A week later, Christopher received a package that had been sent all the way from California.
One NovaXeno in stock, one Nova Radeon graphics card with 512KB of video memory, one mouse, and two CDs.
"This is truly a generous gift—"
This new game is clearly available in both PC and NX versions.
Due to the completely different hardware and architecture of different platforms, even GAMENOVA cannot achieve universal compatibility with a single disc.
He reached into the box and took out the game box. Unlike his guess that it would be titled "D00M Official Version," it had a completely new name.
QUAKE
A crescent-shaped arc with a nail-like object carved into its center.
The logo is extremely simple in design, exuding an ancient and mysterious aura.
Christopher inserted the disc into the drive and took a sip of his coffee.
Although he didn't intend to join GAMENOVA directly, why not do Lin Lixin a favor and help him with some simple game optimizations? It was such a small favor, why not do it?
Although CDs load much faster than floppy disks, you still have to wait a while.
The loading time of over a minute proves that this game has an astonishing amount of content.
He saw the command-line window on the screen begin to rapidly scroll through a large amount of content.
Ultimately, it got stuck on the message "[No mouse access detected----]".
Weaver shrugged, casually plugged in the mouse Lin Lixin had given him, restarted the computer, and then re-entered the game.
It's incredibly hectic, but for a game developer, this is a common occurrence.
He thought, "It would be great if mice and keyboards could be hot-swapped and plug-and-play in the future."
The command line appeared again.
The loading process went smoothly.
The game is constantly accessing the hardware information of his PC, selecting the corresponding audio driver, and attempting to find the graphics card necessary for it to run.
Fortunately, Christopher had already upgraded all the company's computers with Nova Radeon 16-bit graphics cards, so there were no further problems.
Clang, clang--"
A synthesized electronic sound, like the movement of a dilapidated garage shutter, rang out, and the command line window slowly rose to reveal the game's actual screen.
Looking up, the first thing he saw was the ground painted with brick and stone patterns.
There appear to be light sources on both sides, and the light transitions at his feet, creating peculiar shadows on the ground.
This one skill alone puts it in a class of its own globally.
That's smooth lighting!
Weaver had been thinking for days about how to design this thing without sacrificing a lot of performance.
"Consider it a learning experience; learn from others' strengths and make up for your own weaknesses."
As the command line window continues to move, elements such as pillars, ramps, torches, and a ceiling made of sloping surfaces are slowly revealed.
He had just implemented the rendering system for "D00M" and was particularly sensitive to these things.
It was immediately apparent that something seemed off about the scene.
The complexity of the space far exceeds that of the design in "D00M".
This time it's not just a simple matter of elevation differences; the entire lobby at the spawn point seems to have never been designed for a pseudo-3D game.
Such a complex space is impossible even using the renderer he designed.
Because it simply cannot draw pixel by pixel as it used to.
It's like a real 3D space, not a flat surface projected onto a screen.
This made Weaver's previously confident expression turn slightly serious.
How much time has passed?
The visuals in "DOOM" have evolved from what felt like a half-finished product to what they are today, almost like an evolution.
He reached out and placed his hand on the mouse, instinctively pushing it forward.
In previous games like Wolfenstein 3D and Doom, pushing the mouse forward meant moving forward.
But this simple action left him completely dumbfounded.
My scalp tingled instantly, and I felt as if I had been punched hard with an uppercut.
Christopher suddenly felt dizzy, his vision filled with something like snowflakes, and then his arm supporting him on the table went limp, and he collapsed to the ground.
Christopher had a dream.
He dreamed that he traveled through time and played a true 3D game.
In that game, he could even look up and down, freely rotating the camera to observe the entire world.
Arched doorways, staggered brick and stone dungeons, blazing torches, and the light they cast on the walls.
You can control your character to approach and then Activision to see every detail clearly.
That's great.
I wish I could actually play a game like that.
Hey, you, Finally Awake.
97
Julian breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Christopher slowly open his eyelids.
He was utterly shocked to see the other person collapse in front of the PC.
It now appears to be just a simple case of low blood sugar.
"Um--
He responded somewhat blankly, still in a daze, "Did I faint? That's really strange."
You almost fell to the ground, thankfully your knees are strong enough.
"Hmm----"
Christopher rubbed his head before struggling to sit back down in his chair.
Then, he slightly lifted his eyelids and saw Quake still running on the screen.
Bang!"
" Weaver?! What's wrong Weaver?!"
"I'm fine----"
He managed to sit up, and suddenly felt that the whole world was not quite real.
This is fucking...
Is this still Earth?
" Julian, have you seen this? GAMENOVA sent it to me."
He pulled Julian to sit down in front of him.
Then, in front of him, Christopher shook the mouse, allowing the character in the game to freely rotate the view within the scene.
Looking up, looking down, turning your head at the same time----
"Watch it however you want."
Julian instantly got goosebumps all over his body, feeling as if his scalp was exploding in waves.
He understood why the other person had acted so strangely just now.
The development of the 3D module sold to EA was only recently completed.
No one knew better than the project participants how much effort they had put into that rendering module.
Just when they thought they had finally caught up and stood on the same level as GAMENOVA for the first time, GAMENOVA pulled out this.
this----
Alien technology!
Christopher forced himself to calm down, his eyes fixed intently on the screen.
Although the camera rotation wasn't smooth, at most a dozen frames, he couldn't detect the slightest flaw.
What techniques did they use to create such realistic 3D effects on a 2D screen?
This is not a scam at all; it's completely different from what's used in Wolfenstein 3D and Doom!
This is truly real-time 3D rendering!