Recaps

Castlevania’s soundtrack and European sales exceeded expectations, while Carmack returned to GAMENOVA. At Nintendo of America, Minoru Arakawa warned Hiroshi Yamauchi that Castlevania was nearing one million worldwide sales and had impressed him.

• Sam reported that Castlevania’s Japanese soundtrack sales had surpassed one hundred thousand copies.
• Lin Lixin credited Michiru Yamane and Kojima for the music and asked about Ubisoft’s European results.
• Sam reported that Castlevania had passed five hundred thousand copies in Europe, mostly in Ireland, Britain, and France.
• Carmack rushed into the office and joyfully reunited with Lin Lixin.
• Minoru Arakawa called Hiroshi Yamauchi and said Castlevania was nearing one million worldwide sales and was very impressive.

Nintendo’s leaders worried that GAMENOVA’s Castlevania had overshadowed Metroid, while Micro-Nova completed its NovaRadeon graphics card and OpenGL. Carmack demonstrated the new system by producing a rotating 3D cube.

• Hiroshi Yamauchi and Minoru Arakawa discussed how Castlevania’s success could make Metroid seem like an imitator, but Gunpei Yokoi argued that Metroid focused on exploration rather than combat.
• Carmack arrived at Micro-Nova and announced that he had finished OpenGL.
• Lin Lixin found Carmack directing the developers and asked why Vivian had not come with him.
• Vivian showed Lin Lixin the nearly finished NovaRadeon, a VGA card with 256 colors, 256 KB of video memory, and OpenGL support.
• Vivian used a few lines of code to draw an equilateral triangle, then Carmack wrote a short program that displayed a rotating 3D cube.

Carmack returned to GAMENOVA after finishing the OpenGL work, where Lin Lixin introduced him to Will and Sid, who were adapting SimCity into a civilization strategy game. Lin Lixin outlined the 4X concept and greenlit Civilization as a launch title for the next-generation console, then set about securing the name.

• Carmack returned to GAMENOVA headquarters and learned that Will, the developer behind SimCity, and Sid were working together on a civilization strategy game.
• Will and Sid showed Lin Lixin their SimCity modification, which included a branching technology tree for unlocking new projects and buildings.
• Lin Lixin explained the four 4X principles—exploration, expansion, management, and conquest—and connected them to the Civilization board game.
• Sid recognized that the board game captured the nation-leading strategy game he wanted to create, and Lin Lixin officially approved the project as a next-generation console launch title.
• Sid worried that the board game already owned the Civilization name, but Lin Lixin signaled Sam to prepare the acquisition paperwork.

Lin Lixin proposed replacing square tiles with a hexagonal grid for a strategy game, then demonstrated how district placement and adjacency bonuses could make city planning engaging. The others eagerly tested the system, leaving them absorbed in the new design idea.

• Lin Lixin explained how square grids distort movement distance and argued for using hexagons instead.
• Carmack noted that adjacency rules affect combat balance, while Lin Lixin identified movement distance as the key geometric issue.
• Lin Lixin introduced hexagonal magnetic tiles and a district system with terrain-based adjacency bonuses.
• Will, Sid, and the others experimented with district layouts and debated how to maximize bonuses.
• Lin Lixin described alternative victory paths, while the group remained engrossed in the planning game.

Lin Lixin solved the NovaXeno’s memory constraints by proposing expandable memory and introducing his SDRAM architecture to Vivian. He wanted Micro-Nova to secure the core patents and profit through partnerships with other semiconductor companies.

• Lin Lixin realized that the NovaXeno’s memory requirements made a large built-in memory capacity too expensive.
• Sam suggested leaving expansion slots so players could add memory themselves, and Lin Lixin told Gerald to revise the design.
• Lin Lixin explained his SDRAM architecture to Vivian, describing how synchronized memory could reduce processor waiting and queue data requests.
• Vivian understood the design’s potential, and Lin Lixin said Sam was building a patent pool to keep Micro-Nova’s core memory patents under its control.

Lin Lixin considered adding telephone-line online multiplayer to NovaXeno and realized the system needed compelling games to make it worthwhile. He demonstrated his vision for Civilization’s music and ended by introducing its theme, “Dream of Flight.”

• Lin Lixin proposed an optional modem peripheral for online multiplayer, and Gerald pointed out the telephone lines’ severe bandwidth limits.
• Lin Lixin decided that turn-based games could work over telephone lines and concluded that a strong game lineup could make online play appealing.
• Lin Lixin brought a piano to the development department and performed folk songs from around the world for Will, Sam, Kojima, Sid Meier, and the others.
• Lin Lixin explained that Civilization would use each civilization’s traditional music as its main melody, with richer variations as the game’s eras advanced.
• Lin Lixin introduced his Civilization theme, “Dream of Flight,” and began recalling the game’s opening narration.

Lin Lixin introduced a grand orchestral theme for Civilization and helped the team develop its world-wonder mechanics. When Gerald raised concerns about slow online play over telephone lines, Lin Lixin proposed delta synchronization to reduce the data sent between turns.

• Lin Lixin performed “Dream of Flight,” and Sid urged him to make it Civilization’s theme.
• Lin Lixin suggested using the European branch’s musicians to produce the orchestral piece.
• Sid and the development team researched historical wonders and discussed their effects and global uniqueness.
• Lin Lixin asked Sid to add representative quotations to wonders and technologies.
• Gerald brought Lin Lixin a modem and warned that telephone-line bandwidth could make later-game turns take too long.
• Lin Lixin proposed sending only changes in the game state through a method he called delta synchronization.

Lin Lixin, Gerald, and Carmack developed techniques to make online games work smoothly over phone lines. GAMENOVA stunned viewers with a cinematic trailer revealing Civilization, which was scheduled for release on Christmas 1986.

• Lin Lixin explained command-only synchronization and client-side prediction to Gerald, while Carmack said the prediction system was finished.
• Lin Lixin and Carmack continued work on reconnection, hot-loading, and switching to UDP.
• Nintendo released Metroid in August, while GAMENOVA partnered with MCA Records to release the Dream of Flight record.
• One week later, GAMENOVA aired a three-minute Civilization trailer on television, depicting humanity's progress from ancient civilizations to the space age.
• The trailer revealed Civilization's December 25, 1986 release date and opened preorders, prompting viewers to rush to order the game.

Frank preordered Civilization and learned that it required GAMENOVA’s expensive new NovaXeno console, while Lin Lixin reviewed the hardware’s strong early preorder numbers. The NovaXeno had sold 230,000 preorders in its first week, and Civilization had reached 253,000 copies before its release.

• Frank reached the counter after waiting in line and tried to preorder three copies of Civilization for himself and his roommates.
• The clerk told Frank that Civilization required GAMENOVA’s new NovaXeno, explaining its standard and deluxe editions and their different storage drives.
• Frank saw that the NovaXeno deluxe edition cost $339.99 and preordered one to play Civilization.
• Lin Lixin read Sam’s report showing 230,000 NovaXeno preorders in the first week and approved spending more on publicity.
• Lin Lixin saw that Civilization had 253,000 preorders, suspected scalpers had inflated the figure, and chose not to interfere with the market.

Lin Lixin took Micron private through GAMENOVA after acquiring nearly all its shares, then turned his attention to Samsung Electronics. Meanwhile, Frank showed Mike and Alan NovaXeno’s newly revealed specifications, leaving them amazed by its graphics capabilities.

• Sam told Lin Lixin that he had secured founding team member Joe’s agreement to sell his Micron shares for eight million dollars, and Lin insisted on pursuing absolute control.
• In mid-August, GAMENOVA became Micron’s largest shareholder, and Lin’s stake rose to ninety percent after a public tender offer and short-form merger.
• In September, the US-Japan Semiconductor Agreement was signed, and Sam began approaching loss-making Samsung Electronics on Lin’s instructions.
• Frank rushed into the dorm with ElectronicGames magazine and showed Mike and Alan the full NovaXeno specifications.
• Mike and Frank marveled at the console’s sixteen-bit processor and display, while Frank explained that its VGA standard could produce more than a thousand colors on-screen.

Mike, Frank, and Alan examined the NovaXeno’s specifications and discovered its CD playback and telephone-line multiplayer features, while Sega’s hardware team realized the console outclassed their own next-generation system. The chapter left Sega facing a serious threat to its plans in the American market.

• Mike noticed that the NovaXeno’s proprietary disc drive could also play CDs, and Frank explained its storage capacity and format.
• Alan, Mike, and Frank discovered that the NovaModem supported telephone-line connections and online multiplayer, though Alan doubted it enabled real-time play.
• Frank concluded that the NovaXeno was a remarkably cost-effective entertainment device and felt glad he had bought one.
• A Sega engineer complained that the NovaXeno surpassed the company’s developing console across the board, including its sound hardware.
• Sato Hideki reviewed the specifications and recognized that GAMENOVA’s new system threatened Sega’s fourth-generation console and overseas ambitions.

Sato Hideki warned Hayao Nakayama that NovaXeno’s memory capacity could give GAMENOVA a major advantage, prompting Nakayama to visit Lin Lixin. At GAMENOVA, Lin Lixin’s team brainstormed leaders and civilizations for Civilization before Nakayama arrived to seek a memory-chip supply agreement.

• Sato Hideki told Hayao Nakayama that NovaXeno’s 256 KB of RAM and 256 KB of video memory posed the greatest threat, and Nakayama decided to visit Lin Lixin.
• Lin Lixin and the GAMENOVA team discussed leaders and civilizations for Civilization, including Gandhi, Hojo Tokimune, and Hammurabi.
• Sam interrupted the meeting to tell Lin Lixin that he had a visitor, and Lin recognized the arriving guest as Hayao Nakayama.
• Hayao Nakayama praised NovaXeno and asked Lin Lixin to sign an agreement for GAMENOVA or Micron to supply memory chips for Sega’s next-generation console.

Lin Lixin persuaded Hayao Nakayama to order Micron memory chips for Sega Genesis, turning the sale into funding for GAMENOVA while arguing that games mattered more than console specifications. He then helped Will and Sid refine Byzantium’s civilization design, leaving Sam puzzled by the game’s unusually small bonuses.

• Lin Lixin agreed to sell Hayao Nakayama five million 1 Mb memory chips and suggested that Sega also buy PPU graphics chips.
• Lin Lixin explained to Sam that stronger console specifications would not threaten GAMENOVA because games, development tools, and market reach mattered more than hardware.
• Will and Sid argued over whether Byzantium should pursue conquest or religious victory, and Lin Lixin proposed designing the two paths to support each other.
• Will and Sid developed bonuses linking Byzantine military strength to holy cities and a cataphract unit suited to attacking cities following Byzantium’s religion.
• Sam questioned Lin Lixin about the modest civilization bonuses, including the Seowon’s small science and food boosts.

Lin Lixin explained to Sam how Seondeok's science bonuses and Byzantium's combat strength could snowball through stacked bonuses, making small stat changes powerful. He then revealed that the game was already built around a table-driven development system that let designers enter data without changing and recompiling code.

• Lin Lixin explained how Seowon's science bonuses could speed up technology, expansion, and the growth of a civilization's cities.
• Lin Lixin showed Sam how percentage bonuses from policy cards could multiply those early science gains, and Sam realized how quickly they could snowball.
• Sam considered Byzantium's combat bonuses and understood how stacked combat strength could give its units a major advantage.
• Sam asked why the group was discussing design instead of developing the game, and Carmack said development had already been completed.
• Lin Lixin explained that the team used a table-reading system to generate game content from design data, separating programmers from designers.

Lin Lixin explained his plans to lower development barriers with a game engine and revealed a player-facing mod system for NovaXeno. Sam realized the configuration tables would let players customize and add content to the game, leaving him stunned by the scale of the idea.

• Sam reminisced about how he and Lin Lixin once handled every part of developing The Legend of Zelda.
• Lin Lixin told Sam that after the Civilization project, GAMENOVA would begin developing a game engine to simplify game creation.
• Lin Lixin showed Sam a small memory chip and explained that it would support a new kind of expansion pack called a mod.
• Sam realized the mod system was intended for players to customize game mechanics and content through tools and public information provided by GAMENOVA.
• Sam understood that players could use the configuration tables to add civilizations or leaders to the game, and he sat stunned by the revelation.

GAMENOVA’s NovaXeno launched on Christmas amid overwhelming demand, with only 500,000 consoles available against more than a million preorders. Frank secured the last console at the mall and joined Mike and Alan in the dormitory to start Civilization.

• GAMENOVA launched the NovaXeno and Civilization, but production had yielded only 500,000 consoles despite more than a million preorders.
• Mike Morhaime, Frank Pierce, and Alan Adhan arrived at the crowded mall before dawn to wait for the launch.
• Frank collected his preordered Civilization disc and bought the final available NovaXeno console, leaving another customer furious.
• Frank returned to the dormitory with Mike and Alan, connected the NovaXeno, and started Civilization.
• The game played Dream of Flight and displayed its title menu with single-player, online multiplayer, and settings options.

Frank began Civilization with Alan and Mike watching, chose the United States, and encountered unfamiliar mechanics as the game loaded a randomly generated world. The chapter left them examining the new hexagonal map and wondering how it worked.

• Frank selected single-player mode, chose the United States with Theodore Roosevelt, and marveled with Alan and Mike at the console’s graphics.
• Frank struggled to understand the United States’ civilization entries, and the three realized they would need to learn the terms by playing.
• Frank kept the default prince difficulty and small continents map, then listened to a historical narration while the game generated the world.
• Frank entered the game and found a hexagonal map surrounded by parchment-like fog of war.
• Mike suggested that alternating rows of cells had been offset by half a square to create the hexagonal grid.

Frank and his friends began playing Civilization, founding Washington and exploring its research and city-management systems. Frank ended the chapter still learning the game after his Warrior discovered a new continent.

• Frank noticed the randomly generated map included the Yukon River and suspected the familiar location was an intentional detail.
• Frank founded Washington beside the river, mountains, copper, and woods.
• Frank, Mike, and Alan argued for different technologies, and Frank chose Pottery before selecting a city production project.
• Frank chose units to produce and moved his Warrior two tiles west.
• The Warrior discovered a new continent, giving Frank progress toward Foreign Trade.

Frank and Mike struggled to understand Civilization’s research, civics, and city yields as they played through the opening turns. Mike recognized that the unusually productive cow tile came from Roosevelt’s civilization ability.

• Frank learned that later technologies and civics had Eureka and civic boost conditions, then advanced to the next turn.
• Frank encountered a barbarian scout across the Missouri River and decided to chase it with his stronger warrior.
• Code of Laws finished, giving Frank policy card slots and prompting him and Mike to examine the cards’ yields.
• Frank opened Washington’s city details and enabled yield icons to see what each tile produced.
• Mike identified the cow tile’s bonuses as Roosevelt’s ability, which granted science near mountains and culture near woods.

Frank, Mike, and Alan managed America in Civilization as Frank raced toward the Industrial era, but Montezuma I suddenly declared war. Frank rushed to produce and buy Musketmen, yet the Aztec army advanced rapidly toward Washington.

• Frank and Mike argued over the new city's districts while Mike warned that Aztec troops were gathering near Washington.
• Frank boasted that America's scientific lead would carry it into the Industrial Revolution, while Alan noticed that the game's music changed with each era.
• Montezuma I denounced Frank and declared a surprise war after Frank ended his turn.
• Frank halted projects in several cities to produce Musketmen and spent saved gold to buy one, leaving America with almost no military.
• The next turn, Aztec heavy cavalry raced down America's trade road toward Washington, followed by two Catapults.

Frank lost his first Civilization game to Montezuma’s Aztecs, then realized that he and his friends had played through the night and missed their finals. Despite the disaster, Alan rushed back to the controller, ready to play again.

• Frank watched the Aztecs capture Washington and advance toward Boston, ending his first Civilization game in defeat.
• Frank checked Montezuma I’s abilities and discovered that improved luxury resources boosted his military units’ combat strength.
• Frank, Mike, and Alan went to sleep after playing all night, believing their finals were the next day.
• A classmate woke them at noon and told them they had missed the exam because it was already the day after the game’s launch.
• Frank realized they had played continuously through the night, and Alan grabbed the controller to start playing again.

Frank, Alan, and Mike became absorbed in Civilization while Mike discovered an EPROM hidden in the NovaXeno packaging. The chip unlocked an additional-content menu and revealed a demonstration mod template featuring Lin Lixin and his GAMENOVA Empire.

• Frank played Babylon and planned to use builders to chop trees for a rocket while Alan and Mike watched.
• Mike complained that barbarian camps could produce tanks and regretted not preordering a NovaXeno.
• Mike found an EPROM hidden in a compartment of the console's packaging and noticed a matching socket on the NovaXeno.
• Mike, Frank, and Alan inserted the chip and restarted the console.
• Alan spotted a new additional-content option, and Frank opened a demonstration mod template featuring Lin Lixin, the GAMENOVA Empire, and a new unit named Sam.

Frank, Mike, and Alan tested the GAMENOVA civilization in Civilization and watched its games make rival cities defect until they won without fighting. After discovering a tutorial for creating mods in the NX packaging, Mike began planning a civilization of his own with ideas from Frank and Alan.

• Frank, Mike, and Alan selected Lin Lixin and the GAMENOVA Empire in Civilization and found that its fast Sam unit and game-based Loyalty pressure worked as described.
• Frank used R&D Centers to make games, causing Japan’s capital to rebel and join GAMENOVA before the Classical Era had passed.
• As cities around the world defected, Frank struggled to manage the growing empire and eventually won a conquest victory with almost no fighting.
• Mike realized the chip described the content as a Mod, searched the NX packaging, and found a tutorial for developing Civilization content in N Language.
• Mike took the EPROM to his PC and asked for ideas for a custom civilization, and Frank and Alan suggested Silicon & Synapse and Blizzard.

Lin Lixin’s self-hosting N Language made GAMENOVA’s affordable modding tools easy for Mike to use, and Mike successfully changed a mod’s details and explored its artwork. At GAMENOVA headquarters, Lin Lixin and Carmack prepared powerful new machines, one of which would host a player resource server called the Workshop.

• Lin Lixin had made N Language self-hosting, allowing Gerald, Carmack, and others to maintain it without relying on another language.
• Mike bought N Language’s development tools, opened a sample mod, changed its ID and author, and compiled it onto an EPROM.
• Mike and Frank loaded the mod on the NX and saw the game display Mike’s new details successfully.
• Mike examined the mod’s resource files and found that its pixel-art portrait could be replaced or edited.
• Lin Lixin and Carmack watched Gerald set up two expensive mainframes, including one intended to host player scores and a new resource server called the Workshop.

Lin Lixin proposed a Workshop-style platform that would let players create and share mods for GAMENOVA games, arguing that community content could extend their lifespan. After hearing Steve describe his online Civilization match, Lin announced plans for an event with several hundred thousand dollars in prize money.

• Lin Lixin explained his plan for a user-generated content platform, and Carmack identified it as UGC.
• Gerald raised concerns that community mods could compete with official expansions, but Lin said GAMENOVA could reward or recruit creators and benefit from longer-lasting games.
• Lin clarified that he wanted most future games to support mods, building on work already done to make Civilization easier to modify.
• Steve told Lin Lixin that he had beaten the editor-in-chief of Mean Machines in an online Civilization match, which featured seamless play and voice chat after a slow initial load.
• Lin Lixin said he was planning a simple event and had set aside a few hundred thousand dollars in prize money.