If his beloved project is truly valued, and even a remake plan is launched, then the happiest person would definitely be Sid Meier himself.
"Should we go with a PC? If we could have 40—no, even just 30MB—we could make a real Pirates! fantasy game!"
"What can 30MB do? If we're going to do it, let's go all out. I'll send you a disc, make it 500MB, and with a little effort, 700MB isn't a problem."
Being forced to compress due to insufficient capacity and having capacity but not using it are two different things.
Some people are incapable of conserving resources and optimizing their products; they only know how to pile on materials.
But since the conditions are right, Lin Lixin definitely intends to go all out and do it.
A difference of one order of magnitude can have a significant impact on many things.
Take, for example, " Uncharted Waters " from 1990, a memory for a generation and the most classic maritime-themed work in the Asia cultural sphere.
The original version was a paltry 4MB, playable on the Super Famicom and Mega Drive.
Limited capacity made it difficult for Koei to truly fit what they wanted into the game, forcing them to make many cuts.
Simulation games are one of the most resource-intensive genres.
To cram in enough content, a significant amount of storage space is inevitably required.
It can't compress space usage like the original Super Mario Bros., which relied on fancy techniques like tile reuse and sprite splicing.
It wasn't until 1999, with the release of " Uncharted Waters 4," that the game, with its massive file size of over 100 MB, truly showcased that magnificent era of geographical discovery to players.
"Speaking of which, Koei is quite a specialized company—why don't we just have President Nakayama try to win them over?"
Thinking of " The Uncharted Waters," Lin Lixin pondered for a moment, then made up his mind, "You talk to the others about the project proposal first. I have something to say to Sam first."
"Good."
"KOEI----"
On the other end of the phone, Hayao Nakayama a chill run down his spine upon hearing the name of the Koei.
This is a key figure in Nintendo's team.
No, their situation is rather unique; unlike other developers, they are not dependent on Nintendo.
Koei is extremely independent and has a unique niche; there is really no other company in all of Japan that can shake its foundation.
For Japan gamers of this era, the idea of historical simulation strategy games might still leave many people confused.
But if we're talking about "the taste of Koei," that's a term that needs no explanation.
It doesn't rely on a platform; on the contrary, platforms have to beg to Koei to their own platforms.
Wherever Koei goes, a group of die-hard fans will follow.
Even if they don't make the FC (Famicom), there are still PC home consoles like the MSX, and game consoles from manufacturers like Sega and NEC.
Nintendo simply doesn't have the ability to retain Koei.
"We had been in contact before, but it fell through because of my unsatisfactory MD results."
"If you have the chance, you could try to get in touch with them. Oh, and Hudson too, they've been having a rather ambiguous relationship with NEC lately, haven't they?"
Lin Lixin considered the situation of several Japan manufacturers and gave them a few simple instructions.
This kind of thing depends on Hayao Nakayama's own abilities.
If we can win them over, that's fate; if not, we'll just let it go and go to Japan when GAMENOVA has the time and inclination.
We need to seriously explore and develop this market.
He wasn't too worried about the upcoming release of " Uncharted Waters " next year.
To put it bluntly, if it were the fourth generation, it would be fine, but if the first generation came out, they would only get beaten up.
Even if " Uncharted Waters " were a huge box office success, it wouldn't actually affect " Pirates!!".
Because these two are not the same type of game at all.
" Uncharted Waters " is filled with a regionally exclusive Japan flavor, immersive role-playing, and slow-paced long-term development.
Players need to be patient and take their time, running trade routes at a leisurely pace, and experiencing the romance of sailing around the world and the grandeur of history.
Pirates!! is a game with a strong American flavor.
It can only be said that each has its own advantages, and the two are not in conflict.
For the Americas market, Sid Meier's " Pirates!!" is a more suitable design.
As soon as Lin Lixin stepped out of the office after ending the call, he overheard Sid's discussion with the others.
"700MB! We could fit the entire Atlantic Ocean into that!"
"Not only that, if we design a sufficiently good data format, it would be enough to include all global flight routes."
Sid was clearly excited about the promise he had just received.
The ability to use CD media instantly relaxed his tense nerves, allowing his wildly imaginative ideas to flourish.
"No."
Lin Lixin shook his head and walked to the front of the group. "We'll only do Caribbean Sea."
"Well?"
Everyone looked at Lin Lixin in astonishment upon hearing his words.
With such a large map capacity, isn't it a waste to limit it to just the Caribbean Sea?
By now, GAMENOVA's producers have long been spoiled by Lin Lixin.
If we have the conditions to do it well, then we must do it well.
Spend money where necessary, and pile on resources where needed.
As long as the final product is amazing enough, no matter how much effort is put in, it's destined to make a fortune.
Anything produced by GAMENOVA is guaranteed to be of high quality.
This has already become a mature, positive cycle.
They keep printing money to make more money, and then invest that money in game development to create even more stunning visuals.
This cycle repeats itself, and that's the source of GAMENOVA's confidence in maintaining its leading position in the gaming industry.
This mindset of "doing things to the extreme" has permeated everyone's thinking in every aspect.
"Why? There were many interesting sea routes around the world during the Age of Discovery, weren't there? Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Cape of Good Hope —we clearly had the capability to build them all."
"Because it's unnecessary."
Lin Lixin reached out and pressed down, signaling everyone not to rush.
This is definitely not something that can be explained in just a few words.
After all, " Uncharted Waters " features a global map, and Universal routes and intercontinental trade remain core gameplay elements.
Lin Lixin looked at Sid and said, "You designed the prototype for ' Pirates!!' yourself. Why did you initially only choose the Caribbean Sea region? Don't tell me it's because there wasn't enough space."
Insufficient capacity is indeed a very serious problem.
But the original Pirates!! was a DOS text-based game. Even if more routes were added, how many more KB would that take up?
Ultimately, it's not a question of whether it's possible or not.
From the very beginning, Sid himself had no intention of making a world map.
"Yes—because what I want to create is the Legend story of the Pirates! of the Caribbean."
"That's right, that's why I said there's no need to make a global map."
Lin Lixin nodded. This is the most fundamental difference between " Pirates!!" and other nautical games.
Just like its name suggests, this is a game with a Pirates! theme.
There are indeed ways to play the game of trade, but they must never overshadow the main game.
"It's not a geography exploration game at all. We don't need a big, empty world; that's meaningless."
Lin Lixin continued.
This is actually the most distinctive aspect of Sid's personal game philosophy.
Don't be fooled by the fact that each of Sid's works seems to have the magic of devouring time, making people unconsciously invest a lot of time in them.
But his works are never slow-paced.
On the contrary, what Sid excels at is keeping players constantly engaged and entertained.
This is the real magic that keeps players tirelessly clicking for the next round.
"Go to sleep after you're done."
It became an unreachable destination.
Only when victory truly arrives will players truly emerge from that state of complete saturation.
"A vast and empty world, while offering the pleasure of navigation, can also slow down the pace and make the journey boring."
"What we want to do is small but exquisite, to create a living world."
Upon hearing this, Sid looked thoughtful.
"The living world?"
What exactly was I thinking when I started this project?
As I pondered, those memories that had been forgotten and hidden deep within my mind at some point in my life finally resurfaced.
"Oh, right! How could I forget that? What I want to create isn't an empty global air route, but a world where something happens every minute."
The Caribbean Sea, the golden stage for Pirates!!
This place was the center of Pirates!, the center of colonial wars, and the center of the gold trade.
Countless privateers and frigates traversed this sea area.
From the Gulf of Mexico to Guyana, exciting Pirates! dramas unfold here all the time.
This is a sea that flows with gold and spices.
Lin Lixin smiled and nodded.
This is the true essence of " Pirates!!"
"That's right, what we need to do is keep players constantly busy, with one battle after another, nearby ports available for rest and repairs at any time, and treasure ships and warships always on the move."
Being near a port means that social interactions won't be interrupted: mission announcements, bounty messages, and the chance encounter with treasure maps.
These are the core motivations that drive players to keep playing.
Once the ship leaves the port, players can return to that Adventure sea in less than a minute.
Even in the port, a fierce port war can be fought, winning colonies for the forces to which they are loyal.
Months of long voyages are condensed into a few minutes, or even just one minute.
Players don't need to spend months waiting for an encounter like real Pirates! or sailors.
In short, in one sentence.
The core theme of " Pirates!!" is—combat and exhilaration!
"I don't know where you got this idea that the open world must be big, but I hope that starting today, everyone can get rid of this idea from their heads."
Lin Lixin looked at everyone.
This is the core of game design.
Even in later, more diverse eras, many designers still haven't grasped this point.
"World density is more important than world size."