Rebirth of America, this is my time

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

Even if Evelin's analysis is clear and logical, everyone knows that the pursuit of the four ghosts' personalities 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 level and the character controlled by the player first, because only after the map and objectives were determined, the ghost had room to play.

At this stage, even if Ethan didn't understand code, he couldn't stay aside and be a guru. Evelin slapped the scratch paper in front of him and asked him to use 0, 1, Methods 2 and 3 are replaced with symbols that the computer can understand.

To put it simply, the symbol 0 represents the road and the symbol 1 represents the wall. When they are presented on a computer as a horizontal sequence, a map that can be read by a machine appears.

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

As for 3... it's the location of the Invincible Star on the map.

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

This job is not complicated, just trivial. It only took Ethan a few minutes to get started, but while helping, countless question marks also popped up on his forehead, In other words, what is supported by the 8-bit CPU? All 255 level maps have to be hand-drawn by ourselves?”

Of course! Evelin said, Do you still want the program to generate the map by itself?

Can't you write this kind of code? Ethan asked tentatively.

These words made Evelin laugh, 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 improve. the level of existing technology.”

The technology you mentioned for naturally generating game maps may be achievable in the future, but not now, because your ideas currently only exist in the outlines of papers written by professors in major universities.

We actually hope to use this smart technology to liberate human productivity, but so far... it has not been achieved...

After hearing what his sister said, Ethan immediately understood why Evelin had said before that the production time of this game might be measured in years.

It takes a lot of time to manually program 255 maps, and setting up the four ghosts' AI will make their brain cells die. But what is even more painful is the test after the game is completed. How to ensure that the four ghosts are on the 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 this one-sided display.

‘Fuck, how long is this going to take? ’ Ethan felt a little uncomfortable.

In his opinion, such a huge workload cannot be handled by two technicians.

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

However, just when Ethan was wondering whether he needed to recruit a group of programmers to help them complete some trivial tasks, on the second day of game production, Evelin did not go to school at all. After getting up, she stayed in the Woz wrote code in his own garage, and Woz was even more amazing. This little fat guy brought his own APPLE 1 as if he went to work at his own expense, and then drove to their house to work.

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

Evelin 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 and I want to continue To understand the latest technologies in this subject, I want to try to learn them, master them, but in the end, use 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 directly issue me a diploma, but also hire me as a professor.

After all, the paper is only the first step in proposing the concept, while practical implementation is the first step in presenting the technology.

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

This idea impressed Ethan very much.

At the same time, he also smiled and affirmed, Oh Evelin, then I will congratulate you in advance here.

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

Oh, thank you. Evelin waved her hand, she liked what Ethan called her very much.

As for Woz, the answer he gave was simpler -

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

Do you know why Steve goes to work at Atari? That'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, if I can just sit at your house and write games, why should I go to work at HP?

Ethan was stunned when he heard this story!

Woz, a technology tycoon, could actually climb the wall of Atari's factory in the middle of the night just to play games?

Oh no!

Is it free for Atari to test the product?

What the hell is this!

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

Besides, 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, he also thought about the name of the company, and it was called Apple.

“To be honest, I have always been hesitant about starting a business because I really like the environment at HP, which allows me to have access to the latest technology and allows me to study some things I want to study, but now...

I think the game of destiny is more interesting!

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

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

I guess you don't mind having one more person, right?

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

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

Of course Ethan wouldn’t mind having one more person!

If nothing else, Woz's technology alone is the top representative of this era!

While major computer manufacturers were still tinkering with classification modules, this guy had already integrated all the major functions!

Although this small but sophisticated idea stems from his father's military experience, the first one to try something new is the most foolhardy!

Okay, Stephen, as long as you are willing 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 travel back and forth, you can stay at my house.

Really? Woz asked happily.

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

How could he not welcome this kind of person who has skills, interests, can work at his own expense, and can accept the white and black 007?

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

Oh, that's it, I'll move here tomorrow.

Woz made a decision, From now on, I won't go back unless I meet my girlfriend.

WTF? Ethan was a little surprised by these words, You have a girlfriend?

Yes, we love each other, Woz said. We met at HP.

After chatting for a while, Ethan also had a simple understanding of Woz's living conditions. When he learned that Woz was already planning to marry his current girlfriend, he put aside his decision to have sex for nothing and gave This guy offers a salary.

What do you think of a weekly salary of five hundred? Ethan asked with a smile.

Oh, this is too much! Woz wanted to refuse.

But Ethan shook his head and said: Brother, your skills are worth the price!

Besides, you have to know one thing. Romance can be made with money.

I wish you happiness.

The high wages offered by Ethan made Woz smile happily.

Since the development of Pac-Man doesn't happen overnight, Ethan took the opportunity to chat about Apple.

He wanted to know how well the company Apple was preparing.

And during this conversation, Ethan discovered that Steve Jobs was currently in a period of chaos.

Although Jobs received a sponsorship of $50,000 from Ethan and purchased 200 MOS 6502s from Chuck Pado Company, sales of the microcomputer have not been officially put on the agenda so far.

This is not because the product APPLE 1 has not been completed, but because the future gang leader Qiao is a little confused. He simply does not know how to sell personal microcomputers. In his opinion, the users of the personal microcomputer product should be those enthusiasts who are interested in computers, but the market represented by this group of people is too small. Not only that, but they who understand technology are still in trouble. So Jobs wanted 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 carelessly. He assured me that if he can't find a solution within three months, 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 didn't have much to say about the problems Steve Jobs faced.

Because he knows that the key to getting the public to accept personal computers is the adaptability of the software. What the people need is not a computer for programming, but an auxiliary tool that can help them solve life problems. Therefore, Jobs can sell it boldly with confidence, but what about the rest? Those computer geeks will help him solve it.

But he couldn't say this. Jobs needed to understand it himself.

The reason why he invested in Steve Jobs was that this guy had the concept 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 Apple's growth, but if he can intervene today, what about tomorrow? Can he still remind me?

In his previous life, he was not engaged in technology. He did not know everything about the entire industry. Take Pac-Man as an example. When he decided to make it, he did not expect that this game would be so difficult. If it wasn't If Evelin can grasp the technical points, he may be about to overturn.

When he can't control everything, letting knowledgeable people do what he knows is his best choice.

Although Steve Jobs is still immature and still the version of a spirited young man, this is not important because Apple, which has no pressure to survive for the time being, can provide Steve Jobs with room for trial and error, and after he has passed the development period...

Apple will win a real explosion.

After chatting casually and relaxing for a while, Woz continued writing code.

Ethan was on the sidelines, trying to complete the game levels of Pac-Man to 255, and then express it in computer language.

Although the work was tedious, Ethan was very happy 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” had 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 cleared Pac-Man and showed his achievements to Namco, Namco didn't even know that Pac-Man could be cleared. This thing is very funny. ② Before Jobs went to work at Atari, he worked at HP, assembling circuit boards. The reason why he went to work at Atari was as written in the article. He and Woz found that it was not necessary to play games after going to work at Atari. money. The big guys at Niubi were also young and have done all kinds of ridiculous things. ③In reality, Steve Jobs and others were not confused when selling Apple 1. The reason for their failure was more to show off their skills. While other manufacturers were using multiple motherboards, Woz had already made a single motherboard similar to modern computers. , in order to showcase this technology, Jobs always boasted about how awesome his technology was when promoting Apple 1. This was also shown in the advertisements of Apple 1, but many people could not understand it. They didn't really make products until Apple 2. Added a keyboard shell or something to the machine. The driver direction written in the article has been modified, because showing off skills is too nonsense. This is not a product at all. This is just to pretend to be beeping. When the protagonist is introduced, he wants to punch him.