Soon, amidst widespread anticipation and debate, "Payday" officially launched.
Aside from the earlier promotional videos, Lucas hadn't done much advertising for this game.
It wasn't because the game was small. It was purely because the game's theme was a bit controversial. Even though Nebula Games was a big name and couldn't really be low-key, "Payday" remained a topic of discussion. However, for Lucas, maintaining a certain attitude was still important.
But for players, they had been looking forward to it for a long time.
Perhaps this wasn't Nebula Games' best title, but it was the biggest in terms of its appeal and buzz.
After all, most people aren't saints recorded in history or stories. They inevitably have some dark thoughts in their hearts. It's just that these darker impulses are held in check by laws, morals, and their better nature.
But in the game, players could choose to vent and release those feelings.
As usual, before the game even started, many players eagerly awaiting it were calling their friends, waiting for the game to unlock.
After all, from the earlier materials, players already knew the gameplay elements: it was a cooperative PVE game with a "grind" element.
With this type of game, playing with friends obviously multiplies the fun.
...
In the Nebula World, Zack, Ben, and Hannah were all eagerly awaiting the game's start.
As for Zack and Ben, they were just typical guys. Their shooting skills were terrible, and they were prime examples of "senior league" players. If there were handicaps in games, these two would probably get banned from every FPS game they played.
But as guys, most are naturally drawn to these intense and exciting games, and these two were definitely part of that majority.
As for Hannah, even though she was a female player, she was a hardcore gamer and was equally excited about this type of game.
The thrill of robbing a bank in the game was something she found hard to resist.
Moreover, this game called "Payday," at least concerning the act of robbing a bank, was described as "professional" in the earlier promotional videos.
"What names are you guys going to use? Shouldn't you pick some immersive IDs?" Ben said excitedly while waiting.
"Change IDs? Immersive?" Zack looked a bit puzzled.
"Exactly! Compared to robbing banks in 'Red Dead Redemption: Redemption,' 'Payday,' from the promotional videos, looks incredibly professional. Since the game is so professional, we as players should step up too!" Ben said as if it were obvious.
"That makes sense. Hmm... I'll call myself Zack the Scarface. It sounds like a vicious bandit, and it has a real period feel," Zack decided on his ID quickly after thinking.
"Why don't you just call yourself Zack the Third? Not only have you robbed, but you've done every illegal thing," Hannah standing nearby quipped.
"Zack the Third sounds terrible, and we're acting as fierce bandits. Zack the Scarface fits the mood better," Zack retorted.
"That's great. I'll call myself Song Silang then, just like you, it has that period feel. I was originally the fourth son of a landlord, but the officials forced me to rebel, and I had no choice but to become an outlaw," Ben said with great immersion.
As the instigator of the idea, he not only chose a bandit name for himself but also planned out the relevant character background.
"You two, don't turn into goofy bandits instead of fierce ones!" Hannah, standing beside them, was completely speechless.
Their gaming skills were terrible, but their role-playing was over the top!
Zack and Ben paid no attention to Hannah's words. Their minds were already picturing themselves in the game, transforming into outlaw desperadoes, storming jewelry stores, carrying out robberies, and then escaping in a hail of gunfire.
How exciting!
It's a shame Joey and Wells aren't here. There are only three of them today, and this game can support up to four people robbing together.
The three of them were bragging, and soon the game unlocked. Without any hesitation, they quickly entered the game and set their in-game IDs: Zack the Scarface, Song Silang, and Wang Dabiao.
"Let's go through the basic tutorial mission first. We'll team up after that," Zack suggested.
"Okay, I checked the description. This game seems quite different," Ben nodded in agreement.
After a brief chat, the three of them temporarily turned off their voice chat software and entered the new player training system.
Compared to the original "Payday," Lucas had optimized much of the content.
First, the game's action system: climbing, crawling, and melee combat. The action system in the game was richer than in the original version.
In addition, there were some detailed improvements: higher AI performance, and the hostages would also behave more intelligently, being directed to specific locations and ducking or crouching.
After all, in the original version, for most players, hostages were basically just targets for shooting, teasing, and wasting zip ties. Their real purpose was to trade for teammates, slow down SWAT arrival, and provide offensive firepower.
For example, with hostages, SWAT wouldn't use gas. However, very few players noticed this, so Lucas made some enhancements here to increase the presence of hostages.
The game's new player tutorial wasn't complicated, but it was a bit tedious for impatient players. After all, "Payday" wasn't a massive game, and its tutorial was hard to make as elaborate as "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild." It could only be designed as a step-by-step training, like most FPS games.
Zack wasn't impatient originally, but now his mind was filled with the desire to become a fierce bandit quickly. He didn't pay much attention to the tutorial, basically just doing whatever it told him to do.
The only thing he noticed was that the fierce bandits in this game were so damn cool!
A suit, a mask, and a gun in hand – the oppressive aura was off the charts!
Soon, the three of them quickly passed the tutorial. Zack, as the leader Zack the Scarface, couldn't wait to pull Wang Dabiao and Song Silang into the squad.
"GOGOGO!" Ben's impatient voice came through the squad voice chat.
But as soon as he saw Ben's character, he couldn't help himself.
"What the heck? We're robbing a bank, Ben, what's with that mask?! Why does it look so dumb?" Zack asked, speechless at Ben's appearance in the lobby.
Ben was holding a small pistol. His suit and weapon were fine, but the mask looked like a simpleton's.
"Yeah, Ben, can't you be more normal? And why aren't you two wearing body armor?" Hannah, who had just joined the lobby, also spoke up.
At the start of the game, Lucas also gave players two starting funds. With the normal gold, players could purchase some initial equipment, such as firearms, a chainsaw for cutting ATMs, or simply masks.
In addition, there was offshore funding that allowed players to accept contracts on crime.net and increase the contract difficulty.
As for skill points and cards, these required experience, which naturally came from grinding and playing a lot.
"Why wear body armor? If I wear it, won't my cool suit be wasted?" Zack chuckled.
Being stylish was a lifelong pursuit. Even if he had become an outlaw, he couldn't neglect it.
"Enough talk, let's get started. I found this game to be different from Call of Duty. There's no pure story, it's more like Rainbow Six," Zack said.
Based on the promotional videos released earlier, they had a general understanding of the game's content. In the game, they were a group called Payday, composed of high-IQ bandits with unique skills from different regions, brought together by Dallas to undertake various criminal activities.
crime.net was the main place to accept contracts, which included, but were not limited to, destruction, theft, and robbery.
The rewards varied depending on the difficulty and scale.
"What a joke, 'getting started'!" Hannah couldn't help but quip.
"Although the background setting is that we are high-IQ robbers, we are actually newcomers to the game. How about we start small? I think the 'four stores' mission is perfect for us. Coffee shops, convenience stores – let's start small," Ben suggested.
Considering their gaming level, Zack and Hannah nodded in agreement.
"GOGOGO, the fierce bandits attack!"
With an exciting slogan, the three of them quickly selected their first heist contract in the game: Four Stores.
(End of Chapter)