Hollywood Art: System of sunnys

November 10, 1989

The daily routine of balancing frequent studying and managing relationships at her company, Lux Animation, has yielded some results for her business. The increasing sales fulfilled wish number seven, as per the system, on November 2nd of that year. Although the wonderful Anne has put in some extra hours alongside her father, the atmosphere has brought joy following the growth of Lux Comics and Dark Horse Comics in general, attracting attention from various media outlets.

[7. Sell over 1,000,000 copies of Yuyu Hakusho/Phantom Informant, scoring 170 points.

To discover your next repressed wish, you must fulfill the first one.]

Her next wish, wish number eight, is to create a game for platforms. The constant struggle with her father over game creation left both dissatisfied that same night due to the discussion, and even some clashes arose regarding work division and the concept of trying to cover too many things without depth.

This is not necessarily a good thing for me as a businessman. However, the 200 points for fulfilling the wish are enough to increase my drawing ability to 24 points and get closer to perfecting my drawing skills.

First and foremost, the goal is to start a game completely from scratch and release it in multiple installments, similar to the Megaman series. Logically, this game, which is easy to develop, would be used by game creators of that era.

Therefore, I would be interested in creating my own Metroidvania with a general open world and special features related to 2D platform development, which is the smartest choice for this era. For this, among the two available works to base the game on, Samurai Jack's IP and Hellboy, what better than to use the fresh style of a superhero navigating through extensive 2D mazes on a map that requires completing multiple tasks?

I developed the entire story with some clear differences from the comics and the respective franchises' released series, as it needs to smoothly transition into the game and leave room for possible sequels. The best way to generate high sales is to distort the game and bring it to a platform. And what better sales vehicle than the marvelous Game Boy? However, there are some drawbacks, such as the pixelated quality of the game.

In this era, gameplay is more important than design, but if I could release a beautiful color game for the wonderful NES by Nintendo, it would be great. The most convenient option is to find a video game company.

The nearest one is an hour's drive away, not much to say. A company that will become a super-giant in the video game industry in the future.

-I still can't believe you're sticking with the idea of publishing a game, - his father said angrily, but with a willingness for this new adventure.

-I will, and we won't invest much money, - Billy said.

-The company's accounts are fine, but investing in the gaming industry is not a good idea, - Thomas said.

-That's why we'll solidify ourselves with a preliminary proposal for Electronic Arts (EA) to consider making our game. The most important thing is that the game platform allows for extensive gameplay on different consoles. We want to cover a huge market that grows over the years, and that will bring publicity to the company. We'll also recover a percentage of sales, - Billy said.

-I understand... but Billy, you're just a kid. This is something you should be doing when you're twenty or thirty, - Thomas said. -And I'm still frustrated because it's a hasty decision.

-Father, don't worry. That's what experts are for. They judge how viable the story is, - Billy said.

-And as for having a bit of fun, next week I'll go to the museum with Claudia. We already had it planned, but we'll go out to eat at an expensive Italian restaurant. Mrs. Branovich can't find out about it. Something about a sightseeing tour of the local places, -  Billy said.

-Expensive? Thomas asked.

-Hmm, it's thirty dollars per plate, - Billy said.

-That's not much, - Thomas replied.

-Well, you'll go next week and have some fun, - Billy said.

-That's what we plan to do, although we have to keep it a secret from Mrs. Branovich, - Billy told him.

-I won't ask anything, - his father responded.

-Mike called me yesterday and mentioned that the company's sales have been increasing. Both series are exceptional, and you may win multiple awards in the coming years, - Thomas said.

Lux Comics has seen a slow increase in demand. Initially, they were selling 25,000 copies, but now 80,000 copies are released per chapter. October was a record-breaking month, with a total of 320,000 copies of the available series sold. The factory had to expand with a new printer and four new employees were hired. Surprisingly, it's now possible for the company to have a union with fifteen workers, following the rules of California in 1989.

The production is stable, and some rules that the 21st century refined and improved have been followed. Strong security systems for employees, benefits management for every 100 hours worked, and some provisions for new workers.

-The awards will bring some novelty to the company. I hope to win some, - Billy replied.

-I also hope you win some, even if it's not for the main works. You deserve it. Although Mike told me that it's physically impossible for newcomers to outshine D.C. and Marvel in the awards season, it happened last year, but it was only in one category out of many, - Thomas said.

-The decline of D.C. and Marvel has become more noticeable. Many people don't know it well, but in this modern age of comics, the heroes and their major franchises will go through a dangerous period that will only be witnessed by a few. This crisis will be widely recognized much later, as well as the exploitation of these series on television, which provides some relief amidst the reconciliation of television with superheroes and television with children.

Series like Batman: The Animated Series, X-Men, and Spider-Man in the 1990s will be applauded by the audience.

The money is no longer in comics; it's in other similar activities. The chase for money was the first trigger after the overexploitation it suffered in the '80s, even with numerous issues of poor quality. It's not surprising that companies fail in less than a year, even Lux Comics is struggling.

But luckily, Lux Comics' characters have delighted comic book buyers and gained a stable reputation for publishing four volumes per month with sequential stories.

-I'm also happy. With the collectible cards coming out in December, we have another challenge to face, - he said.

-You'll do well. Mike told me they're very beautiful. It was brilliant of you to make shiny and higher-quality cards, - Thomas said.

-Well, they must be impressive for people to buy them, - Billy said, drawing inspiration from a future with all the cards he had seen.

-You've impressed me with those pleasant designs, - Thomas said.  - The Magic card is incredible. You know, it's a bit unsettling to put statistics on the players. It somehow piques my curiosity about the players' reactions, - Thomas said.

-Yes, it's unsettling. Some people might get upset. That's why I only used three statistics that can be called the players' best weapons, - Billy said. - By the way, the consultant was very helpful in completing the package of 140 cards. -

-He's an expert in the field and a recognized sports critic in the industry. He often works with some youth teams, - Thomas replied.

-How did you get him?"

-Through work. I called a client who works for a sports newspaper and they gave me the contact information of some consultants. During the interviews, he performed the best, - Thomas said.

-He's really good. Maybe we'll need him again for the next 140 cards, - Billy said.

Mr. Carson nodded as they arrived at the parking lot of Electronic Arts. The planned meeting and the future of the game depended on the company's mood and their support for the game's creation.

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