Software:F-15 Strike Eagle III

From HandWiki
Short description: 1992 video game
F-15 Strike Eagle III
Developer(s)MPS Labs
Publisher(s)MicroProse
Producer(s)Andy Hollis
Designer(s)Christopher Clark
James M. Day
Andy Hollis
George Wargo
Artist(s)Barbara Miller
Composer(s)Jeff Briggs
Platform(s)MS-DOS
ReleaseDecember 1992[1]
Genre(s)Combat flight simulator
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

F-15 Strike Eagle III is an F-15E Strike Eagle combat flight simulator game released in 1992 by MicroProse for MS-DOS. It is the sequel to F-15 Strike Eagle and F-15 Strike Eagle II, and the third and final game in the series.

The fighter is equipped with a M61 Vulcan and both air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, as well as free-fall and laser-guided bombs. Available scenarios are: Iraq, Panama, and Korea.[2] Missions usually involve taking out one primary and one secondary target, while avoiding attacking friendly targets. The player can receive promotions and medals based on their mission scores.

For its time, Strike Eagle III boasted impressive graphics, although enemy planes are not nearly as detailed as the player's F-15. Special attention was put into the terrain and geography, to the extent that real buildings and geographical sites are visible ingame, such as the Iraqi Presidential Palace in Baghdad.

The enhanced CD-ROM edition adds 15 minutes of introductory video, a tutorial, and new scenarios,[3] including flight missions based on those of the Desert Storm campaign.

Development

The game had a development budget of $1.2 million.[4]

Reception

Computer Gaming World's reviewer Doug Fick, an F-16 pilot with the Vermont Air National Guard, in April 1993 praised F-15 III's graphics and detail, stating that "the systems and aircraft are very faithfully reproduced". He approved of the accuracy of the flight model ("Spectrum Holobyte and the Falcon 3.0 team could learn something about realistic flight characteristics from this program"). Fick disliked the slow performance, but concluded that "it definitely is a worthy simulation".[5] In a January 1994 survey of wargames the magazine's Evan Brooks gave the title four stars out of five, stating that it had "state-of-the-art graphics and game value".[6] In April 1994 the magazine said that the CD version was "a good buy for either the novice or veteran sim enthusiast".[3] In August 1994 the magazine's simulation columnist Tom Basham called the flight model "a mixed bag", approving of aircraft performance varying by altitude but criticizing the "instantaneous" handling. He concluded that although superior to Falcon 3.0 in many areas, F-15 was not a simulation because "many things ... 'burst the bubble', that constantly reminded me this isn't for real".[7]

Sales

The game sold 110,000 copies in its first two weeks,[1] and 150,000 copies by February 1993.[8]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Newest Flight game is a big hit for MicroProse". January 4, 1993. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/90815516/the-baltimore-sun/. Retrieved August 17, 2021. 
  2. ↑ "F-15 Strike Eagle III". Mobygames. 1992. http://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/f-15-strike-eagle-iii. Retrieved 7 June 2014. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Invasion Of The Data Stashers". Computer Gaming World: 20–42. April 1994. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=117. 
  4. ↑ Clark, Kim (March 19, 1993). "MicroProse founder takes the blame". p. 191. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91509985/the-baltimore-sun/. Retrieved December 31, 2021. 
  5. ↑ Fick, Doug (April 1993). "The Eagle Has Landed...Slowly". Computer Gaming World: 142. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=105. Retrieved 7 July 2014. 
  6. ↑ Brooks, M. Evan (January 1994). "War In Our Time / A Survey Of Wargames From 1950-2000". Computer Gaming World: 194–212. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=114. 
  7. ↑ Basham, Tom (August 1994). "What's In A Sim?". Computer Gaming World: 81–84. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=121. 
  8. ↑ Southerl, Daniel (February 15, 1993). "Wizards At Play". https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1993/02/15/wizards-at-play/a397cbc5-2c23-4902-aedb-53a57348530f/. Retrieved August 18, 2021. 
  • 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 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]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

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. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.




Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:F-15_Strike_Eagle_III&oldid=3952921"