Happy Friday!
I am writing from Shanghai as I'll be attending the TapTap Game Fest tomorrow, which I briefly mentioned in a previous post. At this event, we plan to showcase our multiplayer capabilities as well as the 'MyHome' feature in a brand new game mode called 'Canvastown,' which a small team from our studio has been developing step by step. The name 'Canvastown' represents the idea of you and I living together in a creator's village.
We want to make sure your expectations are properly managed, as features like building an entire city from scratch or laying down roads—as rumored online—are not available yet. Of course, we plan to continue developing features to help decorate your city and edit terrain in the future. Right now, it's just a side project, and we are very much focused on our core goals.
The main goal of Canvastown is get away from mundane daily life and capture memorable moments within life simulation so you can jump in and enjoy only those extraordinary moments. It’s also where you can craft interesting storylines, participate in a set role, and live out their lives.
The attached video shows a brief concept: players go online, enter pre-made scenarios through "AR Company" to participate in a set role. In our dedicated online space, around 50 people can converse and interact in the same channel under mutual consent. The NPC Zois behave according to their roles we’ve assigned. Like a movie director, you can assign roles and cast your actors to create your scenario. I often wondered if doing this would've been me reinventing the wheel (doing unnecessary work) since players usually prefer familiar gameplay.
To further support this gameplay, we'll be providing script mods so that small features to help enliven your story can be implemented. Using mods, we were able to create mini-games like car racing—though it’s admittedly a lesser experience than dedicated racing games. We want to create a flow where these mini-games intended for Canvastown can later be added to the main game as well.
I believe that the biggest joy of playing RP (role playing) games isn't to "clear a game," but rather have a world where you simply coexist with other people. That was the origin for the creation of 'AR Company.' I’ve been pitching my concept where players can, for one moment, step away from reality into this world of inZOI where they can live out a different life. Thinking of the movie 'Ready Player One' might make it easier for you to visualize.
Of course, looking at the current build makes me sigh. There are so many lacking areas, and we have a very long way to go. But someday, I hope to bring this dream of mine to life.
I want to merely provide a solid foundation, and I want it to be you who will be writing the stories upon it. By allowing you the space to create unpredictable situations and social interactions, it may take time, but I do foresee where that can become a living, breathing world.
I am quite introverted and dislike stepping outside my house, but when it comes to game development, I am particularly outgoing when it comes to the challenges of creating something new. However, just last Sunday when I added kimchi as an ingredient to my pasta and nervously checked my beloved wife's expression to see if she liked it, I have a similar anxiety for tomorrow's event.
Some say it’s good to take on new challenges rather than playing it safe, but unlike in games, reality comes with people's evaluations, criticisms, and sometimes applause, which makes it scary for me. I told the company that I would decide the future of Canvastown based on the event's outcome. It might go well, or many shortcomings might be exposed, but I believe it's a necessary process to move forward to the next step.
I hope to write to you all with good news.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for always supporting us.
Hoping that one day we can live life like a game,
From Shanghai ~ kjun ※ For the video, please check it on Discord or the forum.
🔗 Discord: Link
🔗 Forum: Link