Ethan summoned the system panel and carefully considered his current situation.
[User]: Ethan Hayes
[Attributes]:
[Programming Development]: 21
[Script Writing]: 2
[Graphic Design]: 3
[Music Composition]: 2
[Hardware Technology]: 5
[Unassigned Attribute Points]: 10
, , , ,
[Skills]: [Omitted]
[Items]: Skill Gift Pack ×1
Those people had gifted him a full ten attribute points.
It was truly an unexpected windfall.
His gaze swept across his attributes.
Aside from the newly added [Hardware Technology], he could clearly see that Programming, Graphics, and Music had each increased by one point.
"Looks like the development process itself improves your skills."
Ethan was quite pleased with this discovery.
It seemed that as long as he continued honing himself, he would eventually grow into a true master.
As for the ten attribute points, he simply split them evenly between Programming and Hardware.
His eyes then moved downward.
The Skill Gift Pack in his inventory caught his attention.
Over this period of time, Ethan had come to realize something.
Compared to attribute points, which were difficult to obtain and produced relatively subtle results, skills provided genuinely powerful effects.
Every skill he had acquired so far had played an indispensable role.
Naturally, he was full of anticipation for this gift pack.
If he managed to draw some overpowered skill that instantly maxed out his hardware abilities, he could even start making home consoles directly.
[Ding!]
[Skill Acquired]:
[The Eye for Faults (Arcades)]: [You can now identify hidden problems within arcade machines and clearly distinguish damaged components]
"Huh?"
Ethan hadn't expected it to be a skill specifically related to arcade machines.
He looked toward the Tetris cabinet in front of him, which was currently being fought over by eager players.
With a slight thought, a series of markers visible only to him appeared.
"Good lord, Odin Sight? Or Animus Scan?"
The presentation felt surprisingly familiar.
Everything except the problematic components became dimmer and less saturated, making the highlighted issues easier to observe.
Numerous faults were marked on the arcade machine.
Which wasn't surprising.
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After all, it was a second-hand machine that had sat abandoned for quite some time.
Aside from the obvious CRT aging, several redundant capacitors appeared problematic, and many of the vulnerable components on the circuit board were practically on their last legs.
The fact that this machine still functioned normally was a testament to how rough and resilient the chips and circuitry of this era were.
"This skill... is unexpectedly powerful."
Ethan withdrew his gaze and immediately recognized its importance.
A single arcade cabinet typically costs at least 1500 dollars.
With this skill, he could buy discarded arcade machines in bulk, repair them, and resell them for substantial profit.
However, when he told Sam about his plan to earn some extra cash repairing arcade machines, Sam strongly disagreed.
In fact, he opposed the idea passionately.
"Ethan! You're wasting your talent!"
He shouted.
"Repairing arcade machines? My God, why don't you just buy that arcade hall on the street corner? You'll become rich!"
"I'd love to."
Ethan rolled his eyes and patted his pocket.
"With what money? Do you think any commercial bank would approve my loan application?"
Ethan had been eyeing that arcade hall on the corner for quite some time.
If he could acquire it and fill it with Tetris and his upcoming scrolling game, it would practically become a golden goose.
But even a conservative estimate suggested that renting the place would require at least 5000 dollars upfront.
He was just an ordinary student.
He had no stable job and no valuable collateral.
Furthermore, after the Atari Crash, the financial industry's attitude toward video games had become drastically more negative.
There was no way Ethan could secure such a loan.
"Bro..."
Sam waved a hand and tossed out what sounded like a deeply philosophical statement.
"Any problem that can be solved with money isn't a problem."
He immediately stood up and pounded his chest confidently.
"As long as you can make another game that's at least as good as Tetris, I'll cover the first month's rent myself!"
Sam had already finished calculating everything in his head.
Just look.
Look at the enormous line of players outside.
The machine had cost him eight hundred dollars.
But if a line like that could continue until nightfall, then even a conservative estimate suggested it could earn dozens of dollars per day.
He had already emptied the coin box once that morning.
The weight of it had nearly made him tip the machine over, and the memory remained vivid.
In less than a month, he'd earn back his investment.
He was determined to become an angel investor!
Before Ethan could refuse, Sam declared that he was going to negotiate with the arcade owner and print the copyright registration documents.
Then he swaggered out the door.
Only a system notification remained behind.
[Ding!]
[Timed Mission]: Recognition from an Investor (6d 23h 59m 59s)
[Description]: Develop an outstanding game and win the favor of an investor!
[Reward]: All Attributes +5
[On-Time Reward]: Skill Gift Pack ×1
"Seven days should be enough."
Looking at the countdown ticking away second by second on the panel, Ethan made a rough calculation and sat down in front of the Commodore 64.
He had already decided what his next game would be.
Scrolling technology was undoubtedly one of the most important graphical innovations in the early video game industry.
Without it, game worlds would forever be limited to the size of a single screen.
Even adventure games like E.T. could only create larger maps by switching between separate scenes.
The arrival of scrolling technology ended the era of static maps and opened an entirely new path for visual presentation.
Super Mario Bros, Contra, Xevious, Crazy Climber...
This technology made worlds truly come alive.
It was also one of Nintendo's greatest weapons in conquering this era.
Super Mario pushed the technology to its limits.
An entire side scrolling platforming adventure contained within a seamless stage was something that had once been unimaginable.
But the game Ethan chose...
Was naturally neither Super Mario nor Contra, despite both being masterpieces.
Instead, it was Salamander.
A 2D scrolling shoot-'em-up released by Konami in 1987.
Thanks to its use of scrolling technology, it became a complete successor to Space Invaders and ushered in a new era for shooting games.
Later high-speed bullet hell titles such as Raiden could essentially be considered its descendants.
Its compatibility with arcade machines was every bit as strong as Super Mario's or Contra's.
The workload was also within a manageable range.
The only problem was...
Xevious.
This arcade game, released by Namco in 1982, had already claimed the title of "the world's first vertically scrolling shooter."
It was also the very game that inspired Nintendo's widespread adoption of scrolling technology.
Achieving outstanding results in a genre that had already been thoroughly explored would not be easy.