He randomly tried a few more, but they were all just variations of the same formula.
For someone who knew the internet, these clichéd plots held zero appeal.
No longer interested, he flew directly toward the far end.
Passing through the corridor and entering the light gate, he arrived at his own dream world.
Since he was just an ordinary person, his dream world was incredibly small, and its processing power was limited accordingly.
Depending on the number of rules applied and the complexity of the scene, the actual size would vary. Right now, the space he could generate was only about the size of a football field, and as more rules were added, it would shrink even further.
He couldn't even manifest a small village.
He pondered for a while. Most participants in this selection competition had cultivation foundations, and some designers' dream worlds had already reached Tier 1 or even Tier 2.
Dream spaces could grow through cultivation, or they could be upgraded by gaining dream energy from others experiencing the worlds you created.
But he was just an ordinary person with limited dream space processing power.
There was definitely no time to cultivate dream meditation techniques now.
So massive games like Skyrim, GTA, WoW, tactical shooters, or Genshin, those were completely off the table for now.
He'd have to use a clever approach to earn his first pot of gold, then rapidly level up using the rewards and abundant dream power.
He searched through his mind, looking for a game suitable for his current situation.
It couldn't be too complex or too simple. After all, if he wanted to win the competition, it was better to play it safe.
Plus, dream worlds were essentially like 3D games from his previous life, so anything unsuitable for adaptation had to be ignored
After much deliberation, he locked onto a game that had been hugely popular on PC back inthe day:
Plants vs Zombies
A strategy puzzle tower defense game developed by PopCap Games in 2009.
Cutesy plant shooters, goofy zombies, plus diverse gameplay, it had attracted massive numbers of players upon release. It was truly a game for all ages.
Moreover, it had a low learning curve, with interconnected levels that ensured both entertainment value and challenge.
Using this as his competition entry would be perfect.
Though he'd need to modify the control scheme a bit.
Alto didn't plan to make it a 3D version, that would strip away the game's essence. Instead, he'd turn it into a sandbox model, with players viewing everything from a god's-eye perspective.
He calmed himself and focused. The dream space instantly began to change.
The surrounding scenery faded, and a massive platform began generating beneath his feet.
With a wave of his hand, a sandbox about the size of a pool table appeared in the center, with a crystal orb control panel directly in front.
The middle of the sandbox was still shrouded in fog. As Alto operated the controls, the main map of Plants vs Zombies, the house and garden, slowly began to generate.
Next, he started creating various plant and zombie models.
'Peashooter, Sunflower, Cherry Bomb, Regular Zombie, Conehead Zombie...'
All sorts of models consumed massive amounts of his time. Then he had to debug various animations and visual effects.
Thanks to the dream space's superior capabilities, these models were more realistic, with richer animations and effects.
Next came various numerical settings and level design.
This was the core content. He began applying various settings to the dream world, essentially code!
He worked with such enthusiasm that he completely lost track of time.
Suddenly, he felt dizzy and disoriented.
A sensation of weightlessness hit him, and his consciousness was instantly pulled back to the real world. Then came overwhelming drowsiness; his mental energy was depleted.
He hadn't expected such a heavy consumption. Looks like he wouldn't be finishing the game anytime soon.
He drifted into deep sleep.
Time passed, and the next day arrived.
After simply eating something to fill his stomach, he got busy again.
All the numerical values needed repeated testing, levels needed debugging and checking for any exploits. All of this required enormous amounts of time.
It was only thanks to the dream world's streamlined capabilities that he saved tons of coding time. Otherwise, forget three days; even three months would be pushing it.
As instruction after instruction stacked up, each level and minigame gradually matured, and the game slowly took shape.
Next came music and sound effects.
He began carefully recalling the details of this game.
He discovered that after this rebirth, many fuzzy memories from his previous life had become crystal clear. This was the foundation of his confidence in recreating the game.
Finally.
With one day left until the competition, his game was complete.
Trial run.
On the sandbox, fog split down the middle and retreated to both sides.
Accompanied by melodious music:
'Doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo...'
'There's a zombie on your lawn...'
A login interface appeared within the sandbox.
With the final trial run successful, Alto finally let out a long breath.
Done. Mission accomplished.
Looking at this finished miniature world, Alto's heart swelled with a sense of achievement. Now, he'd let the market validate it.
The final day.
Early in the morning, he got up bright and early. These past few days, he'd been so engrossed that he hadn't even left the house.
He pushed open the door and stepped onto the street. Various unique buildings came into view, medieval inm aesthetic, but more elegant, with walls and streets adorned everywhere with blooming flowers.
Though he lived in the Lower District, the streets were surprisingly clean.
All sorts of pedestrians walked back and forth on the main street; he could even see goblins, dwarves, and various types of elves.
Tomorrow was the annual Flower Dance Festival, and the streets were already buzzing with a lively atmosphere.
Various vendors were scattered throughout the streets, and children ran around in groups, laughing and playing!
Following his memories, he headed toward the Temple Plaza.
An hour later.
"Hello, I'd like to register!"
At the counter, an elf in professional attire was yawning.
"Name and status."
Alto filled out the form.
Harvey glanced at it drowsily and thought, "Good grief, it doesn't even have a level 1 space. Another dreamer hoping to strike it rich overnight."
But that wasn't his problem, as long as they paid, that was all that mattered.
"Registration fee: 2000 Baileys!"
"What? 2000?"
Alto's jaw dropped. Why don't you just rob me?
"Got money? Register. No money? Get lost!" Harvey picked his nose, his face full of contempt.
If there were no barrier to entry, anyone and everyone would try to game the system.
Then there'd be a flood of garbage entries hogging resources and wasting everyone's time.
Alto was almost amused by his attitude.
Fine, fine. Don't look down on me today, because you won't be able to reach me tomorrow.
Good thing his sister had left him some Baileys. Otherwise, with his hand-to-mouth finances, he couldn't even afford the registration fee. That would've been mortifying.
He pulled two gold coins from his pocket and handed them over.
The Elven Empire's currency: 1 gold coin = 10 silver coins = 1000 Baileys. From now on, everything would be calculated in Baileys.
1 Bailey had about the same purchasing power as a Euro, though food was slightly more expensive here, and other prices varied somewhat. The average monthly income for common folk in the empire was around 2000 Baileys.