Chapter 32: A Small Trick for Endless Mode
In the afternoon, Wen Lingwei and Chang Xiuya each brought a few classmates over.
The half-full experience shop immediately became lively. Some people turned on computers, while others directly used their phones on the massage chairs, all starting to play *Plants vs. Zombies*.
Wen Lingwei and Chang Xiuya came to the counter and asked, "We heard the game went on the app store today. How's it going?"
Jia Peng said, "It's incredible! Look, the first time the rankings refreshed, it went straight to number one!"
Everyone was shocked. "What? Number one? That fast?"
"Wait, let me see."
"Wow, it's really number one! And the download count is already over ten thousand!"
"Ten thousand in just a few hours? That's insane!"
"Awesome! This game is definitely going to be a hit!"
The students were all excited. Although they had already guessed this game would be popular, seeing it top the charts still felt amazing.
Wen Lingwei smiled slightly. "Not bad, shopkeeper. Looks like you're going to make a fortune."
Chen Mo said, "It's still early. Let's see how it goes."
Chang Xiuya said, "Shopkeeper, I've already reached level 80 in Endless Mode, but I can't get past it. Do you have any tips?"
As soon as she said this, the other students immediately pricked up their ears.
"Yeah, shopkeeper, I'm stuck at level 70 too. The zombies are just too many!"
"I'm at level 60, and I can barely hold on."
"Me too, me too! I'm at level 50, and I'm already struggling!"
Chen Mo was speechless. "You guys are all stuck at different levels, and you all want tips?"
Wen Lingwei said, "Shopkeeper, just tell us. We're all your loyal players. You can't just leave us hanging, right?"
Chen Mo thought for a moment. "Actually, the real challenge of Endless Mode starts after level 100. Before that, it's just the beginning."
Everyone was stunned.
"What? Level 100 is just the beginning?"
"Then what about level 80? Is that even worth mentioning?"
"I feel like I've been playing for nothing..."
Chen Mo said, "So, you guys should keep trying on your own. Figuring out the strategy is half the fun."
Wen Lingwei said, "But we're all stuck. If we can't get past it, we won't be able to enjoy the later content."
Chen Mo said, "That's not true. You can still have fun even if you're stuck. The game isn't just about clearing levels."
Wen Lingwei said, "Shopkeeper, you're being stingy."
Chen Mo said, "I'm not being stingy. I'm just saying that figuring it out yourself is more rewarding."
Wen Lingwei said, "But we're all here to support you. You should at least give us a little something."
Chen Mo was helpless. "Fine, fine. I'll show you a small trick. How much you learn depends on your own understanding."
As soon as he said this, everyone immediately gathered around.
"Great! Shopkeeper is going to show us a trick!"
"Hurry up and start!"
Chen Mo opened his laptop.
Wen Lingwei said, "Wait, shopkeeper. Are you going to play on your own computer?"
Chen Mo said, "Yeah, my computer has the development version. I can modify the game directly."
Wen Lingwei said, "Then can you show us how to get past level 100?"
Chen Mo said, "Sure, but I'll start from a higher level to show you the strategy."
Everyone was curious.
"What level is shopkeeper going to start from?"
"I don't know, but it should be pretty high."
Chen Mo opened *Plants vs. Zombies* on his computer, then opened a program window, entered a line of code, and casually adjusted a number: 2012.
Everyone was puzzled.
"What is shopkeeper doing?"
"Uh... cheating?"
"...Shopkeeper is the designer himself. That's not cheating; it's just modifying the game directly."
"Shameless! Shopkeeper, you can't do that!"
Several boys protested.
Wen Lingwei said coldly, "Be quiet. Shopkeeper was just adjusting the level number."
Everyone looked closely. Sure enough, the Endless Mode on Chen Mo's screen had directly entered level 2012.
"No way! Level 2012! This... shopkeeper is crazy! How hard is that?"
"I'm already struggling at level 80, and shopkeeper is starting from level 2012?"
"If he clears it, will the record directly become level 2012?"
"...That 'if' is pretty hard to achieve, don't you think?"
"Can this even be played? Did shopkeeper change the difficulty?"
"Is shopkeeper that kind of person? Hey, actually, he might be."
Chen Mo's mouth twitched slightly. He opened Endless Mode and first used the editor to arrange various plants on the lawn.
In a normal game, this step would be completed in the earlier levels, but Chen Mo didn't have that much time, so he directly modified it with the editor.
Chen Mo was playing the pool level. In the center of the pool, he placed four Corn Cannons, four Twin Sunflowers, and six Gloom-shrooms.
From left to right, the first row had: Ice Watermelon, Gloom-shroom, two Ice Watermelons, Corn Cannon, Spikeweed. The second row had: Umbrella Leaf, Gloom-shroom, Ice Watermelon, Umbrella Leaf, Corn Cannon, Spikeweed.
The layout above and below the pool was symmetrical. Any plant that could be covered with a Pumpkin Head was covered.
Everyone was whispering.
"Shopkeeper's lineup looks pretty comprehensive. I have to say, it seems promising."
"Indeed, the positions of the Umbrella Leaves and Gloom-shrooms are quite deliberate."
"But isn't there too many Corn Cannons? That's one, two, three, four... eight of them!"
"That is a bit much. I feel like Corn Cannons aren't that strong. They're too fragile, mainly. You can't put a Pumpkin on them, and a few small zombies can chew them down."
"But with shopkeeper's layout, they probably won't get chewed, right?"
"Stop talking, stop talking. Watch carefully. It's about to start!"
Chen Mo adjusted his sun count to 3000 and then started selecting plants.
Ice Mushroom, Cherry Bomb, Imitater Cherry Bomb, Doom-shroom, Jalapeno, Squash, Pumpkin Head, very small Fume-shroom, Sun-shroom, Coffee Bean.
Everyone was frantically memorizing, and a few girls even pulled out notebooks.
"I think I understand shopkeeper's strategy. First, set up strong offensive plants. Then, for later levels, don't change the lineup anymore. Just bring one-time explosive plants."
"That's a good idea!"
"But... it feels very risky!"
"And why imitate Cherry Bomb instead of Ice Mushroom or Doom-shroom? I think one slows down and the other has high damage. Those two should be stronger, right?"
"I don't know. Let's see how shopkeeper plays."
Everyone held their breath, wanting to see how Chen Mo would play.