Chapter 2: Planning and Release
Tried my best hopefully you enjoy the chapter :)
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Chapter 2: Planning and Release
A few days had passed since he discovered his cheat, and he had come to realize several things about his surroundings and his cheat.
Whenever he entered the Library of Games, his body remained unaffected; only his mind was altered. This meant that when he entered the Gamescape, his real-life body remained in the same position it was in before.
[A/N: Shortening it to Gamescape from now on, if you get what I mean, haha.]
If he was standing, he would remain in that same position, albeit consuming more energy than if he were sitting or lying down. While the Gamescape had no restrictions on entry, it didn't mean there was no time limit.
He still needed to eat and sleep to recover the lost energy, and every minute spent inside the Gamescape consumed twice as much energy in the real world.
In this world, his name remained the same as his original name, Ethan Salvatore. He hadn't inherited the former Ethan's memories, which transmigrators typically did. However, he did discover that he had lived alone and had just turned 19. His parents had tragically passed away in a car accident due to drunk driving, which resulted in the drunkard crashing into his mother's car, leading to the death of both his parents.
"What a strange coincidence; same name, same car accident. The only difference is my age," Ethan thought absentmindedly.
In his past life, he had been 27 years old and worked at a small company dealing with mobile and web-based games. He had never graduated from university and was self-taught in the art of game development. However, major game companies had rejected him due to his lack of a specific field major and a limited portfolio to demonstrate his competence and work experience. His social isolation and limited connections also worked against him, as teamwork and social skills were crucial in the industry.
"Sigh, enough of those thoughts. I should focus on the present."
He didn't feel good about taking over the former Ethan's body, as he had no way of anticipating this unexpected transmigration. However, he had inherited the former Ethan's will—to make video games. So, he decided to pursue that goal.
"I'll make you the greatest game developer there is."
***
A few hours had passed since Ethan had been planning which game to create. As a single person with a limited budget, he couldn't tackle large-scale projects. It would be unwise since he lacked the means to distribute or advertise them. Entering the Gamescape, he started searching the library for a game idea that was simple, challenging, profitable, and engaging for players.
He perused several shelves, reading books on programming, 3D modeling, and game design, refreshing his knowledge from years of working in the field. He also delved into game design principles for big titles to understand how they were created, functionally balanced, and kept entertaining and fun.
Then, he stumbled upon a yellow and red book that seemed to leap off the shelf.
Picking it up, Ethan examined the title of the book—[Flappy Bird].
He found it amusing that this book was trying to jump up from his hand, nevertheless he started reading it.
Flappy Bird was a deceptively simple but highly addictive mobile game. At first glance, it appeared incredibly basic—you controlled a small bird, and the only action you could take was tapping the screen to make the bird flap its wings and ascend slightly. Releasing the tap caused the bird to descend.
The brilliance of Flappy Bird lay in its simplicity combined with the perfect level of challenge. It was a game that could be maddeningly frustrating yet highly addictive. It teetered on the fine line between frustration and determination.
Ethan vividly remembers when his first phone had met its match.
"Sorry, phone-chan, I didn't mean to hurt you." Ethan thought.
Flappy Bird had caused a massive sensation when it came out, with everyone playing and talking about it. Interestingly, the game's creator decided to remove it from app stores because of concerns about its addictive nature. It was a prime example of how something so uncomplicated could be insanely addictive, especially in mobile gaming.
Ethan realized that this was the perfect game to start with, despite its addictive nature. He needed money to kickstart his projects, and this game was cost-effective, requiring only one person to develop it.
"With that decided, I need to figure out how to develop it."
In this parallel world, there weren't many open-source game engines available. Most major companies created their own game engines, and Ethan lacked the necessary resources and people to build one. He would need to use an open-source engine.
After a thorough search, he found some interesting information. The biggest game company in this world, Firebyte Studios, had an open-source game engine available for indie developers. It required a monthly or yearly subscription fee.
Ethan decided to purchase the yearly subscription, given his plans for the next year or two. Fortunately, the former Ethan had enough money to support him during this time. With the subscription secured, he began working on Flappy Bird.
***
[One week later]
The game was finished, and Ethan had been working tirelessly for a week, barely leaving his apartment except to buy food. He had tested the game a few times and decided to upload it to a platform called PixelGames, a game platform for indie game developers.
"Sigh... that was exhausting," Ethan said with a mix of exasperation and excitement.
All he needed to do now was promote the game and wait.
He had the perfect idea for that...
***
"Ah, what a boring game! Is there ever going to be something new?"
Youngmaster928: I mean, aren't most companies like this nowadays? I've heard that Zenith Studios is working on a new game called [Tempest Knight]. Hopefully, it's more fun than this one, lol.
NialseAlms: I couldn't agree more. Companies like Pixie Studios and Zenith Studios are getting less and less creative. I'd prefer a game from Firebyte since they at least experiment with things and often manage to make great games.
"Yeah, hopefully those games are better. These don't pose a challenge to me. Haha!"
David chuckled at how absurdly easy these types of games were becoming, which made them boring. He made up for it by poking fun at them.
David was a mid-grade streamer known for being both entertaining and exceptionally funny. He was currently playing a rather mundane simulation game, but his comedic commentary managed to keep the audience engaged and entertained. His chat was bustling with lively interactions and laughter as he finished the last level of the game, chuckling at his jokes about how easy it was.
"Would you look at that, chat! It didn't even take me an hour to complete this. How easy!"
David interacted with his chat, debating on which game to play next.
[BlackStar has donated $20]
[Message: If you go to PixelGames and search for Flappy Bird, you'll find a game I've been developing for quite some time. If you manage to obtain a high score of 100 during this stream, I'll donate an additional $20! But if you don't, you have to eat a rotten egg on cam!]
skifarhen: What is this mad blob talking about, $40? Are you sure you haven't gone mad? No one challenges the king!
RelicBooster: Yeah, everyone who's challenged the king ends up losing more money than winning.
David looked at the message, a bit surprised by the sudden challenge but excited at the prospect of receiving $20.
"Ha! Challenge accepted. You better be ready to donate those $20, because I'll finish this before you even know it!"
Little did he know... He had fallen into an endless abyss of suffering.
Chapter end.
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Thank you for reading this far; your support and feedback are appreciated. I will strive to review my own chapters and make corrections when needed. Comment your favorite games of all time, it'd be fun to see what you guys like!
Also 2 chapters tmrw :D
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Power stones/voting = more views = more motivation = more chapters! 😎
- Monke God