Chapter 85: The Narrative of a Text Adventure Game

Many designers of card games believe that these games are simple and thus don't require beginner guides, thinking that most players have played them in real life and know the rules.

However, this perspective is actually flawed.

Each region's card games have subtle differences in their rules. For example, in mahjong, the actions of eating, bumping, and drawing, as well as various winning combinations, differ from place to place. If a player is used to the national standard mahjong and wants to try blood flow mahjong but has no beginner guide, they'll be completely lost. Figuring it out alone can be very frustrating.

Moreover, there are players who rarely get the chance to play cards in real life and aren't even good at basic games like Landlord. Yet, they want to improve their skills so that they don't hold back others during occasional card games. These players also hope for some beginner tips in online games.

In the previous world, Tencent's card games excelled in this regard. When a beginner entered the game, as long as they had a basic understanding of the rules, they could play smoothly. Additionally, completing tasks while playing cards would yield many rewards.

Alex Parker, who created the domestic card game I Am MT, found this level of value stimulation quite elementary and not challenging at all.

The second aspect is the competition mode.

Actually, the competition mode is primarily designed for Texas Hold'em because it's very suited for it. Some players don't even play the lobby tables, focusing only on competitions.

In competition mode, everyone pays an entry fee, which the system pools together, and each player starts with the same amount of chips. Players are randomly assigned to different tables, and players are gradually eliminated. Ultimately, the top players win the prize pool.

Competition mode is akin to survival games. On one hand, it requires players to be steady because losing control means the end of the game. The goal is to survive into the money round. On the other hand, it requires players to seize opportunities, using good cards to expand their chip stack and eliminate opponents.

In the lobby, players often lose a lot of chips impulsively, making outcomes uncontrollable. But in competition mode, the most a player loses is the entry fee, while winning can yield over ten times the entry fee.

Many players prefer competition mode. Although they may lose more in the long run (multiple entry fees without reaching the money round), they experience less frustration.

In the previous world, some games like Landlord and Mahjong had competition modes, but Texas Hold'em popularized the concept.

Since this world doesn't have Texas Hold'em, competition mode is underdeveloped. Alex can now perfect the competition mode rules, making it a major selling point for Thunder Poker.

Moreover, there's the Thunder Game Platform. Alex currently has five games: Flappy Bird, Plants vs. Zombies, I Am MT, Lifeline, and Thunder Poker (Landlord, Mahjong, and Thunder Poker).

Most of these are mobile games, while Plants vs. Zombies and Thunder Poker are available on both mobile and PC.

The PC version of the Thunder Game Platform will be Alex's main platform. It will regularly feature game discounts, promotions, and allow players to share friends' activities and view game stats.

Of course, not all features need to be available at once. They can be added gradually. The PC version of the Thunder Game Platform will be around 10MB, possibly increasing to 100MB as more features are added. Initially, it should remain small to avoid player dissatisfaction.

The mobile version of the Thunder Game Platform will be even smaller, serving as an app store-like entity, and must stay around 5MB, even with future feature additions not exceeding 15MB.

On Monday, Alva Castillo officially joined.

Alex temporarily arranged for Alva to work on the computer in the experience store. Considering that more people would join in the future, Alex contemplated upgrading to a larger experience store or studio once he had more funds.

For now, these thoughts were premature. Despite having money, Alex didn't need to make such moves yet.

In the past few days, Amy Johnson had almost completed the basic structure of Lifeline. Since it's a text adventure game with simple rules and a chat window interface, it was quick to develop.

Alex told Alva, "This is a text adventure game. The main selling point is its narrative. Just follow this background setting and plan the options, enriching the storyline."

Alva reviewed Alex's design draft and was surprised.

"This simple? The entire game is presented through chatting?" Alva asked.

Alex nodded. "Yes, so whether players buy it depends on the story."

Alva said, "...That's a lot of pressure. Is it really okay to shoulder such an important task on my first day?"

Alex replied, "This isn't a significant task. Imagine you'll eventually write the Azeroth Universe or even official novels."

Alva said, "I'll do my best."

Alex patted his shoulder. "Don't worry. If it's not good, we'll have you rewrite it."

Amy joked, "That's not comforting at all, Alex!"

After handing over Lifeline to Amy and Alva, Alex returned to the second floor to develop the card games.

Three days later, Alva presented the initial draft of Lifeline's storyline to Alex.

The draft outlined the main structure, including the number of branches, endings, options at each step, and outcomes of each choice.

The draft was drawn as a flowchart, with each step's plot summarized concisely.

Alex reviewed it and saw that Alva had planned over 70 steps and four main endings.

"Hmm… not bad," Alex said. "But it needs rewriting."

Alva said, "…"

Alex explained, "First, the storyline needs a gradient. Your current plan has a chaotic timeline. In this game, in-game and real-time sync. If the game's character waits for eight hours, it's a real eight hours. This is to create a sense of realism for players."

"You didn't consider how time affects the narrative's pacing."

"Second, the tension is consistent throughout. It should build up, especially during the escape stage. It shouldn't be this flat. Maybe you can add some thrilling elements, like mutated aliens."

"Also, the content isn't rich enough. Expand the choice steps to over 120, with corresponding increases in endings. Nine out of ten should be failure endings. Players must be cautious, making every step correctly to achieve a happy ending."

Alva listened intently and nodded, "Got it. I'll revise it."