hollywood system: art

June 15.

These are more than just great presentations; the press was electrified by the acclaim Billy had garnered for The English Patient. The audience was mesmerized by Winona Ryder's performance, showcasing a kind of sensuality rarely seen in her films.

–You're one of Hollywood's rising stars. Your roles might still fit on two hands, but each one is a powerhouse that fills the screen with new stories. Every character you've chosen breathes life into the narrative. Critics recognize your glorious talent… blah, blah, blah. Billy Carson surprises us with his upcoming performances. On your list of films, A Time to Kill, premiering in September, and L.A. Confidential, releasing in December, are strong contenders for the big showdown of 1996.–

–The next pages detail your prowess in animation and then explain how you're the owner of the company of the moment,– Monica remarked, holding a cigarette in one hand and wearing white tights that left little to the imagination. She was draped in a white robe that revealed her dark, lively, and free nipples.

–Talk about how lucky I am to have a stunning brunette by my side,– Billy said, kissing her neck.

–My love, you need to get to your recording,– the brunette tried to say but faltered as she left her neck exposed. The kisses were gentle yet a weakness, making her tilt her head back, surrendering to the moment.

–Let me sleep. You've got wet hair, and it's freezing. Let me sleep a bit longer—it's too early,– Monica murmured.

–I need to write and draw, but filming starts a little later. The production team thinks next week's schedule will be adjusted to nighttime shoots, so at least the evenings will be entirely ours,– Billy said, placing a light kiss on her lips.

For now, the remaining shoots would focus on secondary scenes where he played Jack, while the studio prepared the set for more extensive night shoots as the production progressed.

–Always drawing,– Monica muttered, finding a spot on the bed and mumbling incomprehensible words.

Richard Boll worked tirelessly, spending countless hours watching the company's latest video games in action. He tested how the games performed across various consoles, from the PlayStation 1 to the Nintendo 64. Despite the releases, the programmers often needed time to unleash their creativity. Playing was part of the process—observing, enjoying, and relaxing. The company encouraged this culture as it fostered the development of outstanding series.

Updates were underway for titles such as Doom, Wolfenstein, Pokémon FireRed, Tomb Raider, Resident Evil, Forza Horizon, and the latest Tony Hawk. The teams had been working relentlessly, going above and beyond to push these projects forward. Meanwhile, the second team focused on Silent Hill, a horror game featuring a first-person perspective.

ID Software collaborated with Epic Games, Raven Software, and its own Atlanta branch to refine software design, improve functionality, and elevate games to their peak performance.

The second team delivered two projects: one entirely original Crash Bandicoot by Billy, with two parts—one based on Crash and one mad professor. Both told origin stories through dimensional gameplay, incorporating minigames and a simpler plot compared to the main Crash Bandicoot series. Another designer created a game inspired by Mario, featuring a map with portals leading to various tasks across changing worlds. This game, Crash Underworld, revolved around a castle dungeon.

The third team tackled Doom, Quake 3, and Coliseum, three series spearheaded by "the two maniacs," John Romero and John Carmack. The duo had signed contracts for six games and delivered five so far. They recently extended their agreement for another game, complete with lucrative commissions and executive-level salaries. Each earned at least $500,000 in bonuses, commanding teams of 30 members each.

Their third series, Coliseum, depicted intergalactic battles in an arena, resembling Street Fighter. Characters included ancient warriors like Achilles and Spartacus, alongside lore-specific creations inspired by barbarian warlords. Billy also hired a writer to craft stories for publication, archiving them in the grand science fiction and fantasy library.

The fourth team worked closely with Parallax Software and Epic Games, which had established a robust office in Texas resembling a corporate fortress. This setup included fast-food subsidiaries—T-Box Burgers, Pizza Box, and Sushi Box—offering employees perks and integrating into the corporate ecosystem.

Their projects included Lux Party: Minigames, Lux Smash: Combat, and Lux Karts. A fourth game, Luxury, combined RPG-style labyrinth exploration, turn-based battles, and open-field skirmishes. Its story revolved around an original character, a tiny fairy mage with a yellow wizard's hat and control over wind, rain, and water. The character was set to become a franchise icon.

Finally, the fifth team was developing a One Piece fighting game focused on the East Blue saga and early League of Legends concepts under the Runeterra banner.

Parallax handled Spyro, while Raven took charge of Max Payne and the Divinity series. With a combined workforce of 270, all five teams were dedicated to delivering exceptional games.

–We just need to create extraordinary games,– Richard Boll told Tommy Summers, the creative lead overseeing character design, graphic details, and collaboration with Pixar and Epic Games.

–The design for Luxury, one of the potential mascots, draws inspiration from Zelda, Mario, Resident Evil, and Crash. Our protagonist is a fairy mage with elemental powers. The water world is in testing, and so far, everything is on track,– Tommy Summers explained.

–Excellent. Let's keep creating fantastic characters,– Richard said, reviewing the designs.

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