Software:Legends of Future Past

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Legends of Future Past
Developer(s)NovaLink (f/k/a Inner Circle Software)
Publisher(s)NovaLink
Designer(s)Jon Radoff
Angela Bull
Platform(s)Internet
ReleaseNA 1992
Genre(s)MUD
Mode(s)Multiplayer

Legends of Future Past was the first commercial text-based MUD to make the transition from a proprietary network provider (CompuServe, in this case) to the Internet.[1] It was designed by Jon Radoff and Angela Bull.[2][3] It was also notable in that it had paid Game Masters who conducted online events. The game was originally offered for $6.00 per hour in 1992 via CompuServe, and then lesser amounts via the Internet, operating until December 31, 1999.[4][5][6][7]

Legends introduced one of the first (if not the first) crafting system in an online game. Players could harvest resources including ores, herbs and skins, and then use them to make weapons, armor and enchanted items. The game system was skill-based; players were not constrained to premade class archetypes. There were no level caps, and some very dedicated players attained levels in the hundreds.

Legends of Future Past was set in the "Shattered Realms", a world featuring a blend of fantasy and ancient technology. Most of the action in the game revolved around the city of Fayd, which served as the hub of activity for adventures, intrigue and roleplaying events. Some of the races included: aelfen (an elflike species), drakin (a race of dragon-men that ultimately resulted in player-created languages and cultural institutions), ephemerals (a wraithlike species that could not be harmed unless the player chose to manifest themself), highlander (think dwarves), humans (the only people who could utilize ancient technology), murg (a proud warrior race), mechanoids (artificial beings) and wolflings (a race of shapechangers).

Computer Game Review awarded Legends of Future Past the Golden Triad Award. It also won the award for artistic excellence in Computer Gaming World's 1993 Online Game of the Year competition, stating that they were overwhelmed by the creative power of storytelling and fertile liveliness.[8]

Legends is credited with spawning a number of other online games[9] and introducing some of the top talent in the MMORPG industry. Many GameMasters and developers at Legends of Future Past went on to become founders or product managers at top online games including SOE's Star Wars Galaxies, Worlds Apart Productions and Dejobaan Games. Jon Radoff, the developer of the game, created a gaming social network called GamerDNA and has started a social gaming company Disruptor Beam which holds the license to Game of Thrones.[10]

Reception

"Ranger" Chris Lombardi reviewed the game for Computer Gaming World, and stated that "this is no casual hobby, but if multi-player role-playing is one's game, it is definitely time to don one's favorite alter-ego, check into the local adventurers guild and poke around. It just might be "The Realm" in which one's personal Legends are made".[11]

Computer Gaming World in 1993 wrote that Legends of Future Past was "a rich, dynamic and lovingly supervised world of the imagination ... Like most of these games, this one is extremely addicting — perhaps even more so".[12] That year the magazine gave the game a Special Award for Artistic Excellence, and nominated it for On-Line Game of the Year.[13]

References

  1. ↑ Michael Tresca (2010), The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games, p. 115 (ISBN 978-0786458950)
  2. ↑ Kirsner, Scott (2010). "Social Gaming Luring, Lucrative". http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2010/03/29/social_gaming_luring_lucrative/. 
  3. ↑ Jon Radoff (2011), Game On: Energize Your Business with Social Media Games, p. 74 (ISBN 978-0470936269)
  4. ↑ Lombardi, Chris (1992). "Legends in their Own Minds, Computer Gaming World, p. 58-59". http://pdf.textfiles.com/zines/CGW/1992_08_issue97.pdf. 
  5. ↑ Simmer, Aaron (2010). "Time Capsule: Legends of Future Past". http://www.armchairempire.com/Features/time-capsule-legends-future-past.htm. 
  6. ↑ Jessica Mulligan and B. Petrovsky (2003), Developing Online Games. An Insiders Guide, p. 462 (ISBN 978-1592730001)
  7. ↑ "Computer Gaming World (1993), issue 106, Hot Lead and Phone Lines: A Survey of On-Line Games, p. 87". http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_106.pdf. 
  8. ↑ Computer Gaming World (1993), Issue 111, "Game of the Year Awards", p. 72
  9. ↑ "The Online World Timeline" (in en-US). 2014-01-13. https://www.raphkoster.com/games/the-online-world-timeline/. 
  10. ↑ Online Company SparkForge Formed, Coins 'MSOGs', GamaSutra, September 22, 2006, Jason Dobson.
  11. ↑ Lombardi, "Ranger" Chris (August 1992). "Legends In Their Own Minds: Multiplayer Role-Playing in Cerebral-Space". Computer Gaming World 1 (97): 58–59. 
  12. ↑ "A Survey of On-Line Games". Computer Gaming World: 84. May 1993. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=106. Retrieved 7 July 2014. 
  13. ↑ "Computer Gaming World's Game of the Year Awards". Computer Gaming World: 70–74. October 1993. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=111. Retrieved 25 March 2016. 

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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