Chapter Summaries

Lin Lixin discussed a browser-based PBEM strategy game with Carmack and then asked Nexus programmer Connor to show him a side project. Connor presented BVS, a version control tool he had built after a server failure corrupted an update, leaving Lin Lixin impressed and curious about the project.

• Lin Lixin explained to Carmack that he had chosen him to lead a technically focused, NovaScript-based PBEM game project.
• Lin Lixin told Carmack he first needed to sort out Nexus's web-based email service.
• Lin Lixin borrowed Connor's computer and asked the nervous programmer to show him something he had made in his spare time.
• Connor demonstrated BVS, a version control tool he had created after a network failure left Nexus's project files only partially updated.
• Lin Lixin recognized BVS as a counterpart to CVS and listened as Connor explained the incident that inspired it.

Lin Lixin guided Connor’s team in building NovaMail, a free web-based email service, and launched it with an automatic promotional footer. The chapter ended as users across the United States discovered they could access email through a browser, setting off NovaMail’s mass adoption.

• Lin Lixin praised Connor’s BVS project and told him to apply for a permanent position at Nexus.
• Lin Lixin assigned Connor to oversee a new email system and guided the team as they built and tested NovaMail in two days.
• Lin Lixin added a promotional link to outgoing emails, causing users’ messages to advertise NovaMail automatically.
• Simon noticed a brief delay in his email software but did not realize it had switched to sending through NovaMail.
• Lance clicked the NovaMail link in an email and discovered that the service offered free browser-based email with automatic forwarding.
• People across the United States began seeing the NovaMail promotion and using the free service.

Lin Lixin and the GAMENOVA team began developing a browser-based PBEM space strategy game, using Carmack’s engine and ideas from classic games such as Battlezone and Elite. By mid-March, Lucasfilm promoted the free Star Wars: Stellaris on NEXUS, where players needed a Novamail account to play.

• Lin Lixin reviewed Carmack’s rudimentary game framework and decided to improve its interface and visuals.
• Lin Lixin brought an Atari Battlezone arcade machine to NEXUS, and Carmack studied its vector graphics to develop geometric 3D for PCs.
• Lin Lixin designed a space strategy game in which players explored planets, expanded empires, encountered civilizations, and customized ships.
• The team began building the game using established solutions, including Elite’s compact algorithm for generating galaxies and planets.
• Lucasfilm released a promotional video announcing Star Wars: Stellaris as a free browser game on NEXUS, requiring players to register for a Novamail account.

Simon discovered GameNova’s new space-themed strategy game, Stars!, and joined a random multiplayer room to try it. He began designing a custom race, settling on an interstellar logistics-focused concept.

• Simon noticed Stars! advertised on NovaMail but waited until he got home to play it.
• Simon signed in with his NovaMail account and chose to join a random public PBEM room.
• Simon entered a room with Donut, exchanged brief greetings, and found that only two players were online.
• Simon opened the race designer and considered how traits could shape a civilization’s strengths and weaknesses.
• Simon chose the Interstellar Traveler trait and considered pairing it with Fuel Efficiency for a highly mobile logistics empire.

Simon began playing Stars!, carefully managing his homeworld and scout ship before submitting his turn by email. After receiving conflicting messages from King and Alice, he realized diplomacy and deception outside the game might matter as much as the game itself, and prepared to answer several emails before continuing.

• Simon studied his homeworld’s parameters, allocated its resources, and planned a route for his scout ship using a notebook and calculator.
• Simon ended his turn and sent his save file to the host, then tried to contact Donut, who left the chatroom after Simon asked for his coordinates.
• Simon set up automatic email forwarding so he would not miss game updates while at work.
• Simon received a friendly email from King asking for his coordinates and offering to trade, followed by a warning from host Alice that King was likely a warmonger.
• Simon reconsidered Donut’s abrupt departure and suspected Donut had mistaken him for King’s accomplice.
• Simon returned home, retrieved the next save file, and drafted several emails before taking his next turn.

Simon negotiated a temporary arrangement with Benjamin while both feared King’s expansion, as King gathered fleets and Alice detected her approach. The chapter ended with Simon preparing to send Benjamin star-chart routes tied to his Stargate plans.

• Simon told Benjamin that King had destroyed one of his scouting fleets and proposed using Alice to wear King down while Benjamin expanded.
• Benjamin agreed to visit Simon’s system, sent a scout ship, confirmed Simon’s approximate base location, and took the resources he had demanded.
• King, whose name was also Qiong, assembled several large fleets near Simon’s territory using her War Monger and Cheap Engines traits.
• Alice detected the approaching fleets and emailed Simon.
• Simon prepared to send Benjamin part of his star chart, including discovered jump traces and safe routes.

Simon manipulated Benjamin, King, and Alice into fighting one another, then used his hidden stealth ally and stargate network to defeat Benjamin. The match ended in a standoff between Simon and the real Alice, and Alice sent Simon a floppy disk at his office.

• Benjamin launched a surprise attack on King's home territory while King's fleet was occupied near Simon, but raiders and a turtle player trapped King's forces and forced her surrender.
• Simon agreed to meet Benjamin, then warned Alice that Benjamin was preparing to attack and sent her a star chart and stargate instructions.
• Alice's stealth fleets appeared behind Benjamin after he and the turtle had weakened each other, and Benjamin realized Simon had orchestrated the conflict with Alice as his true ally.
• Simon and Alice reached a standoff, with Simon's stargates facing Alice's hidden fleets, and they treated the game as a draw.
• Alice delivered a parcel to Simon's office containing a floppy disk and a note thanking him for the match.

Simon discovered that Alice had died and learned from her older sister that the game had brought Alice happiness during her illness. He showed her sister the universe Alice had created and invited her to continue playing, then received a new email from Alice’s account.

• Simon received Alice’s floppy disk and found her email login information among the saved game files.
• Simon used Alice’s account to keep playing Stars! with Benjamin and King, but struggled to recreate their teamwork alone.
• Alice’s older sister emailed Simon to explain that Alice had died and thanked him for making her happy.
• Simon showed Alice’s sister the fleets and universe Alice had created, then invited her to play using Alice’s account.
• Alice’s sister agreed to try playing, and Simon later received the two-thousandth email from Alice’s account.

Lin Lixin visited MicroNova to develop a way to improve Nexus’s slow internet service without replacing the telephone network. He demonstrated that telephone wires could carry far more data than expected and introduced DMT and ADSL, leaving Vivian stunned by the prospect of a hundredfold bandwidth increase.

• Lin Lixin explained that NovaMail’s rapid growth had forced Nexus to expand its capacity and that the existing telephone-based network was too slow.
• Vivian brought Lin Lixin a bundle of telephone wire and assumed he wanted to develop new cables, but he said existing wires had more capacity to offer.
• Lin Lixin used a signal generator and oscilloscope to show Vivian that telephone wire could transmit signals up to 1 MHz despite the usual 3,400 Hz limit.
• Vivian warned that noise would disrupt signals over long distances, and Lin Lixin said he and Carmack had developed a combined software and hardware solution.
• Lin Lixin described DMT, which split the available frequency range into channels and allocated most bandwidth to downloads, and said DMT with ADSL could provide several Mbps over existing telephone lines while allowing calls and internet use at the same time.

Lin Lixin considered using Vorbis compression and telephone-line downloads to deliver new songs for arcade games, then Sega sent Yu Suzuki to GAMENOVA for guidance. Yu Suzuki arrived at the company and found Lin making music with Johnny Depp, Keanu Davies, and Hans Zimmer.

• Lin Lixin and Vivian discussed testing the proposed internet technology and using surplus Vorbis Codec chips to compress downloadable arcade songs.
• Lin Lixin saw a chance to replace Rocksmith's cumbersome song discs with internet downloads and prepare players for GAMENOVA's future contest with Sony.
• Hayao Nakayama gave Yu Suzuki transfer orders assigning him to GAMENOVA, while Yu Suzuki worried about leaving the R360 and its G-LOC Air Battle project unfinished.
• Hayao Nakayama told Yu Suzuki to learn from Lin Lixin and consult Lockheed's engineers about G-LOC Air Battle and Ace Combat.
• Yu Suzuki arrived at GAMENOVA and toured its arcade machines with Sam before following loud music upstairs.
• Yu Suzuki found Lin Lixin playing with Johnny Depp, Keanu Davies, and Hans Zimmer in a rock band.

Lin Lixin demonstrated music-analysis software to Yu Suzuki and explained a new rhythm-adjacent arcade game concept. Yu Suzuki recognized how real-time audio data could drive a motion-simulation cabinet, and Lin Lixin named the project Beat Hazard.

• Lin Lixin played the band Supernova’s first single with Keanu Reeves, Johnny Depp, and Hans Zimmer, then welcomed Yu Suzuki.
• Lin Lixin showed Yu Suzuki a program that used FFT, beat detection, and RMS to analyze music in real time.
• Yu Suzuki realized that music analysis could make a motion-simulation cabinet move with a song’s rhythm and intensity.
• Lin Lixin explained that the system could let players use any music without developers having to create charts for each song.
• Lin Lixin named the new project Beat Hazard.

Lin Lixin discussed the R360’s drawbacks with Yu Suzuki and proposed a lighter approach to motion controls for an arcade racing game. Yu left inspired to develop the idea and was told to report to Mark Cerny the next day.

• Yu Suzuki told Lin Lixin that AM2 was developing the R360, and Lin recognized its ambitious design but questioned its motion sickness, cost, and arcade appeal.
• Lin reassured Yu that he supported the R360 project but said it would work better as an amusement-park attraction than as a conventional arcade machine.
• Lin proposed a lightweight motion-control platform that used low-frequency vibrations, sound, lights, subwoofers, and air cannons instead of a cockpit or seat.
• Yu Suzuki became inspired by the idea and began considering how engine sounds could change in real time with the game's RPM.
• Lin sent Yu to his lodgings and told him to report to Mark Cerny the next day.

Lin Lixin proposed that Michael join GameNova in acquiring Enigma Records and building a music business independent of Sony. Michael considered how GameNova could support MJJ Music and distribute music online, leaving the possibility of a new challenge to the major labels on the table.

• Lin Lixin arrived at Neverland Ranch with the members of his Supernova Band and asked Michael whether he would consider leaving Sony.
• Michael explained that Sony controlled the promotion, production, and distribution resources MJJ Music needed, while Lin Lixin ruled out Warner, EMI, and MCA as partners.
• Lin Lixin proposed Enigma Records, arguing that GameNova could supply the money, music technology, and internet-based distribution that the struggling label lacked.
• Michael learned that GameNova planned to release digital music, take orders by email, and offer downloads over the internet.
• Michael recognized that a partnership between MJJ Music, Enigma Records, and GameNova could make him independent and open a new front against the major labels.

Lin Lixin and Michael Jackson recruited John Branca to help GameNova enter the music business and challenge Sony by releasing altered versions of Michael’s songs. After Michael agreed to the plan, Lin asked Branca to acquire Elektra Records and Guns N’ Roses, leaving Metallica thrilled to learn that GameNova and Michael Jackson Entertainment had bought their label.

• Lin Lixin met John Branca at Neverland Ranch and discussed how Michael could work around Sony’s ownership of his master recordings.
• Branca explained that Michael retained the songwriting rights, and Lin proposed using GameNova’s technology to release his music in new formats and versions.
• Lin warned Michael that the plan would amount to declaring war on Sony, and Michael agreed to proceed.
• Lin asked Branca to help GameNova acquire Elektra Records and Guns N’ Roses.
• Lars told Metallica that Warner had sold Elektra to GameNova and Michael Jackson Entertainment, prompting the band to erupt in cheers.

Lin Lixin built Beat Hazard around GameNova’s completed arcade hardware, while Cerny and Yu Suzuki discussed how game development needed more than engineering and technical perfection. Yu Suzuki began to reconsider Sega’s rigid hierarchy and AM2’s overreliance on resources, setting the stage for him to apply a broader, collaborative philosophy to Shenmue.

• Lin Lixin returned to Nova Arcade and tested the low-frequency vibration platform Yu Suzuki and Cerny had developed.
• Lin Lixin started building Beat Hazard himself, combining music analysis with a shoot ’em up and optimizing its visuals for the arcade hardware.
• Cerny urged Yu Suzuki to focus more on game design and less on hardware, prompting Yu Suzuki to reflect on AM2’s power and overengineering.
• Cerny explained that he had joined Sega to learn from Japanese games, but had found a rigid workplace hierarchy that stifled collaboration.
• Yu Suzuki recognized the value of GameNova’s interdisciplinary approach, which Lin Lixin intended him to carry into the making of Shenmue.

Yu Suzuki asked Lin Lixin to let him stay at GameNova, but Lin told him to return to Sega because the company needed his experience and leadership. Suzuki accepted the decision and left with Mark Cerny, while Lin prepared to let Sam test a new arcade machine.

• Yu Suzuki pleaded with Lin Lixin to remain at Nova Arcade after his assignment was completed.
• Lin explained that Sega needed Suzuki to help unite its divided arcade and console camps and guide Yuji Naka and Kujo Kazuma.
• Suzuki understood Lin's reasoning, apologized for his resentment, and agreed to return to Sega and continue working on the R360 and G-LOC.
• Suzuki asked Lin about inviting Lockheed engineers to discuss hydraulic systems, and Lin suggested he no longer needed to do so.
• Mark Cerny left with Yu Suzuki, while Lin invited Sam to try the newly delivered arcade machine before the testing team examined it.

When Sam became violently ill during a Beat Hazard arcade playtest, Lin Lixin discovered that he had photosensitive epilepsy and realized the cabinet’s flashing lights could cause a major public health disaster. The chapter ends with Lin recognizing that Sam’s reaction had exposed the danger before GameNova released the machine.

• Sam became sick while testing the Beat Hazard arcade cabinet, and Lin Lixin called Jon Van Caneghem to examine him.
• After Sam’s initial hospital tests showed little wrong, Lin Lixin arranged an EEG and photic stimulation test at Cedars-Sinai.
• At 18 Hz, Sam’s EEG showed sharp waves, and Lin Lixin told him he had mild photosensitive epilepsy.
• Lin Lixin inspected the cabinet and found that its bright screen, synchronized strobes, neon lights, and flashing bullet patterns created a dangerous combination.
• Lin Lixin recalled the Pokémon broadcast incident and the Swiss Cheese Model, then thanked Sam for revealing the danger before the game’s release.

GameNova introduced the GVS-90 visual safety standard and Lin Lixin received epilepsy-related honors for the company’s research. At Michael Jackson’s concert celebrating Game Records, Lin performed with the Supernova Band, debuted “Photosensitive Epilepsy,” and announced a music player and charity release, while Michael revealed a rose-gold cartridge of his own.

• GameNova, ESRB, W3C, and other organizations issued the GVS-90 standard, requiring warnings and display safeguards for works that followed ESRB guidelines.
• Lin Lixin appeared at a ceremony to receive the United States Epilepsy Foundation Special Contribution Award and honorary membership in the American Academy of Neurology.
• Michael Jackson headlined a Pasadena Stadium concert celebrating Game’s founding and brought Game Records artists, including Metallica, onto the stage.
• Lin Lixin introduced the Supernova Band, featuring Keanu Reeves, Johnny Depp, and Hans Zimmer, and performed “Photosensitive Epilepsy” with Michael as lead vocalist.
• Lin announced that the song would be released online and in stores, with physical-edition profits going to the International Epilepsy Fund, and demonstrated the Nova Player and its song pack.
• Michael Jackson pulled a rose-gold version of the cartridge from his pocket.

Henry inspected Nova Arcade’s new Beat Hazard machines and discovered that their song library could expand through Game-format cartridges and real-time online downloads from Game Record. He had the machines connected to the internet and confirmed that players could preview and download purchased songs directly onto them.

• Henry checked the eight Beat Hazard machines and worried that their built-in music selection was too small.
• A Nova Arcade staff member explained that players could add songs with Game-format cards or subscribe to an online service to download tracks from Game Record.
• Henry realized that online updates could give Beat Hazard access to GameNova’s growing music catalog, and he ordered the full service installed.
• Engineers networked the machines using ADSL, a hub, and a specially made modem, then finished configuring the connection.
• Henry inserted his All-in-One Card and saw online tracks appear with preview clips, confirming that the machines could retrieve music over the internet.

Wade tested the new Beat Hazard arcade machine and discovered that its ship editor allowed extensive customization and that the ship’s firepower rose and fell with the music. He started a game to Judas Priest’s “Painkiller,” only to find himself instantly swarmed by enemies as the song’s main melody began.

• Henry asked Wade to test the Beat Hazard machines because Henry’s photosensitive epilepsy kept him from playing.
• Wade started the machine with Judas Priest’s “Painkiller” and admired how the universe-themed visuals moved to the music.
• Wade explored the hangar and discovered he could customize his ship’s design, weapons, and attributes.
• Wade realized the ship’s bullets grew stronger with intense music and weakened when he switched to a gentler track.
• Wade began a game with “Painkiller,” and a dense enemy fleet surrounded him when the main melody kicked in.