Software:King of Dragon Pass

From HandWiki
Short description: 1999 video game
King of Dragon Pass
Developer(s)
  • A Sharp
  • HeroCraft (Mobile version)
Publisher(s)A Sharp
Producer(s)David Dunham
Designer(s)
  • David Dunham
  • Greg Stafford
  • Robin D. Laws
Platform(s)Windows, Mac OS, iOS, Android, Windows Phone
Release
  • October 1999 (PC, Mac)
  • September 2011 (iOS)
  • August 2012 (GOG.com)
  • August 2014 (Android)
  • September 2014 (Windows Phone)
Genre(s)Turn-based strategy, role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

King of Dragon Pass is a 1999 strategy simulation fantasy video game published by A Sharp. Set in the fictional world of Glorantha, the player controls the fate of a barbarian clan settling in the dangerous frontier region of Dragon Pass.

Originally released for PC, the game was a commercial failure. It was ported for iOS in 2011, and was later released for Android and re-released for PCs. The iOS versions were much more commercially successful than the original PC release,[1] leading to a sequel, Six Ages: Ride Like The Wind, being released in 2018.

Plot

The player controls a clan of Orlanthi (worshipers of the Storm God Orlanth) across several generations. Orlanthi clans bear some similarities to the Iron Age Nordic peoples, such as lawspeakers, fyrds, the worship of a thunder god and a reliance on raiding, as well as Bronze Age Celtic and Italic peoples aesthetically, with the appearance of many of the tribesmen reflecting these origins.

At the beginning of the game the clan has fled its home of Heortland after a foreign magician known as Belintar or 'the Pharaoh' usurps the throne. Along with dozens of other Orlanthi clans, the clan seeks to build a new home in Dragon Pass, a previously populated area left deserted after the Dragonkill War hundreds of years ago. With the Orlanthi clans variously feuding, allying, trading with and raiding each other, and a host of inhuman presences such as elves, dwarves and trolls, Dragon Pass is a free but dangerous frontier society compared to the tyrannical rule of the Pharaoh in Heortland. To the west, a persistent danger is the 'Horse-Spawn,' a society of nomadic mounted warriors.

As time passes by the clans form into 'tribes,' loose confederations of half a dozen clans. A prophet visits the player's clan to inform them of a great destiny. The player must guide the clan through seven heroquests (ritual re-enactments of feats of the gods) and successfully manage a number of events, including co-operating with other clans to build a town and making peace with the Horse-Spawn by marrying their queen (or, if the player's chieftain is female, their king). If the player is successful, the clan's chieftain unites the Orlanthi tribes and the Horse-Spawn into a kingdom, becoming King of Dragon Pass.

Gameplay

The player controls the seven-member clan ring leading the clan, providing leadership to the clan in all aspects of its life, such as trading, warfare, agriculture and diplomacy. The player can make two macro-level decisions per each of the five seasons in the Gloranthan year. Random events are drawn from a pool of hundreds,[2] ranging from mundane law disputes to spiritual or demonic incursions. They are often influenced by previous decisions and outcomes. In battle, the player determines the goals and preparations, and possibly chooses the actions of his nobles at pivotal moments.

To succeed, a player must balance the various needs of survival and prospering, as well as manage the problems presented by the setting or the clan individuals - a lack of food might be solvable by clearing more farmland, but when the forest responds by sending a talking fox to urge leaving the trees alone, a wrong choice could bring the clan hunters to war with their environment. Likewise, should a member of the clan act in a selfish and foolish manner, action needs to be taken to stabilize and defuse the situation, if necessary.

King of Dragon Pass contains no animation, instead depicting people and events with hand-drawn artwork. The game has elements of strategy, construction and management simulation, and role-playing video games.

Production and release

King of Dragon Pass was conceived and developed by David Dunham, using his friend Greg Stafford's setting of Glorantha. At peak development, the A Sharp production team consisted of 12 people. The game cost $500,000 to make but only sold 8,000 boxed copies, rendering it a commercial failure. It sold disproportionately well in Finland thanks to a glowing review in Pelit.[1]

King of Dragon Pass had initially been conceived for the Apple Newton. Following Apple's announcement of the iPhone in 2007, Dunham was drawn back to the potential of the game for a handheld platform,[1] and an updated version of the game was released for iOS on September 8, 2011.[3] This version was updated to be a universal iOS app for compatibility with the iPad on September 6, 2012.[4] The original Windows version was re-released by GOG.com in 2012.[1] Dunham announced in March 2013 that the iOS version had sold 30,000 copies.[1]

HeroCraft ported the iOS version to Android and released it on August 12, 2014.[5] A Windows Phone version, also by HeroCraft, was released a month later on September 23.[6] A new PC version based on the Android version was released July 29, 2015; it runs on Windows or Mac OS X.[7]

Sequel

A sequel, Six Ages: Ride Like The Wind, was announced in 2014, released for iOS on June 28, 2018, and PC and Mac in 2019.[8][9] A second sequel, Software:Six Ages 2: Lights Going Out, was released for PC, Mac, and iOS in 2023.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
MetacriticiOS: 90/100[10]
Review score
PublicationScore
TouchArcadeiOS: StarStarStarStarStar[11]

The game's hand painted watercolor artwork won the Best Visual Art prize in the 2000 Independent Games Festival.[12][circular reference] Rock, Paper, Shotgun described the game in retrospective in 2017 as "a management game, yes, but at its heart is an ongoing RPG chronicle."[13] In 2016, the game placed 5th on Rock Paper Shotgun's The 50 best strategy games on PC list.[14] Reviewing the iPhone version at TouchArcade, Eli Hodapp described it as "one of the most in-depth and strategic gameplay experiences I've had so far on my iPhone," describing the game as a conglomeration of Civilization and Choose Your Own Adventure.[11]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Purchese, Robert (12 April 2013). "The story of King of Dragon Pass: Do you remember Demolition Man?". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-04-12-the-story-of-king-of-dragon-pass-do-you-remember-demolition-man. Retrieved 12 April 2013. 
  2. ↑ Dunham, David (2012-09-02). "King of Dragon Pass: How Many Scenes?". https://kingofdragonpass.blogspot.com/2012/09/how-many-scenes.html. 
  3. ↑ "King of Dragon Pass for iOS". http://a-sharp.com/kodp/ios/. 
  4. ↑ Dunham, David (2012-09-04). "King of Dragon Pass: King of Dragon Pass Grows Up". https://kingofdragonpass.blogspot.com/2012/09/king-of-dragon-pass-grows-up.html. 
  5. ↑ King of Dragon Pass [@KingDragonPass] (11 August 2014). "The unique storytelling game King of Dragon Pass is now available for Android!". https://twitter.com/KingDragonPass/status/498960173852295169. 
  6. ↑ HeroCraft Games [@HeroCraft] (23 September 2014). "King of Dragon Pass now on Windows Phone 8! WP8 Amazon Google Play". https://twitter.com/HeroCraft/status/514335643284291584. 
  7. ↑ HeroCraft Games [@HeroCraft] (29 July 2015). "Legendary King of Dragon Pass is now available on @steam_games! And it is awesome! Steam: #HeroCraft #KoDP". https://twitter.com/HeroCraft/status/626326565698281472. 
  8. ↑ "Six Ages". http://sixages.com/. 
  9. ↑ A Sharp, LLC (2018-06-08), Six Ages Release Trailer, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXl7zCaRI9M, retrieved 2018-06-09 
  10. ↑ "King of Dragon Pass for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Red Ventures. https://www.metacritic.com/game/king-of-dragon-pass/critic-reviews/?platform=ios-iphoneipad. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Hodapp, Eli (8 September 2011). "'King of Dragon Pass' Review – "Thus ends our sorry tale, the tale of clan Fart."". https://toucharcade.com/2011/09/08/king-of-dragon-pass-review/. 
  12. ↑ IGF Competition award history
  13. ↑ Have You Played… King of Dragon Pass? by Brendan Caldwell on RPS (February 21st, 2017)
  14. ↑ "The 50 best strategy games on PC". 18 November 2016. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/11/18/the-50-best-strategy-games-on-pc/47/. Retrieved 12 August 2017. 
  • Official website
  • King of Dragon Pass at HeroCraft
  • 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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