Recaps

Lin Lixin developed plans for a more ergonomic NovaMouseDevice and summoned Jim to discuss a strategy against Sun and IBM. He then headed with Vivian to meet Steve Jobs, who was seeking funding for NeXT.

• Vivian showed Lin Lixin a prototype graphics card, and they discussed John Carmack leading the OpenGL project.
• Lin Lixin called Jim and asked him to come to headquarters to discuss a plan to strike at Sun and IBM.
• Lin Lixin proposed reshaping Logitech's C7 mouse into a rounded, palm-fitting design, and Gerald considered how to manufacture it.
• Vivian connected the mouse's potential to graphical operating systems, while Lin Lixin described a future in which PCs became accessible to ordinary users.
• Lin Lixin named the new mouse NMD, meaning NovaMouseDevice, then left with Vivian and Jim to meet Steve Jobs, who was seeking investors for NeXT.

Lin Lixin offered Steve Jobs an investment and technical support for NeXT in exchange for a stake and a board seat, securing his agreement. He then set out to meet Michael Dell, whom he hoped to recruit as a consumer-market partner.

• Jobs told Lin Lixin that he needed funding for NeXT but feared losing control as he had at Apple.
• Lin Lixin offered twenty million dollars for a sixteen-percent stake in NeXT and a board seat.
• Lin Lixin offered Micro-Nova and SGI technology contributions in exchange for two-percent stakes each.
• Jobs accepted the deal and agreed to have lawyers draft the documents.
• Lin Lixin told Vivian they needed a consumer-market partner and headed to meet Michael Dell.

Lin Lixin met with Michael Dell to recruit PC's Limited into an alliance that would bring their companies together across the PC market. Back at GAMENOVA, Lin gave Will two small games to practice developing in N Language.

• Lin Lixin visited Michael Dell at PC's Limited and saw how its direct-sales, build-to-order model kept prices low and avoided finished-goods inventory.
• Dell agreed to Lin Lixin's proposed alliance, which included SGI, NeXT, PC's Limited, Micro-Nova, and GAMENOVA.
• Lin showed Dell the Logitech C7 mouse and proposed standardizing it alongside Micro-Nova's graphics card, while Dell said they first needed to create demand.
• Lin returned to GAMENOVA and told Will not to rush into refactoring SimCity, giving him Minesweeper and Spider Solitaire as practice projects.

GAMENOVA developed Minesweeper as a simple PC game that also taught users to operate a mouse, and Dell began bundling mice and the game with business computers. After struggling to get his employees to use their new PCs, Robert considered trying Minesweeper as a training tool.

• Will reviewed the Minesweeper proposal and praised its simple design, while Lin Lixin suggested it could also be ported to NovaPocket.
• GAMENOVA ordered one million mice from Logitech to accompany the game.
• Dell offered Robert discounted mice and Minesweeper with his company’s PC order, explaining that the game would teach employees to use a mouse.
• Robert agreed to add the mice after Dell described their benefits, and Dell’s computer shipments began including the NMD mouse and Minesweeper.
• After the PCs arrived, Robert saw that his employees struggled with them and that office efficiency had fallen.
• Robert remembered Dell’s claim that Minesweeper was a training tool and decided to try it with his staff.

Robert encouraged employees to use Minesweeper as a learning tool, then saw it spread through the office while their work still got done. Meanwhile, Steve arrived at GAMENOVA’s headquarters, angry that Lin Lixin had released the game without telling him.

• Robert told the staff to set aside time each day to learn Minesweeper, and later found Sean playing it during his break.
• Robert asked Sean to demonstrate the game, recognized how it helped him learn mouse control, and told him to teach the others.
• Minesweeper spread through the office as employees played while continuing to submit neatly prepared work on time.
• As SGI and Dell shipped more computers, more people encountered Minesweeper and its unfamiliar mouse.
• Steve arrived at GAMENOVA carrying equipment and complained that Lin Lixin had secretly released Minesweeper without publicity or a public sale.

Steve visited GAMENOVA’s headquarters and learned that Lin had developed Minesweeper and Spider Solitaire for Dell’s mouse promotion. After the bundle helped drive Dell’s PC sales, Trip saw GAMENOVA’s move as a threat to EA and planned to counter it through Interplay’s Wasteland.

• Steve visited GAMENOVA’s new headquarters and asked Lin about Minesweeper, learning that Dell had commissioned two games to promote its mouse.
• Dell began selling a Mouse Entertainment Bundle with Minesweeper and Spider Solitaire, and customers ordered it alongside the NMD mouse.
• The bundle boosted Dell’s sales by bringing games to people who had not previously played video games, alarming Trip and EA.
• Larry Probst suggested that GAMENOVA might lack experience in PC game development, and Trip agreed that DOS and console development differed.
• Trip decided to contact Interplay about investing in Wasteland and offer an improved graphics engine using 16-color EGA technology.

Will and Lin Lixin discussed SimCity’s open-ended city-building gameplay and proposed a God Mode to broaden its appeal. Meanwhile, Sid Meier bought GAMENOVA’s first PC game and began playing, unsure what to do next.

• Will showed Sam how zoning and demand worked in SimCity, but Sam found the gameplay bewildering and aimless.
• Lin Lixin explained that SimCity’s audience did not need to include everyone and suggested turning disasters into a toy with a God Mode.
• GAMENOVA’s partnership with Dell expanded its PC sales network, and shipments of floppy disks spread across North America.
• Sid Meier bought SimCity, thinking it might inspire his new game, and brought it back to MicroProse.
• Sid Meier named his city after himself, entered the map, and wondered what to do after receiving no further prompts.

Sid Meier struggled to understand the city-building game, and his first attempt at managing the city ended in bankruptcy and collapse. He restarted, studied the mechanics, and eventually built a thriving district, but the citizens’ demands left him furious.

• Sid Meier began building roads, power plants, and zones, expanding the city across a river as demand for housing, industry, and commerce grew.
• Sid Meier discovered that his funds were dwindling, cut public-service budgets, and raised taxes to try to stop the deficit.
• Sid Meier submitted his budget, and the city’s buildings collapsed after residents protested that taxes were too high.
• Sid Meier deleted the save, restarted with the game paused, and studied employment, pollution, and residents’ needs.
• After two hours, Sid Meier filled part of the map with buildings and high-rises, then cursed the citizens for complaining about an 11% tax rate.

Sid Meier became absorbed in SimCity, whose open-ended city management inspired ideas for a new game and led him and Bill to realize that a mouse suited its controls. Lin Lixin arrived at MicroProse asking to see Sid Meier, intending to recruit him.

• Sid Meier unleashed every disaster in SimCity, including a monster attack, then reloaded his save and showed Bill the city he had built.
• Sid Meier told Bill that SimCity had inspired ideas for an entirely new game, though he had not yet settled on what it would be.
• Bill complained that SimCity's controls were tiring, and Sid Meier realized that using a mouse made building and navigating much faster.
• Sid Meier and Bill speculated that GAMENOVA had released Minesweeper and Spider Solitaire to familiarize players with mice.
• Lin Lixin arrived at MicroProse, introduced himself to Bill, and asked to see Sid Meier.

Lin Lixin praised Sid Meier’s work and offered him a place at GAMENOVA, but Sid declined because he valued MicroProse’s independence. Lin Lixin argued that GAMENOVA could support games for their creativity rather than their sales, leaving Sid and Bill to consider his offer.

• Lin Lixin met Sid Meier and Bill as they played SimCity, and praised their city and the game’s design.
• Lin Lixin invited Sid Meier to join GAMENOVA, but Sid said MicroProse was his home and offered instead to develop games as a third-party studio.
• Lin Lixin noted that SimCity had earned a high score but sold only just over 500,000 copies in its first week.
• Lin Lixin told Sid Meier that sales did not matter to him as long as a game was fun, and said GAMENOVA could fund technical solutions and support games that sold fewer than 100,000 copies.

Lin Lixin recruited Sid Meier and Bill into GAMENOVA, then heard from Satoshi Tajiri that Nintendo was using Enix’s new game, “Dragon Quest,” to challenge NovaBo’s momentum. The chapter left Lin considering the threat posed by the influential Japanese RPG.

• Lin Lixin offered Sid Meier a place at GAMENOVA, and Sid considered joining as the game industry began consolidating.
• Bill agreed to join GAMENOVA to help establish its own distribution network.
• Lin Lixin, Sid Meier, and Bill finalized a draft contract and headed to California.
• Lin Lixin introduced Sid Meier to Will Wright, who cheered up when Sid praised “SimCity.”
• Sam told Lin Lixin that Satoshi was on the phone, and Satoshi warned him that Nintendo was promoting Enix’s “Dragon Quest” against NovaBo.

Lin Lixin decided to create Momotaro Dentetsu, a Japan-focused railway and folklore game, after hearing GAMENOVA was struggling to sell games there. He also planned an American version based on Monopoly and settled on the name Tycoon, leaving the game’s development and licensing unresolved.

• Satoshi Tajiri told Lin Lixin that GAMENOVA faced commercial pressure in Japan, Pokémon animation plans were stalled, and Double Dribble was underperforming.
• Lin Lixin concluded that competing with DQ through another JRPG would be ineffective and proposed a game combining Japanese railways and folklore, naming it Momotaro Dentetsu.
• Lin Lixin described the game’s Monopoly-like rules to Satoshi Tajiri and asked him to gather information about Japan’s railway network.
• Lin Lixin discussed adapting the concept for North America, where acquiring Monopoly’s rights had proved difficult.
• After considering alternative names, Lin Lixin chose Tycoon for the American version.

Lin Lixin and the GAMENOVA team found that Richman’s otherwise promising mechanics were undermined by harsh random outcomes. Lin Lixin and Will decided to develop a pseudo-random distribution algorithm to make the game’s randomness feel fairer to players.

• Lin Lixin, Sam, Will, and Sid tested Richman’s demo and agreed that its complete rounds felt frustrating despite its appealing mechanics.
• Lin Lixin identified randomness as the source of the problem, and Sid noted that extreme results and the Matthew effect punished unlucky players.
• Will explained that objectively random results could feel unfair over a player’s experience, using a raffle example to show why outcomes did not match expectations.
• Lin Lixin connected the problem to Markov chains and asked Will to work with him on a PRD algorithm.
• Lin Lixin explained that pseudo-random distribution could make outcomes feel more natural and fair while keeping them under designers’ control.

University student Hideo Kojima bought Dragon Quest and Momotaro Dentetsu, then received a job offer from Konami assigning him to the MSX Game Division. Konami rejected his proposed war-themed game, but Kojima still hoped he could persuade them after joining.

• Kojima won a game of mahjong with a thirteen orphans hand, and his friends asked about his plans after graduation.
• Kojima bought Dragon Quest and Momotaro Dentetsu after spotting the latter's Game Freak and GAMENOVA logos.
• Kojima received an employment offer from Konami for a game designer position in its MSX Game Division.
• Kojima read that Konami had rejected his war-themed game proposal because the company was reluctant to develop a game about war.
• Kojima brought his games back to the dormitory and invited his friends to try Momotaro Dentetsu.

Kojima and his roommates discovered that GAMENOVA’s Momotetsu game paired Japanese legends with distinctive abilities and an accurate railway map. Kondō took an early lead before a wrong-train event sent him to Kojima’s heavily developed Hokkaido, and Kojima prepared to capitalize on his sudden bad luck.

• Kojima inserted the game, and the roommates were surprised that the Japanese-themed Momotetsu was a GAMENOVA product.
• Kojima noticed that characters such as Urashima Taro had abilities linked to their legends, while the group recognized the characters as representatives of different Japanese regions.
• The roommates began playing on a railway map modeled on Japan, and Kondō used his rail knowledge to build up Shikoku and Kyushu and gain an early lead.
• A random event sent Kondō from Kyushu to Sapporo, where Kojima had developed shops across Hokkaido.
• Kojima rolled toward Kondō, hoping to use his opportunity to bring the railfan’s lead crashing down.

Kojima narrowly lost a three-hour game of Momotaro Dentetsu to Kondō, then reflected on the game’s design and went to work at Konami. Satoshi Tajiri called him with an invitation from Mr. Lin to meet in the United States.

• Kondō survived a dangerous turn, received help from the God of Fortune, and narrowly beat Kojima by ten million after three hours of play.
• Kojima wondered whether the game’s perfectly timed setbacks were more than coincidence and recognized the depth of its design.
• Kojima submitted a résumé and his Snatcher proposal to Satoshi Tajiri at Game Freak, and Tajiri agreed to pass them to President Lin.
• Kojima returned to his cramped office in Konami’s MSX game division and received a call from Tajiri, who said Mr. Lin wanted to meet him in the United States.

After leaving Konami, Kojima traveled to GAMENOVA expecting the company might want to buy his Snatcher proposal, but Lin Lixin offered him a job instead. Lin proposed that Kojima bring his directing and storytelling skills to a Gothic vampire game based on Castlevania.

• Kojima quit Konami after a colleague berated him and accepted an invitation to travel to GAMENOVA.
• Kojima arrived in Los Angeles, where Sam drove him to GAMENOVA's office.
• Lin Lixin paused his discussion with Will Wright about Tycoon Tycoon and invited Kojima to talk.
• Lin offered Kojima a position at GAMENOVA, praising his strengths in cinematic direction, music, and immersion.
• Lin showed Kojima a Castlevania document and asked whether he was interested in Gothic style and vampire legends.

Kojima began designing a 2D Castlevania game with creative freedom while Lin Lixin explored semiconductor research and optical discs for GAMENOVA’s next-generation console. Lin aimed to develop optical-disc technology and specifications before Sony and Philips, but Gerald warned that research time and drive costs could threaten their lead.

• Kojima studied Lin Lixin’s Castlevania design proposal and welcomed the freedom to develop the game as he wished.
• Sam delivered semiconductor textbooks, and Lin Lixin began sorting them as he took on the task of learning the technology.
• Lin Lixin told Gerald that memory development was essential for GAMENOVA’s 16-bit console and introduced a Sony optical disc he had obtained through Satoshi.
• Lin Lixin said the 12-centimeter disc could store 700MB, astonishing Gerald with its capacity.
• Lin Lixin insisted that GAMENOVA develop its own optical-disc specifications and patented technologies quickly, while Gerald warned that research delays and drive costs could put the console behind competitors.

After mastering semiconductor technology, Lin Lixin planned to use his knowledge to expand GAMENOVA’s hardware capabilities and acquire control of Micron. He also intervened in the search for a composer for Castlevania, recommending Michiru Yamane.

• Lin Lixin studied semiconductor technology, gained the Infinite NAND Gates skill, and declared that he could now lead GAMENOVA past its hardware bottlenecks.
• Lin Lixin told Sam to discreetly buy as much Micron stock as possible and asked him to find nearby IC design labs or small manufacturers.
• Lin Lixin found Hideo Kojima arguing with Satoshi about Castlevania’s soundtrack and offered to take over the call.
• Lin Lixin recommended Michiru Yamane, a graduating music student at Aichi Prefectural University of the Arts, as a suitable composer for Castlevania.

Lin Lixin established a dedicated music studio and began shaping Castlevania’s soundtrack and design. While reconsidering the game’s rigid platforming controls, he turned to Dead Cells for inspiration and recalled its designer’s idea of “control tricks.”

• Lin Lixin instructed Satoshi to form a formal game music composition team called N.M.B, with Koshiro leading it.
• Kojima suggested using gothic rock as the soundtrack’s main style, and Lin Lixin assigned him to oversee the music and related artistic adjustments.
• Lin Lixin invited Kojima to stay at his home after learning Kojima had nowhere to sleep, and promised Sam would arrange accommodation the next day.
• Lin Lixin planned Castlevania’s nonlinear labyrinth map around ability progression, using obstacles and enemy placements to teach players how to explore.
• Lin Lixin reconsidered Castlevania’s stiff jumping and limited midair control, then thought of Dead Cells and its designer Benard Sebastian’s concept of “control tricks.”

Lin Lixin explained how input compensation could make jumping feel precise in the action game Castlevania. The team agreed that forgiving controls would let players focus on combat rather than basic platforming.

• Lin Lixin introduced Coyote Time by showing Will and the others a Wile E. Coyote clip and explaining that players could still jump briefly after leaving a platform.
• Lin Lixin explained that players naturally try to jump at the last moment, and that a short reaction window prevents a missed jump from feeling like a game bug.
• Sid Meier suggested buffering inputs before landing, and Lin Lixin added reverse Coyote Time, or platform snapping, to help characters reach a platform they had nearly missed.
• Will worried that the control assists would remove too much difficulty from level design.
• Kojima argued that Castlevania was an action game rather than a platformer, and Lin Lixin agreed that precise jumping should let players focus on combat, equipment, and abilities.

Lin Lixin traveled to France and acquired Ubisoft to distribute GAMENOVA products across Europe while supporting the studio’s game development. A week later, GAMENOVA released Castlevania, and Miyazaki bought a copy in Japan.

• Lin Lixin arrived at Ubisoft’s castle headquarters in Brittany and offered to establish a European subsidiary through the acquisition of the company.
• Yves Guillemot and his brothers agreed to Lin Lixin’s proposal to keep Ubisoft’s name and staff while distributing GAMENOVA products throughout Europe.
• Lin Lixin left the remaining negotiations to Sam and planned to place Bill in a sales role at Ubisoft.
• GAMENOVA released Castlevania simultaneously in North America, Japan, and Europe.
• Miyazaki used money earned from submitting a Fire Emblem strategy guide to buy a new Castlevania cartridge.

Miyazaki was captivated by Castlevania’s music, vampire-fantasy setting, and RPG systems as he began playing. Exploring the castle, he discovered the game’s controls felt unusually precise and responsive.

• Miyazaki heard Castlevania’s grand, organ-like music and was enthralled before the title screen appeared.
• The game revealed its title during a solar eclipse, and Miyazaki recognized its theme as European vampire legends connected to Dracula.
• Miyazaki examined the RPG menu, including its stats, inventory, and soul slots, and guessed that enemies could provide souls.
• Miyazaki entered the castle and tested the controls, noticing that the character responded immediately to his inputs.
• After studying the character’s jumps and landings, Miyazaki concluded that Castlevania’s controls were exceptionally precise.

Miyazaki struggled through a brutal boss fight in a game by GAMENOVA, discovering that death erased his progress but finally defeating the giant skeleton on his fourth attempt. The victory thrilled him until he opened the map and saw that he had explored only 2.1% of the game.

• Miyazaki found a short sword and tried repeatedly, without success, to jump to a cloak at a fork in the path.
• Miyazaki entered a room with a giant skeleton, discovered its club and fireball attacks, and was killed after failing to dodge.
• Miyazaki learned that the game had permadeath when continuing sent him to the title screen with empty save slots.
• Miyazaki restarted four times and finally defeated the skeleton, leveling up and restoring his health and mana.
• Miyazaki opened the map and saw that his exploration percentage was only 2.1%.

Miyazaki explored Castlevania, realized how its interconnected map and ability gates encouraged puzzle-like exploration, and recorded the design ideas he had discovered. He concluded that Castlevania was the perfect game to learn from as he pursued video game programming.

• Miyazaki studied the map and realized that he had explored only a small part of Castlevania's enormous world.
• After obtaining the area map, Miyazaki wondered why unexplored branches remained inaccessible, while Hunter and Vincent recognized them as ability gates familiar from The Legend of Zelda.
• Hunter obtained the Flying Armor, which let him cross a previously impassable path and reach a new area.
• Miyazaki returned through areas he had cleared and realized that his own growing skill, rather than his character's level, had made the world less dangerous.
• Miyazaki concluded that ability gates turned exploration into puzzle-solving and wrote down Castlevania's interconnected-map, combat, boss, and storytelling techniques.