Choosing material is one of the most important aspects of the creative process.
Without thorough research, the design of a worldview is like a castle in the air, filled with dry words and images, yet unable to immerse the viewer.
Art, in the end, must originate from life.
only----
The subject matter of " Pirates!!" is rather unique.
Lin Lixin and his group wouldn't actually go and have a talk about life with a bunch of Pirates!.
Whether they are gamers or casual observers, their understanding of " Pirates! " often comes not from history, but from entertainment works.
"Bang!"
Sam placed a cardboard box on the table. "Here you go. I had to ask several of my buddies to find this."
"So much?"
Even Lin Lixin was taken aback by this amount.
He reached out and picked up the item on top of the stack.
It was a book, or more precisely, a novel.
Treasure Island is a novel written by Robert Louis Stevenson in the late 1980s.
The protagonist obtains a legendary treasure map, organizes an expedition to Treasure Island, and outwits Pirates! with his companions.
It's a classic work; there have been nearly 10 film remakes alone.
The remaining items are other novels on the same theme, as well as videotapes, games, and other works.
" The Seven Cities of Gold - You actually managed to get your hands on that?"
This thing is quite old.
This game was released when EA began its direct sales strategy and transitioned into a publishing company.
It was developed around 1984 by a studio called 0zarkSoftscape.
It wasn't a big company, and it disappeared after the 1990s.
However, this work is actually quite sophisticated.
Because it's actually a non-linear gameplay mode!
Keep in mind that this was in 1984, the era when Adventure games were all the rage.
In an era when thousands of games were being released every month, this was a rare gem.
He was also one of the pioneers of open-world and procedural random map generation.
Although it is difficult to find its original ROM even today, it has indeed left a significant mark on history.
Although for players of this era, this thing is only a product from a few years ago.
But for Lin Lixin, this was an old item that was obviously genuine.
"Wow, sailing, exploration, resource management, a procedurally generated open world, and the freedom to choose between trade and plunder—"
This thing is surprisingly well-made.
No wonder it won the Game of the Year Award back then.
The world generated by programmatic algorithms effectively avoids the fact that storage is more expensive than gold in this era.
The game world can be made very large; even by today's standards, this is an incredibly advanced technology.
The open-world games like Minecraft and No Man 'Minecraft No Man's Sky with their infinitely large maps are essentially based on this same thing.
"EA, you always have such a sharp eye."
Lin Lixin was genuinely puzzled by this matter.
Even Bullfrog Studio Development, a studio known for producing five masterpieces, could be ruined by EA. PopCap, known for Plants vs. Zombies, and Westwood, known for Red Alert, are even less likely to succeed.
EA has always been known for its lethality, but it also has an exceptionally sharp eye when it comes to choosing targets.
Those who catch their eye are invariably industry trendsetters.
Well, back in the early 80s, EA wasn't the monster it was.
At least when they were working with 0zarkSoftscape, they were a company that, as their name Electronic Arts, focused on artist-driven works.
"By the way, how's 0zark studio doing these days? That game was quite interesting."
Sam frowned and thought for a moment, then shrugged.
That means he obviously didn't know either.
But that's enough.
The video game industry is small, and there are very few companies that own IPs like Game of the Year. You see them all the time.
The fact that they had absolutely no recollection of this studio speaks volumes.
"This is way too advanced—when a group of geeks get together, it's easy for things to turn out like this."
In the golden age of the 1980s, there were many like them who possessed exceptional skills but could only regretfully retire.
Just like Gerald, just like Infocom.
The game was too complex, which naturally clashed with the arcade-dominated market environment of the 1980s.
However, 0zark cannot achieve the same level of industrialization as MicroProse, the company Sid was based at.
Despite being a typical nerdy guy, Sid's workflow in MicroProse is actually quite sophisticated.
Stable production line output and a large number of high-quality flight shooting games have become the company's profit guarantee.
Sid knew this very well.
Only with a stable cash flow can he truly unleash his potential to do what he wants.
Will didn't understand this at all; after making a small profit, he excitedly went off to work on his own "Urban Dynamics."
The result was that he almost lost his family and his life.
The same principle applies to Gerald.
Funding is the prerequisite for supporting dreams.
This is one of the reasons why Lin Lixin has always been so concerned about semiconductors.
Without Micron support for Gamenova headquarters, many projects wouldn't be able to proceed as freely as they are now.
"Well, after all, the quality and design concept are indeed very good."
Lin Lixin pondered for a moment, then looked at Sam, "Let Activision contact them and put them under Caneghem's control, making them a free-range third party like Infocom."
Gamenova isn't a charity, after all.
All he could do was provide the most basic necessities for survival.
Whether 0zark can reverse its predetermined fate depends on the abilities of these geeks themselves.
The development department's first task was to get together and spend an afternoon watching several Pirates! movies.
Then, they weren't allowed to communicate with each other; each person had to write their own review.
Of course, the topic is what inspiration it provides for the design of the game " Pirates!!".
It's a bit like a primary school essay assignment.
But it was indeed a great opportunity to exchange ideas.
Taking advantage of this moment, Lin Lixin contacted Tom Cruise, with whom he had recently collaborated.
Just these past two days, Tom Cruise has also received an offer to star in the action film " Days of Thunder " and is currently in Hollywood preparing for filming.
So he simply came straight over.
Mr. Lin.
Tom Cruise took the initiative to shake hands with Lin Lixin.
This was the first time he had come to meet Lin Lixin alone.
However, having had previous contact with Lin Lixin, he had some understanding of Lin Lixin's personality and was not too reserved.
"Could it be that they thought I did well last time and are planning to make me the protagonist of their new work?"
"Ha! That's a good idea, but unfortunately I've already chosen someone. Remember to be more proactive next time."
Lin Lixin smiled and shook his head.
He had a more suitable choice for the protagonist's face model.
"Is the recently launched film ' Days of Thunder ' a racing movie? If I ever get into racing, I'll definitely remember to contact you."
That would be my honor.
Tom Cruise readily agreed.
Whether this is just polite talk or the truth, with Lin Lixin's words, future cooperation will be much easier.
"Let's put that aside for now. The reason I invited you here is to ask you about someone."
"Who?"
"The composer of ' Rain Man, 'Hans Zimmer."
Rain Man, a drama film starring Tom Cruise in 1988.
Hans Zimmer was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score shortly after his debut.
However, only Lin Lixin knew that this was just the beginning for this formidable man.
22 Grammy Award nominations, 4 wins; 15 Golden Globe Award nominations, 3 wins; 12 Academy Award nominations, 2 wins.
Hans Zimmer is a walking music award.
The music for countless future Hollywood blockbusters will be handled by him, or by the Hans Zimmer Studio, which he leads.
This includes Pirates! of the Caribbean.
If one had to choose someone to compose the music for " Pirates!!", Hans Zimmer would be the most suitable choice.
"Mr. Hans is in Hollywood; I can get in touch with him."
"Oh, right, give him this demo. It's a little sample I wrote on a whim."
Lin Lixin pulled out a CD and handed it to him.
The linear narrative of film is still too limiting; Hans Zimmer needs to be shown what the ultimate medium truly is.
The dynamic music system we developed in our previous collaboration with Michael Jackson still has room for improvement.
If music could change with the weather at sea, with the situation of naval battles, and with the region, port, and power dynamics—
"Tsk tsk, just thinking about it is exciting."
Tom Cruise took the disc and got up to leave.
Before leaving, he suddenly remembered what Lin Lixin had just told him and asked curiously, "By the way, Lin, you said you've already chosen the roles for your new work, is that true or...?"
"Why would I lie to you? I've already chosen someone. I just happened to find a newcomer I like these past few days, so I'll give him a chance."
The protagonist of " Pirates!!" is a young man who has just come of age.
To be honest, Tom Cruise is actually a pretty suitable candidate for a face model.
However, the other person is indeed a better match for him.
"A newcomer? Who is it?"
Tom Cruise, still somewhat persistent, asked another question.
John Depp.
Hmm... I really don't remember it.
California, Los Angeles, Santa Monica.
Inside a recording studio.
Hans Zimmer crossed his arms and frowned.
The monitor headphones are playing tracks from that demo disc.
He didn't know the name of the piece, or even its background.
The only thing he knew was that when Tom Cruise handed him the disc, he told him that Gamenova wanted him to compose the score and serve as the music director for their new film.
But they didn't even mention what the project they were going to collaborate on actually was.
Everything is described in a vague and ambiguous manner.
The only clue is this demo.
"A nautical or Pirates! -themed game?"
For some reason, Hans Zimmer was able to understand what the piece was actually about.
It has a strong rhythm, is full of energy, and the escalating emotions are set just right.
Everything was so perfect.
If Hans Zimmer were to name this piece, he would call it "He's Pirate".
( He's Pirates! )
Unfortunately, this demo was written on short notice and was not very well completed, which he really regretted.
The abrupt ending, especially at the climax, left him feeling incredibly restless and itchy.
"Soundtracks for video games?"
This was a new medium he had never tried before.
But no matter what, he had to go and see!