Th09/omake.txt/en

--- ○東方花映塚 (Touhou Kaeidzuka: Eastern Flower Viewing Mound)　～ Phantasmagoria of Flower View.

Afterword   Shanghai Alice Correspondence vol. 6

Shanghai Alice Team Leader　ＺＵＮ 2005/08/14 ---

Also, spoilers such as the main storyline and character settings are included in character_settings.txt
 * This document contains spoilers for after clearing the game.

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======================================================= ■0. Special Afterword Table of Contents

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1. Special Story

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======================================================= ■1. Special Story

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○To live a bright and enjoyable afterlife

Phew. Test playing this game was so fun that I didn't have enough time to write the Omake. I'm still correcting things as I'm playing the game.

So, this time I'll write about a simple theme in place of the Omake. It's about what we should do to live a bright and enjoyable afterlife. Oh, it's not a simple theme.

In Phantasmagoria of Flower View, all characters speak of seemingly-fake morality. Do you think what they're saying is true? Of course, you're all smart players, and you won't take everything they say literally...

This game is not about reaching a conclusion: It's about repeating the same thing over and over again. That's why the story is weird to you all (yet those of you who haven't cleared the game must try to clear the game).

While playing (small spoiler alert!), you'll get this line: "Trying to make your afterlife better is the only way to make your present life better." [1]

Well, you only get really aged people around girls of Gensokyo So they get to hear such bizarre and unreasonable quotes. But is this true? Wouldn't it be better to live a better life now than worry about your afterlife?

No, this statement is true in many ways.

As you make a game, you'll face some challenges, temptations, and failures. However, as you face these challenges, you'll get over them. As this cycle repeats, your goal usually becomes simply getting over these challenges, and that goal often becomes your ultimate purpose.

A good example would be the project deadline. If I ask you "Why are you working on your project right now?", then I think most game producers will answer "Because I have a deadline." This means when I ask them why they're making their games, they'll answer that it's because of their deadline.

Well, this isn't really some bad thing but simply something obvious. When you answer to your superior's question "Why are you working on your project" by saying "To make a fun game", then you'll get a nice smack to the head. Do you know the reason for that?

In making a game you'll have goals like "making a game that is fun, that sells well, or something that I wanted to make". But to achieve that goal, you'll think of the details on how to achieve that goal, upon which specific goals such as "when to finish the project" or "how large is the game" will be brought up, and finally you reach the conclusion of "by what day will I finish" which becomes your deadline. In the end, your saying that making the game to meet the deadline is no different from your statement of your goal to make a fun game. (However, it isn't true the other way round, so that's why I said you might get a smack to the head from your superior)

That's kind of obvious. However, there are cases when you lose your ultimate goal or start out without such. That is dangerous. For instance, your ultimate goal might be something meaningless like "Just to make a game".

Another large goal would be "making games to make people enjoy." and yet that is still not fit for the ultimate goal. Why do you want people to enjoy your game, and if you want them to enjoy your game, what's beyond that goal? Upon reaching that goal, would you want to set up another one to rid yourself of experience, the backbone of human growth and live a meaningless life?

Recently it seems like people are readily giving in to living for every single moment of their present lives. You only take out the fun parts and get rid of everything else, and you repeat the steps. You keep digging into one side of the project only to realize that you don't like it, and then you throw away everything and move them away. There are even people who don't have goals after getting into college or a new job.

Such as "world peace", "love of humanity", or "enlightenment"...

And that is "to live a bright and enjoyable afterlife."

To live a good afterlife. To steer away from falling down to hell. To do so, you'll want to contribute to society and make other people happy. To do that, you'll want to make a fun game, and reveal this kind of game to people in such a world. That's why you want to finish this game by a certain date... and so forth, you'll produce a chain of goals.

If this chain starts during your project, you might end up making a game that is hurtful to others, or contain immoral elements. You may end up making games for the sake of earning money. That would not be a good thing to happen.

What are you making games for? Why do you want to make a fun game?

You shouldn't simply laugh the question off. Others will realize you don't have an ultimate goal.

When someone asks you that question, answer like this.

"Well, to live a bright and enjoyable afterlife."

--

Nice to meet you. I'm ZUN.

Please don't mention anything above somewhere like a job interview (lol). Err, wait. Maybe they'll just think you're a comedian.

This is some last-minute stuff so I can't write for too long... that's kind of rude, so I'll just write a few words.

What's that? This is such a fun game? If there are people who think this game isn't fun when you think it's fun probably they'll never understand for the rest of their lives. On the other hand, forcing them to play might have an adverse effect so don't do that.

Well, that might be a loss. (I don't know how Touhou fans will think about it though)

Also, word on the Extra Stage. At the beginning of the Extra Stage you have no remaining lives. In order to clear the stage you'll have to earn extra lives. But simply attacking all enemies might make the game tougher later on.