Chapter 156: Human Connection

NovaXeno's memory and storage problems finally had viable solutions, and the Motorola-Zilog 16+8 processor architecture Gerald had been working on was nearly complete as well.

All that remained was for MicroNova to finish the new memory modules and northbridge chipset, and this incredible industrial marvel would seemingly have everything it needed.

And yet Ethan was still dissatisfied.

Because the NX was still missing the single most important piece. Without it, whether it was Sid's Civilization or Carmack's next game, they would all amount to little more than a castle in the air.

Online connectivity.

Not the local multiplayer they had already achieved, nor the LAN multiplayer they had first experimented with in Fire Emblem, but true online multiplayer, allowing friends in different locations to play together, whether cooperatively or competitively.

Unfortunately, in this era, that was still close to an impossible dream.

The reason was simple: Internet technology simply wasn't widespread yet.

It had only been two years since the Department of Defense officially adopted the TCP/IP protocol, and even then, the so-called "Internet" remained largely confined to major universities, research institutions, and large corporations, with ordinary households still a long way from getting connected.

Also, SGI and NeXT had already begun laying the groundwork for TCP/IP under Ethan's direction, but those efforts were investments in the future. In the present, the Internet remained little more than a niche technology, leaving Ethan with very few practical options.

...

GAMENOVA, Third Floor Hardware Department.

"An optional external modem? You're serious?"

Gerald had only just pulled himself away from the stacks of blueprints before Ethan's latest wild idea startled him.

"It's inexpensive, the technology is mature, and telephone lines are already everywhere, so why not?"

"..."

Most households might not have Ethernet, but there was one thing practically every family had: a telephone.

If the goal was to send data across physical distances, telephone lines were at least worth considering.

Gerald took a moment to calm himself and think through the technical limitations.

"The transfer rate over telephone lines tops out at around 2 kbps, and if you want voice chat as well, you'll have to sacrifice roughly half of that bandwidth."

In practical terms, that left them with little more than a hundred bytes per second of usable data, which was almost laughably small.

The amount of data they could actually exchange was pitiful.

"It's enough for turn-based games."

Ethan rubbed his chin as he thought back to the companies that had experimented with telephone-line connectivity.

Sega's Mega Drive had an external modem with a similar design, and it had even pioneered online downloadable content.

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While Nintendo had also released the Famicom Modem in 1988, and not only could it download games and strategy guides, but it also supported stock trading, horse-race betting, information lookup, and a whole host of miscellaneous services.

But despite all those features, the Famicom Modem had sold terribly. In the end, it had barely surpassed one hundred thousand units.

Its high cost, additional telephone charges, and the fact that it occupied the household phone line were all major drawbacks that kept it from finding a market.

But was multiplayer over telephone lines really a dead end?

Ethan frowned as he thought about it.

The desire for multiplayer had always been there. Players hadn't stopped wanting to connect with one another; they had simply been forced to suppress that desire because the technology wasn't ready.

Humans were social creatures, after all, and multiplayer gaming represented a genuine unmet demand.

Yet both Nintendo's and Sega's external modems had struggled in the market.

Why? Ethan searched through his memories, and then the answer suddenly became obvious.

He couldn't remember a single truly unforgettable multiplayer game on the Famicom, nor could he think of a Mega Drive title that had ever made him think, I absolutely have to play this online.

The Famicom Modem itself had been designed primarily around services such as stock trading, not gaming, and that was the main problem.

The frown on Ethan's face slowly disappeared. A compelling game lineup seemed like the easiest problem to solve; it would solve everything.

If the NovaXeno really did adopt a 700 MB CD-ROM drive, the changes it could bring would be revolutionary.

The possibilities would extend far beyond better graphics and content size. It could transform almost every aspect of game development, and its impact would be felt everywhere.

For example...

Music.

The entire development department stared blankly as Ethan and several movers carried a grand piano onto the second floor and placed it in one corner of the office.

"What's... that for?"

Will and the other two exchanged bewildered looks, completely unable to understand what crazy idea Ethan had come up with this time.

"To grow everyone's artistic appreciation. Come on, let me show you something."

Ethan grinned and swept the hem of his coat aside before sitting down at the piano. He had been waiting a long time for this moment.

His fingers glided across the keys, and an elegant melody filled the room, bringing the entire office to silence as everyone instinctively turned toward the music.

"Are you going to Scarborough Fair?"

"Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme..."

Even Sam stood frozen, staring at Ethan in disbelief as his voice joined the melody.

It was Scarborough Fair, the ancient English folk ballad, and for a moment Ethan seemed less like a game executive and more like a wandering bard, telling a beautiful and melancholy story through song.

Then just as everyone was completely captivated by his effortless performance, Ethan suddenly shifted, and the melody flowed seamlessly into a piece of an entirely different style.

Kojima's eyes lit up, as he recognized it immediately. With its unmistakable Cossack character, it was Kalinka, the famous Russian folk song.

But Ethan didn't stop there. One song flowed seamlessly into another, carrying his audience across continents through traditional Arabic melodies, German folk songs, and American folk music, finally bringing the performance to a gentle close with the lingering notes of Jasmine Flower.

It was a musical journey across the world, crossing regions, civilizations, and cultures without the need for a single word.

When the final note faded, the office fell silent once again, leaving only the faint hum of the computers in the background.

Music was a language beyond words.

Even if the Tower of Babel had scattered humanity's languages and made people unable to communicate with one another, music could still transcend those barriers and carry emotion from one heart to another.

And Sid understood exactly what Ethan was trying to convey. His eyes trembled uncontrollably as excitement surged within him.

"The main theme... built around the traditional music of each civilization?"

"Exactly," Ethan replied. "As the game progresses through different eras, we can gradually introduce more instruments into the arrangement, allowing the main theme itself to evolve and grow richer as civilization advances."

"As the eras progress?"

Sid immediately caught the significance of those words.

Ethan smiled, turned back toward the piano, and sat down once again.

"Civilization will be a story about the development of human civilization, from its earliest beginnings to the modern age and beyond."

"And humanity's journey doesn't just end there. It reaches all the way to the stars."

He placed his fingers on the keys.

"The next piece is the theme I've composed for Civilization. It's called Dream of Flight (Sogno di Volare)."

As he looked down at the piano, the iconic opening narration that would one day become immortalized in gaming history echoed uncontrollably through his mind.

"From the first stirrings of life beneath the water..."