1988 Retro Game Tycoon - Chapter 70



Only Noblemtl

Episode 70 – Gyeomboy Transplant

Starbeat has signed a contract to port the two games and as a bundle game for Oseong Gyeomboyong.

The contract size is a whopping 2.5 billion. I didn’t know that we would be signing a contract of this size in less than half a year since the company was founded.

As our rivals in the financial world, Hyunmyeong Electronics and Osung Electronics, began to compete, we unexpectedly benefited.

When I saw the 500 million won deposited in the company account, I remembered meeting numerous VCs in my past life to get investment to create a console game.

How great it would have been if I had had this kind of luck just once.

But there was no time to regret the time that had passed.

Once the contract has been completed and the deposit has been made, it means that the contract must now be fulfilled.

Of course, no one in our company, including me, had ever made a game for the Sega Master System.

Just in case, I asked Osung Electronics if I could buy a Sega development kit or development computer.

A few days later, the expected answer came back.

I said no.

The Osung Electronics representative apologized and sent me a copy of the manual instead.

“This is the manual that Sega uses internally, and it’s all we have available. Sorry.”

“There’s nothing I can do. I’ll try to research it myself.”

Well, that was expected.

Sega consoles only have Sega games.

Sega was doing very well with arcade games, and when they saw Nintendo making money with home consoles, they started making home consoles.

However, Sega did not allow other game companies to develop games for its consoles, believing that it was sufficient to simply make Sega’s arcade games for home use.

As a result, the Master System, despite having more advanced hardware than the Famicom and a great lineup of Sega games, was pushed far behind Nintendo in the 8-bit game console market.

When Osung Electronics first announced that they would develop games independently in Korea, the sentiment was, “If you can, try it.” That says it all.

It was unreasonable to expect development support from Sega in the first place.

I wasn’t too worried though, since the Sega SG-1000 console, which the Sega Master System was based on, was actually quite similar to the MSX.

The SG-1000 used the Zilog Z80A CPU and the graphics chipset was similar to the MSX. Later, the SG-1000 was upgraded to the Sega Mark III, and then changed back to the Master System.

So, companies like Geminian have made and sold several games for the Oseong Gemboy. But now, it seems like Geminian won’t be able to do that anymore.

First, we disassembled the Oseong Gemboy we received from Oseong and started to examine the system again.

The Master System has been significantly upgraded compared to the original SG-1000 model, especially in the graphics processing area. This is also where the differences from the MSX arise.

But, actually, there is a trick here.

“Actually, the Master System is backwards compatible. So games from the early model SG-1000 will run on the Master System as well.”

“Huh? Sir, then···?”

“That’s right. The MSX games and could actually be made into Gemboy games with just a little bit of work.”

That means, if I wanted to, I could just click my fingers a few times and swallow 2.5 billion.

“Then, surely···.”

The programmers asked me cautiously.

“Of course, I have no intention of doing that. You have to have a conscience to receive this much money. Of course, the game will be upgraded to match the Gemboy.”

“Ah, as expected!”

The programmers nodded and smiled as if they believed it.

The Master System, which came out in 1986, was obviously more advanced than the MSX1 standard, which came out in 1983.

Currently, Gemix can only use 16 colors, but Gemmick can use 32 colors simultaneously out of the 64 palettes.

Additionally, while Gemix can display up to 32 moving sprites on the screen, Gemboy can display up to 64, which is twice as many.

Since the expression of colors and sprites has increased, if you make good use of these, the screen will be much more vivid and the gameplay can be expressed in a much more diverse way, even though it is the same game.

The CPU is similar to Gemix, so there is no great burden in programming.

If we continue to deliver the same game as Gemix, it would be tantamount to dereliction of duty as a game developer.

2.5 billion won is by no means a small amount of money, even if the other party is a conglomerate.

You can’t just eat it raw. If you do, something will definitely go wrong later.

“The bundled game that comes with the game console is not just a game to put in. It’s a game that drives the initial sales of the game console. It may be released as a five-star title, but no one knows that we made it. Of course, we have to make it right.”

The problem was the composition of the programmer team.

Both Team A and Team B were already working on development projects. A new project suddenly came into play, so readjustment was essential.

“Since the game pocket version of is the easiest, Ji-seok and I will work on it. AD and Woo-seok, work on upgrading the graphics for Gemboy, and Team B will put on hold for a while and focus on the Gemboy bundle. We will finish it in 3 weeks.”

“Only three weeks? Isn’t that a little short?”

“That’s because we have to learn a new system, so we took a long time. Otherwise, we would have done it in two weeks. We’re upgrading an existing game, so if you take a long time to do this, it will just drag on. It’s much better to focus and push through.”

“Yes, the CEO is right. Let’s try it.”

Team B captain Park Geon-hyeong encouraged his team members.

When we first hired programmers, we thought 11 would be enough for the time being. But then suddenly there was a transplant task, so this became a bit tight.

If Park Geon-hyung hadn’t pressured us to accept two more interns, things could have been a bit dangerous.

I only gave direction to the Oseong Gyeomboy transplant work, and left the rest to AD Park Geon-hyung and Choi Han-il. Then I worked with Ha Ji-seok on the Game Pocket transplant work.

“Game Pocket looks like a Game & Watch on the outside, but it’s actually nothing like that. It’s actually closer to a Game Boy.”

In Game & Watch, all characters and objects moving on the screen have fixed shapes and positions. When you move the character left or right, the image appears on the screen in the fixed shape while blinking.

It’s similar to LSI games like or . Both I and the enemy could only move within set patterns, but back then I was really jealous of my friends who had those.

On the other hand, the game pocket we are developing has an LCD screen that can express dot graphics, allowing free image expression. Although it is low-resolution and monochrome.

I did consider a complete game & watch style. However, in , which is advertised as ‘real baseball’, if the ball only moves along a set route, the fun of the game will inevitably decrease compared to before.

Then, people who bought [Game Pocket: Golden Sun] will be greatly disappointed because there is no Gemix.

I talked to the engineers at Myungsung Electronics several times, but we decided to adopt a screen that allows free expression, even if it costs a little more. Games should also be developed accordingly.

“The Game Pocket has a small capacity and low CPU performance, so it can’t contain all the physics systems used in . Let’s simplify the game physics system to fit the Game Pocket.”

“Can it be simpler than this?”

“Yeah, it won’t be easy, but you can do it. Just try to leave only the bare minimum.”

I instructed Ji-seok to revise the parts he had been in charge of in and started working on the rest of the game.

The resolution of the game pocket is 150 pixels wide by 112 pixels high.

For everything to work in this, the graphics also had to be extremely simple, yet harmonious and cool-looking.

I observed the players’ movements by taking pixels by size, and then I got a feel for it by drawing the background, various grass patterns on the ground, etc.

Choi Han-il and Hyun Woo-seok were busy working on the visuals of the Oh Sung-gok-boy transplants along with . Since the animations are relatively simple and the colors are monochrome anyway, I thought it would be better for me to work quickly according to my feelings.

But as I continued to work, I felt a keen sense of lack of art personnel.

Now, the deadline for the computer graphics contest has passed, and Manager Park has completed the initial classification process. In the case where the diskettes arrived broken, he had to call them back one by one to get them replaced.

I took time out of my busy schedule to judge the contest together with AD Hanil Choi.

The judging process involved examining the pictures several times to narrow down the list of candidates.

Since this is a competition that takes into account hiring art personnel, you should not judge based solely on momentary feelings.

We need to look at the applicant as carefully as possible to determine whether he or she is a suitable candidate for our company, including his or her aesthetic sense and skills in handling graphic tools.

I was a little surprised at the number of participants, which was more than I expected, with over 500 participants, including both the general and student divisions. However, of course, most of them were not even eligible for employment, let alone awards.

About 2/3 of the participants were not serious participants, but rather people who just wanted to draw something to participate.

“This is a bit easier for me as a judge, but isn’t it still a bit disappointing?”

“There’s nothing we can do about it. Nowadays, rather than selecting someone who is talented at drawing but also good at computer graphics, we’re more likely to select someone who has a computer at home and happens to be interested in graphics.”

“Well, if I hadn’t met you, I probably wouldn’t have even thought about doing computer graphics myself.”

AD Choi Han-il also nodded from the side.

The real barrier to hiring art professionals today is not artistic talent, but computer ubiquity.

Even if there is a talented person hiding somewhere in Korea who will become a game art dot craftsman, if he or she does not have a computer at home or does not have the environment to use a computer, he or she will not be able to participate in a graphics competition.

Even if I am from a wealthy family, I cannot increase the computer penetration rate in Korea right now. So, it is important to make the best choice within the given environment.

Fortunately, however, I noticed one or two objects of recommendation or works worthy of an award.

Whenever we see such works, we mark them as candidates for awards, and gradually narrow down the list of candidates.

While judging, I often found myself smiling happily without realizing it. This was especially true when judging students’ work.

Most students submitted drawings of their dreams, family, food, animals, or robots.

Although they didn’t have any flashy or elaborate skills, they were beautiful pixel arts that made you smile just by looking at them.

“This student must be an art school student. He drew a plaster statue of Agrippa on the computer.”

“AD, did you also draw a lot of these plaster statues?”

“Yes. At that time, I could draw everything by heart without looking at it from any angle. Later, I felt bad about wasting paper and pencil, so I just drew it in my head. But I think that helped me a lot more than I thought. Especially when I was imagining things.”

When AD Choi Han-il was presented with an unexpected topic for his student portfolio, he recalled the old days and told a story about his time preparing for art school.

While judging, there were times when I was surprised by a work that really caught my eye.

The general group received two drawings.

One is an image of Gyeongseong and Jongno in the 1930s. It helped me see the level of skill in how similar materials such as department stores, trams, tile-roofed houses, and rickshaws were expressed.

Another one is the free topic. Most of the really striking pictures in the general section came from here.

Among them, the image of the F-14 fighter jet on the aircraft carrier in particular was admired by everyone in the company. The participant even sent three images of the F-14 fighter jet, and all three were impeccable in terms of completion.

“I think we have a winner. I like this one. It’s a close-up of the fighter pilot’s helmet, and it also has a nice image of the F-14 underneath. It’s really nice.”

“I think so too. This is definitely a target.”

As soon as we saw the picture of the F-14, we immediately put it on the list of candidates.

Another candidate was an image of nature, the polar opposite of the F-14.

“This is Ulsanbawi Rock.”

“Wow~, the details on the rock are like this···.”

The majestic image of Ulsanbawi Rock, towering over Seoraksan Mountain covered in autumn leaves, was alive and breathing on the screen. It was a wonderful picture that gave off the charm of nature, in stark contrast to the sleek form of the fighter plane.

Ulsanbawi also went straight to becoming a candidate for the grand prize.

In addition, images of imaginary animals such as a horned unicorn in the forest, drawings of Jamsil Stadium, and car kits from the famous American TV series Operation Lightning Z were nominated for the award.

“Wow, this person has a bit of a weird style.”

“Oh~, it feels a bit like , dark and eerie, but it also has its own charm?”

The most imaginative painting was one in which heads, bodies, hands, limbs, etc., were all moving around in a medieval castle-like setting. The style was somewhat bizarre, but that made it all the more striking.

“Oh Hyun-ji, let’s nominate this person’s painting as well.”

We judged the images submitted by participants as if they were scenes from the game.

The selection of the winners was completed over the course of several days. There was fierce debate right up until the end over who would win the general category award.

“There is no need to schedule the interview separately. Let’s just conduct it on the day of the awards ceremony.”

“Yes, then I will contact the winners in advance to make sure they attend the awards ceremony.”

After the selection was completed, Manager Park immediately contacted the winners.

I guess new people will be joining us soon.

I feel like the company is leveling up step by step.

***

“You didn’t get any calls looking for me?”

These days, when Kim Han-sol comes home, he says this before saying hello.

She discovered that computer graphics were as fun as, if not more fun than, photographs, and spent hours a day in front of the computer.

She barely managed to finish receiving the photos she had taken of the rocks in Ulsan and the Jongno streetcar scenery she had seen on her computer, but the phone call she had been waiting for never came.

“What did I tell you? That couldn’t happen?”

The younger brother, who had almost had his computer taken away by his older sister, said it as if it was natural. Hansol was also thinking about whether he should get another part-time job for the camera.

Then I got a call from Starbeat.

“Mr. Kim Han-sol? Congratulations. You won the Excellence Award in the general category of this computer graphics competition.”

“Huh? An award of excellence?! Really?”

The moment Kim Han-sol heard that he had won an award, the first thing that came to mind was the prize money.

The grand prize is 2 million won. The excellence award is 1 million won.

It was enough money to buy the camera she had set her eyes on.

‘If I buy the lenses used, I could probably buy three?’

As soon as she saw the prize money, she started thinking about how to configure the lens.

“And you know that Starbeat is recruiting employees among the contest winners? We would also like to conduct interviews on the day of the awards ceremony. Are you available to attend the awards ceremony?”

“Awards ceremony? Yes, of course. I have to go. But what about the interview?”

“Yes, is there any problem?”

“No. No. It’s not a problem. There’s nothing like that. But, uhm… can I ask you a question?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“What exactly does this company called Starbeat do?”

“yes?”

Starbeat Human Resources Manager Park Chung-shin was momentarily speechless at Kim Han-sol’s question.

I had a feeling that this was going to be a tough interview.

1988 Retro Game Tycoon Episode 71