Reborn America, this is my time

Chapter 92 Making ing
Although Evelyn's production ideas are very clear, and Woz's joining has also made Ethan more confident, but programming is actually the same as mathematics, and it is not the kind of science and technology that can turn ideas into reality with just a touch of the mouth.

Even if Evelyn's analysis is clear and logical, everyone knows that the pursuit of the four ghosts' individuality is the core selling point of the game "Pac-Man", but when writing code, it still has to be done step by step.

They had to design the levels and the characters controlled by the player first, because only after the map and the goal were determined, the ghosts had room to play.

At this stage, even if Ethan doesn't understand the code, he can't just stay aside and be a guru. Evelyn patted the draft paper in front of him and asked him to use 0, 1, The methods of 2 and 3 are replaced with symbols that computers can understand.

To put it simply, the symbol 0 represents the road, and the symbol 1 represents the wall.When they are displayed on a computer in horizontal rows, maps that can be read by machines appear.

The area framed by 2 is the birth point of the protagonist and the ghosts, and it is also the hut where the ghosts return after death. Without the coordinates of this place, the game of "Pac-Man" cannot be started at all.

As for 3... it is the position of the invincible star on the map.

After all these key coordinates are confirmed, when the protagonist and the ghosts enter the map, the codes related to the chase can be truly established, because the dynamic monitoring of the ghosts is calculated along the 0 representing the road and 1 representing the wall. At the same time, they have to avoid the hometown of 2.

This work is not complicated, but rather trivial. Ethan only took a few minutes to get started, but while helping, countless question marks appeared on his forehead, "That is to say, what is supported by an 8-bit CPU?" The 255 level maps in the game have to be hand-painted by ourselves?"

"Of course!" Evelyn said, "Do you still want the program to generate the map?"

"Can't this kind of code be written?" Ethan asked tentatively.

This remark made Evelyn laugh, she shook her head and said, "Oh Ethan, I admit that you are talented in game design, but maybe it's because you have an imagination that ordinary people can't match, so you will naturally elevate yourself." state of the art."

"The technology of natural generation of game maps you mentioned may be possible in the future, but not now, because your ideas currently only exist in the outlines of the papers of various professors in major universities."

"In fact, we also hope to use this kind of intelligent technology to liberate human productivity, but so far... it has not been achieved..."

Hearing what his sister said, Ethan immediately understood why Evelyn said that the production time of this game may be measured in years.

It takes a lot of time to manually write 255 maps, and setting the AI ​​​​of four ghosts will cause their brain cells to die, but what is more painful is the test after the game is completed. How to ensure that the four ghosts are in 255 maps? This is the most critical step to perfectly hunt down players, because when the game is launched, the only thing players can see is actually this one-sided display.

'Holy crap, how long did this take? 'Ethan felt a little uncomfortable.

In his view, such a huge workload cannot be handled by two technicians at all.

Not to mention, Evelyn still has to go to school and Woz needs to go to work.

However, just when Ethan was wondering if he needed to hire a group of programmers to help them complete some trivial tasks, on the second day of game production, Evelyn didn't go to school at all, and just got up and slept in the Writing code in his own garage, and Woz is even more amazing. This little fat man brought an APPLE 1 with him as if going to work at his own expense, and then drove to their home to work.

Such a situation made Ethan a little confused, and when he asked the two of them why they didn't go to school and work...

Evelyn said directly—

"Go to school? Why should I go to school now? Oh Ethan, my stupid brother, I have told you many times, I choose to continue to go to school because I think the subject of computer is very interesting, I want to continue Knowing the state-of-the-art in this subject, I want to try to learn them, master them, but ultimately, apply them."

"Now, how to make the characters in the game perform anthropomorphic operations, this is the best topic!"

"So, why should I go to school when I can study at home?"

"I have already told the school that I will not go to class for the time being. The teachers know that I am starting a business, so they agreed. Moreover, I have a hunch that if we really make this game, let the concept of artificial intelligence If it can be realized in the game, then the school will not only issue me a diploma directly, but also hire me as a professor."

"After all, a thesis is only the first step in proposing a concept, while practical operation is the first step in presenting technology."

"The former requires a perspective looking forward to the future, while the latter is the real action of chasing the future."

This idea made Ethan very admired.

At the same time, he also gave affirmation with a smile, "Oh Evelyn, then I'm here to congratulate you in advance."

"Maybe next year, I have to call you Professor Johnson?"

"Oh thank you." Evelyn waved her hand, she liked how Ethan called her.

As for Woz, the answer he gave was even simpler——

"Oh Ethan, didn't Steve tell you? My favorite thing to do is actually play games!"

"Do you know why Steve went to work at Atari? It's because after he goes to work at Atari, we don't have to spend money to play games!"

"Before, he often took me to Atari at night and let me play games in the name of testing!"

"Now, why should I go to work at HP when I can sit directly at your house and write games?"

Hearing this story, Ethan was stunned!
Woz, a technical tycoon, was able to sneak up the fence of Atari's factory in the middle of the night just to play games?

Ah no!
Is it a free product test for Atari?

What the hell is this!

However, before he could express his surprise, Woz said—

"And, Ethan, you may not know that Steve is urging me to resign every day."

"He asked me to quit my job at HP and start a company with him selling personal microcomputers."

"Not only that, but he also thought of the name of the company, which is called Apple."

"To be honest, I have always been hesitant about starting a business, because I really like the environment at HP, where I can get in touch with the latest technology and let me study something I want to study, but now... "

"I think the fate game is more interesting!"

"Ethan! Your idea is really interesting! It's much more interesting than HP's research!"

"If Steve and I don't have a company, how about I come to work for you?"

"I think you don't mind raising one more person?"

"Oh no! If I remember correctly, you invested money in Steve?"

"Oh—let's do it, we can't let your money go to waste."

Of course Ethan wouldn't mind raising one more person!

Not to mention anything else, Woz's technology alone is the top representative of this era!
When the major computer manufacturers were still tinkering with classification modules, this guy had already integrated all the major functions!

Although this kind of small and refined thinking stems from his father's military experience, the first one to eat crabs is the most impressive!

"Okay, Stephen, as long as you want to come and play, I welcome you anytime."

Ethan patted the little fat man on the shoulder and said, "If you find it troublesome to go back and forth, you can stay at my house."

"Really?" Woz asked happily.

"Of course, we are friends." Ethan said with a smile.

This kind of technology, interest, can go to work at his own expense, and can accept white and black 007, how could he not welcome it?

This is really the perfect worker in the minds of countless bosses!

"Oh, then, I'll move in tomorrow."

Woz made a decision, "In the future, unless I meet my girlfriend, I won't go back."

"WTF?" The words surprised Ethan, "Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Yes, we're in love," Woz said. "We met at HP."

After chatting for a while, Ethan also had a simple understanding of Woz's life. When he learned that Woz was already planning to marry his current girlfriend, he put away his decision to go whoring for nothing, and gave The guy makes a salary.

"What do you think of a weekly salary of [-]?" Ethan asked with a smile.

"Oh, that's too much!" Woz wanted to refuse.

But Ethan shook his head and said, "Brother, your technology is worth the price!"

"Also, you have to know one thing. Romance can be built with money."

"I wish you happiness."

Ethan's high wages made Woz laugh happily.

Since the development of "Pac-Man" cannot be accomplished overnight, Ethan took this opportunity to chat about Apple.

He wanted to know how the company Apple was doing.

And after this conversation, Ethan discovered that this guy Jobs is now in a period of chaos.

Although Jobs received a sponsorship of $6502 from Ethan and purchased two hundred MOS [-]s from Chuck Paddle, so far no sales of the microcomputer have been formally scheduled.

This is not because the product APPLE 1 has not been completed, but because the future leader Qiao is a little confused. He doesn't know how to sell personal microcomputers at all.In his opinion, the users of personal microcomputer products should be those enthusiasts who are interested in computers, but the market represented by this part of people is too small. Not only that, but they are actually forced to understand technology.So, Jobs was eager to get a bigger market, but he didn't know how to sell personal microcomputers to ordinary people.

"He was trying to figure out how to sell personal microcomputers to the masses," Woz said.

"Of course, he won't waste time indiscriminately. He promised me that if he can't find a solution within three months, then he will first sell computers to those computer enthusiasts next year and capture those troublesome users first. , and then try to find a new way out."

Ethan had little to say about the problems facing Jobs.

Because he knows that the key to the public's acceptance of personal computers is the adaptability of the software. What the public needs is not a computer for programming, but an auxiliary tool that can help them solve life problems. Therefore, Jobs can safely and boldly sell, as for the rest?Those computer enthusiasts will help him solve it.

But this truth, he can't say, needs Jobs to comprehend it himself.

The reason why he invested in Jobs is that this guy has the idea and ability to turn technology products into mass consumer goods.

It is precisely because of this ability that Apple was truly born.

His rash intervention can indeed promote the growth of Apple, but if he can intervene today, what about tomorrow?Can he still remind?

In his previous life, he didn’t do technology after all. He didn’t know everything in the industry. Take “Pac-Man” as an example. When he decided to make the game, he didn’t expect this game to be so difficult. Evelyn can catch the technical points, and he may be about to overturn.

When it is impossible to control everything, it is his best choice to let a knowledgeable person do what he knows.

Although the current Jobs is still immature, he is still the version of the spirited guy, but this is not important, because Apple, which has no pressure to survive for the time being, can provide Jobs with room for trial and error, and after he passes the developmental period...

Apple will win a real explosion.

After chatting randomly and relaxing, Woz continued to write code.

Ethan was on the sidelines, trying to make up the game level of "Pac-Man" to 255 levels, and then expressed it in computer language.

Although the work was tedious, Ethan had a lot of fun doing it.

Because at a certain moment, he suddenly felt that he was playing a game.

　Note: ① I don’t know whether the original version of “Pac-Man” has 255 levels designed by the designer himself, but there was indeed no technology to generate levels back then.What confuses me is that when a player beats "Pac-Man" and shows his achievements to Namco, Namco doesn't even know that "Pac-Man" can be cleared.This thing is very funny. ② Jobs worked at Hewlett-Packard before going to work at Atari, where he assembled circuit boards, and the reason why he went to work at Atari was also as written in the article. He and Woz discovered that playing games after going to work at Atari is not necessary. money.The boss in Niubi was also young and did all kinds of ridiculous things. ③ In reality, Jobs and the others were not confused when selling Apple 1. The reason for their failure was more due to their skills. When other manufacturers were using multiple motherboards, Woz had already made a single motherboard similar to modern computers. , In order to show this technology, when Jobs promoted Apple 1, he always boasted how awesome his technology was. This is also shown in the advertisement of Apple 1, and many people can't understand it.They didn't really make a product until Apple 2.Added a keyboard case to the machine or something.The driver direction written in the article has been revised, because showing off skills is too nonsense, this is not a product at all, it is for pretending to beep, and if you bring in the protagonist, you can't wait to punch it.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)