What kind of company is EA?
You only need to look at its reputation among players to know.
However, it must be admitted that EA definitely has solid strength to stand out in the 1980s and 90s and become a major player in the United States game industry.
No, strictly speaking, the team with real strength should be EA Canada.
As an United States- owned company, EA has no shortage of money.
According to the original timeline, Need for Speed was not a project that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
By that time, EA had already established itself based on its experience in sports games and CD-ROM production.
With top-tier marketing capabilities in the entire gaming industry, they've already established a dominant presence in the European and American markets.
Even without encountering Gamenova, their collaborations with Nintendo and Sega were thriving.
That year, EA was truly a powerful dream team.
However, they do indeed lack experience in developing racing games.
To solve this problem, EA chose the same path as other industry giants.
Mergers and acquisitions.
The software targeted by Trip was Distinctive Software (DSI).
This later became EA Canada.
The name DSI may be quite unfamiliar to today's gamers.
After all, it was acquired by EA.
But in the 1990s, at least before its acquisition in 1991, DSI was an absolutely remarkable studio.
Test Drive is DSI's flagship title and a Legend game series in the history of racing games.
Since its creation in 1987, it has continued to be updated with sequels into the 2020s.
The latest installment, Test Drive Unlimited 3: The Sun Crown, features a complete 1:1 replica of the Hong Kong city map.
And on this very day in 1990, they were about to release a racing arcade game with true 3D polygonal graphics.
Unlike Sega Namco, DSI is, after all, a company with European and American roots.
They are completely different in their choice of style.
Acceleration tuning, steering performance, performance differences between various vehicles, and official brand licensing----
It's clear that DSI had already begun laying a solid foundation for Need for Speed long before EA got involved.
After EA injected funds, DSI, with its productivity fully unleashed, delivered a world-class masterpiece, just as Trip had hoped.
In 1994, when the semiconductor industry was just emerging and everyone still felt that 3D technology would take some time to develop.
When Trip, touting the "next-generation multimedia platform," stormed into the market with their 3D0, a machine brimming with fantasies of transformation.
Just as Sony was about to reshape the gaming landscape with their world-shattering PS1.
DSI stepped forward.
Need for Speed delivered a resounding slap in the face to all racing game developers with its true 3D space.
This also gave the impractical 3D0 a much-needed boost.
However, what truly surprised Lin Lixin, a newcomer, was the implementation model of Need for Speed.
What year was 1994?
According to the original timeline, the world's earliest true 3D graphics accelerator card was the Voodoo in 1996.
In 1994, the concept of GPUs didn't even exist.
Even dedicated graphics chips generally lack the specialized functions designed for 3D.
Need for Speed is a multi-platform game, supporting not only 3D but also PC.
Yes—the original Need for Speed was entirely run by the CPU.
Bro, what?
It's not just about running it on a CPU; in fact, considering the configuration requirements at the time, it could have run on an 80386 under the most extreme conditions, instead of the 80486 that was released this year.
If it were a performance monster like the Pentium, which had just been launched in 1994, that would be fine.
Running it on a 386?
One has to admire the determination and creativity of developers in this era when it comes to optimization.
This is also the main reason why Lin Lixin insisted on finding an excellent optimizer for the newly established NE.
EA was able to create Need for Speed using the 80386 processor in 1994.
Given GAMENOVA's technological prowess and the groundbreaking nature of graphics cards, what level of achievement can they actually reach?
The answer is quite obvious.
" Gordon revved the engine, of course, in the game."
The roar of the engine suddenly filled the air, and a sense of power overflowed from the computer.
The jewel of the America automotive industry has generously bestowed its charm upon this game.
The damping of the suspension, the texture and friction of the tires, and even the subtle sounds of the pistons inside the engine.
Everything felt so real, yet it lacked that artificial, synthesized electronic feel.
The perfect combination of realistic sampling and electronic sound creates a top-notch experience that even a seasoned driver like Gordon, who spends his days with cars, could not find fault with.
However, as the green light came on, his Chevrolet Corvette did not shoot off like an arrow as he had expected.
Instead, it remained stationary and kept honking.
Gordon recognized the voice.
The engine is idling.
He glanced at the UI on the screen with a puzzled look, and then it dawned on him.
That's what "automatic transmission" means!
He noticed earlier in the settings interface that he could adjust the gear settings.
He saw that the default was Automatic, so he simply ignored it.
I thought that since it was a video game, you should be able to dash forward just by pressing a button.
Surprisingly, the game faithfully recreates the gear shifting operation of an automatic transmission.
You need to actively engage a gear to actually deliver power.
Damn, it's kind of... exciting, how do I put it?
The game defaults to an in-vehicle view.
Wow, a first-person perspective from inside the car!
How many manufacturers can do this?
Well, Gordon is indeed not very worldly and doesn't know about the fancy and varied racing games in arcades.
But such high-precision interior design is truly unique in the world.
And the things inside the car—they're not just stickers.
"I floored the gas pedal and revved it to the floor, the tachometer swung straight up because it was idling."
"Click"
Once first gear was engaged, the car picked up power and quickly pulled away from the starting line.
It's a pity Gordon wasn't familiar with GAMENOVA's game lineup, otherwise he would have already pulled out the "Elite Steering Wheel Kit" by now.
As a racing game, the development team naturally made special compatibility adjustments for the Thrustmaster Elite Steering Wheel Kit.
Unlike keyboard keys, which have a direct triggering mechanism.
The steering wheel kit enables truly linear input.
The car turns exactly the same amount as you turn the steering wheel, not a bit more or less.
Pedals and gear levers are essentially the same thing, both supporting fully linear input.
It's a pity that current technology can't produce the magnetic switches of later generations; otherwise, this would definitely be a great opportunity to launch a mechanical keyboard with magnetic switches.
The engine roared with a powerful and surging sound.
As Gordon switched between the interior and rear views of the car, the sound field actually changed accordingly.
From inside the car, tire noise and various other noises at high speeds can be clearly heard.
Okay, the Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 does indeed fall short of those Europe luxury supercars in terms of sound insulation.
But in terms of horsepower, the V8 is absolutely second to none!
Especially when paired with a true professional race car driver like Gordon, who is also United States race car driver who dreams of NASCAR.
This Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 seems to be one with him, as if they were one and the same.
Every bend, every shoulder, was eaten perfectly.
Despite falling behind by a few seconds at the start due to gear shifting issues, his near-perfect maneuvering allowed him to catch up before the halfway point of the first lap.
"Squeak, Gordon tried to pull at a wide angle."
The tires immediately emitted that peculiar friction sound that only comes with drifting.
Several supercars from different manufacturers have appeared ahead of us.
Gordon took a deep breath, and after cornering to the limit, he floored the accelerator.
Mazda RX-7, Porsche 911, Dodge Viper --
He overtook one car after another.
But it was at this moment that Gordon started to feel awkward.
It's not a problem with the game, it's a problem with the gear selection.
Damn it, driving an automatic in a race car is deadly!
Racing is a sport that heavily relies on power control.
A driver's choice of power when entering and exiting corners and straights almost entirely determines their performance.
Especially in NASCAR, where mass-produced cars are modified, there isn't the kind of massive performance difference that can exist between different manufacturers, as in F1.
More often than not, it's up to the driver to decide everything.
When I was chasing after them, it wasn't so bad; the problem wasn't that obvious.
Now that everyone is almost all gathered together and competing, precise control of power has become increasingly important.
Fortunately, this is a single-player game, so he can pause the game and change the control mode during gameplay.
After quickly familiarizing himself with the key layout by referring to the instruction manual in the box, Gordon decisively switched to manual mode.
"Click click"
Downshifting, entering the curve, and engine braking allow the car to enter the curve with a maneuverability that would be completely unbelievable for an automatic transmission.
Gordon wasn't quite sure what a good racing game should be like.
He had never played those bizarre and unusual games.
But if you asked him to imagine a racing game of his dreams, it would definitely be this one.
The data from deep collaborations with manufacturers like General Motors is now showing its true power.
The dynamic sound control faithfully reproduces completely realistic sounds as he shifts gears and engages the clutch.
Thanks to the addition of a graphics card, a significant portion of the processor's performance was freed up.
Tasks that originally required intensive processing and large amounts of data transfer were completely moved to the graphics card itself.
Instead, processors can be used to solve logical problems.
For example, consider the performance of an engine under different conditions.
Engine countermeasures, speed matching, and gear control.
All of these seemingly exaggerated operations can be handled by the processor.
The advantages of high frequency are fully demonstrated at this moment.
Graphics cards solve rendering challenges, while processors handle logic; they work together and complement each other.
Instead of dragging each other down and becoming each other's bottlenecks.
Another bend in the road.
But Gordon had completely adapted to the game, and his skills became increasingly refined.
Brake, downshift, rev-match.
The operation was completed in one smooth motion.
The entire gear shifting process was almost imperceptible, with no noticeable impact. The rear wheels remained as stable as a rock, and I perfectly cornered at an angle that seemed to be at its limit but was actually completely under control.
There are six laps in total, and this is only the third lap, yet he's already close to successfully lapping someone.
As the Mazda drew ever closer on the horizon, a thought suddenly flashed through Gordon's mind.
"I feel the need."
He felt something—a longing.
"THE NEED FOR SPEED!"
It's that fucking craving for fucking speed!
Let's Fucking Go!!!!