I Just Want Players to Save Money, They Insist on Giving Me!
Chapter 670 - 209: Stonewell! The God-level Map Design That Silenced Designers Globally!_4

Chapter 670: Chapter 209: Stonewell! The God-level Map Design That Silenced Designers Globally!_4

Players might not know where they are at first.

But once they run through it once, the entire map instantly becomes clear in their minds!

This undoubtedly enhances the players’ sense of immersion.

"This design concept... is genius!"

"It’s not that Designer Ke can’t do a good job, but rather that I just completely misunderstood his intentions..."

"It’s as if my own version was outdated." Czcu patted his forehead with some annoyance and even regretted having blurted out those arrogant words so hastily, especially in front of so many viewers.

With this, the last shred of doubt about Elden Ring was dispelled along with the unveiling of the new diorama design concept.

The screen was filled with comments of amazement flying by.

Czcu then planned to continue exploring Stonewell.

To see, this huge castle.

Whether the top player could really carry this whole new design sense throughout.

This time upon leaving, he continued to turn left.

He didn’t choose the War Hawk corridor; instead, he took a running leap toward the adjacent rooftop.

Landing squarely on the edge of the roof eave was nothing short of thrilling.

This further proved that this route was still deliberately designed by the top player and not just the result of players exploiting bugs to find their way.

After reaching the eaves, a right turn and a few steps later, he encountered an even larger War Hawk with more ferocious attacks.

Fortunately, Czcu had just been through a grueling 20-minute beating from Mr. Furnace.

Now facing this kind of monster with obvious moves.

At worst, he would lose some health before quickly figuring out the opponent’s attack pattern.

After dispatching and looting it,

he continued along the eaves.

In the process of moving forward,

Czcu realized that the top player put a lot of design effort into the rooftops as well.

It wasn’t just about traditionally joining several rooftops together and letting players run around.

On the contrary,

the connections between these rooftops were very well thought out.

Some rooftops would extend directly to the outer edge of a tower.

That ring of decorative architecture built around the tower, which seemed to only accommodate a player standing single-footed against the wall,

turned out to be the mandatory path to another rooftop.

Upon reaching another rooftop, a ladder placed next to it would lead to an even further and more circuitous location, either going up or down.

But now that he understood the top player’s map design concept, Czcu no longer felt the frustration of getting lost.

He felt secure and clear,

knowing that Designer Ke would always guide him on the right path.

The roads that he found himself confused on were part of the process of earnestly appreciating the map’s design.

This synchrony between the player and designer is something few games can explicitly express, or even allow the player to distinctly feel.

After meandering through the various rooftops and towers of Stonewell Castle, Czcu felt increasingly impressed by the elaborate and dimensional diorama design.

More subtly, players seemed to instinctively have ’I think I’ve been here’ or ’Aha! This is just like that other place!’ moments of realization.

You don’t even know when the top player planted this feeling in you.

But it undoubtedly reflects a player’s good sense of immersion.

Only by truly immersing oneself in the game and earnestly experiencing it

can one have a deep impression of the places they’ve been before.

Right now, Czcu was crossing a wooden bridge linking two towers.

A glance at the ground below brought a sudden clarity.

This place, he had been here before!

But at that time, he did not take this path or this perspective.

At the beginning of the game, when first entering Stonewell Castle.

Almost all the players, freshly triumphant from defeating the Omen and riding high on adrenaline, would have the gatekeeper open the main gate.

Then they would be showered by a barrage of arrows, seemingly shot from everywhere, leaving them tumbling and panicking, completely sweeping away their momentum, forcing them to take the side paths respectfully.

The footbridge he was now standing on was facing right toward the gate!

Only this time, the perspective shifted from that of an invader

to an observer from inside.

The ambush at the entrance of Stonewell Castle unfurled before his eyes from a bird’s-eye view!

With just one glance, Czcu deeply realized how foolish his earlier attempt to storm the gate had been.

There were three lines of defense on the main road to the castle!

The first line of defense was guarded by scores of archers hidden in cover on elevated platforms on both sides.

Numbering in the twenties or thirties, all keenly watching the entrance.

Any lone invader coming through would be riddled with arrows because these archers on high ground were out of immediate reach.

Even if an invader was bulletproof, draped in physical resistance, stubbornly making it through,

the second line of defense would be even more painful.

There was a gate with a small corridor.

Players could only enter through this corridor, which restricted their movement the moment they entered.

Melee soldiers lying in ambush on both sides would jump out from behind hay bales.

Among them were three beefy guys wielding huge axes, decked out in even finer equipment.

Closing in from front and rear of the corridor, pushing the player into a dead end, a classic pincer move.

If a player was still stubborn enough to fight through this line of defense,

the third one would make them utterly despair!

A dense array of wooden spike fences covered the main square of Stonewell in staggered arrangements.