"Isn't this just like opening loot boxes?"
The idea spread like wildfire, instantly sparking players' interest. Some players with a strong gambling spirit were already trembling with excitement, eager to immediately pull off a 10-pull of faith.
Loot box gameplay, also affectionately known as the evil path of spending money or the money-spending method, is a classic trick for game companies to generate revenue. Han Xiao is naturally very familiar with it. Not only can it ignite players' gambling instincts and make them fall into the trap, but it can also make him a fortune.
He happened to have the conditions and the need to do so, and it just so happened to be one of the regular activities to attract players.
Every planet has its own currency. After the three major cosmic civilizations established order, they developed a common culture, a common currency, and a common language to facilitate communication among the civilizations. The unique currencies of each interstellar civilization can be converted into the common currency. However, surface civilizations like Planet Aquamarine are naturally not entitled to this treatment. Aquamarine Dollar have almost no purchasing power and are completely unusable in the universe. They are so cheap that they would be considered useless even for wiping one's bottom.
Therefore, if you want to go to interstellar space, you first need to exchange this money for resources and build machinery. Different civilizations define the price of resources differently, which can be considered hard currency in the universe, and at the very least, they are more valuable than Aquamarine Dollar. In version 2.0 [Mutation Disaster], newbie planets will connect with interstellar civilizations in different ways, and players will have access to exchange their local currency. Players don't need to worry about this issue. However, if Han Xiao wants to leave the newbie planet in version 1.0, he needs to pay attention to differences in currency, language, culture, and so on.
His assets were all Aquamarine Dollar, which were worthless outside of Planet Aquamarine. So he used them all to buy materials and build machinery. In addition, building machinery also gave him experience, which increased his resources.
Because of this, he accumulated a lot of useless machinery, which he used as prizes for opening boxes, making good use of the stockpiled goods. The box drop rate was completely under his control. Most boxes contained scrap parts and junk, with only a small number of good items. The cost could never exceed the profit, meaning he was guaranteed to make money.
They claim to be clearing out stockpiled goods and don't guarantee quality, but players, even knowing there's a risk of being ripped off, will still gamble on the future—everyone feels lucky when faced with a pile of junk.
Even players with limited funds will grit their teeth and buy a gambler's item and a "book," and even if they lose, they'll convince themselves they'll win next time, endlessly repeating this cycle.
"Most players enjoy similar lucky draw events, as they offer the chance to win huge rewards with minimal investment, similar to the lottery. However, currently, apart from me, there are no other lucky draws available. There are two types of lucky draws: one is through the official game store, which isn't yet online. These draws mainly offer special virtual items such as Dungeon Crystal, gene repair fluids, red and blue potions, experience potions, and costumes. They don't directly give out equipment; they're more of a supplementary type of lucky draw."
"Secondly, there are the actions of the story factions and characters. This is the real way to obtain direct benefits. For example, some factions and groups have contribution systems to draw powerful equipment and items, or there are gambling games run by mysterious merchants, and some groups dispose of old goods for players to pan for gold... After various factions and civilizations understand players better and regard them as mercenaries, the lottery system for story characters will gradually appear. In a sense, this should be considered a new way for major factions to drive ' Inhuman mercenaries', driven by profit."
"My image in the players' eyes is probably something like 'planet protagonist,' ' Mechanic Class instructor and merchant,' 'handsome and dashing,' and 'an important NPC with legendary and Tu Shu properties.' Players are more receptive to me running a lottery event, and since it's my first lottery event, it should attract more attention."
Han Xiao pondered.
Three thousand for a box isn't cheap, but players at this level have some spare cash, so buying one or two won't break the bank. If they manage to gamble on a purple item, they'll be set for life. There aren't any purple items on the market right now, which means it's a seller's market, and scarcity drives up prices, so it's bound to be incredibly expensive.
All eyes were immediately drawn to the large truck loaded with boxes. The players' eyes flashed with various meanings, but when they saw Han Xiao standing to the side, all their little schemes vanished instantly.
Let's just spend our money honestly and not do anything reckless.
Of the ten boxes, nine were trash and one contained purple gear. I don't know if it was just good Azure Sky or if the ratio was always this high.
Players began buying enthusiastically, opening box after box. Some were happy, some were sad. Besides junk, there were other things, such as some useful materials, some green and blue equipment. Overall, the drop rate was quite considerable, but no second piece of purple equipment had appeared yet.
"Could it be that only a ten-pull will give me a purple item?!" One player's face flushed red, eager to try, unable to control himself.
"It's hard to say. I feel the drop rate is a bit strange; we can't judge it by normal standards... First, we need to figure out one thing: is Black Phantom's introduction of the loot box system part of the game's storyline? As everyone knows, Galaxy is extremely realistic; each character seems to possess independent thought processes, almost just like in the real world. A character's actions must have their own reasons and motivations. So, is this lottery a feature from the game's official developers, or is he really clearing out his inventory...?" A guy next to me pushed up his glasses, a glint of wisdom flashing in his eyes. "But if he's clearing out his inventory, why doesn't he just throw away the stockpiled items instead of selling them to us?"
"Wow, bro, you've got some knowledge." Attracted by the guy's words, everyone gathered around. Looking up, they saw his ID was "King of Single Pulls."
The surrounding players' lips twitched.
No wonder he spoke so eloquently; this ID clearly belongs to a seasoned veteran.
Someone asked, "That makes sense, but how do you tell the difference?"
With the inventory of heavy-duty vehicles dwindling, the King of Single Pulls' eyes flashed, and he pushed through the crowd, loudly asking, "Excuse me, how many boxes are left inside?"
Han Xiao waved his hand and said, "There were a total of 786 boxes, and 530 are left."
Players were stunned for a moment, then immediately erupted in an uproar. They had thought the boxes were Infinite, but it turned out they were limited in purchase. Some players who had been observing couldn't sit still any longer and joined the buying frenzy, waving their banknotes.
The King of Single Pulls changed his look, one arm crossed over his chest, the other resting on his chin, like a detective deep in thought. He confidently stated, "That's it. Since it's a limited-time and book-purchase event, it can't be an official game function. Black Phantom is genuinely clearing out his inventory, but he chose to sell it in sealed boxes instead of simply discarding it. Hmm... and among the stockpiled items are even some intact and precious purple-grade equipment. This can't be considered waste disposal at all. So the only reason is that this isn't truly disposing of trash! Black Phantom is actually subtly giving us benefits. Yes, we ' Inhuman ' helped him build Sanctuary; this is his implicit way of repaying us!"
The King of Single Pulls" made quite a splash, and the players in the plaza immediately agreed.
That's well-reasoned and convincing.
"If it's an official loot box feature from the game's developers, then the drop rates will definitely be announced. But if it's part of the game's storyline, then players will have to experience it themselves and figure out the hidden drop rates..."
The King of Single Pulls' eyes lit up. "For the sake of balance, the game developers make it so you'll never get anything too awesome. But the Black Phantom's reward draw is different. You might actually find some good stuff. It means these mechanical boxes might drop some earth-shattering divine gear!"
His words ignited the crowd's passion, leaving them breathless with excitement and their spirits soaring.
Han Xiao, who was standing next to him, was stunned and completely bewildered.
'I don't think I hired any actors, where did this person come from...?'