ka-cha!
In that moment, the sound of glass shattering filled the air.
Luke's brow furrowed as he saved his planning documents and cautiously stepped out of his room.
Eevee was in hot pursuit of its Substitute, bounding up and down the length of the sofa, knocking over glasses in its path.
"Can it really be this engrossing to play with yourself?" Luke muttered under his breath.
Finally, Eevee managed to bring down its Substitute, causing the faux-Pokémon to transform into a white light that gradually dissipated.
Eevee lifted its head proudly. Observing Luke's complex expression, it couldn't resist tilting its head in confusion.
Amidst the broken glass, the rumpled sofa, and the toppled [Gynecological Sacred Hand] pennant lying on the floor...
"vui~!"
Eevee raised its paw and bashfully scratched its head.
While tidying up the room wasn't a major hassle and Haunter would likely pitch in once it returned, the situation was different when it came to canceling the rent. Compensation for damaged furniture, like the sofa and coffee table, was still required.
With a sigh, it was as though Luke could hear the sound of his wallet shrinking once more.
His money-making plan had to be put into action sooner rather than later!
Despite the significant earnings from his live broadcasts, it had only been two months since he started and Luke had made just under a hundred thousand yuan. Bilibili, on the other hand, provided limited rewards due to Luke's negligence in signing the contract.
However, once "Plants vs. Zombies" was released, supporting himself and his two companions wouldn't be an issue.
Gently lifting Eevee, which was trying to sneak away, from the glass debris, Luke asked, "Are you okay?"
"vui~…" Eevee blinked its dark eyes.
"It's a relief you're unharmed," Luke said with a sigh of relief, rubbing Eevee's small head.
"Do you realize that someone was worried about you?"
Fearful that Luke might scold it, Eevee curled up, bracing itself for reprimand.
Yet, Luke simply continued rubbing its head without any admonishment, causing Eevee to open its eyes in surprise.
"vui~?"
"Ah, once Haunter comes back to clean up, there's no way it won't back you up."
With reasons and evidence, Luke's argument was convincing.
Eevee hesitated for a moment, wagging its tail as a small smile spread across its face, revealing its tiny fangs.
"vui~!"
**
Luke sent the project plan to Damien, along with a phone call where he briefly explained his ideas.
Damien's voice was filled with disbelief, "What? You want me to be part of game development?"
"Do you still think I'm lacking hair?" Luke teased.
"Aren't we a team? We're getting paid 20,000 yuan for the summer break. That's a pretty good deal."
"Where should I report to tomorrow?"
Even as a student at Magic University, Damien's internship stipend barely crossed the 3,000 yuan mark.
Following Brother Luke meant earning the equivalent of 10,000 yuan per month, which was quite the attractive proposition!
"Working online is fine. I'll send you a rough outline. It's going to be a tower defense game."
A tower defense game?
Damien was puzzled. Could something like that really become popular?
In fact, using the commercial game editor on the forum, even novices who had taught themselves programming for three months could create a tower defense game.
Was Brother Luke suddenly struck by whimsy, wanting to throw money into a gaming venture?
Although skeptical about Luke's programming skills, Damien still opened the project file.
The screen filled with densely-packed lines of code made Damien's scalp tingle.
"Damn, is this really written by Brother Luke himself?"
"This level of skill... it's almost catching up to mine!?"
The more he scrolled, the more numb Damien's hands and feet felt.
"It's fine. You have more hair than me, but now you want to compete with my programming skills too?"
Resigned to the fact that his hairline was receding, Damien couldn't help but stroke it with trembling hands.
Despite his trepidation, he resolved, "Brother Luke, you're amazing!"
"Nothing special," Luke replied with a modest smile.
"Well then, let's make this project a success during summer break!"
Damien couldn't help but grip his hairline, feeling both endangered and determined.
However, whenever he considered the fact that he was falling behind, with only his hardwork to rely on...
Damien clenched his teeth and vowed, "Damn it, it's just a hardwork! I'll give it my all!"
**
The first step was to settle on a name for the game.
After a lengthy discussion, they ultimately decided to go with "Plants vs. Zombies."
There weren't many games with the same theme on the market. Much like the FPS games Luke used to play with Cynthia, the themes were often centered around bioterrorism.
The game's title was straightforward, concise, and to the point.
Building upon the original concept, Damien also contributed various innovative ideas.
"Even though it's a tower defense game, I believe having elements of subjugation is essential."
Damien proposed, "For instance, after clearing a level, the Poké Ball can be used as a one-time item to capture enemy Pokémon."
"And after obtaining various gold medals, players can unlock Grass Type Pokémon for free, complete with subdued cutscenes."
Luke nodded in agreement.
"You can implement those features, but there's no need to focus too much on raising Pokémon. After all, tower defense is the primary focus."
Damien chuckled and added, "When you develop a mobile game in the future, you can't avoid it. Have you matured?"
"For a hundred yuan, Bellsprout can evolve instantly. Ferrothorn can be unlocked forever for a thousand yuan. And for ten thousand yuan...uh, cough, cough."
Luke raised an intrigued eyebrow.
Piplup Company's loss for not hiring these talented minds!
"Should we release it on Steam?"
"Yes, let's start with the PC platform. The map design will be simpler... Additional content can be offered as DLC later."
The maps in "Plants vs. Zombies" were actually quite straightforward. The first generation only had four maps: Garden, Night, Roof, and Swimming Pool. However, the variety of plants and their combinations made up for the simplicity of the maps.
For this unique version of "Pokémon vs. Zombies," each Pokémon would have a special movement system in addition to fine-tuning other values.
For example, Bellsprout's [Razor Leaf], Carnivine's [Swallow], and Oddish's [Sweet Scent]...
During the night map, Morelull's [Moonlight] would become the primary source of sunlight.
Moves like [Spore] from the Dewpider sphere and Budew's [Attract] would have sleep and charm effects.
In terms of enemy types, Beedrill would fly past Pokémon in the front row but be blocked by Exeggutor.
Beedrill's offensive move, [Chaotic Needle], would attack randomly between 2 to 5 times, testing the player's luck...
In a way, playing this tower defense game could even help players memorize Pokémon moves.
When the second version of the plan was revealed, Damien was pleasantly surprised. One thought crossed his mind: education can be fun!
Not only would the game help players remember moves, but it could also help them grasp the mutual strengths and weaknesses of different attributes.
Through the game, aside from experiencing the fun and charm of Pokémon, it could even inspire many people to become Trainers.
Was this Brother Luke's real intention all along?
Damien widened his eyes with realization, thinking, "Indeed... Brother Luke's foresight is remarkable!"
With this realization, Damien felt even more motivated to contribute to the game's production.
As for the art resources, Damien mentioned that he could secure them from Smeargles at the Academy of Fine Arts, which would be more cost-effective.
Luke was briefly taken aback.
Had even the world of Pokémon started venturing into business?
But considering how many large companies were utilizing Porygon in place of coders, it wasn't entirely surprising.
Perhaps in the future, when he set up his own company, he could also use Electivire for power generation and save electricity for commercial use...
"In that case, I'm counting on you, Brother Damien."
"Don't worry, even if it means risking my hairline, I'll make sure to put in overtime to bring this to life for you!"