Software:Dungeon Hack

From HandWiki
Short description: 1993 video game
Dungeon Hack
MS-DOS cover art
Developer(s)DreamForge Intertainment
Cybelle (PC-9801)
Publisher(s)Strategic Simulations
Right Stuff (PC-9801)
Designer(s)Thomas J. Holmes
Christopher L. Straka
Programmer(s)Thomas J. Holmes
Composer(s)Anthony Mollick, James McMenamy
Platform(s)DOS, NEC PC-9801
Release1993
Genre(s)dungeon crawler
Mode(s)Single-player

Dungeon Hack is a 1993 role-playing video game developed by DreamForge Intertainment and published by Strategic Simulations for DOS and NEC PC-9801.

The game is based in the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons world of Forgotten Realms. It blends gameplay elements of roguelikes and the Eye of the Beholder series.[1]

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot

Dungeon Hack features a three-dimensional, randomly generated dungeon;[2][3] SSI claimed that "over 4 billion" different dungeons were possible.[4] The game features a pseudo-3D game screen based on Eye of the Beholder series. Like Rogue, dungeons are randomly generated whenever a new game is started. As a result, virtually all dungeons generated by the game are different. However, players can share random seeds used to generate a specific dungeon. Dungeons can be customized for difficulty, such as limiting the number of traps, puzzles, and powerful enemies.[5] Unlike Eye of the Beholder, players control only a single adventurer.[6]

Dungeon Hack uses the rules mechanics of AD&D 2nd Edition. Permadeath, in which all saves are erased upon character death, is an option,[3] like traditional roguelike games but unlike other graphical AD&D games such as Pool of Radiance. Unlike traditional roguelikes, Dungeon Hack has a complex character creation system, but it offers pregenerated characters to speed up the process of recovering from permadeath.[5]

Plot

An adventurer (the player's character of choice) is sent by an evil[7] sorceress on a mission to find and retrieve a mysterious magical orb located within an ancient dungeon.

After defeating the final monster, the ending cinematic shows the adventurer leaves the dungeon with a wheelbarrow full of treasure, the sorceress waiting outside for him. The hero gives her the orb, and she gives him her thanks and says it time for them to leave. The hero remains behind during the credits to sort through his spoils. After the credits, the sorceress tells the hero to hurry as she is leaving and the adventure is over. The hero remarks on his treasure and that his adventure has only just begun, and moves his wheelbarrow off screen dropping a coin, before quickly coming back and picks it back up and goes back off screen.

Reception

Reception
Review score
PublicationScore
PC Zone62%[8]

SSI sold 27,110 copies of Dungeon Hack.[9] Reviews at release were fairly positive, though some criticized the game for its lack of plot[6] or difficulty in finding essential supplies in the dungeon.[1] Computer Gaming World's Scorpia in 1994 liked the game's flexibility and inclusion of all AD&D 2nd Edition character classes and found that "a 10-15 level dungeon is probably the best". She concluded that "in spite of some weak points, Dungeon Hack delivers what it promises: the chance to create your own, specially-designed, hack-n-slash paradise".[3] The game got 3 out of 5 stars in Dragon.[10] Cory Brock of Hardcore Gaming 101 wrote that the game plays it safe by not changing the gameplay of the Eye of the Beholder series, but it is "a solid adaptation of the traditional roguelike".[6]

James V. Trunzo reviewed Dungeon Hack in White Wolf #42 (April, 1994), giving it a final evaluation of "Very Good" and stated that "Hidden doors, invisible walls, trap doors, teleporters, cursed items, magical devices - all the bells and whistles are here. Dungeon Hack is a great way to kill an hour or 12. Elegant in its simplicity, Dungeon Hack is worth your money if you enjoy fantasy, are tired of 200-hour adventures and hack-and-slay is your style."[11]

Dungeon Hack won Computer Game Review's "Most Replay Value of 1994" award. According to GameSpy's Allen Rausch, if "random creatures and meaningless hallways are your thing, you'll love Dungeon Hack – the rest of us like at least a little story to justify our monster butchery".[12] Ian Williams of Paste rated the game #9 on his list of "The 10 Greatest Dungeons and Dragons Videogames" in 2015.[13]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Barton, Matt (2008). Dungeons and Desktops. CRC Press. pp. 240–241. ISBN 978-1-4398-6524-8. 
  2. ↑ Tresca, Michael J. (2010), The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games, McFarland, p. 144, ISBN 978-0786458950, https://books.google.com/books?id=8H8bzqj6S4sC&pg=PA144 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Scorpia (February 1994). Hackin' The Nights Away. pp. 62, 64. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=115. 
  4. ↑ "Dungeon Hack". Computer Gaming World: 43. December 1993. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=113. Retrieved 29 March 2016. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Harris, John (2020). "60: Dreamforge's Dungeon Hack". Exploring Roguelike Games. CRC Press. 60.1–60.3. ISBN 978-1-003-05357-6. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Brock, Cory (2017-09-08). "Dungeon Hack - IBM PC, PC-98 (1993)". Hardcore Gaming 101. http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/dungeon-hack/. Retrieved 2021-03-22. 
  7. ↑ PC Player issue 3 (February 1994), page 57.
  8. ↑ McCandless, David (February 1994). "PC Zone Review - Dungeon Hack". PC Zone (Future plc) (11): 90. https://archive.org/details/PC_Zone_11_February_1994/page/n91. 
  9. ↑ Maher, Jimmy (2017-03-31). "Opening the Gold Box, Part 5: All That Glitters is Not Gold". http://www.filfre.net/2017/03/opening-the-gold-box-part-5-all-that-glitters-is-not-gold/. 
  10. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Dragon205
  11. ↑ Trunzo, James V. (April 1994). "The Silicon Dungeon". White Wolf Magazine (42): 53. https://imgur.com/a/cov6olr. 
  12. ↑ Rausch, Allen (2004-08-17). "A History of D&D Video Games - Part III". Game Spy. http://pc.gamespy.com/articles/539/539722p2.html. 
  13. ↑ "The 10 Greatest Dungeons and Dragons Videogames". April 27, 2015. https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/04/the-10-greatest-dungeons-and-dragons-videogames.html. 
  • 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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