A seemingly simple little game has sparked a massive wave of popularity.
The entire California region was abuzz with excitement because of this unremarkable creation.
So many people gathered on the same map to play the game together!
Playing games with so many like-minded people right across a phone line—what a novel way to play!
Contrary to popular belief, this socially-focused game is actually more popular among introverted people.
It's like everyone is wearing a mask through the internet, allowing them to unleash their true selves without restraint and completely unleash their hidden side.
NEXUS did not miss this increasingly popular opportunity and immediately launched a remote ordering service.
Based on the petition, the construction of servers in multiple states has begun gradually.
Although the backbone networks in different states are not the same, it's still a great privilege to be able to play this game.
There are even people who actually make a special trip to other states.
All this is to gain an advantage during the initial launch and early access period of the new server.
Do you get paid if you win?
Obviously, they won't provide it; in fact, you'll have to pay for the equipment yourself.
But this did nothing to dampen the players' enthusiasm.
Money is just an external thing; what makes a man feel most satisfied is hearing, "You're really something."
In recent times, besides overseeing the development direction of the Sims, Lin Lixin has been occasionally releasing small but interesting updates to Pixel War, each only a few KB in size.
This is to continuously stimulate players and keep them having fun.
As time went by, the development of the Sims entered its mid-term.
The development team also encountered a completely new requirement – mini-games.
"Use mini-games to design the job content for different professions?"
"Yes, sometimes we don't need to pursue perfect realism."
Lin Lixin nodded.
Unlike the main the Sims, the Sims: The Sims: Bustin' Out and the Sims: The Sims: Urbz are different titles.
In this game, if you want to earn money to advance your social relationships, you need to play different mini-games in different locations.
These mini-games were then packaged as different jobs.
One of the most famous examples is the window-cleaning mini-game that comes at the beginning of the Sims: The Sims: Urbz.
It's simple, but incredibly addictive.
"But—won't that affect the sense of immersion and simulation?"
Will wasn't too keen on the idea.
Keep in mind that this guy is an absolute top-tier bookworm who actually studied " Urban Dynamics " in great detail in order to create a realistic model of urban development.
Will naturally found it difficult to accept Lin Lixin's design of actively reducing the realism.
"----If I get the chance, I'll definitely throw you Lockheed to use as a flight simulator."
Lin Lixin sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation.
Will's talent in design is undeniably strong.
Undoubtedly, when future technological capabilities allow, having him work on those automated factory games would be a very good choice.
Those various simulators also suit him well.
But the Sims can't do that, at least not in this generation.
"Pursuing perfection within the limits of functionality will only turn this work into a critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful piece of art."
Sometimes, to cater to Volkswagen tastes, being a little "vulgar" is necessary.
Of course, it should be popular, not vulgar.
The latter task was assigned to Japan, a newly established Illusion in Japan.
"If we can't even make it fun, then it's not a game, it's just software at best."
"Well----"
Will lowered his head, somewhat embarrassed, after hearing the increased seriousness in Lin Lixin's tone.
Although he was stubborn about this, he was also well aware that Lin Lixin was right.
SimCity almost went down that same path.
If it weren't for the extensive gameplay design added later, coupled with Gamenova's early promotional efforts, this game's sales would have been dismal.
Even so, SimCity only sold 500,000 copies in its first week, and it remains at the bottom of the charts to this day.
In terms of total sales, it was completely crushed by Quake and Pokémon, not even amounting to a fraction of their total sales.
This alone is enough to prove a lot.
Will scratched his head awkwardly.
The things he likes don't seem to resonate with the general public.
"Shall we start organizing the content for the first batch of mini-games now?"
Seeing Will's predicament, Sid smiled and changed the subject to help him out.
"No—the development department will continue its work as usual; we'll focus on completing the main game framework."
"That mini-game—?"
"Don't forget, we have experts in this field."
Lin Lixin smiled. Activision has been idle for quite a while now; it's time to get David and the others busy.
No one understands better than these game developers who were active in the 8-bit era how to make fun games.
Because the games on NovaXeno were the blockbuster titles of the year on 8-bit back then.
And this, precisely, is the comfort zone of these former Legend.
Perhaps after the 16-bit era, the increasingly complex game designs and powerful hardware have made them somewhat unable to keep up with the times.
But if they return to this familiar territory, they are undoubtedly a top-notch production team.
"Design different mini-games based on the job content of various professions? Got it, leave it to us."
Upon hearing Lin Lixin's request on the other end of the phone, David agreed without hesitation.
Just hearing about this kind of work already gave him a lot of good ideas.
"Um, may I wish you all success?"
Although the Activision of today is not the same company as the Activision of the future that started with Raven, the current Activision is in no way inferior.
As things develop, when the internet truly becomes ubiquitous and everyone can use a PC to browse the web, these people will have another golden decade ahead of them.
The clothing module was completed earlier than the other parts.
This allowed Lin Lixin to begin planning early on.
Whether it's preparing a promotional event or designing some nice clothes.
So a letter was sent all the way to Washington, D.C.., to the publisher of Offourbacks magazine.
It is a print media that was founded 70 years ago and has since become a powerful force in the women's movement.
If you want to promote your approach to women who aren't particularly interested in video games, or even dislike them, directly contacting KOLs (Kings of Video Games) who have influence in the community is obviously a good choice.
But this move may be destined to fail.
Just days later, women's magazines such as Ms., Off Our Backs, and Bay Area Women's News published articles on the topic.
The polite refusals were subsequently returned one after another.
Although the reply used very formal and official language, Lin Lixin could still tell that they were not very optimistic about the situation.
Even the more radical magazine Offourbacks took a veiled jab at the gaming industry in a single page of its latest issue.
"They're all magazines with a serious, clearly defined stance----"
Lin Lixin frowned slightly. Getting too involved with these guys was definitely not a good choice.
Their beliefs naturally clash with those of GAMENOVA.
But if we disregard these people, who should we look for to find a suitable KOL?
Lin Lixin flipped through the stack of magazines he had recently purchased, his finger pausing on a very inconspicuous little booklet squeezed in the middle.
Attitude
It is a light-hearted fashion magazine that has only published one issue this spring.
An interesting magazine that only had a brief period of popularity before unfortunately ceasing publication due to poor sales.
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