Workshop (Lite Edition)

Advances in communication technology have provided Lin Lixin with many insights.

He had already considered this idea when he was working on the online functionality.

However, due to the need for careful consideration in the procurement and selection of mainframes, it has been delayed until now before we have the opportunity to begin.

While the fancy tricks Nintendo played with the FC-Modem weren't very useful, they still have some reference value.

If they could create a mod resource sharing platform similar to the Workshop of later generations, the lifespan of games on NX would be greatly extended from now on.

Whether it's the sandbox classic Minecraft, the RPG giant the Elder Scrolls, or Bethesda's Fallout series, all of them rely on mods to keep the games forever young.

Many players may even stay on an older version of a game and refuse to update because they like one or a few mods.

Name Minecraft 1.7.10.

On an even more extreme level, there are games like GMod and Roblo, which rely entirely on their communities for survival.

This model is commonly referred to in the industry as the UGC model.

"UGC?"

Gerald listened to the unfamiliar words Lin Lixin uttered, trying to understand which words were the combination of.

It must be user-generated content, UserGeneratedContent.

As part of the technical backbone, Carmack had a clearer understanding of what Lin Lixin wanted to achieve and guessed what it was all about.

"That's right. While developing the game, we are also trying to build a creation platform, allowing players to become part of the game development process."

"This is... truly an amazing idea."

Gerald paused, staring at the giant computer behind him.

Even today, modifying a game without official permission is still considered a form of hacking.

At best, this is a prank; at worst, it could even lead to a lawsuit.

However, Lin Lixin's idea seems to be to directly open up this part of the rights, normalize this practice, and even promote it.

"However—won't this have any negative consequences?"

Gerald frowned slightly.

Giving players complete control over secondary development is not necessarily a sure-fire way to make money.

The most obvious issue is, of course, its impact on expansion packs.

If everyone can develop their own expansion content, those hidden masters will naturally develop some high-quality gameplay mods.

If GAMENOVA wants to develop any new content, perhaps a fan-made mod will add similar functionality.

Lin Lixin clearly guessed what Gerald was thinking; he had already explained this to Sam once.

"First of all, Mr. Gerald, if we really have our eye on a particular mod, we can offer a reward, or even recruit it outright."

This is an incentive-based system, similar to royalty schemes, but more open.

A content creation environment that allows all players to participate.

"And why can't we make something better?"

"Furthermore, a healthy mod community can greatly extend the lifespan of our work."

A developer's ideas are limited, and so is their energy.

GAMENOVA cannot maintain only one game forever.

As development progresses, it will inevitably involve shifting a significant amount of energy to the new project.

At that point, only the players within the community will be able to support the game's future development.

"When we were developing the game Civilization, we were already consciously working on making the mods easier to use; we just don't know how long it will take to see the results."

"So you're planning to make Civilization an open creative platform?"

Gerald understood what Lin Lixin meant.

Although the idea seemed absurd, upon closer examination, its secrets became apparent.

If this thing can actually work----

"No, no, no, Gerald, I want the vast majority of future games to be modular."

Even fighting games have open engines like MUGEN that allow players to freely develop their own games.

The current version using R0M is still just a test; its meager size is probably only enough for players to design some novel gameplay or new Civilization with simple textures.

However, it is precisely because of this that Lin Lixin was able to achieve this function, which comes entirely from the information age of the future, despite the weak communication bandwidth.

Steve, the editor-in-chief of Electronic Games, received an invitation from Lin Lixin and rushed to the headquarters.

Uh—your dark circles—

Lin Lixin stared into Steve's dark eyes, his mind filled with questions.

"Ha ha----"

Steve scratched his head awkwardly. "If I had known Mr. Lin would invite me today, I wouldn't have accepted that bastard's challenge."

"Huh? You challenged someone to a fight? You got into a fight?"

Lin Lixin looked Steve up and down a few times, puzzled.

You're not a kid anymore, how can you act so irrationally?

"Hahaha----it's not a fight, it's a battle of wits with ' Civilization,' Mr. Lin, it's ' Civilization '!!"

Upon hearing the mention of the new game GAMENOVA, Steve, who had been in a half-dead state, suddenly straightened up.

As the first salvo of the next generation, Civilization has absolutely made a huge splash.

Ever since Steve got his hands on some pre-existing stock from Lin Lixin, he's been playing with it almost non-stop, every single day.

Dude, I just can't stop!

Especially as Christmas approached, more and more players became increasingly impatient.

Every time Steve hears the various speculations and discussions about this new game, he feels an irresistible itch to play it.

F**K! I really want to spoil it for them!

But ultimately there was a confidentiality agreement, so he could only leave a dry, incompetent comment on Electronic Games!

"Huh? You're playing Civilization online with someone? How's it going?"

"Hey-hey--

Steve chuckled sinisterly. "The experience was excellent, Mr. Lin. Apart from the initial slow loading, the subsequent online process was almost seamless, and we were able to maintain voice communication!"

Why is your smile so creepy?

"Hehe----Mr. Lin, do you know who I'm fighting against?"

"The editorial team at MeanMachines next door made a bet with me: whoever loses the bet has to publish their review a week later than the other."

At this point, Steve puffed out his chest, striking a haughty pose.

It's clear he won all the matches last night.

"My Scythia have simply surrounded his capital with their riders, and this idiot is still doing some kind of regional planning? Laughable."

"No wonder."

Lin Lixin rubbed his temples, utterly at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

However, this can be seen as a microcosm; at least the online system is functioning relatively normally among players.

"Oh right, I almost forgot about the important matter."

Lin Lixin slapped his forehead, realizing he'd almost gone off-topic because of Steve's comment. "I'm planning a simple, small event, with a prize pool of a few hundred thousand dollars."