1992 was definitely a memorable year for the video game industry.
So much has happened this year.
Following last year's 3do, Atari has finally followed suit.
However, unlike EA's own publishing resources and a sufficient lineup of games to survive, it has different resources.
Atari died even more completely, to the point that it was directly absorbed by Gamenova.
At the same time, Sony finally made up its mind and officially launched the PlayStation project.
Or rather, a separate department called SCE was established.
Prior to this, Ken Kutaragi had managed to gain a certain degree of autonomy with the strong support of various influential figures.
However, it remained just a small project team under Sony's headquarters.
From today onwards, from the establishment of SCE, Ken Kutaragi truly possesses the ability for independent research and development.
From now on, it will truly be a time when fish can leap freely in the vast sea and birds can soar freely in the boundless sky.
Now it's time to prove ourselves. As for Gamenova...
The lasting impact of " Grand Theft Auto " was far greater than imagined.
Gamenova has a history of creating open-world games.
But the Legend of Zelda is a game from so many years ago.
Given that Lin Lixin has scheduled the sequel for the fifth generation, specifically for " The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time," progress in this area has been slow.
After such a long time, the gaming industry has finally welcomed another phenomenal open-world game.
It's even... a 2D game!
Just when manufacturers start to think that the wave of 3D technology has arrived and are going all out to research new technology stacks, Gamenova will deliver a perfect 2D work, slapping everyone in the face.
Like I said before, have you finished playing 2D games before moving on to 3D?
Right now, these manufacturers who have been scrambling to get into 3D technology suddenly seem to be fleeing for their lives.
It's as if they realized they had no future in 2D, so they fled to 3D, trying to carve out this still relatively untapped market.
An electronic playground where you can do whatever you want. A virtual world where you can do whatever you want.
In particular, this virtual world is designed based on various United States cities that represent different cultures.
For United States, the image of carrying a gun and a flamethrower, causing chaos in the streets, is incredibly relatable and addictive.
As time went on, its sales continued to climb.
It looks like we're almost at the maximum number of installations for NX.
In fact, thanks to this game, the NX console, which had been almost saturated in recent years, is showing signs of a second spring.
Even Lin Lixin himself did not expect that on the eve of the fifth generation and at the end of the fourth generation, NX would still be able to show its spirits.
"Cars, shooting, and sports—the eternal themes of North America."
In the office, Lin Lixin, who was looking at the reports, chuckled to himself and shook his head helplessly.
Although it has some dark humor, this is the real United States Dream, the true mainstream ideology.
He tossed his things aside, picked up the internal phone, and dialed.
" Will, come to my office. I have something important to discuss." A short while later, a refreshed Will strode in, head held high.
From the moment he received the call, he already knew why Lin Lixin wanted to see him.
In fact, everyone in Gamenova knows this.
The fifth generation of escorts.
There are third parties, there's Atari, there's Sega, and of course, there also needs to be a first party.
This is Gamenova's biggest competitive advantage compared to other manufacturers.
Do you have any thoughts?
Seeing Will sit down with an air of authority, Lin Lixin casually asked.
"Yes! In fact, I have many, and I've had them for a long time! SimCity 2000, the Sims, SimEarth, Sim..."
Will is a huge fan of systematic design.
This is why he insisted on joining the " Grand Theft Auto " project team.
System simulation games are a natural fit for this genre. "Hmm, that's great, but this time we're going to do something different."
Lin Lixin nodded.
He has high expectations for the fifth generation.
3D rendering is clearly of paramount importance.
Honestly, Lin Lixin has been plagued by this damn hardware bottleneck for a long time.
Upgrading to the fifth generation as early as possible can also free you from many constraints.
But there's something else he hopes to further optimize in the fifth generation.
network.
Actually, the NX does have internet connectivity.
However, its network hardware was built on the infrastructure and technology available at the time, and is now somewhat outdated.
With Nexus's current technology, they are fully capable of creating even more outrageous things.
For example, the entire series comes standard with an ADSL modem, which can multiply internet speeds several times over without needing to replace existing telephone lines. Go to Bing Search Flagship Store to see the latest chapter!
"Given this, sequels to the Sims and SimCity are bound to happen sooner or later, but before that, I want to try... biological simulation, or rather... the simulation of evolution."
"Evolution? We're going to simulate a complete natural ecosystem in the game? That's so cool!"
Well, for Will, there's never a question of whether it's possible or not, only whether it's fun or not.
This idea clearly hit his strengths.
This is understandable, as it was one of Maxis's signature works in the original timeline.
It's a pity that EA ruined it and there was no follow-up.
"Strictly speaking, it should be considered a sandbox game, you know, like SimCity."
"An evolutionary simulation... sandbox? What do you mean?"
Will was slightly taken aback.
"You see, Will, the evolution of life is never perfect; it's more like constantly adapting to the environment, frantically patching up its own body in order to survive."
The winds on the island are strong, so insects with damaged wings survive and reproduce, making this trait a beneficial evolutionary feature. The trees grow very tall, and to reach the food, they must evolve to have increasingly longer necks.
These apparent phenomena are already considered the most normal.
In fact, the interiors of living organisms, including the human body, are far more monstrous than this.
The most important of all is the recurrent laryngeal nerve.
The recurrent laryngeal nerve is the nerve in the brain that controls the movement of the pharynx, but its pathway is very unusual.
Even though the throat is right in front of you, it insists on starting from the brainstem, running down to the heart, making a big loop through the aorta, and then going back up to the throat.
It's a complete and utterly neglected pile of garbage code.
Even giraffes have the same structure, which allows their recurrent laryngeal nerves to be several meters long, and in the case of Superosaurus, they can reach nearly 30 meters.
But the throat is actually right in front of the brain.
This is actually a typical problem left over from history.
"So... ah, you mean you want to create a character creation system where players can design their own creatures?"
"Yes, a creature editor where players can customize their creatures with different parts to gain various abilities." If a player wishes, they can design a herbivore to avoid conflict with powerful predators, stealthily crawling along the bottom of the water and consuming algae.
Alternatively, you can choose to grow into a dangerous predator, sweeping away all monsters and demons, turning them into big dogs to chew and devour.
Of course, you can also play pranks by deliberately designing creatures with extremely abstract appearances, purely for the sake of creating a spectacle.
The so-called sandbox is designed to allow players to freely unleash their creativity and imagination.
"We need an... infinitely large world, generated procedurally and... a player community."
Lin Lixin added a sentence.
This is also one of the most stunning designs in this game.
Players can upload creatures or assets they design themselves.
Other players can choose to download it, and then it will actually appear in the other player's world.
A completely procedurally generated world can be explored indefinitely.
After saying that, he took one of the documents from the pile on the table and placed it in front of him.
"Project codename ' Spore.' I might be going on a trip in the next few days. Before that, you can start the planning work. The development platform should be ready for use in the next couple of days." The 1990s were the era of simulation games.
And Spore is the best of the best.
He is also one of the most regrettable among the countless souls killed by EA.
The work " Spore " is actually more stunning than it is of high quality.
From cells to terrestrial organisms, then to chiefdoms and tribes, to an entire Civilization, and finally to spacefaring as an interstellar Civilization.
Each stage has a very good foundation, and the sandbox gameplay is present throughout.
But it always feels like something's missing.
This has always been Will's bad habit.
He's very good at coming up with brilliant ideas, but he lacks the ability to polish them into something excellent.
Just like SimCity lost to Cities: Skylines.
If the Sims didn't lack substitutes, any game that was even remotely passable would have blown Sims 4 out of the water.
" Sid Meier will be the project planner, and you'll be responsible for series composition and supervision, understand?" In this respect, Sid Meier's style is completely opposite to Will's.
He is better at meticulous and steady refinement.
In a 2015 interview, a host asked Sid why the Civilization series has continued to this day, managing to retain a sense of familiarity while still bringing a fresh experience to players with each installment.
Sid's answer was very simple.
The three-part method.
One-third retains the core gameplay, one-third improves the existing system, and the last third incorporates new ideas.
When adding something new, it's best to remove one old thing that's no longer necessary.
While ensuring the work doesn't become overly bloated, engage in limited innovation.
Sid and Will were both prodigies of their time, and their development strategies complemented each other perfectly.
If we were to label the two of them...
Will is undoubtedly an inventor, with a head full of strange and wonderful ideas.
Sid, on the other hand, is like a craftsman; while innovating, he is remarkably able to control his madness and focus on polishing his work to perfection. "Anyway, that's all. It's getting late, I need to get going."
Lin Lixin stood up and gave Sam a wink.