Chapter 36: Trailer
Richard cracked his knuckles as he stared at the editing timeline. This was it—their first real shot at making an impact. The cinematic trailer was already polished to near perfection, but something was missing.
He tapped his fingers against the desk, deep in thought. "Jack."
Jack looked up from his chair, where he was slumped back, drinking a bottle of Lipovitan. "Yeah?"
Richard turned his monitor so Jack could see. "We need a gameplay section. A proper one, not just quick cuts. Cinematics will get attention, but people want to see how it actually plays."
Jack groaned. "Man, that means re-recording. I thought we were done."
Richard smirked. "Just a short sequence. Full HUD. No cuts. People need to see this isn't pre-rendered."
Jack sighed but sat up. "Fine. Let's do it right."
They booted up the game and jumped into a test environment—an urban battlefield inspired by Manila's Intramuros, with bombed-out buildings, bullet-riddled walls, and thick smoke rising from burning debris. The lighting was set to late afternoon, casting a golden glow over the war-torn city.
Jack controlled the player, moving through the streets cautiously. A squad of AI soldiers followed behind, dynamically taking cover and checking corners. The UI was minimalist—only an ammo counter, compass, and squad command indicators. No floating health bars. No excessive markers.
As Jack pushed forward, the AI enemies responded with terrifying realism. One enemy peeked from a window and fired, sending dust and debris scattering. Jack returned fire, hitting the soldier, who slumped over the window ledge before collapsing to the street below.
Richard watched, impressed. "Alright, this is the shot. We keep the voice comms on so people hear the AI reacting in real time."