Adventure games, also known as AVG games, are a fascinating category.
When it comes to PC games, modern gamers might think of popular genres like FPS and MOBA.
However, in the 1980s and 90s, the absolute dominant force in the PC market was actually this type of PC, which has since completely declined.
Including Gamenova's current title, "Zork," which is actually a very classic Adventure game.
Why does this strange phenomenon occur?
Ultimately, it is inextricably linked to the development of the PC market.
Video games and hardware are always complementary, not independent entities.
What was the landscape of the game market in the 1980s?
The console gaming world was dominated by Atari and Nintendo, while arcade action games flourished.
The video games that everyone is familiar with are Super Mario, Pac-Man, and Contra.
Response speed and exciting visual effects are the absolute mainstream.
The world of PC gaming was different. Forget graphics, the earliest consumer PCs didn't even have a decent monitor.
CRT (cathode ray tube) TVs were already outdated enough, weren't they?
However, for the PC market, it's only been a few years since this thing was first used.
In the 1970s, the output device for computers was... a teletypewriter.
Or it's a display terminal that can only display text.
In this environment, it's simply wishful thinking to expect to play games with graphics on a computer.
At most, you can use ASCII characters to forcibly draw ASCII art.
Even the C64, the 8-bit PC that Lin Lixin and his team used back then, released in 1982, could only support 16-color display at a resolution of 320x200.
With a processor that only reaches 1.02MHz, it's so slow it makes you want to bang your head against a wall.
Especially considering that Lin Lixin's attribute points hadn't been maxed out yet, his overall strength wasn't particularly strong to begin with.
That period... just recalling it is enough to make my head ache.
In this environment, PC game developers astutely recognized the biggest advantage of the PC market: competing with dedicated game consoles on graphics was suicidal.
However, PC gamers have a unique advantage that other users can hardly match.
patience.
To play arcade games, all you need to do is walk into the arcade and put your money into the coin-operated machine.
If you're unlucky or lack skill, a game might end in less than a minute.
Short, fast-paced, and devoid of depth, prioritizing pure enjoyment – that's the path of arcade games.
Console gamers, on the other hand, prefer to sit in front of the TV, holding a controller and enjoying a professional gaming experience.
The situation is particularly complicated in the PC market.
Want to relax by playing some games after dinner?
Okay, let's spend half an hour setting up the system first, and then another half hour connecting the floppy disk drive.
I rummaged through drawers and found a huge stack of game discs, stuffing them in one by one, waiting a long time for each disc to be installed.
After finally getting the installation done, the game crashed and gave me an error message as soon as I opened it. Upon checking, I found that the sound card was faulty and the monitor was malfunctioning.
After much difficulty, I finally found the same PC as mine in the vast sea of specifications. I adjusted it according to the parameters and the manual, and it was already past midnight.
Rather than playing a game, the installation process itself is part of the game.
People are always so enthusiastic about doing this, almost like it's some kind of strange ritual.
In addition, the keyboard has a much larger number of keys than joysticks and buttons, which led to the creation of Adventure games.
[You wake up, look around, and it seems you are in a pitch-black room.]
What are you going to do?
There were no visuals, and no music.
It uses only a large amount of text to draw players into the game's world.
It's somewhat similar to tabletop role-playing games, but there are fundamental differences.
It's more like an interactive novel.
Thanks to the powerful input capabilities of the keyboard, PC Adventure games don't need pre-defined buttons to achieve corresponding functions like arcade games. Instead, developers have adopted a DOS command-line interface, allowing players to freely input text.
Players must input commands to take action.
Want to try opening the door?
Then type: [Open door]
Want to move?
Then enter: [Move 1 before]
Thanks to this unique input mode, although the Adventure Mode is very poor in terms of audio-visual effects, it has an unexpectedly strong sense of immersion and a level of freedom that is unmatched.
Don't get me wrong, Adventure games aren't like the AI taverns of later times.
The game cannot be played using natural language input.
The program itself can only understand those preset instructions.
But that's enough.
The only question is... why?
Is it necessary for Gamenova to make this type of game?
"An Adventure game? You mean a dating sim? A spin-off of Tokimeki Memorial?"
Lucas was slightly taken aback.
This was the first thing that came to his mind after hearing Lin Lixin's words.
The steady progress of the virtual idol project is absolutely disgusting and unpleasant for Sony, like eating poop.
If the goal is to compete head-to-head with Sony, continuing to promote Shiori Fujisaki on the world stage is clearly a good approach.
"No, no, no, it's an Adventure game, literally ' Adventure '."
Lin Lixin waved his hand, his gaze falling on the Holy Grail on the screen.
"Didn't you want to make another game based on Raiders of the Lost Ark?"
While Temple Run remains a money-making machine in arcades, its popularity has long since faded.
For today's arcade gamers, it's more like a way to kill time while waiting in line. While waiting for those popular arcade machines, they can sneak in and play a couple of rounds for a bit of fun.
After all, Temple Run is actually not very deep.
A large portion of people are just initially drawn in by the novelty.
Once you get used to the sound effects and gameplay of arcade games, you'll inevitably get a little tired of them.
At most, it's just to buy a few outfits for my membership card.
If it weren't for the release of " Raiders of the Lost Ark " last year and the subsequent massive success of the new film, the situation might have been even worse.
It's not that it's bad, it's just that there are just too many good games out there!
"Wait, really?"
Upon hearing this, the entire office fell silent for a moment.
Even Lucas himself was momentarily stunned.
"Real."
"For real? Like... real real?" "It's really real."
"I mean... Adventure games? That's quite unexpected. I thought this genre was dying out."
Raiders of the Lost Ark, or more accurately, Indiana Jones, is indeed an IP perfectly suited for making Adventure games.
The protagonist, Indiana Jones, is an archaeology professor and explorer who spends his days exploring lost Civilization and searching for various treasures.
It's more accurate to say that more than half of the Adventure games on the market today have been influenced by it.
But in Lucas's view, choosing Adventure games at this point in time is actually a very Adventure and irrational act.
Because Adventure games are declining in popularity.
Play Adventure games? Why don't I just play RPGs?
It also features characters, a world, a storyline, and choices, and its gameplay is significantly better than that of Adventure games.
If you want to experience a story within a game, your options have long since expanded beyond Adventure games.
If Lucas had to use the Raiders of the Lost Ark IP to make a game, he would prefer to make an action role-playing game.
This way, we can faithfully recreate the sense of Adventure from the movie with the most dazzling effects, rather than turning it into an Adventure game. "Huh?"
Hearing Lucas say that, Lin Lixin was a little confused this time.
Anyone in this world can say such things, except Lucas.
because...
Because Lucas Arts started out making Adventure games!
Speaking of this matter... it really was Lin Lixin's doing.
It wasn't intentional; it was entirely unintentional.
The rapid development of the gaming industry has prematurely tolled the death knell for Adventure games.
In addition, Gamenova and Lucasfilm had already formed an alliance long ago.
This caused "lucasarts," which should have progressed smoothly according to the original timeline, to be aborted before it even began.
Lucas Arts, as its name suggests, was originally a video game company founded by George Lucas.
It's also the king of the Adventure game genre. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Zack Mike and the Alien Brainwasher, Maniac Mansion...
And of course, there's the most important the Secret of Monkey Island series.
Lucas Arts trajectory almost represents the golden age of Adventure games.
Then, this entire supply chain was wiped out in one fell swoop by President Lin's ruthless hand...
It's like accidentally killing an NPC while playing Souls, causing the entire side quest to vanish into thin air.
In a sense, Lin Lixin was the real mastermind behind the destruction of the Adventure game.
Just like how he inadvertently caused Sega's death.
Holy crap?! Is that even possible?!
Once the timeline was sorted out, Lin Lixin felt a sudden headache coming on.
The butterfly effect that changes history has always existed; we just haven't noticed it in these hidden corners.
"Wait a moment, I just remembered something."
Lin Lixin rubbed his temples, then reluctantly pulled out his Motorola MicroTAC. He went to the side and dialed a number.
After a brief dialing, the call was answered immediately.
"Lin! What are your instructions?"
The speaker is Joe Van Caneghem, the father of Might and Magic, who is now the boss at Infocom.
Speaking of the notoriously difficult-to-produce " Might and Magic," Lin Lixin gets another headache.
Is Caneghem a slow worker?
Absolutely not. After the restructuring, Infocom was like it had been injected with adrenaline.
Even though the severe exploitation of the Activision era is gone, and there's more flexibility in scheduling, they haven't been given many development resources.
But these guys actually stood out from the crowd, pouring endless inspiration into their work every day.
Infocom is now a major Adventure game developer.
With two giants, "Zork" and " Zork Idle," they are frantically perfecting this super IP.
But here's the problem: damn it, Caneghem doesn't have time for his own projects! This won't do. If he dies because of " Heroes of Might and Magic," he'll have to take over personally, which is such a hassle.
"When I say it's our duty to revive the glory of Adventure games, do you feel the same way?"
"What?"
Lin Lixin's voice was filled with righteous indignation, as if he were a hero trying to save a collapsing building.
The Lucasfilm watching were all moved to tears.
Look at Sage Lin's attitude.
They disregard the market and risks associated with game genres, focusing entirely on the players.
Yes, Adventure game players must be waiting for a masterpiece to reverse the decline!