This summer, puzzle game enthusiasts have been treated to a masterpiece of their own.
Unlike the grand scale of " The Myst ".
" Return to the Obra Dinn " features only one simple scene.
There were no video clips, no video trailers, and none of the high-end technologies that everyone had already regarded as gospel.
Instead, it returns to simplicity, using only a single ship to tell a magnificent story.
There were 60 people in total, each with their own personality and their own life.
The plot isn't top-tier among world-class masterpieces.
But thanks to its amazing gameplay and art design, the game has undoubtedly made it into the top tier.
No one expected that Lucasarts, a fledgling studio, would be representing Gamenova in this Independence Day sale.
Even more unexpectedly, this groundbreaking debut work became the most dazzling item in this special sale.
[CES Best Adventure Game Nomination]
[CGW Best Adventure Game Nomination] [CGW Most Breakthrough Design Nomination]
[Prixars Electronica Digital Media Awards Nomination]
[prixarseelectronica Interactive Art Nomination]
Although it's just a nomination, it's only the middle of the year.
The fact that it has secured so many award nominations in advance, including a large number of arts-related awards, is enough to prove its prestige.
Given the overlap, some have even speculated that this thing might have already been made, but was released this year to avoid competing with Myst.
This release has dealt a heavy blow to many developers who were planning to compete for this year's Adventure game awards.
With two formidable competitors Myst and this game looming ahead, it's truly disheartening to see any hope...
As for its sales volume?
As expected, it opened low and then rose.
Despite selling just over 10,000 units on its first day across North America, it unleashed its hidden potential after a brief period of dormancy.
In just half a month, this number skyrocketed to a staggering 500,000 units.
And this number continues to rise steadily and systematically.
That's just how Adventure games are; unlike Myst, they don't open up entirely new markets or have a broad audience.
Ultimately, this is still a typical puzzle -Adventure game, and its audience is inherently limited.
But thanks to this natural filter, it has managed to sell its market share thanks to its superior quality.
The originally anti-commercial and mysterious cover has become the key to its standing out from a host of flamboyant works.
But this is a business miracle that cannot be replicated.
The first person to go against the grain is someone who goes against the grain.
But those who try to do the opposite of what it does end up back in the cliché.
But this ship of truth and goodness, sailing under the full moon, will be eternally recorded in history.
It will be included in film art textbooks. It will also be included in video game art direction textbooks.
If I had to find a single sentence to describe this work, it would undoubtedly be... "using minimal force to achieve maximum effect."
A complete nautical story was created with minimal resources and a streamlined setting.
This also caught many established companies off guard, who were planning to use Independence Day promotions to sell their products.
Of course, the lead programmer and art consultant [lin], who were hidden in the developer list, were also unearthed by the meticulous forest scholars.
By putting Lucas Arts, infocom, and Lin Lixin together, the truth emerges in a very clear way.
Hollywood.
"Yes, Mr. Lin provided a lot of technical guidance for the Obra Dinn, but the experts from Infocom and Lucasfilm also made outstanding contributions. Without any one of us, this miracle you all see would not have happened."
"So what are Lucas Arts? Are there any new works you can reveal?"
The reporter from electronicgames had already gotten the answer he wanted, so he didn't pursue the question any further.
"Yes, of course! In fact, we've only completed one part of our planned trilogy. The next two games won't disappoint either!"
Lucas stood tall and proud, as if he truly knew what the other two things were. "Is that so?! Could you perhaps give us a hint about the subject matter or genre?"
"Uh... we can't announce that for now."
"Alright, let's move on to the next question, about what happened on the Obra Dinn..."
Regardless of the storms and turmoil in the outside world.
After the project was officially completed, Lin Lixin left Skywalker Ranch amidst the reluctant gazes of Lucas and the others.
Without even returning to Gamenova headquarters, they headed straight south to Los Angeles.
The purpose of this trip was naturally to visit their own industrial park.
It's not just Lucas here; Activision also has a huge group of developers eagerly awaiting their return.
His purpose in coming here was, of course, the " Pressure Cooker " project that Activision had been arguing about.
This kitchen simulation game, which was created in 1983, did indeed give him a lot of inspiration.
This might be a good opportunity to further fuel the development of the Internet.
"Enough chit-chat, everyone assemble, we're about to pull off a big heist!"
Although Activision has a large number of employees, a large portion of them are from the publishing and client departments.
Excluding these people, the actual core development team is not that large.
After all, it's the 90s now, an era when video games could be easily created by a few people or even just one person.
It was a completely different environment from the industrialized production of later generations that often involved thousands of people.
A group of people quickly rushed from upstairs and downstairs to the conference room and crowded together.
"Let me ask you something first."
After receiving a signal from David and confirming that everyone had arrived, Lin Lixin took a sip of water before speaking.
How many of you can write NovaScript?
Novascript is an interpreted scripting language independent of the N Language.
Unlike the N Language, which requires compilation and execution after development, 'ns' can be dynamically compiled and executed during webpage interaction. This unique characteristic has made it a cornerstone of today's World Wide Web world.
However, within the Gamenova camp, this language has never had a particularly strong presence.
Only those geeks who plan to build websites and develop their own projects will actually settle down and do serious research.
The early popularity of "screeps" sparked a wave of learning NovaScript.
Even housewives with absolutely no computer knowledge flocked in.
Just so I can mine in the game and earn some extra money to supplement my livelihood.
However, as the initial enthusiasm waned and those who finally realized they weren't suited for the game left, the excess hype surrounding the Switch eventually stabilized.
Today, it has become a beloved and indispensable language for website builders.
As long as you plan to use World Wide Web and create dynamic web pages, this is a technical hurdle you can't avoid no matter what.
Upon hearing Lin Lixin's question, many people in the crowd raised their hands.
This is not a very complex language.
On the contrary, it is very easy to learn. If a complete beginner is planning to enter the field, NS is one of the easiest to learn in the current environment where many languages are competing. For these naturally gifted developers of the golden age, learning this language is a natural thing.
"Very good."
Lin Lixin nodded in satisfaction, as this concerned their business strategy for the next ten or even several decades.
If all the people under your command can do it, that would be the best thing.
" Kitchen, you'll be in charge of this project."
Gary Kitchen, author of " The Pressure Cooker," is also considered the father of kitchen simulation games.
Although a food-themed arcade game called " BurgerTime " was released in 1982.
But that's just an action game; essentially, it's a food-themed version of Snow Bros.. or Donkey Kong.
It wasn't until the release of " Pressure Cooker " the following year that kitchen simulation games truly found their direction.
Given Kitchen's exceptional technical skills and experience, choosing him as the project leader was a very appropriate decision.
Similarly, he was one of Activision's early employees, which ensured his prestige within the company.
Now that I have my own endorsement, things will only go more smoothly. "Yes, Mr. Lin, so... what should we do?"
Given the opportunity, Kitchen naturally accepted without hesitation.
But doubts immediately arose.
He only knew that this would probably be a kitchen simulation, but what exactly would it be about?
They haven't even said anything yet.
"Um..."
Lin Lixin did not rush to answer.
He pondered for a moment, his mind racing with internal conflict.
To be honest, he had many excellent options in mind for this project.
Kitchen simulation is definitely not a small category.
As a broad category that caters to children, families, and women, it excels in terms of appealing to all ages and families.
In fact, from the very beginning, Lin Lixin's original plan was "Pizza Tycoon," a DOS game that was released in 1994 and developed by a Germany team.
Riding the wave of PC simulation games, it achieved very good results at the time.