When it came to new games, Alex Parker had a few ideas in mind, but he hadn't decided on a specific one yet.
There were many classic game concepts from his previous life, but not all of them could be directly brought into this parallel world.
Alex could continue on the path of "independent premium games," as some industry insiders speculated, digging deeper into casual puzzle games. However, he knew that this might not be the best option.
Simply put, how many games like "Plants vs. Zombies" were there in his previous life?
Game designers in this world believed that "Plants vs. Zombies" would lead to a trend in casual games, considering it a critical turning point. But Alex knew that the success of "Plants vs. Zombies" was not quickly replicable, and such games couldn't be mass-produced.
Moreover, with the fame and fortune he earned from "Plants vs. Zombies," Alex was now in a position to test the limits of this world's players.
Relying solely on the few premium game concepts from his previous life, Alex would have difficulty elevating Thunder Interactive to the same level as giants like Generation Entertainment and Infinite Entertainment.
Alex had one goal now: make money, then spend it!
After the update, "Plants vs. Zombies" saw another surge in downloads, with sales reaching 900,000 units and the million mark just a matter of time.
The app market settled payments monthly, so Alex's money received so far was from the first month's sales of 500,000 units, which, after the platform's cut and taxes, amounted to about $280,000.
If he followed the usual pattern, he should be buying a house and a car and perhaps showing off to some rich kids who looked down on him...
But Alex had no such thoughts.
Buy a house? The experience store was comfortable enough.
Buy a car? Oh, Alex hadn't even gotten his driver's license yet.
And in the capital, you needed to win a lottery to buy a car...
Winning the lottery also required residency...
Forget it; it's not worth thinking about.
Alex considered that since it was nearing the end of the month, the following payment would arrive soon, so he decided to load $270,000 into his bracelet, leaving only a small amount for daily expenses.
Next month, if all went well, another $250,000 or more would come in, but that money would be reserved for other purposes.
"Come on, let's spend money and get stronger!"
Alex prepared himself, washed his hands and face, and took out the [Lucky Capsule] he had left from his last draw.
Lucky Capsule: Greatly increases luck for 10 minutes when used.
Alex didn't feel any different, but he did have an illusion that his luck had improved.
Without further delay, as the capsule's effect lasted only 10 minutes, Alex had to draw quickly.
Looking at the 27 million points on the virtual screen, Alex felt like a wealthy man.
"How can I enjoy the thrill of spending money on draws alone? The next game should let everyone experience this together."
With this "noble" idea, Alex clicked the "Ten Draws" button.
The 27 million points allowed Alex to draw 27 times. Without hesitation, he closed his eyes and frantically clicked, not bothering to see what items he got until all the points were spent!
Click, click...
The wheel spun wildly, constantly producing new items, but Alex ignored them, keeping his eyes closed and pressing continuously.
He didn't know how long it took, but when the wheel finally stopped, he opened his eyes.
He saw that it had taken more than five minutes just for the ten draws.
Alex felt like a shopaholic who had gone on a spending spree in a mall, experiencing both pain and joy.
"Let's see what items I got."
Nervously, Alex checked the list of items on the virtual screen.
[Designer Skill Books]: 135 books.
[Special Skill Books]: 81 books.
[Special Items]: 54 items.
"Hmm? These numbers..."
After consuming several value skill books, Alex's numerical skills had improved, giving him a basic sensitivity to numbers.
Seeing the number of skill books, he realized something.
Before using the Lucky Capsule, the probability of getting designer skill books, special skill books, and special items was roughly 7:2:1, as he had determined in previous draws.
Of course, this depended on luck; it wasn't impossible to get 9:0:1.
After using the Lucky Capsule, the probabilities shifted to 5:3:2, clearly indicating that the rewards from the ten draws had significantly improved during the capsule's effect.
However, the Lucky Capsule didn't infinitely enhance Alex's luck; it wouldn't always yield special items. The 5:3:2 ratio seemed to be the highest achievable.
Also, while the Lucky Capsule was active, it was impossible to draw another Lucky Capsule. This was evidently a system-imposed rule.
"Not bad, the Lucky Capsule was worth it."
Alex was satisfied. Luckily, he did 27 ten draws in one go; otherwise, the Lucky Capsule might have been wasted.
Next, he checked the details of the items.
[Designer Skill Books]: 135 books, including 47 value skill books, 39 level skill books, 27 plot skill books, and 22 system skill books.
[Special Skill Books]: 81 books in total.
Original Art: 34 books, +1 skill each.
3D Art: 33 books, +1 skill each.
Music and Sound Effects: 10 books, +1 skill each.
Storyboard Techniques: 4 books, +10 skill for the first book, +1 skill for the rest.
[Special Items]: 54 items, including 47 Memory Replay Potions, 1 Rage Interference Device, and 6 Super Accelerators.
"Hmm?"
Alex rubbed his eyes, doubting what he saw.
A strange item had appeared among the special skill books: a storyboard skill book.
What was that?
Alex had a rough idea of storyboards. They were essentially visual organizers that broke down a movie or animation into sequences, marking camera movements, dialogue, and so on.
He hadn't expected to draw something like this, so he was a bit surprised.
But he quickly understood. Since it was among the [Special Skill Books], drawing a martial arts manual wouldn't be strange.
"Well, it's useful; I'll need it to make CG." Alex comforted himself.
Moreover, he noticed that all special skill books, like those for original art and music, gave a +10 skill boost on the first draw, unlocking the skill and +1 for subsequent draws.
He also noted the special items, drawing two new ones this time: Rage Interference Device and Super Accelerator.