"MAXIS hasn't even been founded yet?"
Ethan carefully looked through the list of California game studios Sam had compiled, but he couldn't find that familiar name anywhere.
If he remembered correctly, MAXIS's headquarters should also have been in the San Francisco Bay Area, not far from their new office. Yet despite the document containing plenty of familiar company names, the one he was looking for, MAXIS, was nowhere to be found.
"The first SimCity came out in 1989, so even if MAXIS hasn't been founded yet, the groundwork should already be there."
Ethan sat alone in the brand-new, still-empty office, rubbing his chin as he pondered.
If there was one studio in the world that best embodied the word simulation, MAXIS undoubtedly deserved a place on that list.
SimCity, The Sims, Spore, all of these famous future franchises had originated from that very studio.
Unfortunately, after EA stepped in, MAXIS underwent repeated aggressive commercial restructuring, rapidly destroying the reputation it had painstakingly built.
In the end, like PopCap and Westwood before it, it became yet another victim buried beneath EA's long list of casualties.
"Founder Will Wright... now that's a legendary figure."
Ethan walked out of his office and looked around the spacious floor. Suddenly, an idea struck him. Rather than acquiring MAXIS as a third-party studio, why not recruit Will Wright directly?
As their games grew in scale and the graphics revolution approached, it became clear that even their small but elite team of engineers was beginning to reach the limits of what it could accomplish, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity.
"MAXIS may not exist yet, but Will Wright's debut game has already been released."
With that thought, Ethan picked up his mobile phone and called Sam, who was still packing up things at their old office in South Los Angeles.
"Sam, pick up a game for me on your way here. I think it's called Raid on Bungeling Bay. Buy both the NES and Commodore 64 versions."
….
"I brought everything. Take a look and see if I missed anything."
Carrying a huge box filled with game cartridges of various formats, Sam walked into the office and dropped it onto the floor with a heavy thud. Sitting right on top was the game Ethan had asked him to buy.
Raid on Bungeling Bay.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Sam plopped down in front of Ethan, the trip over had worn him out.
"Let's see what kind of masterpiece you specifically told me to buy."
As he spoke, he inserted the cartridge into the NES that had already been set up. But only moments after starting the game, Sam experienced an overwhelming sense of Deja vu.
An aircraft carrier floated on the ocean. The player controlled an armed helicopter waiting for takeoff on the flight deck.
"What the hell...
Isn't this just 1942?"
Controlling an attack helicopter to destroy factories scattered across islands certainly sounded different.
But the more he thought about it, wasn't it basically 1942 mixed with Field Combat?
"No wonder you wanted me to buy this. Don't worry, I'll call our lawyer right now. We'll sue them into the ground."
Sam could easily be considered 1942's biggest fan. The awe and excitement he'd felt the first time he played it still stirred his emotions to this day.
"What are you talking about? Stop jumping to conclusions."
Ethan rubbed his forehead helplessly before snatching the controller away and quickly taking off in the helicopter.
"The opening just happens to look similar, but the game's design is actually pretty interesting."
He quickly piloted the helicopter toward the island, efficiently wiping out the anti-aircraft guns stationed there. Then he lined up the target and dropped several bombs.
Although it was fundamentally a traditional shoot-'em-up and bore little resemblance to the future MAXIS titles, the finer details already revealed Wright's unique way of thinking.
"See that message at the bottom of the screen? The one that says D002?"
Ethan gestured toward the television, signaling Sam to look.
"What about it? Is that the date? The time? Is it already the second day?"
"Exactly, that's why I told you not to waste time. As the days pass, the enemy factories develop new technology and build more defensive structures."
"Huh?"
Sam stared thoughtfully at the screen.
The purpose of this design was obvious. It encouraged players to move as quickly as possible and finish the game before the enemy became too powerful.
"I get it now, you want to learn from this dynamic difficulty system. It really does fit fast-paced single-player games."
Thinking back to the fighting game like pace they had recently implemented in Double Dribble, this unusual mechanic really did seem to have practical applications.
"Huh? Not really. We already implemented dynamic difficulty back in 1942. What interests me is this city."
"The city?"
Looking at the buildings that the helicopter was relentlessly bombing, Sam genuinely had no idea what Ethan was talking about.
"The traffic model and the growth model."
"How so?"
Ethan smiled faintly before walking over to a bookshelf and pulling out a brand-new book that hadn't even been unwrapped.
Urban Dynamics, a foundational work on urban systems research written by Jay Forrester, the founder of System Dynamics.
"It seems the game's designer is trying to add a dynamic feedback system to the city's development. Although it's still quite different from Forrester's three factor model of industry, housing, and population, it's already valuable as a reference."
Putting on the air of a seasoned lecturer, he rattled off a string of technical terminology that, truth be told, he didn't fully understand himself.
"Uh-huh..."
Sam scratched his head while looking at the book in Ethan's hand.
"You haven't even opened that book yet..."
"Ahem... that's not important."
Ethan shoved the book neatly back onto the shelf before clearing his throat.
"But I think this way of thinking is perfect for a game, a game where players can experiment with their own city planning inside a virtual world and build the city of their dreams."
"Like LEGO?"
"...Something along those lines."
Ethan reached over and switched off the game console.
Although the concept itself was decades ahead of its time, aside from that one brilliant idea, there wasn't much else worth discussing about the game.
…..
Jones sat on the edge of the sofa, holding a stack of bills she had just collected from the mailbox.
There was a trace of exhaustion in her eyes.
The artistic spark that had once made her so vibrant had largely been worn away by the hardships of everyday life.
She looked toward the study, and the man she deeply loved sat there.
Or at least, she had once loved him that way.
Will Wright sat in front of his Commodore 64, continuously typing away, his eyes filled with excitement, completely oblivious to Jones' gaze.
Only when she finally spoke did she interrupt his train of thought.
"Will, the bank called again yesterday, and they said we're behind on the mortgage."