Chapter 106: Game Launch! (Last chapter)

In the experience store, Paul Wilder and Phoenix were shouting loudly while playing a game.

"Damn, your Blade Master is here again, so annoying! Stop killing my workers! What the hell!!"

"Screw you, I know you're secretly teching up. Don't think I don't know. Kill that Wisp!"

"Dammit, don't push me! I'm going to fight you to the death!"

"Damn it, self-destructed! Damn it!"

It's undeniable that guys generally have an advantage when playing real-time strategy games. These two had quickly beaten the campaign mode and were now eagerly competing against each other.

Paul was quite enthusiastic about this game because RTS games don't rely on luck. Of course, he rarely played heroes like the Blade Master or Demon Hunter; a Blade Master that never uses Wind Walk is no threat at all.

The girls, on the other hand, were not interested in the battles and just wanted to complete the campaign. But given their skill level, it was difficult for them to even finish the campaign...

Except for Jessica Thompson, the other girls were stuck on the Undead campaign and couldn't progress.

Lily Emerson said, "Boss, can you give me a cheat code? I really can't beat this..."

Alex Parker looked and realized that RTS games were indeed very unfriendly to these girls.

"Alright, I'll teach you a spell," Alex said.

Lily was puzzled. "Huh? A spell?"

Alex nodded. "Open the input box and type +1, no, I mean whosyourdaddy."

Lily almost burst out laughing. "What the heck! Are we asking the computer 'Who's your daddy?'"

Alex replied seriously, "Really, try it."

Lily followed Alex's instructions, entered the command, and hit enter.

"Oh, nothing seems to have changed?" Lily was confused.

"Try attacking that monster," Alex suggested.

Lily controlled the Death Knight to attack a monster, and it died in one hit!

She was startled and tried attacking other monsters, and they all died in one hit. Her Death Knight was also invincible, no matter how many enemies attacked, it didn't lose any health.

Lily cheered, "Wow, it really is a spell! Boss, you're amazing! But Boss, you actually made something like this secretly."

Alex smiled. "There are more spells. Want to learn? I can teach you."

In the match between Paul and Phoenix.

Phoenix typed, "whosyourdaddy"

Paul replied, "???"

Phoenix cried out, "Ah! Boss, this spell doesn't work! You tricked me again!"

Paul was speechless. "Damn, you secretly used cheats? Wow, no integrity at all!"

Alex laughed. "You always rely on these tricks. Obviously, it won't work in online mode. Do you really need to try it to know that?"

Alex checked on their match, which was still at a very basic level. They couldn't multitask, either building units or fighting, never both.

Their tactics were also very simple, usually teching up for a late-game push with high-tier units. They often lost many units to creeps, so they weren't very interested in creeping.

Being beginners, they were far from understanding the game's nuances.

However, Alex didn't plan to teach them advanced strategies yet. He decided to let them explore on their own. Once they played more and more players joined, various tactics would naturally be developed.

...

The game was about to launch, and "Warcraft" was polished to match the original's quality in every detail.

In terms of graphics, game engine, and online mechanics, it even surpassed the original.

Especially the online mechanics, Alex had designed a comprehensive ranking system, from 0 to 4000 points.

According to the plan, 1500 points would be the average player level, below 1500 would be beginners, and above 4000 would be professional level.

Additionally, Alex planned to develop a replay system, integrated into the game. Each replay file would be only a few hundred KB, allowing players to watch high-level matches and learn advanced strategies, thus improving overall skill levels.

In the past, these replay files helped spread classic matches widely and perpetuated iconic strategies.

...

Everyone in the experience store, including Amy Johnson, praised the game. Even those who didn't like RTS games thought it was great.

The only dissenting voice was from Phoenix, who questioned the pricing model. He suggested using the model from "I Am MT," but Alex shot it down.

Everyone was confident that "Warcraft" would be a critically acclaimed and commercially successful game, challenging "Legion Conquest" and redefining RTS games.

...

On the 1st, at 2 PM, "Warcraft" officially launched!

Alex only listed the game on the Thunder game platform and the official app store, ignoring other channels.

At this point, Alex no longer needed to cater to other platforms. All the effort spent on promoting Thunder Game Platform was for this moment.

Of course, a post on X was also necessary.

"Authentic Azeroth storyline, redefining RTS games. 'Warcraft: The Frozen Throne' officially launches today!"

Eagerly anticipating the game, the fans immediately logged onto Thunder Game Platform and started downloading!

Alex did not choose the traditional buy-to-play model but opted for a free download with the first chapter free. Subsequent chapters and online modes required payment.

"Warcraft: The Frozen Throne" was priced at 12 usd, which was considered expensive in the domestic market.

Domestic players generally had lower spending power, so prices had to be adjusted accordingly.

Most single-player mobile games were priced at 1 or 2 usd, and RPGs relied on in-game purchases.

For "Warcraft" to ask for 12 usd upfront, it was quite a bold move.

"Legion Conquest" sold for 13 usd because it had the "foreign masterpiece" aura. Alex's "Warcraft" at 13 usd showed immense confidence.

"Wow, 13 usd for the full game, just like 'Legion Conquest.'"

"No collector's edition, just the full game."

"So confident, no domestic RTS has ever beaten 'Legion Conquest.' Setting such a high price is really bold..."

"Maybe it's because they can't beat 'Legion Conquest,' so they set a high price to recoup costs?"

"You guys are dumb. Alex opting for a buy-to-play model is already great. Have you forgotten 'I Am MT'?"

"Yeah, buy-to-play is very fair, and there's a free trial. What more do you want?"

"It's related to the Azeroth universe, so we have to try it. Let's see how good it is."

"Whatever, I'll download it first!"

Since there was a free trial, fans didn't hesitate much and went straight to downloading the game!