America: The Godfather of Game Development

Chapter 406 Let's just casually get the sales champion title.

What the hell do you mean by "Please don't let the patient die in the corridor"?

Hmm—no, that's definitely the truth.

But that's not how it works.

Hospitals typically do make similar announcements.

But more often it will be: "Please keep the corridor clear."

"Please do not run"

Asking a doctor to go to the department is essentially a polite notification or a friendly reminder.

But damn it—

"Please don't die in the hallway"??

The patient should call the police if they hear this, okay?

It was as if death was a perfectly normal thing in this hospital.

More importantly, doesn't this sentence mean exactly that—

As long as I don't die where everyone can see me, is that okay?

The implication is that the hospital doesn't actually care about accidentally killing a patient; what it really cares about is the impact on public perception.

Coupled with the voice actor's uniquely detached tone, a sense of inexplicable absurdity instantly filled Robert's mind.

What does "sinister" mean?

Robert watched quietly as people came and went in the hospital on the screen.

A large group of patients and staff were crammed into the hospital, a dazzling sight.

Although it was a prank, although it was funny.

But this game—was right up his alley.

Simulation management is a genre that Robert loves.

The experience I had accumulated in the business world over the first half of my life transformed into an ultimate sense of immersion at this moment.

How to calculate costs, assess the overall quality of employees, and decide on employee retention and replacement?

How to design the layout of the department, how to earn extra money using vending machines, and how to motivate employees to work harder —

Robert felt like he always had something to do.

Before one thing is over, a whole host of new things will emerge.

However, it doesn't give people a sense of anxiety or panic; instead, it brings an indescribable feeling of fulfillment.

To be honest, Robert hadn't felt this way in a long time since the company's operations stabilized.

It's that feeling of wholeheartedly immersing yourself in something and racking your brains to think about it.

What he initially considered prank elements, after getting used to them, actually became interesting additions.

Observing the treatment process of various patients and their condition before and after recovery has become one of the most interesting aspects of this game.

"Hey, we've already made our money back without even realizing it. Let's build a new department."

Robert glanced at the financial situation; the business was indeed booming!

The game's difficulty is perfectly designed.

Yes, that's true at least for the first hospital.

As for whether the game will become more grueling as more content is unlocked, the complexity of various illnesses, and the number of emergencies increases, that remains to be seen.

This can be considered the best solution that Lin Lixin and his team could find.

By using a progressively complex design, they can avoid overwhelming players with tons of information all at once from the start.

Allowing players to familiarize themselves with the game while gradually absorbing new information will make it easier for them to adapt.

"It seems like there's nothing else to cover. Let's set up a psychiatric ward."

The psychiatric ward, as the name suggests, is a place for treating mental illnesses.

However, so far in this game, Robert has not seen a patient who needs psychiatric treatment.

After all, most people just have a common cold or hemorrhoids.

At most, it's the kind of condition that requires puncturing the head and re-inflating the air, which is more complicated and requires a special air-inflating station.

Clearly, Robert made the right move.

Because shortly after he established the psychiatric ward, a completely new type of patient appeared among the bustling patients.

They all sported the same ramen noodle hairstyle as Michael Jackson and wore sparkly sequined stage costumes.

While walking, it will occasionally spin around in place or perform its signature moonwalk.

But they are definitely not the VIP Easter egg characters like Carmack used to be.

There are just too many Michael Jacksons here!

There were already two people queuing outside the clinic, another was buying a drink from a vending machine, and another had just stepped into the hospital.

Before long, the diagnosis results from the general practice clinic came out.

"New disease MJ syndrome".

Patients may firmly believe that they are pop icon Michael Jackson, and may even transform into his likeness.

It is obvious that this is a mental illness and the patient must be treated in the newly built psychiatric department.

"What am I even surprised about?!"

Robert shook his head helplessly.

He figured it out: the game's main appeal was its boundless imagination.

Now I'm actually starting to wonder what other prank-like symptoms will appear next.

Robert zoomed in, focusing on the newly diagnosed "MJ".

He pushed open the door of the general practice consultation room and headed towards the psychiatric department.

While walking, it would occasionally jump up and down a few times.

However, the doctor seemed to be used to this and didn't react at all.

He simply sat there, taking notes with pen and paper, while coldly watching the various erratic outbursts of the "MJ syndrome" patients in the room.

It might even let out a "whoosh!" and lean forward at a 45-degree angle to counteract gravity.

The patient only stood up straight after the treatment was over.

He would quietly take off his hat, and in doing so, he would also restore his frizzy hair to a normal hairstyle.

The patient, now reverting to his old self, looked around blankly before pushing open the door and leaving.

The so-called treatment was basically telling him directly that he wasn't MJ.

The game's AI is exceptionally well-designed.

Even though Robert hadn't played many games, he could clearly sense it.

These patients will have their own emotions and will be unhappy because of the long waiting time.

If treatment is delayed for too long, patients may even give up on it altogether.

Employees will also have their own reactions.

They get tired and need to go to the lounge to play arcade games or have a coffee, just like at Robert's Medical Center.

They might even proactively ask for a raise!

Robert doesn't understand computer technology. He doesn't know what Will's JAZZ architecture is, what a decision tree model is, or how the developers managed to make a bunch of cold code so intelligent.

But he could clearly sense that the characters in the game were as if they all had their own lives.

"interesting----"

The first level isn't very long.

Even for a complete novice like him, it only took him about an hour to complete the game.

Apart from the air pump breaking down halfway through, which caused him to scramble for a while, everything went smoothly without any problems.

Accompanied by a celebratory sound effect, a letter unfolds on the screen.

The topmost signature is the game's name, "theme HOSPITAL".

【Dear Robert】

[That's fantastic! Your hospital is very well run (really).]

We have some new tasks. If you enjoy new challenges, you can accept this task.

Please don't force yourself, but this job is really suitable for you.

The salary is $10600.

Do you want to take over Sleepy City Hospital?

[Are you done recording? I'm going to play golf this afternoon — hey, you don't need to include this sentence!]

[Refuse] [Accept]

Judging from his appearance, he did a good job, so I plan to transfer him to a hospital in the next city to continue working.

It's basically just a new level.

Although Robert really wants to continue playing, now is not the time.

If we dawdle any longer, it'll be almost time to get off work.

I still have to pretend to do some work.

Otherwise, it would seem like I've been slacking off all afternoon.

Robert's gaze fell on the Hermes laptop on the table.

"Huh? This thing—can it be carried around without being plugged in?"

He first carefully saved the game to ensure that he wouldn't accidentally waste an entire afternoon playing.

Only then did they carefully disconnect the power connector.

Out of worry, Robert even squinted and peeked nervously at the screen.

It didn't go black, and there were no problems. The game is still perfectly fine, stuck on the title screen.

"call----"

He finally breathed a sigh of relief and stared intently at Hermes.

It's like a handheld game console!

However, outside of gaming, it can also be used as a proper PC.

If connected to a modem, it can access the internet normally, just like any other PC!

"Good lad, you've bought something amazing!"

With this, he doesn't even need to do anything extra; he just needs to put his computer in his bag after get off work.

Once we get home, we'll set it up and connect it to the power.

Everything will be exactly the same as using it here, without any changes.

It's not just about game saves.

The software's settings, locally saved files, and contents installed on the hard drive —

Nothing needs to be adapted separately for different machines.

Because I've been using the same machine from beginning to end.

"The battery is dropping quite quickly; it seems best to keep it plugged in during performance mode."

Robert checked the battery.

It's usable, but it certainly won't last long.

No wonder it was designed with dual modes.

If its battery life is this poor, then it's not worth using on your lap at all.

It's like the AtariLyn handheld console from Atari.

The specs are great, but the battery life is terrible and it's incredibly heavy.

After thinking about it, Robert simply shut down the computer.

We can continue playing on the way back, or even after we get home.

The save file is there and can't be moved.

As for now—go see what that kid Sean is up to this time.

Simulation games were a mainstay in the PC gaming world during the 1980s and 90s.

Even so, in the PC game market, which is far less developed than console and arcade games, very few titles can sell particularly impressive numbers.

It's like Will Smith's SimCity and Magic Bull's God Must Be Crazy.

They are undoubtedly all excellent games.

However, unsurprisingly, they all faltered in the first week of sales.

Because these types of games don't focus on so-called first-day or first-week sales.

For many games, the sales volume in the first month basically determines its upper limit.

Aside from a few lucky games that become hits after release through streaming or by sheer chance, the vast majority of games have their fate decided in the first month.

But simulation games are different.

Without exception, they all possess an astonishing long-tail effect.

Even now, after Gamenova has thoroughly dominated the gaming industry, SimCity continues to be a bestseller.

This long tail is their core competitive advantage.

But Theme Hospital seems to be a little different—

Excluding the 10,000 copies given away with PC purchases, it successfully topped the list of best-selling PC games in the UK.

UK! Number one selling!

That's one of the world's largest PC markets.

>