Software:Lords of the Realm

From HandWiki
Lords of the Realm
Developer(s)Impressions Games
Publisher(s)Impressions Games
Director(s)David Lester
Producer(s)Christopher J. Foster
Designer(s)Christopher J. Foster
David Lester
Programmer(s)Simon Bradbury
Artist(s)Chris Beatrice
Composer(s)Jason P. Rinaldi
Platform(s)MS-DOS, Amiga
ReleaseJune 15, 1994
Genre(s)Turn-based strategy, Real-time tactics
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer (hotseat)

Lords of the Realm is a turn-based strategy computer game published and developed by Impressions Games. It was first released on June 15, 1994, and is the first game in the Lords of the Realm series.

Summary

The game takes place in a medieval setting, with several characters warring for the right to be either King of England or King of Germany. Players manage their armies as well as their land and population, build and lay siege to castles, and generally attempt to crush their enemies.

Battles between armies take place in a real-time environment, similar to real-time strategy games, with players able to control individual units as well as control them as a group, during which units group into formations. Players may also choose to allow the computer to determine the outcome of the battle. The game also features a small castle-building portion.

Release

The game was published by Impression Games in the UK (Amiga) and US (DOS) both in 1994. It was distributed by Sierra On-Line Ltd. in the UK (Windows) in 1997, DMV Daten- und Medienverlag GmbH & Co. KG. in Germany (DOS) in 1997, and Axel Springer Polska Sp. z o.o. in Poland (DOS) in 2001.[1]

In the Crucial Entertainment CD release of Lords of the Realm, the game came bundled with a 34-page PDF book of England Under Edward 1 written by Jennifer Hawthorne. This work described English history, ranging from the Norman Conquest through to the reign of King Edward I.

Critical reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameStarStarStarStarHalf star (PC)[2]
Next GenerationStarStarStarStar (PC)[3]
The One84% (Amiga)[4]

A reviewer for Next Generation deemed Lords of the Realm a must-have title for strategy fans, citing the randomized events, genuine challenge, impressive rendered cut scenes, player-controlled battles, and overall diverse gameplay.[3]

In a retrospective review, Michael House of Allgame wrote, "Whatever faults can be attributed to the game's mechanics or contents are almost uniformly minor and in most instances an error of omission. From structure to game play, Lords of the Realm has notched its own place in wargaming history."[2] The Escapist's Stew Shearer summed up his review with "Lords of the Realm is a stellar strategy game that's more than worth the $5.99 that GOG is asking for it (and Lords of the Realm 2) [sic]. It can have moments where things feel a bit too slow, but overall it's a fantastic experience that fans of the genre would be remiss to skip over".[5]

Lords of the Realm was a nominee for Computer Gaming World's 1994 "Strategy Game of the Year" award, which ultimately went to X-COM. The editors called Lords "so fresh in its approach, it even makes animal husbandry fun."[6] PC Gamer US presented Lords of the Realm with its 1994 "Best Historical Simulation" award. The editors wrote that it "strikes a delicate balance between micro- and macro-management—and the result is one of the richest historical sims ever."[7]

The One gave the Amiga version of Lords of the Realm an overall score of 84%, praising the game's controls, and stating "Presentation is excellent throughout, making good use of drag bars to make sure you always know exactly what's going on ... everything looks neat and pretty" and referring to the sound effects as "charming". The One compared the combat to Fields of Glory, remarking that Lords of the Realm requires more strategy and careful placement of troops, and compared the farming sections of the game to Genesia.[4]

Sequels

Lords of the Realm was followed up by three sequels: Lords of the Realm II in 1996 (which included an expansion pack), Lords of Magic in 1997 and Lords of the Realm III in 2004.

References

  1. ↑ "Lords of the Realm (1994) release dates". http://www.mobygames.com/game/lords-of-the-realm/release-info. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 House, Michael. "Lords of the Realm Review". http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=13350&tab=review. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Lords of the Realm". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (3): 93. March 1995. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Lords of the Realm Review". The One (emap Images) (74): 58-59. December 1994. https://archive.org/details/theone-magazine-74/page/n57. 
  5. ↑ Shearer, Stew (June 21, 2014). "Lords of the Realm: Worthy of the Throne". http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/goodoldreviews/11772-Lords-of-the-Realm-Worthy-of-the-Throne. 
  6. ↑ Staff (May 1995). "The Computer Gaming World 1995 Premier Awards". Computer Gaming World (130): 35, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44. 
  7. ↑ Staff (March 1995). "The First Annual PC Gamer Awards". PC Gamer 2 (3): 44, 45, 47, 48, 51. 
  • 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. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

Template:Atari





Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Lords_of_the_Realm&oldid=757777"