen class right from the start.
It was a solid reminder that the chat wasn’t much help at all. Turning away from the chat, Kaya calmly spoke up.
“For now, I’ll go where the recommended route shows up. It even says I should farm materials and strengthen my equipped items; what a kind guide.”
Currently, the only equipment Kaya had was a short dagger. Maybe it’s just for newbies, but the system message beside her was prompting her to farm material items to enhance her equipped gear and wear items in other empty body slots.
Given the nature of the game, she’d need to keep getting stronger to have any shot at victory. Kaya seemed to be well aware of this, landing in a designated area indicated by the guide and keeping an eye out for the material items she needed to farm.
[Wow, there are so many people dropping down]
[Is this place really popular? Why are there so many?]
[Usually, you’d gather in central areas where rare materials are plentiful]
[This isn’t even a hotspot]
Kaya was landing in a relatively small outskirts area, not a massive one.
But despite everything, an unusually large number of people started to drop in, and the reason soon became clear.
– “Hello, Teacher!”
– “Kayak! Kayak! Kayak! Kayak! Kayak!”
– “We meet the Empress of Twishi, the great Empress Kayak…”
The shrill voices delivered through the open voice channel Kayak had set up had a questionable quality.
The excited chattering among them had a tendency to evoke subtle discomfort just by listening.
As Kayak figured out their identities, she let out a chuckle.
“It’s a sniper.”
[Ah;; sniper]
[Hate sniping again]
[They really know how to kill the vibe, damn it, haha!]
[I saw a ton of sniping in other people’s streams too, yeah yeah]
[Guess it’s just because the game’s been out for a little while]
[These bugs are swarming in ㅡㅡ]
[Should we just dodge and start a new match? There’s no penalty for quitting right now]
[If it’s sniping, won’t they just follow us into the new match?]
[Let’s snipe the queue]
In survival games like this, sniping is an essential element.
Basically, because you need a lot of players to join the queue, it’s an easy environment for viewers to snipe streamers.
While there were indeed snipers targeting streamers in the Abyss, Kayak had never personally experienced it due to the difference in ratings. By the time she properly started her stream, the decent snipers were already at a level where it was tough to queue up together.
On the other hand, Eternal had only recently launched. They didn’t even have any ranked games yet, let alone ratings. This meant conditions were perfect for the snipers to run rampant.
Sniping is fundamentally a source of fatigue for streamers. Occasionally, it’s used as content in V-tubing and provides some fun during live broadcasts, but that’s just a minority.
Most of the time, snipers bring down the tension and cause streamers to lose interest in the game. Right at this moment, there was a streamer on Twishi suffering from sniper attacks, and viewers were concerned that Kayak might also lose her cool against a sniper.
However, contrary to the viewers’ worries, Kayak’s reaction was remarkably calm.
“I’ll win.”
Her slight grin instead radiated an unexpected confidence.
The viewers began to feel a strange sense of anticipation rather than worry.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
