Text/Liang Lotte

Today, Operation Delta announced that it will be launched on PC and mobile on September 26.

Since the first exposure last year, Grape Jun has reported the news of the game many times: in August last year, we had a conversation with Leo, the head of TiMi J3 Studio, and Shadow, the game producer; At the end of last year, we were invited to participate in the first PC test offline; In March of this year, we experienced the second PC test; At this year's CJ, we also brought live coverage to the crowded 'Operation Delta' booth.

If you've seen these reports, you'll probably find that "Operation Delta" is special - it is very confident and confident, which is a change from Tencent's relatively low-key style in the past.

In today's finalized video, the game also said the same sentence "It's time to play well" in three different dialects, telling players that their graphics are beautiful enough, the gameplay is sharp enough, and the experience is right. The seemingly living dialect version, in its bones, may represent the pride of "Operation Delta" as a domestic FPS.

Three dialect versions of the finalized video

These words are not even just said to the domestic market, in fact, "Operation Delta" has long highlighted its ambitions for overseas markets, and the team members have said that making PCs is to win a place in overseas markets, so as to plant their own flag in FPS, a traditional strong field in Europe and the United States.

How to say it, the posture of "Delta Action" today has a kind of meaning of telling everyone "I'm going to the table": emphasizing domestic self-development, it is necessary to give the entire FPS category strength, and it is hard to be tight.

You might think who wouldn't boast about Haikou? But "Operation Delta", which dares to do porcelain work, may really have this diamond.

01

Both want and want

A year ago, when I heard that Tencent was going to make a domestic high-spec FPS, my first reaction was that they were drawing cakes again. After all, in most people's impressions, compared with the top international FPS, whether it is the level of the picture, the feel of the gun, or the map design, or the scene performance, the domestic FPS belongs to the child's table.

However, when I learned the news of the return of the original team of Linlang Heaven, I realized that this time, they seemed to be real.

According to a later report, the production team of "Operation Delta", which was only 30 people at the time, chose a barbecue house in Nanshan for team building; Seven years ago, it was here that they launched CrossFire Mobile to explore the transformation of mobile games for Tencent.

In order to do a good job in "Operation Delta", they not only bought the IP of "Delta Special Forces" from United States NovaLogic, but also deliberately found the old programmers and planners who made the game back then, just to figure out how they came up with those ideas 25 years ago.

As said in the finalized video, the gameplay must be good enough, rely on tactics, and use your brains to win. According to the idea of the main creative team, the game should have three gameplay methods: comprehensive battlefield mode, search and evacuation mode and Black Hawk Fall campaign.

At the time of their project, the first two gameplay methods were not the most mainstream in FPS, and domestic manufacturers rarely touched this piece. Generally speaking, domestic F2P shooting games follow the popularity, and everyone just sews up the most popular chicken, team competition, and blasting mode; But "Operation Delta" not only did it, but it also had to do a few hours of Black Hawk Fall on top of that, which is really fresh.

They also bought the rights to the adaptation of the 2001 film Black Hawk Down

In fact, Operation Delta was initially focused on mobile games. But they soon realized that in order to gain a foothold in the global market, mobile games alone were not enough, and single-player content on PC and consoles had to keep up, otherwise it would be difficult for games to gain player acceptance. As a result, the team finally decided to do cross-platform development, which was the first time for Tencent.

Leo has said that in terms of the efficiency of industrialization, they made one game, but ended up with two. They often joke that with two main gameplay and three terminals (plus consoles), that's about six games in development. But if they hadn't decided to go to PC last year, the game would have died.

It is undeniable that there is still a certain gap between Operation Delta and the top international FPS. Therefore, in order to make the overall quality of the picture and feel reach the world's first-class, and in order to make the game competitive in the FPS category, the production team had to make up for it frantically to achieve what was said in the finalized video, the picture is realistic, like a real battlefield.

First of all, taking guns as an example, in order to improve the player's sense of substitution, the game realistically records the texture and shooting feedback of various types of firearms.

For example, in Operation Delta, the SKS gun rarely simulates a real-life reload scenario: if the bullet is not finished, it should be reloaded from the lower compartment inlet, rather than by pulling the bolt on it to achieve an empty magazine. Most FPSs in the past have failed to do this.

When it comes to action design, they will study firearms together with battle planning, combine the practical basis of gun model props, and then verify the rationality of the action in actual combat with professional military consultants.

For example, they designed the reload method of the AKM gun in the game based on real-life modified accessories. During the test, due to the unprecedented action, the players who participated even mistakenly thought that they had misunderstood the principle of the firearm; After understanding the intention of the project team, some players also liked this way of reloading, and even spontaneously popularized the design.

In order to ensure the consistency of the action design, the animation team will set the key composition of each subdivision step, as well as a reasonable rhythm between each necessary step, showing a real sense of power, just like what is said in the finalized video, the experience is good enough, the details and feel are sharp enough.

In addition, in order to avoid the rigidity and stiffness of the animation in previous games, the game also uses a lot of spring technology, whether it is moving and steering, or landing cushioning, pulling out guns and firing, players will experience the feeling of inertia and weight from the screen.

Secondly, in terms of operator design, in order to grasp the aesthetic trend of young people on the basis of reinterpreting classic IP, the project team determined three basic principles of character design: class differences, outstanding personality and military realism.

They created special G.T.I squads that belonged to these roles, and designed four major arms of assault, support, reconnaissance and engineering, such as assault troops, with lighter equipment design and outstanding mobility; Engineers, on the other hand, carry more tactical backpacks and engineering items.

But these characters are not confined to the framework of reality, and they are also designed with some of the character's personal characteristics. Take the character "Luna" as an example, in addition to real-life references, she was also designed to be an archer who participated in the Olympics. Although this sounds a bit dramatic, the archer is actually designed to match the character's skills and make her more "down-to-earth".

In order to make the characters as realistic as possible, they abandoned the more restrictive hand-carving technique and instead learned the Hollywood film casting model, using 3D scanning technology. When they make characters, they will first write character cards, then select the right actors, suitable tactical equipment for the actors, and then use a complete set of scanning processes to add the actors to the game.

Finally, in terms of sound design, the project team started from three aspects: sound recording, post-processing and music, so that players can get a high-burning and refreshing combat experience.

They hired an overseas team to record the sound of various firearms in various situations, including the tail sound after firing in mountains, canyons and other terrain; the sound of magazine insertion and pulling, and various mechanical parts in the room; At the shooting range, the team recorded near-field recordings, specifically the sound of players firing from a first-person perspective.

In addition to gunshots, they recorded the sound of wind, water, animal calls, and even the loud shouts of soldiers on the battlefield. Together, these sounds enhance the player's immersive realism.

At the same time, for the most important "listening and positioning" in FPS, they designed a sound diffraction and projection system based on deep learning, which filters information based on the spatial propagation principle of real sound. For example, when an enemy is inside a room, the sound the player hears outside the room will make a noticeable difference due to the opening and closing of the door.

The background music varies from place to place in the game to match the different scenes: in the lobby, they mix orchestral and electronica, as well as the unique timbre of the Camanche, giving it a narrative feel; In the "Total Battlefield" mode, the music produced by Johan, the former composer of the "Battlefield" series, is even more uplifting and refreshing.

In fact, these are just the tip of the iceberg of what they have done, to summarize in a sentence that Leo said to Grape a year ago, "We hired an animator from a triple-A team who had been working for 20 years, and when he came, he said you guys were working too hard, you were too eager." ”

02

Steady progress in three tests

Seriously, at first I thought that with such a big move in Operation Delta, and this was the first time they tried it, they were likely to get scrambling or have projects that were repeatedly pulled. But from last year to now, the game feels like a goal-oriented, step-by-step.

In the first test, they first took out the search evacuation mode "Beacon Zone" to verify the basic quality of the game and the half-step iteration of the evacuation gameplay.

In this test, the game's graphics were really reassuring. As a work developed by Unreal Engine, "Operation Delta" is presented in ultra-high quality, whether it is in terms of materials, textures, or light and shadow effects, it is quite well done.

In terms of gameplay, compared with other search and evacuation games, "Operation Delta" has added more tactical dimensions to the original gameplay to a certain extent by introducing operator tactical equipment. At the beginning of each game, the game also adds a new resource, "Mandel Bricks", which is randomly refreshed on the map.

Not only is this resource valuable, but it can also be used to prescribe gun skins outside. After picking it up, the player will need to go to the decipherment station on the map and decipher it for a few minutes. During this time, all players can capture the location of the Mandel Brick and head out for the scramble.

From a design point of view, "Mandel Bricks" enhances the confrontation between players and makes the overall pace of the game more compact. At the same time, thanks to the presence of operators, players can also perform more highlight actions.

In the second test, they not only added long-term content such as operators and guns to the evacuation gameplay, but also opened the "Total Battlefield" mode to meet the needs of players who like fast-paced shooting.

In the past, domestic FPS games rarely dared to touch this kind of large-scale battlefield, on the one hand, because of the design challenge, it is difficult to create that kind of grand battle scene, on the other hand, in order to ensure the smoothness of the experience, the optimization of the game in this mode is also a big project.

In my impression, "Operation Delta" should be the first domestic game to successfully achieve a 32v32 battlefield. In the game, you can not only experience tanks, helicopter gunships, troop carriers and other land, sea and air vehicles, but also see realistic water reflections and scene destruction effects. Together, these elements create an immersive battlefield environment for players.

In the recent twin test, "Operation Delta" also opened the PC + mobile terminal dual-end synchronization test to test data interoperability, commercialization and other content.

In the nearly two-month testing cycle, the game has made adjustments to players' feedback on liver levels, passes, season missions, and other issues; At the same time, they also introduced new operators, maps, and game mechanics in installments.

In addition, in response to the problems exposed in the previous tests, such as the lack of balance of the battlefield, the single gameplay, and the mobility of operators that are highly demanded by players, this test has also been optimized and adjusted accordingly.

For example, after this test, the project team improved the smoothness of the game and operator mobility by modifying the speed of equipment such as shooting needles and armor during running, using ammo boxes, respawn beacons, etc., optimizing the animations of climbing over cover, self-healing, and left-handed throwing, and adjusting the collision mechanism of objects.

In a wrap-up of the test livestream on September 3, Shadow told players that they made 65 updates to the game version and fixed more than 12,800 issues during the 72-day beta period.

After testing time and time again, you can actually feel that the production team has been communicating with players frequently and polishing the details, and it can be said that they have treated Operation Delta as if it were a long-term project. And "Operation Delta" is also getting closer and closer to what the production team and players expect step by step.

03

A ticket is hard to find, and there are packed people

I have to admit that "Operation Delta" is indeed one of Tencent's best-selling new products in recent years.

The quality of the music and painting is high enough, and the art tonality is also sufficient, this time Tencent did not take the usual popular and pan-user route, but in the direction of overseas 3A FPS, such as "Call of Duty" and "Battlefield" series to get closer.

At the recent exhibition in Cologne, Germany, if you didn't know about this scene in advance, you probably wouldn't have associated it with Tencent or any domestic company. It gives people the overall feeling that it may be a new FPS produced by a major European and American manufacturer.

And because FPS is one of the most mainstream categories in Europe and the United States, and the IP of "Operation Delta" is also quite recognizable and sentimental among the player group, the game has attracted the attention of players, KOLs, and game media overseas, and there are long queues in the Cologne exhibition area for several days.

Leo said that the overseas reputation was much better than he expected, with 95% of the feedback being positive, "and they really think the game is good". Some people even said after watching the trailer of "Operation Delta" that they hadn't found it for a while, and that "Battlefield 3" and "Battlefield 4" had given them the feeling.

Not to mention the domestic market, Tencent's N4 Pavilion was packed during CJ, and "Operation Delta" was probably one of the most popular new tour exhibition areas on the scene. One on-site player said, "It looks like Operation Delta has more potential than any of Tencent's previous games, and even has the opportunity to go overseas." ”

This offline popularity is also reflected online: a while ago, the game was opened for testing, various comment areas and live barrages were seeking qualifications, scalpers were speculating on prices, and No. 1 was hard to find. At present, the number of pre-orders for the game has exceeded 40 million, and the number of Steam wish orders ranks 7th, which is higher than the overseas hits "Ark Evolution Survival 2" and "Civilization 7".

This popularity may also be related to the game's strategy of integrating multiple gameplay methods and covering all kinds of shooters. Although the main modes of Operation Delta are all PVP, it gives players more options outside of competition.

For example, the 32v32 comprehensive battlefield gameplay greatly reduces the requirements and pressure on a specific player, and even if you unfortunately die, you can quickly return to the battlefield to continue playing. At the same time, players don't need to be too strong in personal marksmanship, and can also influence the battle situation through a variety of vehicles and operator tactical equipment to help teammates scout and rescue.

For example, in the Beacon Zone gameplay mode, players who are not good at guns can choose to avoid fighting with a strategy based on search and withdrawal, and can also use different operator tactical equipment to affect the battle situation.

And for those who just want to play single-player games, the game also has enough sincere single-player campaign content.

With a fast-paced focus on the full battlefield, patience and concentration in the Beacon Zone, and a cinematic focus on the single-player campaign, it's easy to see that the Delta Ops team wants to satisfy all types of shooters. This also guarantees the game's basic market.

04

Trying to touch the 3A threshold,

Take a seat at the world's biggest poker table

"Its potential energy, its technical strength, and the feeling it gives to users have all touched the threshold of 3A." Shadow told Grape at the Cologne Game Show just past.

And the appearance of "Black Myth: Wukong" also proves the domestic market's desire for domestic 3A to a certain extent. Chinese players really want to see the competition between domestic 3A and foreign 3A on the international stage.

"Operation Delta" is also such a game, and it hits the FPS field that European and American manufacturers are best at. This is not only the difficulty of the game, but also the selling point of the game.

Now back to the original question: Why is Operation Delta so loud? Maybe they finally came up with a quality that can be confidently said to be triple-A, or maybe they felt that the game had taken domestic FPS to new heights. In short, at this point today, the team is completely showdown, and "Operation Delta" wants to be the benchmark of the new generation of FPS, and to be the top goods in the track.

If the game can really do it, then this game will be a milestone for TiMi J3 Studio and the Linlang Sky team, once again proving that their R&D capabilities in the field of gunplay games are still in the first echelon of the industry.

More importantly, if the game can be successful, the concept of 3A quality + GaaS, which has been repeatedly mentioned by Tencent, will finally converge in "Operation Delta".

Once this road is really run through after the game is launched on September 26, Tencent, which is good at large-scale frontal combat of group armies, may really enter its comfort zone.

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