Steal the enemy's base at the start and build a technological empire.

Chapter 112 Villefort

At 10 a.m., Lingyun and Sophia pushed open the door to Wilford's office. The office was divided into a small room, from which came the hum of the graphics workstation fan.

Gabe Newell and Mike Harrington were arguing in front of a whiteboard when they saw the two men enter and stopped their discussion.

"Mr. Ling, welcome." Gabe walked over to shake hands, glanced at Sophia, and asked, "And this is?"

"Sophia, my investment assistant," Lingyun introduced. "She's responsible for project analysis and follow-up."

Sofia shook hands with the two men, handed them her business cards, and then quietly stood aside, opening her notebook.

"I heard you guys have been really busy lately." Gabe pointed to the whiteboard, which was covered with complex level structure diagrams. "The engine rewriting is proving to be more complicated than expected."

"That's exactly what I want to talk about." Ling Yun sat down in an empty chair, gesturing for Sophia to sit as well. "Let me start with a direct question: What do you lack most right now?"

Gabe and Mike exchanged a glance.

"Time, money, people," Gabe counted on his fingers. "At the current pace, our game—tentatively called Half-Life—may not be finished until 1999. The funding is only enough to last until July of this year. We need at least six senior programmers and three level designers."

"icecloud can solve the latter two problems," Lingyun said. "We can provide funding. As for talent, I know some people who came from id Software, and a few guys who were unhappy at 3D Realms, I can introduce them to you."

Mike asked, "What are the conditions?"

"A two-tiered collaboration." Ling Yun took a document from Sophia and placed it on the table. "First, investment. Icecloud will invest $200 million for a 35% stake in Valford. This money will be enough for you to expand your team, rent better offices, and buy SGI workstations."

Gabe picked up the document and quickly flipped through the terms and conditions. The investment terms were more lenient than most venture capital firms; there were no performance-based agreements or mandatory exit clauses.

"Secondly," Ling Yun continued, "product collaboration. I hope that Half-Life will develop a Star System version."

The office was silent for a few seconds.

"Star System?" Mike frowned. "Market share... is almost negligible."

"That's how it is now," Ling Yun admitted, "but not next year. Dell, Compaq, and HP will all pre-install the Starry Sky system. The UHSB standard will bring hardware advantages. More importantly—"

He paused, looking at the small cubicle from which the workstation was humming.

"Your engine, GoldSrc, is based on the Quake engine, right?"

Gabe nodded: "We rewrote the renderer, improved the skeletal animation system, and the script engine."

"The Quake engine performs well on Windows, but it's difficult to port to other systems," Ling Yun said. "If you had considered a cross-platform architecture from the beginning, your products could have covered more markets in the future. The Starry Sky system can provide underlying optimization support, allowing the engine to run better on our platform than on Windows."

Mike thought to himself, "Technically, it's feasible. But the workload will increase by at least 30%."

"Therefore, IceCloud will provide an additional development subsidy," Lingyun said. "$50, specifically for the development of the Starry Sky system version. This is not included in the investment, but rather as a technical support fee."

Sofia added at the opportune moment: "Based on my analysis, if Half-Life becomes an exclusive or launch title for the StarCraft system, it can generate a powerful marketing boost. Gamers are the group most receptive to new hardware and systems."

Gabe paced around the room a few steps, then suddenly turned around: "Ling, you just said 'a safety net.' What do you mean?"

"Literal meaning," Ling Yun said. "If the Starry Sky System version of Half-Life doesn't sell well, Starry Sky Technology will compensate us according to the minimum guaranteed sales amount. The specific number can be discussed, for example, a guarantee of 50,000 copies."

Mike's eyes widened: "You dare sign such a guarantee contract?"

"I dare," Ling Yun replied, "because I believe in two things: First, Half-Life will be a groundbreaking game. Second, the Star System needs a game like this to prove itself."

Gabe sat back in his chair, arms crossed: "Let's clarify this. Icecloud will invest 200 million, taking a 35% stake. They'll also provide an additional 50 in development subsidies. They'll help us recruit our core team. We're going to make a Starry Sky system version; you'll guarantee sales."

"There's also technical support," Ling Yun added. "The graphics driver team for the Starry Sky system can work directly with you to optimize OpenGL calls. UHSB peripheral support can also enhance the gaming experience—imagine connecting a flight joystick or racing steering wheel with a high-speed interface, with extremely low latency."

Sofia turned to another page in her notebook: "I researched game market trends. In 1996, the PC game market was worth approximately $42 billion, with an annual growth rate of 18%. Among them, shooting games and immersive experiences were the fastest-growing subcategories. Half-Life, positioned as a 'narrative-driven first-person shooter,' currently had a market gap."

She showed several charts: "id Software's Quake sold 800,000 copies last year. If Half-Life can achieve the same level, even if only 10% of players use the Star System, that's still 80,000 users. These users are high-quality seed users, which will drive hardware purchases and the software ecosystem."

Mike looked at the charts and was clearly impressed: "You guys are very well prepared."

"Because we're serious," Ling Yun said. "This isn't a charitable investment. It's a strategic partnership. Wilford needs the funds and time to make good products, and StarCraft needs good products to build its ecosystem. We each get what we need."

Gabe and Mike exchanged a few words in hushed tones.

"We need to look at the technical details," Gabe said. "What about the StarCraft system's graphics API compatibility? The audio system? Input device support?"

"We can schedule a video conference this afternoon," Lingyun said. "My system architect can answer all questions. You can also send someone to Los Angeles for on-site testing."

Mike then asked, "What about the development timeline? If we're doing a dual-platform release, will the release date be delayed?"

"If we start parallel development now, it won't work," Lingyun offered a solution. "We suggest that the core engine layer abstract away the platform-related code, and that the upper-level logic be independent of the content development platform. This way, 70% of the work can be shared. The Xingchen team can send two people to assist with the porting."

Gabe stood up: "If we agree, what's the next step?"

"Three steps," Ling Yun said. "First, sign an investment letter of intent and a memorandum of understanding on technology cooperation, which will be exclusive. Second, IceCloud will make the first payment of $100 million, and you will begin to expand your recruitment. Third, hold a joint technology meeting early next month to finalize the engine architecture."

"We need a week to consult with lawyers and discuss with the team," Mike said.

"Okay." Ling Yun also stood up. "But there's one thing I want to emphasize: this matter needs to be kept secret. At least until Half-Life makes a public announcement, don't reveal the cooperation with the Star System. You should be able to guess why."

Gabe nodded: "Microsoft."

"Yes," Ling Yun said. "If Microsoft finds out, they might put pressure on Valve, or on id Software—after all, you're using a Quake engine license. Keeping it a secret is better for everyone."

Sofia tidied up the documents and added, "We've brought the draft letter of intent. It can be signed at any time after the lawyers make the revisions."

On the way back to Los Angeles, Sofia asked, "Do you think they'll agree?"

"80% sure." Ling Yun looked out the window. "They lack money and time, and we provided a solution. More importantly, I gave them a vision: not just to make a game, but to participate in defining a new era."

"What about the risks? Two million is no small sum."

"If Half-Life succeeds, the returns will be ten or even a hundred times greater," Ling Yun said. "Even if the game fails, we will still gain a partnership with a top-tier game engine technology team. This will be worth more than 200 million for the multimedia and graphics capabilities of the Starry Sky system."

Sofia noted: "Next, I need to follow up on the legal documents and the recruitment list. Who exactly is the person you mentioned who came from the ID?"

"John Carmack's brother, he's working on an independent project. There are also a few Doom modders," Lingyun said. "I'll send you the list later. Be discreet when you contact him."