SD Gundam G Generation Development Proposal
Sega Headquarters.
The First Super Robot Wars sold 210,000 boxes in its first week.
<The Joy Island Adventure> sold 220,000 boxes in its first week.
The latest sales report was placed on Takuya's desk. Takuya simply nodded calmly, his face showing no surprise whatsoever.
"Understood. Keep a close eye on the Public Relations Department. Square's Final Fantasy is releasing next month, so make sure the promotional resources are up to par."
"Yes!" The subordinate responded and withdrew, but inwardly he thought to himself, "It seems that the executive director's expectations were not wrong again. These are two excellent products that are expected to sell more than 500,000 boxes in total."
After his subordinates left, Takuya packed up the documents and drove to Bandai Headquarters.
When Takuya stepped into the Bandai Headquarters building again, the scene that greeted him was completely different from the last time.
The Development Department practically jogged out of the elevator to greet him, his face bearing a complex expression that combined admiration, excitement, and fervor.
"Executive Director Nakayama! Have you read the latest Famitsu?" The Development Department was clutching a magazine tightly in his hand, the very issue that hailed the First Super Robot Wars as a mecha fan's love letter.
"Not yet."
"You absolutely have to see this! A love letter to a robot fan!" This title is absolutely brilliant! Recently, VHS tapes of Sunrise and Toei robot anime have suddenly become incredibly popular, and rental stores are overflowing with them. Many old toys have also suddenly seen a significant resurgence in sales. It's truly amazing."
In the conference room, Mitsui Chuta and Yamashina Makoto had been waiting for a long time. The tension of the previous confrontation had vanished, replaced by an almost fawning enthusiasm.
"Director-General Nakayama," Yamashina Makoto personally poured tea for Takuya, "we really owe you a lot this time. Not just for <Super Robot Wars>,
Even our Marketing Department still can't figure out why girls like that game, "Joy Island Adventure."
Takuya smiled and picked up his teacup, "<Kira Island> doesn't sell games, it sells social interaction. It's like going to karaoke; whether it's fun or not depends on who you go with, not how well you sing."
One sentence made the Bandai executives present suddenly realize the truth.
"I see—" the Development Department murmured to himself, his eyes sparkling even brighter as he looked at Takuya.
"Alright, enough with the pleasantries." Yamashina Makoto waved his hand, his expression turning serious and focused. "Regarding the new Gundam project, we've made some preliminary ideas based on your last suggestion, but there are still many things we're unsure about."
I'd like to ask for your guidance today.
"Okay, let me first explain my specific plan. If you have any questions, please ask after I finish explaining the plan, and I will add or revise accordingly." Takuya finished speaking, he projected the proposal.
Takuya expertly connected the projection equipment, leaving only his clear and steady voice in the conference room.
"First and foremost, there is the soul of the work—artistic merit."
The classic image of SD Gundam appeared on the projection screen.
"I hope Bandai will arrange for Mr. Yokoi Koji, the father of SD Gundam, to join the development team."
"Yokomichi-san?" Yamashina Makoto thought of that incredibly young man who had pioneered the SD product line for Bandai.
"Yes," Takuya answered affirmatively. "He will personally oversee the SD character design and icon for all mobile suits. Given the current resolution of mainstream televisions, the recognizability of the mobile suit's features is paramount. We must ensure that even on smaller screens, fans can instantly identify what mobile suit it is and its specific model. This is fundamental and cannot be taken lightly."
The Development Department immediately began writing furiously in his notebook, as if he wanted to carve every single word of Takuya's name into it.
"Secondly, there's the lifeblood of the story—the plot." Takuya switched to the next slide, "We invited Sunrise's scriptwriting team and sent someone to supervise the entire game scriptwriting process. There aren't many works available right now, mainly the original * Mobile Suit Gundam *..."
The levels in <Z>, <ZZ>, and <Gundam Sentinel> strictly follow the timeline of the original work. The free level selection feature is only unlocked after completing the game once. We want players to relive the history first, and then give them the option to freely choose levels to fill in any missing elements.
"What about acquiring the machine?" Yamashina Makoto raised a crucial question.
"That's the third point: developing the entire development lineage of the mobile suits." Takuya pointed to a tree diagram on the screen. "We need MSV representatives to oversee the development of the entire mobile suit. Players won't simply acquire new mobile suits by leveling up; instead, we'll use a 'base mobile suit + Development Department ' model. For example, only when a player obtains the key component ' Luna Titanium Alloy ' in a specific stage can their Jim be developed into a Gundam. This will make each mobile suit development feel like a true technological breakthrough."
The Development Department's eyes lit up, and he murmured, "I see! This way, the fun of collecting elements and exploring is fully realized—"
Takuya nodded and added, "This also allows us to control the technological level of the mecha, preventing the emergence of mechas with power far exceeding the current era, which would ruin the game's intensity and experience."
"The map uses a grid of horizontal and vertical squares, instead of hexagonal grids."
"Why? Isn't a hexagon more..." the Development Department asked instinctively.
"The controls are anti-human," Takuya answered bluntly. "The movement logic of the D-pad on the hexagonal map is a disaster for players. We're making a video game, not a tabletop strategy game; a smooth experience is always our top priority."
The Development Department immediately shut his mouth, his face even burning slightly. Yes, how could he have made such assumptions based on just a few PC strategy games?
"For MS pilots, just use the characters from the original work."
Finally, there's the combat system.
A concept art image of a battle scene appeared on the slide.
"The battle map is similar to that of Super Robot Wars, but because we have a squad system, the squad leader's attack can be joined by support attacks from other units within the squad. If the mothership has naval cannons, it can also provide support artillery fire."
"In addition, I designed a capture mechanism. After a mech's mothership is destroyed, the mech will become captureable, and the mothership can directly recover it."
"The capture mechanism was designed primarily to give players some freedom in choosing their mechs, and it also serves as an additional way to acquire resources."
"What about the Spirit Commands?" the Development Department asked cautiously, after all, this was one of the core elements of the success of Super Robot Wars.
Everyone in the conference room held their breath; this was their biggest concern.
Takuya looked at them and shook his head slightly.
Remove it.
The two words left Bandai's executives completely stunned.
"The success of Super Robot Wars lies in its inclusiveness, possessing a rich enough body of works to support its diverse mental command systems," Takuya explained. "We don't have that much mental content to draw upon from the Gundam series alone; forcibly imitating it would only result in a poor imitation. However," he added, "We've designed a mental state tier system. Different mental states will grant different levels of combat power boosts to the mecha. What we're trying to do isn't to replicate Super Robot Wars ' success, but to explore the unique charm of the Gundam brand."
After he finished speaking, the conference room fell silent. Yamashina Makoto and Mitsui Chuta looked at Takuya with genuine admiration in their eyes.
This person not only understands the market and the players, but also understands Gundam better than even his "insiders".
"So what's the name of this game?" Yamashina Makoto asked the last question.
"SD Gundam G Generation." Takuya wrote the game's title on the whiteboard next to him.