Chapter 124: Discussing the Filming Plan

"The album is nearly finished, and the movie is still in the pre-production stage, so I do have a few days of free time." Xiao Jingxuan had initially considered asking Chu Luoxi to star in his music video, but since the benefits for her weren't particularly significant, he hadn't brought it up.

He didn't realize just how iconic the lead actresses of his music videos would become in the future. Moreover, his videos always featured strong narratives; it was unlikely Chu Luoxi would have refused. Xiao Jingxuan simply considered that this album included several English tracks and was aimed at the overseas market—a variable too unpredictable. Should it meet with a cold reception, it could hinder Chu Luoxi's career. For the sake of caution, he decided not to involve her in that gamble.

"Oh, I see!" Chu Luoxi nodded in realization, finally understanding that the great Xiao could actually be this idle.

The destiny of "Pathfinder" was far better than it had been in her previous life; it had the potential to soar to great heights. Fortunately, its quality was undeniable. Having become a national game in China in her past life, it was bound to be exceptional in this one as well. That was no self-proclaimed title, but a status as a classic in the hearts of countless gamers.

Although the technology used in "Pathfinder" would eventually become widespread, nothing would surpass it for twenty years. It was once predicted that unless legendary holographic technology were developed, or a massive breakthrough in tech occurred, it would be difficult for any game to reach the heights of "Pathfinder." Even if it were eventually surpassed due to technological advancement, "Pathfinder" would still be etched into the annals of Chinese history.

"Do you think highly of this game as well, Senior Xiao?" Chu Luoxi sighed, feeling a sense of pride; because of her rebirth, she had helped change the trajectory of "Pathfinder."

"Yes, I played the beta version," Xiao Jingxuan said, raising an eyebrow and glancing at Lan Lun, who was maintaining his usual iceberg-like demeanor.

In truth, had Chu Luoxi not persuaded her father to invest, Xiao Jingxuan wouldn't have paid much attention to it. They weren't close, and although he had helped out once before, he hadn't anticipated that the "Pathfinder" development team would achieve such a stunning technological breakthrough. Had Lan Lun mentioned it sooner, he might have invested from the very beginning.

This couldn't be blamed on Lan Lun. While he knew a group of friends were working on the game, he hadn't known about the technical breakthroughs. When he first approached Chu Luoxi, it was purely out of a desire to help.

It was only after Father Chu invested that Xiao Jingxuan specifically sought him out to inquire, and only then did Lan Lun realize his friends were so formidable—they actually had projects with pending patents. Their confidentiality measures had been excellent!

After deciding to invest, Xiao Jingxuan had conducted his own assessment. Through Lan Lun, he obtained a beta testing account, saw the game's actual quality, and ceased all hesitation.

Patents and hype aside, nothing compared to the true quality of the game. If the core experience hadn't been up to par, Xiao Jingxuan might have considered the investment, but he certainly wouldn't have considered endorsing it.

"You played the game too, Senior Xiao? How was it?" Chu Luoxi’s eyes lit up, a sense of shared pride washing over her.

When Father Chu signed the contract with "Pathfinder," Chu Luoxi had received a beta account. While playing it, she spent her time both reminiscing and pointing out bugs to the development team, offering numerous constructive suggestions. Many of these would eventually be incorporated into future updates of "Pathfinder." While the content of new expansions could wait, the technical innovations could be implemented immediately, along with other improvements derived from twenty years of future development.

For the games of this era, these suggestions were as fresh as could be. The specific technology "Pathfinder" had developed wasn't being utilized perfectly—far from its peak. It had taken many other games years of exploration to reach that level of mastery.

Chu Luoxi simply hoped to make "Pathfinder" more perfect, more of a classic—which would be a wonderful thing for gamers. Perhaps, through the insights gained from her rebirth, "Pathfinder" wouldn't just be a classic; it might become a masterpiece.

Naturally, she didn't understand the professional technicalities, but she could offer suggestions from a player's perspective. The professional side was, of course, left to the developers.

Because of this, "Pathfinder" held Chu Luoxi in high regard, even going so far as to re-sign their contract with her father to increase his profit-sharing. The development team was truly a group of decent people.

However, due to Chu Luoxi's suggestions, the release of "Pathfinder" was delayed. Many areas were being constantly refined, moving it further toward the status of a legendary masterpiece. With the added investment from the Chu family and Xiao Jingxuan, they were no longer short on funds, and each member was striving for perfection with great ambition.

"It feels good, it has a lot of potential," Xiao Jingxuan nodded, giving a high assessment.

"Haha, so how are we going to film it?" Chu Luoxi’s gaze drifted toward Lan Lun. Why hadn't this guy told her sooner that the great Xiao was coming to endorse it? The original plan definitely wouldn't work now.

"We can't film today, I just wanted to have you over to discuss how we should do it," Xiao Jingxuan said, ignoring the faint twitch at the corner of Lan Lun's mouth, and getting straight to the point.

Hearing this, Chu Luoxi's eyes brightened. Generally, for advertisements or endorsements, the brand dictates the terms, and the spokesperson simply performs. Opportunities to participate in the creative process were rare, so she felt quite enthusiastic.

Game endorsements differ significantly from standard advertisements. While ordinary ads focus on the product, game ads must showcase the game’s unique appeal. There are many ways to do this, and the key is to find the right approach to attract players.

After discussing it with Xiao Jingxuan and consulting professional advertising planners, they finally settled on a concept: cosplay.

Moreover, they wrote a short story for the characters, intending to film a short clip, much like a music video for a song.

Because it involved the game's combat skills, the clip required high-end post-production special effects, which would be expensive. The "Pathfinder" team had wanted to do this, but lacked the funds; now, that was no longer an issue.

The special effects in a game are not the same as those in live-action, so whether the development team could handle it was a question—most importantly, did they have the time? Because of Chu Luoxi's many suggestions, the team was working itself to the bone, and the game's release had been repeatedly postponed. Fortunately, they hadn't announced a release date, otherwise, such delays would have been quite problematic.

As for filming the promotional video, the "Pathfinder" team had no time to manage it and hadn't even taken a look at the plans, leaving everything to Xiao Jingxuan. Thus, once the two of them finalized the plan, they set a time to film.

As per the arrangement, Chu Luoxi was again helping out as a volunteer, so there was no labor fee to be paid to the school. Even her homeroom teacher, Tang Ming, found it amusing and couldn't help but tease her a bit, noting that she certainly had a lot of "volunteer work" to do.

Fortunately, Tang Ming didn't mind; the money paid to the school was for the institution, not his own pocket, so he wasn't about to be overly harsh with his student.