nycdaug Chapter 157 Humanity's Journey is to the Stars and the Sea
Chapter 157 Humanity's Journey is to the Stars and the Sea
Chapter 157 Humanity's Journey is to the Stars and the Sea
NovaXeno has solutions for both memory and storage.
Gerald is also close to completing the Motorola + Zilog 16+8 architecture required for the processor.
Once MicroNova gets the new memory and northbridge chip sorted out, this incredible industrial marvel seems to have everything it needs.
But Lin Lixin was still not satisfied.
Because NX is missing one crucial element.
Without it, neither Sid Meier's Civilization nor Carmack's next game will be castles in the air.
Online.
It's not the local online play that they already implemented.
It wasn't a local area network multiplayer game that had already been tentatively attempted in Fire Emblem.
It's online multiplayer!
Play the same game with friends in different locations, whether it's cooperative or competitive.
However, this demand is almost impossible in this day and age.
The reason is simple: Internet technology has not yet become widespread.
The Ministry of National Defense recognized the TCP/IP protocol only two years ago.
To this day, the Internet, this novel thing, is only accessible in top universities and giant companies. There is still a long way to go before it truly enters every household.
Although both SGI and NeXT are currently making early deployments for the TCP/IP environment under Lin Lixin's guidance, that is all about preparing for the future.
Looking at the present, the Internet is still a niche market.
That leaves Lin Lixin with few options.
GAMENOVA headquarters, third floor, hardware department.
"An optional external modem? Are you serious?"
Gerrard had just pulled himself out of the vast sea of blueprints when he was startled by Lin Lixin's ingenious idea.
"The cost is controllable, the technology is highly mature, and the market is widespread enough. Don't you think this is a good idea?"
""
Modern households may not have Ethernet access, but there is one thing that every household has: a telephone!
If you want to transmit data across physical distances to someone on the other end, then a telephone line seems like a very worthwhile option to consider.
Gerald calmed down and carefully considered the feasibility of the idea.
"The speed of the telephone line can only reach about 2kbps. If players are also allowed to have voice conversations, this bandwidth will have to be cut in half again."
Based on this calculation, the effective data that can actually be transmitted per second is only a little over one hundred bytes.
This exchange volume is rather pitiful.
"That's enough for turn-based games."
Lin Lixin rubbed his chin, recalling the manufacturers of telephone lines he had used.
Sega's Mega Drive seems to have had an external modem with the same design, and it even pioneered the addition of online download functionality.
Nintendo also released the Famicom Modem in 88.
That thing can not only download games and game guides, but also support a whole bunch of other miscellaneous functions such as stock trading, horse racing, and data retrieval.
But in my memory, the sales of the Famicom Modem seem to have been quite dismal, with only a little over 100,000 units sold in the end.
The high cost, additional telephone expenses, and the occupation of home phone lines are too significant pain points, resulting in virtually no market for this product.
Is it really impossible to connect via telephone line?
Lin Lixin frowned in thought.
The need for online play will always exist.
However, due to hardware limitations, players have suppressed this demand.
Humans are social animals.
There is a gap in the demand for online connectivity.
However, sales of external modems from Nintendo and Sega were not ideal.
Ultimately —
Lin Lixin tried hard to recall, and suddenly a realization flashed through his mind.
He couldn't recall a single online game on the NES that left a lasting impression on him, not even the Sega Mega Drive.
There isn't anything that would make him feel like he absolutely has to play it online.
The Famicom Modem was created for stock trading, not for gaming.
And this problem—
Lin Lixin's brows relaxed.
The game lineup seems to be the easiest problem to solve.
If NovaXeno can truly utilize a 700MB-level optical drive, the changes it will bring will be revolutionary.
It's not just about the game's graphics and content; it's reflected in every aspect.
For example, music.
The development team stared blankly as Lin Lixin, along with a group of loaders, carried a piano up to the second floor and placed it in a corner of the room.
"What's this for?"
Will and the other two looked at each other, completely baffled as to what was wrong with Lin Lixin this time.
"To cultivate your character, come on, let me show you something."
Lin Lixin chuckled, flicked his coat, and sat down at the piano.
He'd been holding back this for a long time, just to show off.
As his fingers flowed across the piano keys, a melodious tune emerged.
In an instant, the entire office fell silent, with only the sound of the piano remaining.
Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
"Parsly, sage, rosemary and thyme————"
Even Sam froze on the spot, listening in disbelief to Lin Lixin's ethereal voice.
This is "Scarborough Fair," an old English folk song.
At this moment, Lin Lixin seemed to transform into a bard, singing a beautiful yet sorrowful story for them.
Just as everyone was captivated by his fluent performance, Lin Lixin suddenly changed his behavior.
The piece was quickly transitioned into a completely different stylist.
Kojima's eyes lit up.
He recognized the strong Cossack style; it was "Kalinka," a Russian folk song.
Lin Lixin showed no sign of stopping, continuing to play one song after another.
Traditional Arabic songs, German folk songs, American folk songs —
Finally, the piano music slowly ended with the long, melodious strains of "Jasmine Flower".
This is a medley of music that spans the entire globe, encompassing various regions, civilizations, and ethnic groups.
The entire office fell silent.
Only the faint noise of the computer running echoed.
Music transcends language. Even though the Tower of Babel confused human languages and made it impossible for people to communicate with each other, music can still transcend language and convey emotions.
Sid Meier has already understood what Lin Lixin wanted to convey through this performance.
His eyes trembled uncontrollably, and his intense emotions were about to burst forth from his chest.
"Using the traditional music of each civilization as the main melody of the background music —"
"That's right, and as the game progresses, we can incorporate more and richer instruments to create variations on the main theme."
"The development of the times?"
Sid caught the key to Lin Lixin's words.
Lin Lixin grinned and turned back to the piano.
"Civilization will be a great work that focuses on the development of human civilization, and humanity's journey is to the stars and the sea."
"The next song is the theme song I composed for the movie 'Civilization,' titled 'Flying Dream.'"
As he looked at the piano in front of him, the opening monologue, which was worthy of being recorded in the annals of gaming history, began to resonate uncontrollably in his mind.
"From the very first budding life underwater —"
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