Software:3D Tank Duel

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Short description: 1984 video game

3D Tank Duel
Developer(s)Realtime Games Software
Publisher(s)Realtime Games Software
Zeppelin Games
Platform(s)ZX Spectrum
Release
Genre(s)Action
Mode(s)Single-player

3D Tank Duel is a video game developed by Realtime Games Software for the ZX Spectrum home computer. It is a clone of the arcade game Battlezone, featuring wireframe 3D graphics with colour.[1]

The game was later re-released in 1989 as Battle Tank Simulator by Zeppelin Games.[2]

Gameplay

The player controls a tank in a first-person perspective, with the objective of shooting enemy tanks and randomly appearing UFOs while avoiding being hit. The game screen is split into two areas: the top section is black and displays the score, high score, and a radar screen, while the lower portion shows a yellow desert landscape.[1][3]

The radar screen features a sweep arm and is used to track enemies. The game includes four types of enemy tanks, flying saucers, and missiles, each with varying artificial intelligence that requires different strategies to defeat. Upon destruction, enemy units explode into fragments.[1][4][5]

Obstacles in the desert serve as barriers and impede progress if hit. The game simulates realistic tank movement, with keys controlling the left and right tracks separately. Enemy tanks and missiles exhibit complex movements, including dodging behind obstacles and missiles leaping over them.[1][3][5]

3D Tank Duel expands upon the original Battle Zone concept by including more varied landscapes and additional features such as revolving radar dishes.[1]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
Crash83%,[1] 55% (1989 re-release)[4]
CVG32/40[6]
Sinclair User6/10,[5] 65% (1989 re-release)[2]
Your Sinclair4/10[7]
Popular Computing WeeklyStarStar[3]

The game received mixed reviews from critics. Many praised its graphics, sound, and smooth movement, with some recommending it over other Battlezone clones available for the ZX Spectrum, even the official port by Quicksilva.[1][8][9][3] The realistic 3D effect and detailed graphics were particularly noted as strengths.[1][9][6]

Some reviewers however found the graphics slightly confusing, with colours occasionally obscuring enemies.[8] Opinions on the gameplay speed and collision detection were divided, with some critics finding it slow and disappointing.[4][2][7]

Despite these criticisms, some reviewers found the game addictive and enjoyable.[1][8][4] Others described the game as a good version of arcade original, but otherwise unremarkable.[3][5]

See also

Rommel's Revenge another Battlezone clone for the Spectrum, released in 1983

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 "3D Tank Duel". Crash! (7): 88–89. August 1984. https://archive.org/details/crash-magazine-07/page/n87/mode/1up?view=theater. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Mahony, Steve (January 1989). "Battle Tank Simulator". Sinclair User (82): 63. https://archive.org/details/sinclair-user-magazine-082/page/n62/mode/1up?view=theater. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Springett, Simon (19–25 July 1984). "Kamikaze Pilot". Popular Computing Weekly 3 (29): 17. https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1984-07-19/page/n16/mode/1up?view=theater. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Battle-Tank Simulator". Crash! (64): 31. May 1989. https://archive.org/details/crash-magazine-64/page/n30/mode/1up?view=theater. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Gilbert, Jonh (December 1984). "Battle of the tanks". Sinclair User (33): 38. https://archive.org/details/sinclair-user-magazine-033/page/n37/mode/1up?view=theater3. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "B'Zone/Tank Duel". Computer and Video Games (40): 43. February 1985. https://archive.org/details/cvg-magazine-040/page/n42/mode/1up?view=theater. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Battle Tank Simulator". Your Sinclair (39): 40. March 1989. https://archive.org/details/Your_Sinclair_039/page/n39/mode/1up?view=theater. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "3D Tank Duel". Crash! (17): 109. June 1985. https://archive.org/details/crash-magazine-17/page/n108/mode/1up?view=theater. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Line Graphics". Popular Computing Weekly 3 (25): 57. 21–27 June 1984. https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1984-06-21/page/n56/mode/1up?view=theater. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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