Software:FireTeam (video game)

From HandWiki
FireTeam
Developer(s)Multitude, Inc.
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Art Min
Producer(s)Bill Money
Designer(s)Harvey Smith
Ned Lerner
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
  • NA: December 14, 1998[1]
  • EU: October 1999
Genre(s)Action Strategy
Mode(s)Multiplayer

FireTeam is a 1998 video game developed by Multitude, Inc. for Windows.

Gameplay

The original FireTeam box.

The game has three offline training sessions for player to familiarize themselves with the basics of the game. The rest of the content can only be played in the online multiplayer. The multiplayer consists of short matches with a time limit of 10 minutes each. There are four different game modes for the matches: Deathmatch, BaseTag, Gunball, and Capture the Flag. Players pick one of three characters to play in the game: a light-armoured scout, a commando, or an offensive oriented gunner. The chosen class can be switched while the player is dead in the game. The game initially contained 32 maps separated by the four games modes, but intended to add more maps to the game in the future.[2]

Between matches players can talk in chat rooms to strategize. Included in the box with the purchase of the game was a headset for use with the game's real-time voice chat.[2]

Development

FireTeam was designed by Ned Lerner, Art Min, and James Morris (creator of the Panasonic M2 graphics libraries, programming tools, and operating system).[3] The gameplay was a deliberate attempt to adapt the dynamics of MicroProse's X-COM series to a real-time environment.[4]

Early news coverage of the game tended to center on its ability to let players talk to each other online without voice modems, and Multitude acquired patents on portions of the voice technology.[3] The developers ran a 40,000 person beta test before focusing on the voice technology, turning FireTeam into Firetalk.[2]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings75%[5]
Review scores
PublicationScore
CGSPStarStarStarStar[6]
CGWStarStarStarStar[7]
Eurogamer8/10[9]
GameProStarStarStarStarHalf star[10]
GameRevolutionB[11]
GameSpot8.5/10[12]
Jeuxvideo.com14/20[13]
PC Gamer (US)45%[14]

The game received favorable reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[5] Michael E. Ryan of GameSpot highly praised the many nuances to the gameplay and the friendly, helpful player community and said that the voice communication gives FireTeam a stronger social aspect than most online games, in addition to serving as a useful gameplay element. However, he also said the training missions are grossly insufficient at preparing the player for the game, the gameplay and voice suffer from lag times, and that there were so far few players online at any given time.[12] PC Magazine's preview was pleased with 10 minute time limit on sessions and the easy to learn yet tough to master gameplay.[15] PC Accelerator's John Lee wrote that he appreciated the voice chat and templay aspects of the game, but said these two features were "not enough to carry the game," noting the 10 minute time limit was too short and repeating the same arcade modes quickly became repetitive. Like Ryan, he stated the game didn't offer enough practice before forcing players into the online multiplayer.[2]

The game was a commercial failure, with sales of 1,500 units by March 1999.[16][17]

The game was a finalist for Computer Games Strategy Plus' 1998 "Online Game of the Year" award, which ultimately went to Starsiege. The staff described it as "excellent".[18]

References

  1. ↑ Mayer, Robert (December 1, 1998). "FireTeam to Go Gold Tonight". Strategy Plus, Inc.. Archived from the original on December 1, 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20021201035410/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/015/176/fireteam.html. Retrieved April 28, 2021. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Lee, John (April 1999). "FireTeam". PC Accelerator (Imagine Media) (8): 82. https://archive.org/details/PCXL08Apr1999/page/n81/mode/2up. Retrieved April 28, 2021. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Svensson, Christian (September 1997). "Joyriding". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (33): 30. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_33/page/n31. 
  4. ↑ "NG Alphas: FireTeam". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (33): 78–79. September 1997. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_33/page/n79. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "FireTeam for PC". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 9, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190609072515/https://www.gamerankings.com/pc/197350-fireteam/index.html. Retrieved April 28, 2021. 
  6. ↑ Cross, Jason (January 14, 1999). "FireTeam". Strategy Plus, Inc.. Archived from the original on July 9, 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20030709060135/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/016/154/fireteam_review.html. Retrieved April 28, 2021. 
  7. ↑ Larka, Lance A. (April 1999). "Company Man (FireTeam Review)". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (177): 173. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_177.pdf. Retrieved April 28, 2021. 
  8. ↑ Grant, Jules (January 21, 1999). "FireTeam". Greedy Productions, Inc.. Archived from the original on January 5, 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20020105043205/http://www.elecplay.com/review.html?article=202&full=1#mr_toppy. Retrieved April 29, 2021. 
  9. ↑ Male, Peter "Pete" (May 9, 2000). "FireTeam". Gamer Network. Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20000816030844/http://www.eurogamer.net/content/fireteam. Retrieved April 29, 2021. 
  10. ↑ Olafson, Peter (1999). "FireTeam Review for PC on GamePro.com". GamePro (IDG Entertainment). Archived from the original on February 14, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050214064553/http://gamepro.com/computer/pc/games/reviews/743.shtml. Retrieved April 29, 2021. 
  11. ↑ Cooke, Mark (January 1999). "Fire Team [sic"]. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on April 9, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20040409104522/http://www.game-revolution.com/games/pc/action/fireteam.htm. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Ryan, Michael E. (February 8, 1999). "FireTeam Review [date mislabeled as "May 1, 2000""]. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 11, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20041211183734/https://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/fireteam/review.html. Retrieved April 28, 2021. 
  13. ↑ Kornifex (October 28, 1999). "Test: Fireteam [sic"] (in fr). Webedia. https://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0000/00000195_test.htm. Retrieved April 29, 2021. 
  14. ↑ "FireTeam". PC Gamer (Imagine Media) 6 (5). May 1999. Archived from the original on October 18, 1999. https://web.archive.org/web/19991018202159/http://www.pcgamer.com/reviews/1284.html. Retrieved April 28, 2021. 
  15. ↑ "After Hours: FireTeam". PC Magazine (Ziff Davis) 18 (5): 294. March 9, 1999. https://books.google.com/books?id=V5sj0BSaB9AC&q=fireteam+pc+game&pg=PA294. Retrieved March 9, 2019. 
  16. ↑ Jebens, Harley (March 9, 1999). "FireTeam: Multitude's First and Last Game? [date mislabeled as "April 27, 2000""]. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on March 11, 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20000311002543/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/99_03/09_pc_fireteam/index.html. Retrieved April 28, 2021. 
  17. ↑ Asher, Mark (March 17, 1999). "Game Spin: Things that Sort of Suck". CNET. Archived from the original on August 24, 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20000824062400/http://gamecenter.com/News/Item/0,3,0-2580,00.html. Retrieved April 28, 2021. 
  18. ↑ CGSP staff (February 11, 1999). "The Best of 1998 (Online Game of the Year)". Strategy Plus, Inc.. http://www.cdmag.com/articles/017/163/online_of_year.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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