Software:Combat Lynx

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Short description: 1984 video game
Combat Lynx
Publisher(s)Durell Software
Platform(s)Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, and Acorn Electron
Release1984
Genre(s)Combat flight simulation

Combat Lynx is a real-time combat flight simulation game developed by Durell Software and released in 1984 for the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum, with versions for the Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, and Electron following in 1985. The game puts players in control of a Westland Lynx helicopter, tasking them with defending bases and troops while destroying enemy forces.[1] Durell Software Ltd. developed Combat Lynx with assistance from Westland Helicopters, the manufacturers of the real Lynx helicopter.[1]

Gameplay

In Combat Lynx, players pilot a Lynx helicopter in a three-dimensional, randomly generated battlefield. The game combines elements of flight simulation with strategic gameplay, requiring players to manage resources, defend bases, and engage the enemy in combat missions. It supports various control schemes, including two joysticks, joystick and keyboard, or keyboard only. There are nearly 30 control keys, most of which are redefinable.[1][2]

Players view the game from behind the helicopter, with the landscape scrolling beneath. The helicopter can fly in any direction, hover, rise, and dip. The screen displays flight instruments, surrounding terrain, and a heads-up display showing altitude, speed, fuel, and weapon status. The landscape is shown from one of the cardinal directions. If the player rotates the helicopter over 45 degrees, the screen briefly blacks out before redrawing the landscape from the new perspective.[2][3][4]

Combat involves using various weapons against enemy tanks, fighter jets, and other targets. The helicopter can be equipped with rockets, machine guns, cannons, anti-tank missiles, anti-aircraft missiles, and mines. Weapons are selected and fired using a combination of joystick and keyboard controls, with some requiring manual aiming while others, like heat-seeking missiles, lock on automatically.[3][5]

Players must manage multiple bases, supplying them with fuel, weapons, and personnel transported from headquarters. The number of bases varies from three to six, depending on the chosen skill level. Bases need to be defended from enemy attacks, and if all bases are overrun or all three helicopters are destroyed, the game ends.[3][6][5]

Before missions, players can arm and equip their helicopter using an equipment menu. The game displays 3D wireframe plans of the Lynx, showing the selected items, their quantity, and weight. Players must balance their load against the helicopter's maximum carrying capacity.[3][5]

A key strategic element is the intelligence map, which can be called up to show battlefield positions, including enemy concentrations, allied forces, and land contours. The map is divided into grids and updates periodically, though enemy positions may move between updates. While viewing the map, the helicopter continues to move, requiring careful attention to avoid crashes.[1][3][5]

There are four skill levels affecting the number of bases, enemy vehicles, and missile accuracy. Players receive an efficiency rating which depends on the number of bases destroyed, troops lost, allied vehicles lost, ammunition used, and the number and value of targets hit. Scores are recorded on a high-score table.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
Amtix83%[6]
Crash88%[5]
CVG30/40[1]
Sinclair User8/10[4]
Your Spectrum6/15[2]
Amstrad Computer UserStarStarStarStar[3]
Award
PublicationAward
CrashSmash!

Combat Lynx received generally favourable reviews from contemporary gaming magazines. Several reviewers noted the game's unique blend of action and strategy. Crash magazine wrote that the game "can certainly be played like a shoot 'em up... or as a game of stealthy strategy."[5]

The game's graphics and 3D representation were commended. Crash praised the innovative use of contour lines for 3D graphics, calling it "more effective than an 'illusion' of 3D."[5] Amstrad Computer User noted that "the landscape comes in nicely from the distance and features on the ground get bigger and smaller with distance."[3] However, Your Spectrum criticised the screen redrawing mechanism when turning, describing it as "strange" and potentially disorienting.[2]

The complexity of the controls and the game's steep learning curve were points of contention among reviewers. Computer and Video Games noted that "the controls are very complex—but not impossible to master," advising players to "take time to read the comprehensive instructions."[1] Sinclair User suggested that the game might be "too much of a simulation" for some players, potentially "tedious" for arcade gamers due to "the lack of immediate excitement."[4]

Despite the initial difficulty, some reviewers found the game rewarding once mastered. Amtix stated, "Once you have mastered the controls, you can then start to enjoy Combat Lynx properly," praising its "professional and polished look."[6] Crash concluded that the game offered "excellent value for money" and would "provide hours and hours of fun" for strategy game enthusiasts.[5]

The Amstrad version was particularly well-received, with Amtix declaring it "the best" compared to other computer versions of the game.[6]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Combat Lynx". Computer and Video Games (40): 44. February 1985. https://archive.org/details/cvg-magazine-040/page/n43/mode/1up?view=theater. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Combat Lynx". Your Spectrum (10): 61. December 1984. https://archive.org/details/your-spectrum-magazine-10/page/n61/mode/2up. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 "Combat Lynx". Amstrad Computer User (8): 67-68. July 1985. https://archive.org/details/AmstradComputerUser08-0785/page/n65/mode/2up?view=theater. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Gilbert, John (December 1984). "Whirlybird Warfare". Sinclair User (33): 35. https://archive.org/details/sinclair-user-magazine-033/page/n34/mode/1up?view=theater. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 "Combat Lynx". Crash (10): 94-96. November 1984. https://archive.org/details/crash-magazine-10/page/n93/mode/2up. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Combat Lynx". Amtix (1): 42. November 1985. https://archive.org/details/Amtix_Magazine_Issue_01/page/42/mode/2up?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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