Chapter 84: Poker That Doesn't Exist in This World
Chen Mo scoured the internet, searching high and low, when suddenly he slapped his forehead.
"That's right, Texas Hold'em doesn't seem to exist here!"
"But how could Texas Hold'em possibly not exist? That's just not scientific!"
Chen Mo had been puzzling over which game was missing just moments ago, and after all his searching, this world had no Texas Hold'em? Wasn't that ridiculous?
Chen Mo kept digging, even browsing many foreign websites, and finally discovered: nothing! This world truly had no such thing as Texas Hold'em!
"Sure enough, I felt like something was missing earlier, and there really is no Texas Hold'em!"
"Perfect, the final piece of the Thunder Chess and Cards puzzle has finally been found."
Chen Mo was a bit excited too. At last, the entire framework for the chess and card games was complete.
...
Texas Hold'em isn't a mainstream game in China. If you only count user numbers, it can't compare to Landlord or Mahjong, and its popularity is far lower.
However, Texas Hold'em is exceptionally popular in some small circles, and its depths are incredibly profound.
In circles like the IT scene, startup scene, and investment scene, many founders of big companies, top executives, and investors are avid players. Some even say that if you want to find a job or secure funding, hitting the poker table is the fastest way to get close to these big shots.
But the water in Texas Hold'em is deep, and it's not just a saying. In this world, there are many people who have lost everything playing Texas Hold'em, and even some who have gone bankrupt because of it.
But for Chen Mo, Texas Hold'em is a must-have in any chess and card game platform. It's a classic that can't be missed.
Moreover, Texas Hold'em is a game that relies heavily on skill, with a very low luck factor. It's a game that can truly test a player's level.
Chen Mo is very clear about this: once the Thunder Chess and Cards platform is launched, he will definitely use Texas Hold'em to attract a wave of high-end players.
"Alright, since Texas Hold'em is missing, I'll just make it myself."
Chen Mo started writing the design document for Texas Hold'em.
For Chen Mo, Texas Hold'em is a very familiar game. He had played it countless times in his previous life, so he was very familiar with the rules.
But to make a Texas Hold'em game, you can't just copy the rules; you also need to design a good game system.
For example, the game's ranking system, reward system, and tournament system all need careful design.
Chen Mo planned to make Texas Hold'em a standalone game, separate from Landlord and Mahjong.
This way, players who like Texas Hold'em can focus on playing it, without being distracted by other games.
Also, Chen Mo planned to add some special features to Texas Hold'em, like a tournament mode and a cash game mode.
In tournament mode, players can compete for rankings and win generous rewards.
In cash game mode, players can play with real money, experiencing the thrill of gambling.
Of course, Chen Mo would also add some anti-addiction measures to prevent players from getting too hooked.
"Alright, the design document for Texas Hold'em is basically done."
Chen Mo saved the document and started planning the next steps.
He planned to complete the Thunder Game Platform and Thunder Chess and Cards within a month, then spend a week adjusting, and finally launch them directly.
The next morning.
Chen Mo sent a design outline to Su Jinyu.
"The outline is written. You can fill in the specific rules. Don't touch the story-related content for now; wait for Zheng Hongxi to arrive and let him handle it. You two will work on this game together, and it will also serve as a test of his story design abilities." Chen Mo said.
Su Jinyu received the file Chen Mo sent. To her surprise, the design document was very, very small, only about a hundred or two hundred words.
"Lifeline? A text adventure game?" Su Jinyu asked in surprise.
Chen Mo nodded: "Yeah, it's mainly for you and Zheng Hongxi to practice with. I've marked the key points to focus on in the document. How far this game can go depends on the two of you."
Su Jinyu said, "But, boss, this game looks way too simple, doesn't it?"
Chen Mo smiled: "Simple games can also be made great. Don't aim too high and overlook the basics. Think more about adding new gameplay modes within this framework."
Su Jinyu nodded: "Mm, okay. I understand."
After handing Lifeline over to Su Jinyu for design, Chen Mo focused all his attention on the Thunder Game Platform and Thunder Chess and Cards.
Lifeline is a text adventure game, and Chen Mo wanted to use it to give Zheng Hongxi some practice and test his story design abilities.
Once Thunder Chess and Cards and Lifeline were both finished, Chen Mo would start planning his first large-scale game.
...
Over the next two days, Chen Mo mainly worked on refining the design documents.
The three products on Thunder Chess and Cards—Happy Landlord, Happy Mahjong, and Thunder Poker (which was Texas Hold'em from his previous life)—had user bases that didn't completely overlap. So they needed to be made into three different games. However, many of the art resources for these three games could be shared, such as character appearances, item icons, playing cards, and so on.
For these resources, Chen Mo directly outsourced them to a third-party company. Since the parallel world also had chess and card games, these resources were everywhere. He could just tweak them a bit and use them. He didn't need to be too strict about art quality, so his only requirement was speed: all the art resources had to be completed within two weeks.
Chen Mo's main work in designing the chess and card games focused on two aspects: first, refining the rules for the newbie tutorial, and second, creating a set of tournament rules that other chess and card games didn't have.