Software:Ant Attack

From HandWiki
Ant Attack
Ant Attack cassette cover art
Cover art by David John Rowe[1]
Developer(s)Sandy White
Publisher(s)Quicksilva
EngineSoftsolid 3D[2]
Platform(s)ZX Spectrum
Commodore 64
Release
(Spectrum)
1984 (Commodore 64)
Genre(s)Action
Mode(s)Single-player

Ant Attack is a ZX Spectrum computer game by Sandy White, published by Quicksilva in 1983. It was converted to the Commodore 64 in 1984.

While Zaxxon and Q*bert previously used isometric projection, Ant Attack added an extra degree of freedom (ability to go up and down instead of just north, south, east and west), and it may be the first isometric game for personal computers.[4] The same type of isometric projection was used in Sandy White's later Zombie Zombie. It was also one of the first games to allow players to choose their gender.[5][2]

Gameplay

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ZX Spectrum in-game screenshot

The player chooses whether to control the character of "Girl" or "Boy",[6] who then enters the walled city of Antescher to rescue the other,[7] who has been captured and immobilised somewhere in the city.

The city is inhabited by giant ants which chase and attempt to bite the player. The player can defend themselves by throwing grenades at the ants, but these can also harm the humans. Once the hostage is rescued, the two must escape the city. The game then starts again with the hostage located in a different, harder-to-reach part of the city.

Development

Almost all of the game code was written by hand on paper using assembler mnemonics, then manually assembled,[4] with the resulting hexadecimal digits typed sequentially into an external EEPROM emulator device (aka SoftROM[8] or "softie") attached to a host Spectrum.[9] Similarly, the character graphics and other custom sprites were all hand-drawn on squared paper and manually converted to strings of hex data. Additionally, some minor add-on routines such as high score registration were added on to the core game using regular Sinclair BASIC.[10]

The game's setting of "Antescher" is a reference to the artist M. C. Escher.[2]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
Crash85%[11]
CVG30/40[3]
Personal Computer Games7/10[12]

Ant Attack was well received by gaming press. The game was nominated in the 1983 Golden Joystick Awards for Best Original Game of the Year, eventually coming second to Ah Diddums.[13] The ZX Spectrum version was rated number 14 in the Your Sinclair's Official Top 100 Games of All Time.[14]

In 2009, the staff of Edge wrote that it "marked the very beginnings of the survival horror genre".[15][5]

References

  1. ↑ "On the Cover". Crash (15): 130. April 1985. https://archive.org/details/Crash_Magazine_015/page/130. Retrieved 2023-12-18. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Hall of Fame: Ant Attack". ACE (Future Publishing) (38): 111. November 1990. https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=1764&page=111. Retrieved 22 September 2022. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Awesome Ants Leap to the Attack!". Computer and Video Games (26 (December 1983)): 31, 33. 16 November 1983. https://archive.org/stream/computer-video-games-magazine-026/CVG026_Dec_1983#page/n29/mode/2up. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Sandy White. "Sandy White - an Ant Attack homepage". Archived from the original on 6 April 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060406030246/http://sandywhite.co.uk/fun/ants. Retrieved 2006-03-28. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Whitehead, Dan (Mar 8, 2013). "Code Britannia: Sandy White". Eurogamer.net. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-03-06-code-britannia-sandy-white. 
  6. ↑ "CRASH 1 - 3D Ant Attack". https://www.crashonline.org.uk/01/antattack.htm. 
  7. ↑ Wilkins, Chris (Oct 10, 2007). "Ant Attack". Eurogamer.net. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/ant-attack-review. 
  8. ↑ "SoftROM mini feature, Issue 2, March 1984". Your Sinclair online archive. http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~jg27paw4/yr02/yr02_35.htm. 
  9. ↑ "Video interview with Sandy White". Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdrgBwSH9W8. Retrieved 1 October 2013. 
  10. ↑ "Comments guestbook with owner's replies, page one". Sandy White personal homepage. http://www.sandywhite.co.uk/fun/visitors/visitors1.htm. Retrieved 1 October 2013. 
  11. ↑ "Soft Solid 3D Ant Attack". Crash (1): 16, 18. February 1984. https://archive.org/stream/crash-magazine-01/Crash_01_Feb_1984#page/n15/mode/2up. 
  12. ↑ Cooke, Steve (February 1984). "Screen Test". Personal Computer Games (3): 51. https://archive.org/stream/personalcomputergames-magazine-03/PersonalComputerGames_03#page/n53/mode/2up. 
  13. ↑ "The Golden Joystick Award", C&VG, Issue 29.
  14. ↑ "Readers' Top 100 Games of All Time". Your Sinclair. September 1993. 
  15. ↑ Edge staff (2009-07-31). "The Making Of: Ant Attack". Edge. http://www.next-gen.biz/features/making-ant-attack. Retrieved 2009-12-08. 

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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