Software:Lords of the Realm III

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Short description: 2004 video game
Lords of the Realm III
Cover art
Cover art of Lords of the Realm III
Developer(s)Impressions Games
Publisher(s)Sierra Entertainment
Producer(s)David Nathanielsz
Designer(s)Brett Levin
Programmer(s)Justin Przedwojewski
Composer(s)Henry Beckett
SeriesLords of the Realm
Platform(s)Windows
Release
  • NA: March 16, 2004[1]
  • EU: March 26, 2004
Genre(s)Real-time strategy
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Lords of the Realm III (also known as Lords 3) is a medieval themed real-time strategy computer game published in March 2004 by Sierra Entertainment, a subsidiary of Vivendi Universal Games. It is the third installment in the Lords of the Realm series, and the last game made by Impressions Games.

Gameplay

At the start of a game, the player must choose a noble by either selecting one of the default nobles or creating a new one. Nobles act as user accounts within the game, wherein completed campaigns and saved games are local to each noble. A noble consists of three customizable features: housename, portrait, and heraldry.

Once a noble is selected, the player can choose to play a campaign or battle map, or load a saved game. While all the battle maps are available when a noble is created, the campaigns require that the player complete each level in sequence. The game has four campaigns, each with several scenarios.

Battle maps

In a battle map, the player is placed in a battlefield and is provided with predefined companies of soldiers available to them. The only victory condition of these battles is to defeat all enemy companies. The gameplay is consistent with that of the battle mode in the campaigns.

Layers

Except for the tutorials, campaigns consist of three layers of gameplay: the strategy layer, the diplomacy layer, and the battle layer. The layers allow the player to control different components of the game.

Strategy layer and vassalage

The strategy layer allows the player to see a large overview of the lands to command their armies and assign vassals to the lands they possess. The land that the player possesses is subdivided into parcels. The player must assign a vassal to each parcel to manage the land for them.

There are several different types of parcels that dictate what they will produce. Furthermore, each parcel is of a certain quality which determines how fast they will upgrade their land and produce units. The different categories of vassals are as follows:

  • Knight - Builds a fort on a parcel, which will produce a company of a certain type that is based on the knight.
  • Priest - A priest will build a church on a parcel which increase the player's Christianity level.
  • Burgher - A burgher builds a city on their designated parcel that produces gold to be spent on upgrades to the player's castle or hiring mercenaries.
  • Serf - Serfs build farmlands on parcels that supply the armies with food.

Diplomacy layer

In the diplomacy screen, the player may assess his progress and the progress of the other nobles as well as engage in politics such as trade, war declarations, and forming alliances. The diplomacy screen shows a diplomatic map of all the lands, colored by the nobles who own them, that displays parcel usage, army locations, and territorial control. The player can view their chivalry, Christianity, and honor levels, and their progress in obtaining the next level in each of them.

Battle layer

The battle layer engages the player in the battlefield, allowing them to manually control their companies.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic65/100[2]
Review scores
PublicationScore
CGWStar[3]
GameSpot8.4/10[4]
GameSpyStarStarStar[5]
IGN6.4/10[6]
PC Format41%[7]
PC Gamer (UK)77%[8]
PC Gamer (US)66%[9]
PC Zone19%[10]
X-PlayStarStarStar[11]


Lords of the Realm III was a runner-up for Computer Games Magazine's 2004 "Best Budget Game" award, but lost to The Political Machine.[12]

References

  1. ↑ Adams, David (February 5, 2004). "Lords of the Realm III Gets Bargain Price" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/02/05/lords-of-the-realm-iii-gets-bargain-price. 
  2. ↑ "Lords of the Realm III for PC Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/lords-of-the-realm-iii/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. Retrieved May 1, 2017. 
  3. ↑ Chick, Tom (July 2004). "Lords of the Realm III". Computer Gaming World (240): 72. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_240.pdf. Retrieved May 1, 2017. 
  4. ↑ Todd, Brett (March 26, 2004). "Lords of the Realm III Review". https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/lords-of-the-realm-iii-review/1900-6092410/. Retrieved May 1, 2017. 
  5. ↑ Abner, William (April 10, 2004). "GameSpy: Lords of the Realm III". GameSpy. http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/lords-of-the-realm-iii/505117p1.html. 
  6. ↑ Butts, Steve (March 30, 2004). "Lords of the Realm 3 Review". http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/03/30/lords-of-the-realm-3-review. 
  7. ↑ "Lords of the Realm III". PC Format (162). June 2004. 
  8. ↑ "Lords of the Realm III". PC Gamer UK. June 2004. 
  9. ↑ "Lords of the Realm III". PC Gamer: 70. July 2004. 
  10. ↑ "PC Review: Lords of the Realm III". PC Zone. June 2004. 
  11. ↑ Bemis, Greg (April 28, 2004). "'Lords of the Realm III' (PC) Review". X-Play. Archived from the original on April 29, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20040429233616/http://www.techtv.com/xplay/reviews/story/0%2C24330%2C3675780%2C00.html. Retrieved May 1, 2017. 
  12. ↑ Staff (March 2005). "The Best of 2004; The 14th Annual Computer Games Awards". Computer Games Magazine (172): 48–56. 
  • 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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