Chapter 4: Into the Wilds
Dylan stood at the entrance of the Creative Games Division, gazing at the towering holographic billboards around him. His fingers tapped against his leg in nervous rhythm, but the hint of a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. The success of Outer Wilds at the exhibition had given him a surge of confidence. People had actually liked it, some even loved it. The mystery of a solar system in a time loop, the puzzles scattered across planets—it had resonated more than he had expected.
But that was just the beginning. The real work was about to start.
"Well, no time to waste," he muttered to himself, adjusting his visor before stepping into the hub. His parents had been surprisingly supportive after the exhibition. His father, Aric, even seemed impressed—though he had a knack for disguising it behind his dry, sarcastic commentary. Dylan couldn't shake the feeling that Aric saw potential in his project, even if he hadn't said it outright.
Inside the Division, Zara was already waiting for him. Her enthusiasm, as always, was impossible to ignore.
"Dylan! Your game's still a hot topic. People can't stop talking about that time loop concept," she said, practically bouncing on her heels.
"Glad to hear it," Dylan said, still finding it odd how people around here took to him so quickly. Back on Earth, he'd been just another face in the crowd. But here, the stakes were different—advancing from Copper to Silver meant being noticed.
"So, what's next? You gotta be riding the momentum, right?" Zara's eyes sparkled with excitement as she leaned against a nearby workstation.
Dylan took a deep breath. "Yeah. There's still a lot to fine-tune. I want the planets to feel more alive, each one with its own history and puzzles. I've been thinking about adding more interaction with the ancient alien race—the Nomai. I want their presence to feel... well, haunting. Like they're still guiding the player from beyond."
Zara raised an eyebrow. "You sure people are ready for something that cerebral? You know most folks here are more into blowing up space stations than pondering alien philosophy."
Dylan chuckled. "Yeah, well, I'm hoping curiosity will drive them. Besides, the puzzles will still keep people hooked. I want it to be a balance—something that feels rewarding when you figure it out."
Zara folded her arms, considering. "I like it. You're not taking the easy route. I respect that."
Dylan flashed a grin. "Yeah, because making things harder for myself is kind of my thing."
As the day progressed, Dylan dove headfirst into the development of Outer Wilds, focusing on refining the solar system's physics. He wanted the planets to feel vast and interconnected, but also dangerous. If a player didn't learn fast enough, they could lose precious time before the inevitable supernova. The key was not just in exploration but in learning from each failed attempt, piece by piece, until the entire mystery came together.
Hours passed, and Dylan found himself lost in code, adjusting gravity fields, creating more intricate puzzles, and tweaking the ship's controls to be just difficult enough to make piloting feel real but not frustrating.
His concentration was interrupted when his datapad buzzed with a message from his father.
Aric: Dinner at 19:00. Don't be late. Your mother's made one of her... attempts at pasta.
Dylan couldn't help but laugh out loud. His mom, Lyra, had a reputation for trying to recreate Earth foods, but replicators just didn't capture the essence of a good bowl of spaghetti. Still, he had no intention of missing it.
Later that evening, Dylan sat at the family table, picking at the "pasta." His father, as always, was the first to break the silence.
"So, you've got people buzzing about this game of yours," Aric said, stirring his own plate of replicator spaghetti without much interest. "A solar system stuck in a time loop. I have to ask, what's the endgame? What happens when someone figures it all out?"
Dylan paused, setting his fork down. "Well, that's the thing. It's not about beating the game in the traditional sense. Sure, they'll uncover the truth about the Nomai and the time loop, but it's more about the journey. They'll understand the system, how it all works. It's about persistence, and how each failure teaches you something important for the next loop. The goal is mastery of the world, not just victory."
Aric nodded slowly, his eyes narrowed in thought. "Mastery, huh? And you think people will come back for more after getting blown up by a star twenty times in a row?"
"Dad, it's about learning from mistakes. The loops reset, but the knowledge stays. The more they know, the further they get," Dylan explained.
His mother smiled. "Sounds kind of beautiful, in its own way. Like life, but with fewer consequences."
"Well, fewer real-world consequences," Dylan replied. "In-game, you're still dying a lot."
Aric leaned back in his chair. "You'd better hope people find that fun."
"Thanks, Dad. I can always count on you for optimism," Dylan said dryly.
His father smirked. "Just keeping you grounded."
The next morning, Dylan arrived early at the Division. He wanted to push the boundaries of Outer Wilds further. He started expanding the lore surrounding the Nomai, the ancient alien race that had built the mysterious structures scattered across the solar system. Who were they, and why had they tried to prevent the supernova? He wanted players to feel the weight of their discovery, to wonder about the motivations of a race long gone.
As Dylan worked, Zara wandered over, peering at his screen. "You're really diving deep into the Nomai lore, huh?"
"Yeah," Dylan replied, not looking up. "I want their history to be cryptic at first, but gradually make sense as the player pieces it together. Like, why they started studying the universe so intensely, and what they knew about the time loop."
Zara tilted her head thoughtfully. "You should totally throw in something about them screwing up big time. Maybe they were trying to stop the supernova and accidentally caused the time loop instead."
Dylan's hands froze over the keyboard. He blinked a couple of times, turning to Zara slowly. "That... is actually brilliant."
Zara grinned, pleased with herself. "Told you I'm more than just a pretty face."
The idea clicked into place. The Nomai hadn't been all-knowing; they were flawed, desperate, maybe even reckless in their pursuit of saving the universe. Their attempts to harness the power of the solar system had led to unintended consequences, trapping the entire system in a loop they couldn't escape.
Dylan's heart raced with excitement. The story was coming together in ways he hadn't anticipated. This twist could elevate the game's narrative, giving it emotional weight. The Nomai's tragic failure would be a key part of the player's journey, not just something to be uncovered, but something to be felt.
He worked late into the night, his mind alight with new possibilities. The Outer Wilds universe was growing, becoming richer and more complex. Every failure, every puzzle, every piece of Nomai history had a purpose. The players wouldn't just be solving mysteries—they'd be unraveling the layers of an ancient race's final, desperate attempt to save the universe.
A few weeks later, Dylan sat in the Creative Division, watching as beta testers tried out the latest version of Outer Wilds. The room was filled with the hum of virtual ships launching into the depths of space, the occasional sound of exasperation as a player watched their sun go supernova again, and the steady thrum of excitement as people began to piece together the clues.
Zara leaned against a nearby wall, arms folded, watching the scene with a satisfied smirk. "Looks like people are getting hooked. Even after dying fifty times."
Dylan grinned. "That's the point. The more they die, the more they learn. It's not about avoiding the supernova—it's about mastering it."
As the sun exploded yet again on one of the tester's screens, Zara raised an eyebrow. "Well, if anyone ever needed a game about persistence, it's you."
Dylan chuckled. "Guess that makes me the perfect person to make it, huh?"
He looked out over the room, feeling a deep sense of accomplishment. The journey was far from over, but for the first time, Dylan felt like he was exactly where he was meant to be—charting a course into the unknown, pushing himself, and those around him, to explore the wilds of both space and their own potential.
The sun would go supernova again and again, but each reset brought him closer to the truth. Just like life.