The mansion in the original Biohazard was actually a completely fictional design.
It completely contradicts architectural design principles and is filled with bizarre designs that can only be described as inexplicable.
But this situation is actually very common in video games.
Because no matter what the theme of the map is, it ultimately serves the game itself.
The original Biohazard was still primarily a puzzle game at its core.
This gameplay style actually originated from the Atari era.
Collect items in each map to advance your game progress.
In fact, this was the unified design paradigm of the Atari era.
Like E. T., it's actually a very standard AVG (Adventure Game) with item collection Adventure gameplay.
Therefore, the residences designed by these actual architects are actually less suitable for the game.
Because it's too logical, it makes the game map too simplistic.
Even those European-style buildings that are known for their intricate designs don't have as many crooked and twisted corridors as those in the game.
It wastes space and can easily confuse people and make them get lost.
But that's exactly what the game aims to do.
only----
Capcom has gone a bit overboard in this regard.
To be honest, from today's perspective, the original Biohazard wasn't really a flawless masterpiece.
It has quite a few problems.
The game features a maze-like map that can be disorienting, and the puzzles require players to explore repeatedly, making getting lost a common occurrence.
Lin Lixin placed his hand on a wooden door panel in front of him and sighed helplessly.
"The limitations of our time."
Actually, it's not a big deal if a map makes people feel lost.
On the contrary, if well-designed, it can even enhance the atmosphere and immersion in certain situations.
However, the original Biohazard had a fatal problem.
Loading speed!
"Squeak"
Lin Lixin pushed the door open, revealing a bright corridor behind it.
Doors and walls are used in real life to divide areas, to distinguish different living areas and functional areas, to make a house more structural and maintain a clear structure.
In the world of video games, the existence of doors takes on a new meaning.
Split the map.
"Mr. Trevor, have you ever played our Castlevania game?"
He turned to the architect Trevor who was beside him and asked.
"Of course! It's a top-tier work of art in the Gothic style! It's just—too difficult for me. I still haven't finished the part about reversing the world."
That's a real shame.
Lin Lixin smiled but didn't say anything more.
In fact, they had already used this trick back in Castlevania.
Or perhaps it was used even earlier, in Metal Gear and the Legend of Zelda.
How can a massive map with incredibly rich content be squeezed into hardware with limited performance?
In this respect, the development of game history is inseparable from the ingenious ideas of various geniuses.
In Super Mario, Nintendo used the Tile Map mechanism to compress the original resource consumption to an extreme.
However, aside from these amazing implementations achieved through attention to detail, there is another tried-and-true method: dividing the complete map into pieces.
Indeed, a seamless open world is the ultimate answer for open-world games.
However, in an era of limited capabilities, achieving a truly seamless open world was absolutely impossible.
Even with optimization solutions like LOD and asynchronous loading, it's impossible.
The division was a last resort, but perhaps it was precisely this division that created an era in which sandbox maps flourished.
The two stopped at the end of the corridor, where another door appeared, serving as a dividing line.
This is actually the biggest shortcoming of the exploration experience in the original Biohazard.
Due to the limited loading speed, each scene will play a door opening animation during loading.
Once or twice is fine, but this kind of door-opening animation can actually give players a strong sense of immersion.
It's much better than a black screen loading.
But playing it on and on repeatedly can be quite annoying.
Especially due to the game's design, players need to constantly traverse different areas.
Even Lin Lixin couldn't find a perfect solution to this problem right away.
However, he can try to optimize it as much as possible at the design level.
"Hmm—let's change this part of the route like this. I'll study the circulation issue again later."
They took Trevor on a complete tour of the entire estate, and the two now have a basic understanding of the site.
The next task will now be handed over to the new designer.
To undertake these complex renovations and outdoor groundbreaking work, Lin Lixin specifically established a company listed on Micro-Nova.
A small construction company under my name.
"Brother, I have high hopes for you. Keep up the good work, and you might get a chance to rise to a leadership position someday."
Lin Lixin patted Trevor on the shoulder again, earnestly painting a rosy picture.
"Yes, sir!"
Trevor immediately perked up, holding his head high and puffing out his chest.
The newly issued temporary work badge on his chest gleamed in the sunlight.
[ Umbrella Corp.. ]
[Architect: George Trevor ]
He reached out and picked up the employee badge, looking at the beautiful red and white umbrella-shaped logo on it, becoming happier and happier the more he looked at it.
According to Lin Lixin, the reason he named the new company "Umbrella" was Lin Lixin hoped the company could build good houses to shelter all the poor and make them happy!
How magnificent!
What a great company!
A week later, Sam arrived in Denver with Carmack and his group.
The Lucasfilm production crew and props team also arrived.
Filming for the outdoor portion of the opening animation has been completed.
For the next period of time, these people's job was to thoroughly investigate the environment inside the venue.
Based on subsequent script requirements, some parts that might need to be blown up or demolished will be rebuilt in the studio.
Several commercial vehicles were parked in the wooded area in front of the manor.
The Lucasfilm staff immediately started excitedly taking pictures everywhere as soon as they got out of the car.
On the other side, Sam, with Carmack and Ben Gorcy, hurried to the main entrance of the mansion and met Lin Lixin had been staying there for several days.
"Statue? Just put the statue up first. Where are the construction crew? Dig over the fireplace area as soon as possible, and then block up the original staircase in the basement."
As soon as they entered, they saw a bustling scene inside.
Lin Lixin directed two workers to casually place two dog statues in a corner of the hall.
Trevor, with his unshaven beard, had spread blueprints all over the makeshift workbench, clearly having been kept there by Lin Lixin for several days of overtime work.