novelhk Chapter 83 High-Speed Duel!
Chapter 83 High-Speed Duel!
"The first batch of 10 copies of 'Might and Magic' has sold out. We are arranging for an additional 50 copies to be printed. Congratulations!"
Kanheim stood frozen in place.
To seize the young?
Sales at this level are almost catching up with the legendary "Genesis".
"Hello? Kanheim, where is everyone?"
"Yes, yes, Mr. Lin, am I successful?"
One hundred thousand sets – this is the projected sales figure negotiated between Kanheim and GAMENOVA.
However, since the decision was made to port this game to NovaBox, GAMENOVA has provided a lot of help and resources.
Even this groundbreaking pseudo-3D technology was authorized by Lin Lixin.
Angel investors!
Kanham felt a lump in his throat, feeling that Lin Lixin's image was as dazzling as the sun.
We must be loyal to Kouya for life!
"Yes, it's definitely going to work. Get the sacks ready."
"Huh? What are we preparing that thing for?"
"To load money, huh?" Lin Lixin laughed, then changed the subject, "Alright, back to the main topic, Mr. Kanheim, I want to commission your NWC to develop a strategy game based on the world of 'Might and Magic'."
"I will not fail you!" Kanheim agreed without hesitation.
"I'll have Carmack deliver the project proposal to you later. Let's tentatively call the project 'Heroes of Might and Magic'."
……
Lower McQueenshire, Pennsylvania.
Fifteen-year-old Todd Howard squeezed through the bustling crowd and walked silently on his way home.
He was holding a newly printed floppy disk of "Might and Magic".
As a 'Nerd' who loves computers and video games, Todd is really not popular with those extroverted guys.
Whether at school or on the street, Todd felt out of place in the world.
His recent admission to Emmaus High School has completely reset his social circle.
Video games are now his only refuge.
He looked at the floppy disk in his hand, a rare hint of joy in his eyes.
As a video game enthusiast, he is unsurprisingly also a loyal fan of GAMENOVA.
But Todd's favorite game was still the fundamentalist CRPG.
While The Legend of Zelda is certainly amazing, it's still somewhat childish for him.
If possible, he really hopes that GAMENOVA can release games like traditional RPGs on PC.
And GAMENOVA seemed to have heard his thoughts, releasing "Might and Magic".
Avoiding the crowd, Tao Degang returned home and went straight to his bedroom, excitedly inserting the floppy disk into the computer.
"You need a team of six characters, and develop all six characters from scratch?"
When Todd saw that the entire scene was presented in first-person perspective, he thought it would be a single-player adventure game.
"Do we have to arrange the formation ourselves?"
Todd paused for a moment, then, following his intuition, placed the knight he had just sculpted in the front row, and the mage and archer in the back.
This is truly the first time I've seen such a mechanism.
In his memory, RPG combat seemed to lean more towards 'numerical crushing'.
If my stats are higher, my equipment is better, and my spells are more powerful, then I must be strong enough.
The emergence of formations is like adding another layer of strategic depth to the basic comparison of size.
"The cavemen use pure physical attacks, so a sturdy front-line shield wall is enough... Area-of-effect magic? Should I spread out my formation?"
Todd suddenly understood why this six-person team system existed.
It's like a game of chess.
A mage with all points in Intelligence, while capable of unleashing terrifying combat power, should not stand in the front line and should always be protected by the team.
Even a knight with a pure defense build has his own highlights.
Each character seems to possess their own unique value.
It feels like playing D&D with a group of like-minded people.
While the Warcraft series, with its rich combat system, also features front and back rows, no game has ever made formation adjustments a core part of the gameplay like Might and Magic.
"That's great... When I get to college, I want to make video games, I want to make RPGs..."
As Todd looked at the fallen dragon before him, his passion for video games burned uncontrollably within him.
……
Lin Lixin hung up the phone, sniffed, and compared to his short-lived predecessors, Genesis and Wizardry, Magic Gate survived into the new millennium thanks to its derivative, Heroes of Might and Magic.
The early Western RPGs were absolutely ahead of their time in terms of concept, but they were somewhat born at the wrong time.
Western RPGs differ from Japanese RPGs in that they do not emphasize allowing players to experience a wonderful story or remember those memorable characters.
It leans more towards the original meaning of the word RPG.
role play.
Who do I want to become? What choices do I want to make?
This is a blank sheet of paper ready to be written on, driven by the player themselves.
This is exactly contrary to the current hardware conditions.
Their weak graphics performance prevents them from fully expressing their immersive experience.
The limited memory and ROM capacity also prevented the support of more detailed game mechanics.
JRPGs, on the other hand, are much better suited to this.
Lin Lixin wasn't in a hurry. With GAMENOVA's existing customer base, they could keep the company afloat. As long as each generation saw significant improvements, sales would at least be guaranteed.
CRPG's real opportunity to shine lies in the future.
I glanced at the time. If I remembered correctly, Carmack had been pulled into the store by Sam to help out today.
Under the blazing sun, Lin Lixin returned to the GAMENOVA arcade after a long absence.
Perhaps Pokémon has diverted attention, because the store has seen a significant decrease in customers these past two days.
It seems they all went to stores with Pokémon Centers.
"Hey, what are you all doing here?"
As soon as he entered, Lin Lixin saw Sam and Carmack tinkering with a Street Fighter arcade machine.
Even Vivian was there, standing to the side with her arms crossed.
"Lin, you've come at the perfect time!"
Sam waved excitedly and quickly ran over to pull Lin Lixin to the arcade machine.
"What's wrong?"
Lin Lixin was filled with questions.
The game on the screen is just a normal Street Fighter game; I don't know what it's trying to express.
"A while ago, one of our fans complained to me that the fighting in Street Fighter was too difficult, and that experienced players often cleared his account with just one coin in the store."
"So I've been thinking, is it possible for us to create a modified version of Street Fighter, a version that's easier to pick up and play?"
"It just so happens that Vivian has some sample graphics cards, so I just asked her for one. That way we can support some faster graphics and animations."
Sam shook the joystick a few times, and Lin Lixin's eyes lit up.
Although the animation was completely unchanged, he could clearly feel the difference.
It's gotten faster!
Whether running or jumping, it's almost twice as fast as before.
This seemingly minor change fundamentally altered its combat logic.
In situations where distance changes frequently and rapidly, positioning and confirming positions are far less important than proactive attacks. Instead, continuous pressure is used to disrupt the opponent's rhythm as much as possible.
Although it may not be as stable as before in terms of competitiveness, it seems... that it is not without potential.
"Your idea is right, Sam." Lin Lixin stared intently at the screen. "But it's not radical enough. Let's officially launch the project. This is doable. How about we call it 'The King of Fighters'?"