Recaps

Lin Lixin explained how client prediction and server rewind could make online shooting feel responsive while favoring the shooter, though the approach could not eliminate the conflict between shooter and target fairness. The chapter ended with him joking that the only complete solution was for players to upgrade their broadband.

• Lin Lixin warned Carmack that client prediction could cause missed shots, rubber-banding, and other errors, then introduced shooter-favoring lag compensation.
• Lin Lixin explained that the server could rewind to a cached snapshot from when the player fired and use it to judge the shot.
• Sam pointed out that rewind could kill a player after they had already ducked behind cover, and Lin Lixin admitted the conflict between shooter and target experience had no perfect solution.
• Lin Lixin compared how Valve, Riot, Respawn, and Blizzard handled network synchronization for different kinds of games.
• Lin Lixin joked that upgrading players' broadband was the only way to solve the problem completely.

Lin Lixin assigned Carmack to lead programming and Will to improve Quake 2’s enemy AI while preserving its fast, satisfying combat. He told Will to make monsters feel natural and lively without making them strong or drawing attention to the AI, leaving Will with a difficult design challenge.

• Lin Lixin gathered the GameNova team to formally begin the Quake 2 project and assigned Carmack as lead programmer.
• Lin Lixin asked Will to develop a more advanced enemy AI system, and Will agreed.
• Will described Quake’s existing enemies as simple monsters that idle until the player triggers them, then pursue and attack in a basic loop.
• Lin Lixin rejected adding tactical complexity or making fights longer, explaining that Quake’s combat should remain a brief loop focused on shooting and killing monsters.
• Lin Lixin instructed Will to make the AI nearly invisible by making enemies act naturally while remaining weak and ordinary.

Lin Lixin and Hideo Kojima discussed how to give Quake 2 a unified world and a minimal story that supported its fast-paced gameplay. Kojima proposed linking levels through clear objectives and environmental storytelling, leaving the game’s story as guidance rather than its focus.

• Lin Lixin asked Hideo Kojima to help shape Quake 2’s story after assigning Will responsibility for the enemy AI.
• Kojima argued that the team should establish a coherent world first and design levels, weapons, enemies, and UI around it.
• Kojima said Quake needed only a simple story to connect its levels, and Carmack enthusiastically agreed that gameplay mattered more than story.
• Kojima proposed giving players linked objectives, such as restoring power to open a gate or disabling a shield, so their progress would feel clear and natural.
• Kojima suggested conveying additional details through map design and environmental storytelling.

Lin Lixin praised his team’s growth and assigned Sid Meier to handle gameplay design and the game loop. He then brought Hideo Kojima upstairs to reveal a gift: a bed-sized workstation.

• Lin Lixin reflected on how Carmack, Will, Hideo Kojima, and Sid Meier had grown over the past three years.
• Lin Lixin announced that he had prepared a gift for the project and looked to Mark Cerny, who stood to show it to him.
• Lin Lixin told Kojima the gift was bulky and awkward to move, then Sid Meier agreed to handle gameplay design and the game loop.
• Lin Lixin and Mark Cerny took Kojima upstairs, where they revealed an oversized workstation that looked like NASA research equipment.

Hideo Kojima tried GameNova’s prototype grading console and was impressed by its carefully designed controls and powerful hardware. Lin Lixin then explained that the rewritten Quake engine used colored lightmaps, leaving Kojima to recognize how color could shape a game’s atmosphere and emotion.

• Kojima tested the console’s trackballs and knobs and admired their carefully tuned materials and resistance.
• Lin Lixin and Mark Cerny watched Kojima praise the console, and Lin Lixin described its processors, graphics cards, DSP array, and 10 GB storage.
• Lin Lixin said the prototype was intended for Quake 2’s visual grading as well as other work.
• Lin Lixin explained that the new Quake engine separated lightmaps into RGB channels so light sources could cast colored illumination.
• Kojima realized that colored lighting could establish tone and intensify emotions such as danger.

Lin Lixin discussed Myst’s polarized reception with Cerny, who reminded him that no game could satisfy every player and suggested making distinct games for distinct audiences. Cerny then proposed combining player reviews with gameplay data to give developers more reliable questions to investigate as they designed Quake.

• Lin Lixin told Cerny he struggled to understand players’ conflicting reactions to Myst and its unconventional adventure-game design.
• Cerny reminded Lin Lixin that GameNova did not need to satisfy every player and suggested traditional adventure games could serve Myst’s critics.
• Lin Lixin agreed that games should preserve their distinct characteristics rather than mix genres to please everyone.
• Cerny brought Lin Lixin to his workstation and proposed collecting player reviews and monitoring players’ in-game behavior for Quake.
• Cerny explained that combining gameplay data with subjective feedback could help developers identify questions worth investigating.

GAMELINE99 revealed that GAMENOVA’s long-awaited Quake sequel was Quake II and announced an exhibition match between Team SOLID and GAMENOVA. Lin Lixin led Supernova Team onto the stage and declared that GAMENOVA never lost.

• McCoy and Rebecca reviewed the latest tournament standings and introduced a special announcement from GAMENOVA.
• GAMELINE99 revealed that GAMENOVA would release a new game on Black Friday, while teasing that its sequel status was not yet to be disclosed.
• Team SOLID entered the stage as the reigning favorites, followed by Lin Lixin and Supernova Team as their challengers.
• The hosts announced that the exhibition match would feature Quake II, prompting excited reactions from viewers at a bar.
• McCoy asked Lin Lixin whether he felt confident against Team SOLID, and Lin replied that GAMENOVA never lost.

Lin Lixin used the exhibition match to secretly improve his Quake skills, but the Supernova Team still lost to Solid. He then revealed that Quake 2 would be available as an online update and demonstrated its download speed on live television.

• Solid took control of key resources, and Vivian and then Cerny were eliminated as the Supernova Team fell behind.
• Lin Lixin secretly gained skill proficiency during the match, but he and the remaining teammates could not overcome Solid’s advantage and lost.
• Lin Lixin claimed the team had been rusty because its development department was focused on Quake 2 and said the sequel was their home turf.
• Lin Lixin announced that Quake owners could download the full Quake 2 update online starting at midnight on Black Friday, rather than buying a new disc.
• Lin Lixin demonstrated an 8 Mbps download using the second-generation Nexus Modem, while the broadcast kept the progress bar onscreen for viewers.

Nexus’s 8 Mbps modem drew overwhelming demand during a live demonstration, while Lin Lixin kept funding the company as it prepared to expand its California network. The broadcast then moved to Quake 2, whose cinematic color grading and colored lighting impressed viewers.

• GameNova’s live download demonstration showed a 320 MB file downloading at 6–8 Mbps, flooding Nexus with orders and inquiries.
• Lin Lixin continued funding Nexus as the company worked toward broader ADSL coverage, limited by the cost of building relay networks.
• The hosts announced that Lin Lixin had finished installing Quake 2 and switched the broadcast to the competition venue.
• Lin Lixin and the teams explored Quake 2 maps, revealing darker environments, colored light sources, and cinematic color grading.

Lin Lixin showcased Quake 2’s advanced graphics and fast performance during a GAMENOVA exhibition match, where Supernova narrowly defeated SOLID. He ended by promoting compatibility with older graphics cards, a holiday discount on NovaRadeon 9000 cards, and certified internet cafés.

• Host McCoy highlighted Quake 2’s colored lighting and detailed weapon models as Lin Lixin demonstrated the game.
• Lin Lixin launched a Deathmatch exhibition between SOLID and Supernova, drawing cheers from the audience.
• Quake 2 ran at around 100 frames per second after NovaGraphics optimized 0penGL and GAMENOVA improved the NovaRadeon 9000’s hardware acceleration.
• Supernova narrowly won the match after Lin Lixin landed a final streak of railgun snipes.
• Lin Lixin told viewers Quake 2 supported older graphics cards, announced a ten-percent holiday discount on NovaRadeon 9000 cards, and promoted certified internet cafés.

On Black Friday in late 1990, Lin Lixin watched the Gulf War buildup and reflected on the coming collapse of the Soviet Union while GameNova’s free Quake 2 upgrade overwhelmed its servers. The chapter ended with Lin Lixin recognizing that the internet café boom was driving bulk sales of Nova Radeon 9000 cards despite weak consumer demand.

• Lin Lixin watched news of American troop deployments to Saudi Arabia and considered the pivotal events expected in 1991.
• Lin Lixin called Sam, who reported that Quake 2 downloads had overwhelmed Nexus’s servers and ordered staff to add file relay servers.
• Vivian criticized the free Quake 2 upgrade for encouraging users to pay for faster internet subscriptions, while Lin Lixin noted that graphics card sales remained limited.
• Vivian told Lin Lixin that GameNova’s internet café program had become popular, with packed arcades and new operators seeking to join or copy the plan.
• Distributors rushed to buy Nova Radeon 9000 cards for internet cafés, and Lin Lixin joked that spreading the cost of gaming counted as charity.

Lin Lixin weighed possible war-themed games while preparing for the Christmas season, then the chapter shifted to Trip unveiling the REAL-3D0, a powerful multimedia console built around an open hardware standard. Backed by Panasonic, Sun Microsystems, and other companies that had lost ground to GAMENOVA, Trip planned a press conference to announce the system before Christmas ended.

• Lin Lixin considered how the Gulf War could boost interest in modern warfare games but set aside choosing between RTS and FPS projects.
• Trip examined the Panasonic-manufactured REAL-3D0-FZ1 prototype and envisioned 3D0 as a multimedia standard that could challenge existing consoles and entertainment devices.
• Trip celebrated the system’s 64-bit MIPS processor and its additional SPARC-V8 coprocessor, which Sun engineers had helped integrate.
• Sun Microsystems and several other companies joined Trip’s effort, united by commercial setbacks and resentment toward GAMENOVA.
• Trip ordered a press conference before the Christmas season ended to announce the 3D0.

As the gaming industry’s major regions competed with new releases, Lin Lixin read reports that EA’s accelerated 3D0 project was preparing to challenge GAMENOVA and Sony. He watched the REAL-3DO launch event begin, where Trip Hawkins took the stage to introduce the machine.

• Nintendo and studios across North America and Europe released a crowded lineup of games for the holiday season.
• Lin Lixin read reports about EA’s upcoming 3D0 launch and considered the risks posed by Trip Hawkins’s ambitious project.
• Lin Lixin and Vivian tuned in to the televised REAL-3DO launch event.
• Lin Lixin recognized Panasonic Electric on the stage backdrop and saw the large, black console beneath its velvet cover.
• Trip Hawkins walked onto the stage and greeted the assembled reporters.

Trip unveiled the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer and pitched its licensed hardware standard as the future of interactive entertainment, boasting processors with unprecedented specifications. Lin Lixin saw no reason to fear the machine and explained that raw power could not overcome the development difficulties that had plagued other consoles; he left Vivian with that lesson as he justified releasing the NovaPocket Compact.

• Trip unveiled Panasonic’s 3DO Interactive Multiplayer and described plans for licensed versions from other manufacturers, aiming to establish a standard for gaming hardware.
• Trip first presented the SPARC V8 processor, then announced that the Real 3DO would also use a 64-bit MIPS R4000.
• Lin Lixin laughed at the Real 3DO’s specifications, while Vivian worried that Athena’s hardware might fall behind.
• Lin Lixin told Vivian that 3DO’s central problem was development difficulty and recalled how the powerful Cell processor had become a nightmare for Sony Entertainment.
• Lin Lixin explained that he had released the NovaPocket Compact because a console needed games from developers beyond its first party.

Lin Lixin explained why Athena’s streamlined, heterogeneous architecture avoided the development problems of earlier consoles while Trip unveiled 3DO’s hardware and proprietary CEL graphics system. Trip ended the presentation by promoting 3DO as an open standard for interactive entertainment and announcing its $699.99 launch price.

• Lin Lixin explained to Vivian how earlier GameNova consoles relied on complex hardware and contrasted their architecture with Athena’s cooperative, heterogeneous design.
• Trip revealed 3DO’s memory, display, and audio specifications, including its use of NEC and Toshiba memory chips.
• Trip introduced the CEL Engine, explaining how MADAM and CILO composited image layers instead of rendering scenes with traditional triangle-based graphics.
• Trip showed a 3DO first-person shooter demo running at a steady thirty frames per second, while Lin Lixin dismissed the architecture as a dead end for demanding 3D games.
• Trip presented 3DO as an open standard for the gaming industry and announced a launch price of $699.99.

Lin Lixin explained to Vivian why the 3DO’s high price and lack of launch games doomed it, then called Sam to ask him to contact Ted Turner. The story left Lin planning a new game tied to the Gulf War and seeking CNN’s help.

• Lin Lixin told Vivian that Panasonic’s need to profit on each 3DO forced its price high, unlike GameNova’s loss-leading consoles that earned money through game sales.
• Lin Lixin pointed out that Trip’s 3DO presentation had not mentioned any games or launch titles, and Vivian agreed that the omission was a major flaw.
• Lin Lixin recalled asking Sam whether he would buy a powerful Atari without games, using the example to explain why hardware specifications alone could not sell a console.
• Lin Lixin decided to make a game that would exploit the Gulf War’s publicity and help expand internet growth through LAN multiplayer.
• Lin Lixin called Sam, who agreed that the 3DO’s price and lack of launch games were problems, then arranged to contact Ted Turner for him.

Lin Lixin recruited Ted Turner and CNN to gather frontline footage for GameNova’s planned Gulf War shooter, tentatively titled “Battlefield 1991.” He then brought the game’s ambitious large-scale multiplayer and combined-arms requirements to NovaGraphics, where Ben Gokey and Carmack warned that the era’s hardware could not support them.

• Lin Lixin met Ted Turner and proposed working with CNN’s war correspondents to obtain firsthand battlefield footage if conflict broke out in the Gulf.
• Ted agreed that CNN would stay on the front lines and accepted GameNova’s support for satellite communications and international transmission lines.
• Lin showed Ted the tentative title “Battlefield 1991,” a large-map shooter built around coordinated combat.
• Lin presented the game’s requirements at NovaGraphics, including 64-player battles, drivable vehicles, and extensive military environments.
• Ben Gokey and Carmack objected that available memory and hardware could not handle the game’s scale, leaving Lin to consider whether a solution existed.

Lin Lixin proposed ways to make GameNova’s Battlefield-inspired game run on limited hardware while preserving its large-scale combined-arms gameplay. He began outlining a desert-map optimization plan using heat haze, levels of detail, and distance fog.

• Lin Lixin suggested reducing the player count to sixteen versus sixteen, shrinking the maps, simplifying physics, and lowering texture resolution to ease hardware demands.
• Lin Lixin argued that large-scale combined-arms combat was the game’s defining feature, so GameNova should optimize the engine rather than sacrifice its core gameplay.
• Lin Lixin proposed setting the game during the Gulf crisis, where desert terrain would require fewer complex models, textures, and lighting effects than an urban battlefield.
• Carmack pointed out that open desert offered little to block distant views, making rendering culling ineffective.
• Lin Lixin explained that desert heat haze could blur distant scenery, then wrote levels of detail and distance fog on the whiteboard as optimization techniques.

Lin Lixin explained how triangle rendering, occlusion culling, LOD, heat haze, and sandstorm fog could make Battlefield’s enormous 3D map practical on limited hardware. Carmack estimated the techniques could nearly triple processor performance and boost graphics performance by almost fivefold, while Michael Abrash understood why Lin Lixin wanted a dedicated optimization team.

• Lin Lixin explained why 3D worlds relied on triangles and how occlusion culling avoided rendering what players could not see.
• Lin Lixin proposed using sandstorm fog to hide distant scenery and limit draw distance naturally.
• Lin Lixin described combining heat haze, LOD, distant textures, and sandstorms to reduce rendering costs.
• Carmack estimated the optimizations could nearly triple processor performance and improve graphics performance by almost fivefold.
• Michael Abrash realized Lin Lixin needed a dedicated optimization team because his ambitions exceeded what one person could accomplish.

Lin Lixin and Carmack began developing the Frostbite Engine for Battlefield, while Lin explained how interest management and dedicated servers could make 16-on-16 battles possible despite limited internet bandwidth. The chapter left the technical plan in place, with the Gulf War approaching and the new engine in development.

• Lin Lixin persuaded Carmack to create a specialized Battlefield engine, and they named it Frostbite.
• Lin watched CNN footage of an M1 Abrams being unloaded from a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy as he gathered visual references for the Gulf War game.
• Sam questioned whether internet connections could support Battlefield's planned 16-on-16 matches, and Lin outlined the severe bandwidth demands of synchronizing every player.
• Lin explained that interest management could limit synchronization to nearby or relevant battlefield activity, reducing the data each player needed to receive.
• Lin told Sam that Battlefield would use dedicated servers, building on GameNova's earlier experience renting server facilities for Screeps.

Harvey visited an electronics store to see EA’s new Real 3DO console and discovered that EA had its own dedicated section alongside the established console makers. He pushed through the crowd toward the displays and spotted something that shocked him, but the chapter ended before revealing what it was.

• Real 3DO launched with three major games, including an upgraded One on One: Gold Edition and two FMV games.
• Harvey skipped his usual basketball game and rode his bicycle to a crowded electronics store to check out the console.
• Harvey saw few Real 3DO consoles among shoppers and passed through the GameNova displays, buying a copy of Wolfenstein 3D for his collection.
• Harvey noticed EA was absent from the publisher displays and realized it now had its own section as a console platform holder.
• Harvey entered EA’s spacious Electronic Arts & 3DO section and saw something that shook him.

Harvey examined the 3DO’s expensive hardware and sparse launch lineup, deciding he would not buy one. After first-day sales came in at 7,532 units, Trip worried that the platform lacked enough games and learned that Origin Systems’ Wing Commander port would not arrive until at least May.

• Harvey saw the 3DO’s $699.99 price and inspected its hardware and One on One: Gold Edition demo.
• Harvey found only two other launch games, both built around live-action FMV, and concluded the 3DO was promoting playable movies rather than a strong selection of games.
• Harvey watched customers try the 3DO and saw only one buyer leave with a unit, deciding he would rent one rather than spend the money.
• Trip received the report that 7,532 3DO units had sold on launch day and worried the installed base was too small to attract developers.
• Trip asked about Origin Systems’ 3DO port and learned that Wing Commander required substantial redevelopment and would not be ready before May of the following year.

The Real 3DO’s first-week sales disappointed, and Panasonic and EA moved to cut costs and refocus it on games. Trip Hawkins saw the platform’s problems as sales reached only 30,000 units, while Lin Lixin arrived at the Lockheed Marietta Plant.

• 3DO’s first-week sales collapsed despite strong public claims and an impressive roster of corporate partners.
• The chapter explained how Panasonic’s VHS standard defeated Sony’s Betamax by offering longer recording times and opening the format to other manufacturers.
• Panasonic’s attempt to apply its VHS strategy to 3DO left the console expensive and unfocused, with weak first-party and developer support.
• Trip Hawkins recognized that 3DO’s strategy and pricing needed to change before EA’s efforts became a failure.
• Panasonic announced a cheaper FZ-10 model with reduced features, while EA shifted its marketing toward games and promoted several upcoming titles.
• Trip Hawkins studied a first-week sales report showing 30,000 units, while Lin Lixin arrived at the Lockheed Marietta Plant.

Lin Lixin toured the C-5 Galaxy cargo compartment at the Marietta Plant while discussing his plans for a realistic modern warfare game with Lockheed CEO Tailaipu. The tour left him considering the immense scale of military equipment, though the chapter ended without revealing what would happen next.

• Lin Lixin walked through the C-5 Galaxy cargo compartment with Lockheed staff and engineers.
• Tailaipu asked Lin Lixin whether he planned to develop a realistic modern warfare game.
• Lin Lixin said Quake was a proof of concept and that his eventual game would pursue greater immersion.
• Lin Lixin noted that the enormous C-5 could carry only two M1 Abrams tanks and reflected on the tanks' size.
• Lin Lixin imagined a blue whale attacking a nuclear submarine and compared the collision to a truck accidentally sending someone to another world.

Lin Lixin’s team successfully tested a massive desert map in a 3D game, with its terrain compressed to just 8 MB. The chapter ended with Lin Lixin explaining that the desert’s low information entropy made such compression possible.

• Tailaipu and Lin Lixin tested the desert battlefield’s graphics, radar, and multiplayer systems using white-box models, and the test ran smoothly.
• Tailaipu marveled at the enormous 3D map and asked whether GameNova had developed a new disc format to store it.
• Lin Lixin revealed that the desert map itself used only 8 MB, shocking Tailaipu.
• Lin Lixin explained that the terrain compressed so efficiently because its patterns were predictable and its information entropy was low.
• Lin Lixin recalled how he had previously compressed Fire Emblem maps into strings of characters for players to share.