Software:Lords of Time

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Short description: 1983 video game
Lords of Time
Developer(s)Level 9 Computing
Publisher(s)Level 9 Computing
Designer(s)Sue Gazzard
Platform(s)Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Amstrad PCW, Atari ST, Atari 8-bit, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, Enterprise, Camputers Lynx, Memotech MTX, MSX, Nascom, Oric-1, MS-DOS, ZX Spectrum.[1]
Release1983
Genre(s)Interactive fiction
Mode(s)Single-player

Lords of Time is an interactive fiction computer game designed by Sue Gazzard and released by Level 9 Computing in 1983. Originally purely a textual adventure for 8-bit microcomputers, the game was later released as part of the Time and Magik compilation where graphics were added for all floppy disk versions. Like all Level 9 adventures of its time, it was written in the in-house A-code language which was platform-independent.

Gameplay

The anonymous hero of the game (controlled by the player) appears to be a computer programmer in contemporary times. At the start of the game, the hero is contacted by Father Time who sends the hero on a quest to recover nine treasures in order to defeat the machinations of the evil Time Lords. The game is divided into 9 eras of time (not including the starting section in the hero's living room), such as the 20th century, Ice Age, age of dinosaurs, Dark Ages, future, the Middle Ages, Tudor England and the Roman Empire. Due to the meddling of the Time Lords anachronisms abound, for example cavemen are found living in the same era as dinosaurs.

Access to the nine different eras is via a grandfather clock that turns out to be a time machine in disguise.

The game was re-released in 1988 as part of the Time and Magik compilation alongside Red Moon and Price of Magik. Although positioned within the compilation as the first part of a trilogy it has no real connection to the latter two [2] (as opposed to the sister compilation release Silicon Dreams where all three games did form a trilogy).

Reception

Reception to Lords of Time was positive. Crash reviewing the Spectrum version declared "I find it impossible to justly describe what a brilliant adventure Lords of Time really is".[3] A Computer and Video Games magazine multiformat review claimed "..the game is a light-hearted one which is fun to play, not too difficult to progress in, but will, I suspect, take rather a long time to complete. Who could ask for more?" [4] Personal Computer Games rated it a PCG Hit[5]

References

  1. ↑ Lords of Time at Adventureland by Hans Persson and Stefan Meier
  2. ↑ "The Your Sinclair Rock and Roll Years". Your Sinclair (31). July 1988. http://www.ysrnry.co.uk/articles/timeandmagik.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-14. 
  3. ↑ "Reviews". CRASH (April 1984): 30. April 1984. http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=Crash/Issue03/Pages/Crash0300030.jpg. Retrieved 2008-01-14. 
  4. ↑ "Adventure". C&VG (31): 165. May 1984. http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=C+VG/Issue031/Pages/CVG03100164.jpg. Retrieved 2008-01-14. 
  5. ↑ "Screen Test". Personal Computer Games (5): 74. April 1984. http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=PersonalComputerGames/Issue05/Pages/PersonalComputerGames0500074.jpg. Retrieved 2008-01-14. 
  • 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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