Main-Line Project
Nakayama Takuya moved quietly, like a cat catching its prey, and silently circled behind Shimizu.
In the newspaper, a racehorse named "Narita Silver" was circled heavily in red.
"The odds for this horse are pretty good; you have a sharp eye."
Takuya's voice softly rang in Shimizu's ears.
"Of course, that kid in the last game—" Shimizu blurted out unconsciously, then jumped up from his chair as if he'd been electrocuted, scattering the newspaper he was holding all over the floor with a clatter.
Wow! Specialist... special manager?!
Shimizu frantically stuffed the newspaper under his buttocks, his previously leisurely old face instantly turning a deep purplish-red. Several key members who were slacking off nearby were so startled they almost dropped their pens, and the guy wearing headphones even snapped his headphone cord.
"Alright, stop hiding, I saw everything." Takuya pulled up a chair, sat down with an air of authority, and looked at his old subordinates with a half-smile. "The new recruits outside are working themselves to the bone, while you guys are here enjoying an early retirement? Don't you care about the development progress of <The King of Fighters 2>?"
Shimizu stuffed the wad of newspaper back in, coughed dryly, and though the embarrassment on his face hadn't faded, he remained stubbornly defiant.
"You're wronged, Special Advisor! How can this be called retirement life? This is field research! Don't you understand what field research is?"
He pointed to the guy next to him who was still drawing a turtle. "Look at that guy, he's practicing the line tension of different styles to find inspiration for a new character. We artists can't get rusty; we have to keep trying new styles."
He then pointed to the person next to him who was engrossed in reading a paperback. "That's the scriptwriter from our group, and he's registered with 'Children of the Star Ring.' He's studying narrative pacing, trying to make the cutscenes in <The King of Fighters 2> more in-depth."
Takuya glanced at the person drawing the turtle; the turtle on the paper was indeed drawn quite uniquely.
He glanced again at the person reading a book; the cover bore the title of a complex mystery novel.
"Alright, you have a point." Takuya pointed to the newspaper under Shimizu's bottom. "And what about you? Are you studying horse racing to find inspiration? Planning to make a ' Hot-Blooded Horse Racing ' story?"
"That's what you call being observant." Shimizu said seriously, pulling the newspaper out again, avoiding the horse circled in red, and pointing to a small news item in the corner, "I'm looking at this— the J.League is about to start. All of Japan is talking about football right now; this is a huge opportunity."
Getting down to business, Shimizu straightened his posture slightly. "I've been thinking, football is the world's number one sport, so the audience is definitely huge. Back in the day, on 8-bit and 16-bit machines, the capabilities were limited, and the players all looked like clones, maybe with different hair colors. But if we used the new console you mentioned—"
He gestured a large circle with his hands. "That kind of performance should be able to reproduce the individual characteristics of each player, right? Robert Baggio's braid, and the numerical differences in the abilities of each player—if that could be recreated, it would definitely be a bestseller."
Takuya glanced at Shimizu with some surprise.
This old fox may seem carefree and nonchalant, but he has a keen sense of smell.
"Good idea." Takuya nodded, "However, soccer games involve complex AI positioning and physical collisions, while our three teams have always focused on action and fighting games. This is quite a leap."
"I was just thinking about it. I'll put together a case for you later, and you can assign it to another group if you like." Shimizu chuckled and rubbed his hands together. "As for <The King of Fighters 2>, the foundation is already there. The baseboard hasn't been changed; it's still on System 32. Just make some minor system tweaks, add a few new characters, and fix the balance. This kind of cramming work is perfect for the newbies to practice on. It would be irresponsible of us old guys to take the newbies' jobs."
Several key members who had been pretending to be dead suddenly came to life and crowded around.
"Yeah, Executive Director, he's constantly changing textures and adjusting values, his brain's practically rusting."
"Since you've come all this way in person, you're surely not here to check attendance, are you?"
"The new console is about to be released, and we, the third group, are your personal guard. We can't just keep relying on the old circuit boards and living off our past achievements, can we?"
The languid look in their eyes was gone; they now gleamed like hungry wolves.
They knew Nakayama Takuya all too well; this guy never came without a reason, so if he did, he must have something good in his pocket.
Looking at his close associates who were joking around with him, Takuya felt a mixture of amusement and helplessness.
These guys are technically skilled, no doubt about it, but they're too ambitious; ordinary projects just can't satisfy them.
"I was originally planning to let you rest for a few more days." Takuya stood up and patted his trouser leg. "Since you're in such a hurry to lose your hair, then come with me."
Upon hearing Shimizu, Shimizu's eyes widened instantly. He jumped up from his chair, not even bothering to pick up the newspaper that had fallen to the ground, and waved to the key members. "What are you all standing there for? Grab your notebooks and head to the Managing Director's Office! We've got a big job!"
The group followed Nakayama Takuya back to the Managing Director's Office. Takuya gestured to the sofa, indicating that they should make themselves at home, and then walked straight to the safe in the corner, skillfully turning the dial.
With a soft "click," the heavy alloy door popped open.
Takuya pulled out a folder that still smelled of ink and casually slapped it on the coffee table in front of Shimizu.
"Take a look."
Shimizu rubbed his hands together and picked up the folder.
The English words on the cover, <Mobile Suit GUNDAM: Battle Operation>, made his eyes narrow.
That was the proposal written by Nakayama Takuya, based on the most mature game from his previous life, <Gundam Battle Operation 2>. After all, it was a battle game about piloting Gundam that had been tested over many years and was widely accepted by players.
"Gundam?" Shimizu, somewhat surprised, turning to the first page. "Executive Director, Bandai has released quite a few Gundam games. Is it a bit much for us to make this one too—"
"Those things Bandai makes can be called Gundam?" Takuya leaned against his desk, picked up his cup, took a sip of water, and said with a hint of disdain, "They're just fighting games that take our fighting game framework and put a Gundam skin on it. What I want you to make is the feeling of piloting."
Shimizu didn't reply, her gaze quickly sweeping over the operational logic diagram in the project proposal.
As he looked at it, his brows furrowed, then relaxed, and finally he almost lay on the paper.
"This operation—" Shimizu pointed to one of the pages, his fingers trembling slightly, "Dual joystick control logic? The left joystick controls the lower body, and the right joystick controls the upper body and the viewpoint? And they're even introducing an inertial physics engine?"
"That's right." Takuya put down his cup, walked to the coffee table, and tapped his finger on the proposal. "In current robot games, tens of tons of iron move like paper. I want a sense of weight and solidity. The push rod should have damping, the start should have the delay of a hydraulic system, and the stop should have inertial gliding. That's what tens of tons of steel should look like."