ON AUGUST 20, 2024 AT 10 A.M., BLACK MYTH: WUKONG WILL BE LAUNCHED SIMULTANEOUSLY ON PS5, STEAM, EPIC GAMES STORE, WEGAME AND OTHER PLATFORMS.
This is a stand-alone action role-playing game with the theme of Journey to the West developed by Hangzhou Youke Interactive Technology Co., Ltd. and published by Zhejiang Publishing Group Digital Media Co., Ltd.
Current Price:
The digital standard version is 268 yuan, and the digital deluxe version is 328 yuan
。
As China’s first triple-A game
, “Black Myth: Wukong” has shown a high degree of originality and innovation in terms of plot, character design, game mechanics, etc., setting a new benchmark for domestic games.
In terms of sales volume and sales, the cumulative sales volume of the whole platform on the first day of launch exceeded 4.5 million copies, with total sales of more than 1.5 billion yuan. As of 21:00 on August 23, 2024, the game has sold more than 10 million units on all platforms, and the highest number of simultaneous online players on the whole platform has exceeded 3 million
Person.
According to Steam’s data, “Black Myth: Wukong” not only swept Chinese players, but also continued to dominate the first place in the world’s best-selling products!
And, it also set a new record for Steam download bandwidth.
Game producer Feng Ji previously revealed that the development cost of “Black Myth: Wukong” is more than 20 million yuan per hour, and the team estimates that the overall game duration is more than 20 hours, and the development cost needs at least 300 million to 400 million yuan.
The game’s story is set with a lot of Chinese elements
“Black Myth: Wukong” is set in “Journey to the West” written by Wu Chengen, one of China’s four famous novels, but does not directly tell the story in the original book, but borrows the story of “Journey to the West” itself as a prequel, telling the story after Sun Wukong gave up the Buddha throne after the Heavenly Court invaded him again. In the game, players will play the role of a “Destiny Man”, in order to explore the truth of the legends of the past, embark on a journey to the west full of dangers and surprises. The game incorporates a large number of traditional Chinese cultural elements, such as architecture and costumes, so that players can feel a strong cultural atmosphere while enjoying the fun of the game.
After the game was launched, it attracted widespread social attention, and not only achieved great success in the domestic market, but also gained a certain recognition in the international market. Players have a high overall rating of Black Myth: Wukong, with beautiful graphics, rich story, and excellent combat system. However, some players reported that the game was difficult and there were problems such as crashes.
Technology & Programming Languages Involved in Game Design
As a high-profile domestic single-player action game, Black Myth: Wukong is designed with a variety of cutting-edge technologies and developed using a variety of programming languages. Powered by the Unreal Engine 5, the game features stunning graphics and visuals, including a new lighting system, dynamic weather, full ray tracing, and more.
1. Unreal Engine
Unreal Engine is the core development platform for Black Myth: Wukong, providing powerful graphics rendering, physics simulation, animation, and more.
Unreal Engine 5 specifically supports complex hair rendering and the Nanite virtualized geometry system to make in-game hair
, clothing, architecture and other details are more realistic. Developed by Epic Games, Inc., a United States company, Unreal Engine is an open-source project that allows anyone to use the engine for learning or developing non-commercial projects.
The underlying source code of this engine is mainly developed in C++ language.
Therefore, “Black Myth: Wukong” is mainly used
C++ language
Developed!
However, if a developer uses Unreal Engine to make a commercial product, such as Black Myth · Wukong, they will need to pay a fee to Epic Games. The rule is: when the product sales exceed $1 million, a 5% royalty is paid.
2. Motion capture technology
The actions of the characters in the game are realized through motion capture technology, which accurately records the movements of the actors and translates them into game character animations, which improves the authenticity and fluency of the characters’ movements.
Facial capture technology combined with a skeletal animation system makes the character’s facial expressions more vivid and natural.
3. Physical simulation and rendering technology
The in-game physics simulation technology is used to achieve realistic physical reactions, such as the inertia of a character’s movements, the dynamic effects of hair and clothing, etc.
High-quality rendering technology ensures that the game is detailed and realistic.
4. Scene construction and real-world scanning
The in-game scenes were realized through a combination of real-world scanning and Nanite’s virtualized geometry system, and the production team traveled across China to collect a large amount of high-resolution 3D scan data, bringing players an immersive gaming experience.
5. Artificial intelligence algorithms
The game may use artificial intelligence algorithms to simulate the behavior and decision-making of the characters, such as the AI reactions of enemies, etc., to increase the challenge and fun of the game.
6. Audio technology
High-quality sound production and mixing techniques are used to enhance the game’s listening experience, including ambient sounds, character voices, combat sounds, and more.
programming language
C++：
Unreal Engine’s underlying source code is primarily written in C++, so it’s likely that the core engine of Black Myth: Wukong will use C++ as the primary development language. The efficiency and flexibility of C++ makes it ideal for developing performance-hungry single-player games.
The use of C++ in Black Myth · Goku is not only reflected in Unreal Engine, but also throughout the development process. Unreal Engine uses C++ as the underlying language because of its high performance and flexibility, enabling complex memory management, granular operating system control, and efficient invocation of hardware that are necessary for high-quality triple-A games.
C#：
While the game is primarily developed in C++, it is possible to use C# as a scripting language, especially in some versions of the Unity engine. However, given Black Myth: Wukong’s explicit use of Unreal Engine, C#’s use may be limited.
Other Languages:
In the process of game development, other programming languages or scripting languages may also be used to assist in development, such as Shader language for graphics rendering, scripting language for automatic content generation, etc.
The game has a certain threshold and difficulty for operation
The game’s combat system is strategic, the combat is fast-paced, and the seventy-two changes and the retractable golden hoop stick are all part of the combat strategy. Players will need to use a variety of skills and strategies to deal with different enemies and challenges.
Netizens jokingly said that the first difficulty in opening the eighty-one difficulties is to “decompress”. Here, some people are stuck in the process of decompression, and over there, some people have already begun to fight monsters.
The second difficulty is that you get stuck on the shading compiler.
After the two difficulties, the plot is set to set Sun Wukong, who learned scriptures from the West Heaven and became a Buddha, to fight Erlang God.
The PC required to play Black Myth: Wukong varies depending on the quality of the game and whether or not effects such as ray tracing are enabled. The following are the different configuration requirements according to the official and multiple sources:
1. Ordinary low-demand players: minimum configuration (medium quality 1080p)
Operating system: Windows 10/11, 64-bit
Processor: Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 1600
Memory: 16GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB or AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB
DirectX version: 11
Storage: 130GB available space (SSD recommended)
These configurations ensure that players run the game smoothly at the lowest graphics settings, but they may not enjoy the highest graphics and effects.
2. Universality for players with certain requirements: recommended configuration (high quality 1080p)
Operating system: Windows 10/11, 64-bit
Processor: Intel Core i7-9700 or AMD Ryzen 5 5500
Memory: 16GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT, or Intel Arc A750
DirectX version: 12
Storage: 130GB SSD
The recommended configuration provides a smooth gaming experience at higher image quality, making it suitable for most players.
3. Demanding players: the best experience configuration (ultra-clear image quality 4K)
Processor: Same as recommended (Intel Core i7-9700 or AMD Ryzen 5 5500)
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 or AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT (12GB VRAM)
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 130GB SSD
The best-in-class experience configuration is designed for gamers who want the ultimate image quality, delivering excellent graphics and smoothness at 4K resolution.
4. Top Player: Full ray tracing configuration
Minimum configuration (1080p medium quality, low ray tracing):
Processor: Intel Core i5-9400 or AMD Ryzen 5 1600
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (8GB VRAM)
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 130GB SSD
Recommended Specifications (1080p Medium Quality, Medium Ray Tracing):
Processor: Intel Core i7-9700 or AMD Ryzen 5 5500
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (8GB VRAM)
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 130GB SSD
Optimal configuration (4K with high image quality, ultra-high ray tracing):
Processor: Intel Core i7-9700 or AMD Ryzen 5 5500
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER (16GB VRAM)
RAM: 32GB
Panoramic ray tracing configurations can significantly improve the image quality and realism of games, but they also require higher hardware configurations to support them.
Additionally, while Black Myth: Wukong is primarily a single-player game, its features such as cloud saves, achievement trophies, and more still require an internet connection. Therefore, it is also important to ensure a stable network environment for this game.
What kind of gamer are you?