Software:Hoyle Casino Empire

From HandWiki
Short description: 2002 video game
Hoyle Casino Empire
Developer(s)Sierra Entertainment
Publisher(s)Sierra Entertainment
Composer(s)Mike Caviezel
SeriesHoyle Casino
Platform(s)Windows
Release
  • NA: September 23, 2002
  • EU: October 25, 2002
Genre(s)Business simulation game
Mode(s)Single-player

Hoyle Casino Empire (Casino Empire in Europe) is a business simulation game on Windows computers, in which the player must run a casino and try to make profit, attract customers and get good ratings. It was developed by an in-house internal development team at Sierra Entertainment and was published by the company as well. It is part of Sierra's Hoyle Casino series.

Gameplay

The goal of Hoyle Casino Empire is to create a thriving casino. There are two modes in the game; Empire Mode and Sandbox Mode. Empire Mode is basically the game's campaign mode, and has the player manage eight different casinos, starting with a small one and working up to the biggest casino. In each casino, the player will be presented a set of objectives to meet in a given time in order to proceed to the next casino. Should the player miss any of these objectives in a casino, the game has to be restarted from the last casino reached. Sandbox Mode allows the player to build and design the casino as desired with no constraints of time limit or objectives. This mode cannot be played until the player completes the first casino in the Empire Mode, the progress of which also unlocks more casinos for this mode.

The player starts in a specific kind of building with a limited amount of money to spend and large areas of space to build. The casino also has a Level Status, which determines what kind of casino games and services can be added or built. Once the casino meets the minimum number requirements of visiting customers and good ratings, the player can spend a certain amount of money to increase the casino's Level Status, up to the Fourth Level. The number of customers can be increased by introducing more games and services, while the casino ratings can be increased by introducing variety, room decor, building extensions, cash donations, deluxe services and satisfying customers' general requirements.

General requirements for customers include cash desks (and ATMs) to withdraw money for gambling, restrooms, eateries and bars, hotel accommodations and other establishments. Missing these general requirements may cause customers to leave the casino and give bad reviews. Cash donations can only keep dissatisfied customers happy temporarily. Customers come in different types, ranging from Tourists who carry little cash to VIPs who carry a lot. When building games and services in the casino, maintenance is needed to keep the casino running. Machine attendants maintain slot machines and other electronics, custodians keep the casino and restrooms clean, waitresses serve drinks to customers, and security guards look out for disturbances and intruders, the latter including attackers from rival casinos.

Earning money legally is done by providing sufficient services to the number of customers and accepting commercial stunt deals with agreements met. However, money can be earned illegitimately by increasing the House Edge to Cheating Mode, in addition to accepting crooked deals such as money laundering. Such activities can lead to financial and rating losses if found out by city authorities. While attempting to earn profit, the player must keep in mind the maintenance and employee wage expenses that present in the gameplay. Should the money go below zero, the player is considered in debt and cannot spend on anything until the money goes back up.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
GameSpot5.9/10[1]
GameSpyStarStarStarHalf star)[2]
GameZone8.4/10[3]
IGN6.2/10[4]

Hoyle Casino Empire received a number of mixed reviews.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Andrew Park (October 4, 2002). "Hoyle Casino Empire - GameSpot". GameZone. http://www.gamespot.com:80/pc/strategy/casinoempire/review.html. 
  2. ↑ Kevin Rice (October 30, 2002). "Hoyle Casino Empire - GameSpy". GameSpy. http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/casino-empire/582653p1.html. 
  3. ↑ Michael Lafferty (September 30, 2002). "Hoyle Casino Empire - GameZone". GameZone. http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r19847.htm. 
  4. ↑ "Hoyle Casino Empire - IGN". IGN. http://www.ign.com/games/casino-empire. 
  • 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. 
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