Everyone turned to look at Sasaki, as they rarely saw him speak up voluntarily, yet he was the first to offer a suggestion today.
"Considering the CRT technology commonly used in arcade machines, certain color combinations that are overly saturated or have strong contrast might cause temporary visual persistence, or ghosting, under rapidly changing screens, affecting the player's experience."
"We can avoid this problem by adjusting the color palette, selecting specific color combinations, and possibly making some minor optimizations in the program algorithm."
His remarks were highly professional, directly addressing a technical detail that was easily overlooked but actually existed.
The meeting room fell silent for a moment, and everyone's eyes were focused on Sasaki.
Takuya immediately nodded, a look of appreciation on his face.
"Mr. Sasaki's opinion is very important and highly professional! This problem might not be deeply felt or cared about by average players, but it definitely has a significant impact on top-tier players. And top-tier players are admired by ordinary players, they can help us amplify word-of-mouth effects. Once such an advantage, which is not obvious to ordinary players, is discovered by players, there will be a sense of satisfaction of 'Wow, the product I'm using is so good!' This is something that can enhance the intangible value, or brand value, of a product."
Takuya's continuous praise and value-adding remarks made Sasaki feel a bit bewildered, as if thinking, "I'm that amazing? How did I not know?"
"I indeed hadn't considered this problem in such detail. Then, I'll trouble you to follow up on the technical implementation and optimization of the color scheme."
He immediately gave his affirmation and assigned the task.
Sasaki paused slightly, then nodded in agreement, the usual hint of aloof seriousness on his face seeming to melt away a bit more.
The atmosphere in the meeting room became even more harmonious after this small interaction.
The meeting drew to a close in a positive and enthusiastic atmosphere.
Team Leader Shimizu stood up and summarized the initial improvement directions that had been discussed.
Graphic concept design, music and sound effect collection and adaptation, refinement of the core competitive mechanism… tasks were initially assigned one by one.
The Third Development Department, this long-dormant engine, finally began to operate at high speed, centered around the tetris arcade version project.
The team members' faces were filled with long-lost excitement and drive.
Their gazes towards Takuya Nakayama also gradually shifted from initial scrutiny and doubt to a preliminary sense of conviction and anticipation.
…
The door to the President's office was gently pushed open again, then slowly closed.
Tanaka, the Head of the Overseas Business Department, stood before President Hayao Nakayama's spacious desk, the gaze behind his gold-rimmed glasses showing more genuine fatigue than last time in the corridor, yet also radiating a sense of relief.
Beside him stood Takuya Nakayama.
Nearly three weeks felt exceptionally long for those waiting anxiously.
"President, Vice Team Leader Nakayama."
Tanaka bowed slightly, his tone still rigorous, but an almost imperceptible excitement in his voice betrayed his current mood.
"After multiple rounds of arduous negotiations, we have officially signed an agreement with the Soviet Foreign Trade Committee, ELORG."
He gently placed a bound document on the desk.
"Successfully acquired the exclusive global rights for tetris, covering all existing and future known and unknown platforms."
"Total price, four million US dollars."
Four million US dollars.
This figure caused Hayao Nakayama's eyebrows to subtly twitch.
For a block game that merely "looked promising," this was undoubtedly an astonishing price, enough to develop several large-scale arcade games.
But what he cared about more were the phrases "global scope," "all existing and future platforms," and "exclusive rights."
This was where the true value lay.
Tanaka pushed up his glasses and continued to report.
"The negotiation process was indeed very complex. Initially, the other party's attitude was very tough, and their internal procedures were cumbersome and inefficient."
"However," he changed his tone, looking at Takuya, "the information provided by Vice Team Leader Nakayama regarding ELORG's organizational structure and key figures played a crucial role."
"We followed your suggestion of 'being direct and swift,' avoiding getting bogged down in trivial details."
He paused, his wording becoming cautious.
"At the same time, as per your hint, we gifted ten of the latest Macintosh computers to the Soviet Academy of Sciences Computer Center and the original author, Mr. Pajitnov, through special channels."
"This caused quite a stir at the Soviet Academy of Sciences and… greatly facilitated ELORG's eventual softening of attitude and the reaching of the agreement."
He didn't explicitly state whether "alcohol diplomacy" was effective, but the subtle pause and wording implied everything.
Hayao's gaze shifted between the document and Takuya, finally settling on his son.
Deep in his eyes, the initial recognition for "business acumen" was now joined by astonishment at his "methods" and "information channels."
He said nothing, merely nodded slightly, signaling Tanaka to continue.
Takuya, at the opportune moment, showed a slightly shy smile.
"It's mainly thanks to the professionalism and efficient execution of Department Head Tanaka and all colleagues in the Overseas Business Department. I just happened to hear some rumors and offered a few immature suggestions."
He once again pushed the credit away, maintaining his persona of "good luck" and "accidental information."
This humble attitude made the last trace of discomfort in Tanaka's eyes, possibly caused by reporting over his head, vanish, leaving only pure admiration.
Hayao pondered for a moment, picked up the agreement, flipped through a few key clauses, and then closed it.
"Department Head Tanaka, you've worked hard."
"Please be meticulous with the subsequent work of copyright document archiving and legal confirmation."
"Yes, President."
Tanaka bowed again, then, carrying the weighty agreement, left the office.
Only the father and son remained in the office.
Hayao looked at Takuya for a long time before slowly speaking, his voice betraying little emotion.
"Four million US dollars for a block game."
"I hope your vision is worth this price."
Takuya met his father's gaze, calm and confident.
"Father, please rest assured."
"It will bring Sega returns far exceeding that figure."
The news of the copyright finalization injected a surge of excitement into the Third Development Department, like an adrenaline shot.
The already high-speed development work entered its final sprint phase.
A few days later, in the department's internal small testing room, Team Leader Shimizu personally presided over the final internal evaluation of the tetris arcade version.
The projector screen lit up, no longer the crude appearance from Takuya's initial demonstration.
With the color scheme expertly optimized by Sasaki, blocks of various colors rapidly fell and rotated on the simulated CRT screen. Their edges were sharp, colors vibrant but not harsh, and annoying ghosting was almost imperceptible.
The background was no longer a monotonous black, but incorporated exotic patterns with subtle dynamic effects, enriching the visuals without interfering with the core gameplay area.
The stirring melody of "Kalinka" began, re-arranged with a strong sense of rhythm.
As the game level increased and the blocks fell faster, the BPM of the background music also surged in sync, the tension almost overflowing the screen.
Crisp block placement sounds, satisfying clearing sound effects, and pressing warning tones… every feedback was clear, powerful, and highly recognizable.
When the demonstrator executed two impressive "tetris" (clearing four lines at once), the screen flickered, and the opponent's area was instantly piled with six lines of gray "junk lines," the observing team members let out a suppressed gasp.
The enhanced competitive mechanism made the rewards for consecutive clears extremely enticing, and also filled battles with variables and excitement.
Sasaki stood nearby, watching the color portion he was responsible for optimizing perfectly displayed on the screen, and seeing everyone's approval of the overall effect. The habitual serious icy shell on his face completely melted, and the corners of his mouth even turned slightly upward.
Takuya walked to his side and gently patted his shoulder.
"Mr. Sasaki, excellent work."
"You've worked hard."
Sasaki paused, then nodded, a hint of pride in his eyes. "It's the result of everyone's collective effort."