Chapter 153: Project Civilization

"Ethan! I finished what you asked me to do, so now does that mean..."

Carmack stood behind Ethan, staring at him expectantly, afraid that another brand-new assignment might suddenly come out of his mouth.

To be honest, Carmack didn't dislike researching new technology, especially cutting-edge computer technologies like graphics libraries. He genuinely enjoyed leading a team through challenges like these. But, as with everything, it was all relative.

"I want to make games!"

There was probably nothing in the world more enjoyable for Carmack than developing games alongside Ethan.

No matter how advanced the technology or how groundbreaking the technical achievement, none of it could compare to the emotions video games gave him.

"Of course," Ethan said with a laugh.

If OpenGL hadn't been so critically important, he wouldn't have sent Carmack to MicroNova in the first place, and now that the work was finished, it was naturally time to bring him back.

It wasn't until Carmack returned to GAMENOVA's main office that he finally had a chance to take in his surroundings. Until then, his attention had been focused entirely on Ethan, leaving him little time to properly look around the new office building.

"Wait a second..."

"Why are there a few people I don't recognize?"

His eyes immediately locked onto three unfamiliar faces in the development department, and his expression instantly fell. So that was it... No wonder no one had been in any hurry to call him back.

Ethan smiled helplessly and walked over to Will.

"Have you played our recent release, SimCity? He's the one who led its development."

After saying that, he turned back toward Will. At the moment, Will was sitting beside Sid, the two of them enthusiastically discussing something on the screen.

Unlike Kojima, whose personality was completely different, these two got along like lifelong soulmates who had finally found each other. They always seemed to have endless things to talk about.

"Working on SimCity?"

Ethan glanced at the monitor and recognized the familiar SimCity interface.

"Hey, Ethan! We're trying to create a modified version of SimCity. It was Sid's idea!"

Will excitedly introduced the project.

"Sid said he wanted a game that simulates the development of human civilization, so we've been experimenting by modifying SimCity's framework."

"That's right, Ethan." Sid was just as excited.

"The grid-based construction system Will designed gave me an idea, and I started wondering if we could build an entire strategy game around it."

Recently, while playing Fire Emblem, the vague idea that had been lingering in Sid's mind suddenly came into focus: a strategy game.

The moment the idea came to him, Sid immediately turned to Will, who happened to be sitting beside him. The two clicked instantly, and that was how the project got started.

Ethan raised an eyebrow and took a closer look at the screen. Only then did he realize just how far the game had evolved from the original SimCity.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"A technology tree?"

Although the implementation was still quite rudimentary, Ethan recognized it immediately. It was the prototype of the familiar branching unlock system that would become commonplace in the future.

Once a research project was selected, progress accumulated over time, and when enough progress had been made, the corresponding technology would be unlocked.

And after unlocking it, the player could finally construct buildings and features that had previously been unavailable.

"Shit!"

"What a brilliant name!"

Sid slapped the table, clearly thrilled by the term Ethan had just come up with.

Technology Tree.

It was simple, elegant, and perfectly captured the idea. Just like the branches of a tree, technological development spread in different directions, with each new discovery growing from what came before.

"What a coincidence. Do you remember the 4X game concept I mentioned before?" Ethan said with a grin.

When he'd first recruited Sid, he'd already planned to discuss this idea with him. However, the development of Momotaro Dentetsu and Castlevania had consumed too much time, forcing him to temporarily shelve the matter, but now that Sid had brought it up himself, everything was finally back on track.

"4X games?"

"Oh, I remember. You mentioned it on my first day, then you completely left me hanging."

After thinking for a moment, Sid nodded. Ethan had brought up the term the day he joined GAMENOVA, yet to this day, he had never actually explained it.

"Ahem."

"Anyway..."

"It's a concept I've been thinking about. Or perhaps... a design philosophy."

Ethan pulled over a whiteboard and quickly wrote four words across it.

"4X refers to four words that all begin with 'Ex.'"

"EXplore, EXpand, EXploit and EXterminate."

"I believe these four words summarize the core elements of strategy games."

Boom!

The instant Sid saw those four words; something clicked in his mind.

All the fragmented ideas he'd been struggling to piece together suddenly surged together into one complete vision. It was simply too perfect, so perfect that he couldn't find a single flaw in it.

After a moment's thought, Ethan called out to Sam.

"Sam, bring that thing over. You know, the board game I asked you to buy earlier."

"Civilization."

"Hmm..."

"...Huh?"

The moment Sid heard the name Civilization, he froze. Then an overwhelming wave of disappointment washed over him. Only moments earlier, that exact name had flashed through his own mind, and before he even had the chance to suggest it, there was already a board game by that name.

"...Yeah, that's the one."

Ethan accepted the box from Sam and laid its components out one by one. The board game Civilization had been released in 1980 by a company called Avalon and the shared title wasn't merely a coincidence.

In the future, Sid himself would draw inspiration from this very board game, combining it with ideas from SimCity and other computer games to create one of the greatest classics in strategy gaming history.

CIVILIZATION

"That's it. This is exactly the kind of game I want to make, a game where you become the ruler of an entire nation."

Sid stared at the board game in front of him, his mind already racing with possibilities.

The player would shape the destiny of an entire civilization, guiding it through generations of growth, expansion, conflict, and discovery until it became the strongest empire in the world.

"Perfect, then let's officially start the project." Ethan made the decision on the spot regarding the project he'd been waiting for so long.

"This game will be called Civilization. And not only are we making it... It'll also be the launch title for our next-generation console."

"...What?!"

Even Will stared at Ethan in surprise.

Everyone knew GAMENOVA's 16-bit console was already in development, but Ethan had just named this brand-new project as its flagship launch title. That was about as strong an endorsement as a game could receive.

GAMENOVA had never treated a console launch as an afterthought. Its biggest releases had always been reserved for games that could define a new generation.

The NovaPocket had launched alongside Tetris and Pokémon.

The NovaBox, meanwhile, had made its debut with Wolfenstein 3D, hailed as the world's first true 3D game.

"But doesn't that mean we can't use the name Civilization anymore?"

Sid finally recovered from his shock and looked dejectedly at the Civilization board game box on the table. It was such a perfect title.

"Can't use it?"

"Why not?"

Ethan tilted his head, then gave Sam a knowing look. The understanding between the two required no words. Sam immediately returned to his office to start preparing the paperwork.

The company was nothing more than a small board-game developer. So, GAMENOVA might as well acquire it and add another piece to its growing portfolio.

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