Software:Mega-Lo-Mania

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Short description: 1991 video game
Mega-Lo-Mania
Mega Lo Mania
Mega Drive cover art
Developer(s)Sensible Software
Publisher(s)Image Works (Amiga & ST)
Ubi Soft (MS-DOS)
Virgin Interactive Entertainment (Mega Drive NA & EU)
CRI (Mega Drive JP)
Imagineer (SNES, FM Towns, X68000 & PC-98)
Designer(s)Jon Hare
Chris Yates
Composer(s)Richard Joseph
Michael Burdett
Matt Furniss (Mega Drive)
Platform(s)Amiga, Atari ST, Sega Genesis, Super NES, MS-DOS, X68000, PC-98, FM Towns
Release
Amiga, Atari ST
Spring 1991[1]
Genre(s)Real-time strategy
Mode(s)Single-player

Mega-Lo-Mania is a real-time strategy video game developed by Sensible Software. It was released for the Amiga in 1991 and ported to other systems. It was released as Tyrants: Fight Through Time in North America and Mega Lo Mania: Jikū Daisenryaku (メガロマニア時空大戦略) in Japan. The game was re-released on ZOOM-Platform.com via Electronic Arts on August 31, 2022.[2]

Gameplay

Mega-Lo-Mania is an early real-time strategy game that predates Dune II by a year. The player takes control of one of four gods; Scarlet (red), Caesar (green), Oberon (yellow) and Madcap (blue). There are no differences between them except colour and AI behaviour when opposing. Each level takes place on an island divided into two to sixteen "sectors". The objective is to defeat up to three opposing gods and conquer the island.

Screenshot of Mega-Lo-Mania (Amiga)

Before a level begins, the player decides which sector to place their first tower in, and how many men to deploy. The men can perform various tasks such as designing weapons and shields, mining elements, building structures, manufacturing weapons and forming an army. The number of men assigned to a single task determines how fast or effective it will be. Men that are left idle will procreate and gradually increase in number.

At the start of a level the player only has unarmed men available. To gain more powerful weaponry, the player must assign men to design technology. When enough designs are made, the sector will advance a tech-level; making more research and buildings available. Armies can be used to either invade enemy sectors, or build a tower in an empty sector; expanding the player's territory. Shields are used to repair damaged buildings. Weapons and shields can only be made if enough elements have been gathered. Higher-tech weapons and shields must be manufactured in the factory before use. Building a mine gives access to more elements and the laboratory improves design tasks.

If the sector's tower gets destroyed, the player loses control of that sector. If the player has no sectors or men left, the level must be restarted.

The player has the option to form an alliance with an opponent if there are two or three present on the map. An allied opponent will not attack the player but neither of them can expand their territory whilst allied. Alliances cannot be made if only one opponent is remaining.

There are twenty-eight islands in the game, which are named in alphabetical order (except the last two) and grouped into ten epochs. Each epoch contains three islands and represents a different era in time (starting at 9500 BC and ending at 2001 AD); conquering the three islands in any order will allow the player to proceed to the next epoch. The player receives one-hundred men in each epoch. Any unused are carried over to the next epoch. The only exception is the tenth epoch, which contains only one eponymous island and does not grant extra men to the player.

Development

The Amiga and Atari ST versions of Mega-Lo-Mania, as developed by Sensible Software and published by Image Works, began development in November 1989, and were released in the Spring of 1991 for the Amiga and Atari ST; a DOS version wasn't planned at this stage in development.[1] In a January 1991 issue of British gaming magazine The One, The One interviewed team members from Sensible Software for information regarding Mega-Lo-Mania's development in a pre-release interview.[1] Mega-Lo-Mania was originally conceived under the title Alien Empire and later My Little Warhead, but these names were scrapped in lieu of the final title of Mega-Lo-Mania.[1] The game's original concept had the player taking the role of an operator of a spaceship who needed to combat robots located on an island, with the island being split into 16 sections.[1] The goal of this original design concept was to combine scrolling arcade action gameplay with real-time strategy; this concept is vastly different from the final product due to lack of publisher interest, as they considered the game to 'not fit into any specific category'.[1] Jonathan Hare, Mega-Lo-Mania's graphic artist and one of its designers, expressed that the game was changed from its original concept to make it more marketable to publishers; he stated that the ultimatum became that the team needed to "drop the scrolling or drop the strategy", with the team deciding to scrap the game's arcade scrolling aspect.[1] Upon scrapping the game's original concept of robots, the team considered a fantasy theme, but decided against it.[1]

Upon being asked about Mega-Lo-Mania's similarity to Populous, Hare expressed that while it looks "a little" similar, it differs significantly in its gameplay, particularly in its combat, stating that he thinks that Mega-Lo-Mania doesn't play "like Populous at all".[1] Further expressing his belief in how the game differs from Populous, Hare stated that the gameplay concept of human evolution isn't unique to Populous as "the earth thought of it first".[1] Richard Joseph, Mega-Lo-Mania's composer and sound designer, hired radio voice actors to perform the game's sampled speech; Mega-Lo-Mania has over 50 speech samples, and due to their size, the sounds are on a floppy disk of their own.[1] Over the course of development, there was a bug that caused the game to freeze when sounds were loaded, which was later fixed.[1]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
Amiga Computing93% (Amiga)[3]
ACE
CU Amiga92% (Amiga)[4]
The One92% (Amiga)[5]
MegaTech92% (Mega Drive)[6]
Amiga Format91% (Amiga)[7]
Amiga Action91% (Amiga)[8]
Amiga Force90% (Amiga)[9]
Amiga Power90% (Amiga)[10]
Zero89% (Amiga)[11]
Mega88% (Mega Drive)[12]
Computer Gaming WorldStarStarHalf star[13]
Award
PublicationAward
MegaTechHyper Game

Mega-Lo-Mania is considered to be the first real time strategy game to also incorporate a technology tree and was met with universal acclaim on its original release. Amiga Power was impressed by the game, and considered it as one of the best games for Amiga.[10] Mega placed the game at #34 in their Top Mega Drive Games of All Time.[14]

Conversions to other platforms sometimes received less praise. Computer Gaming World cited many bugs and flaws, and stated that even if they were fixed "not enough attention has been paid to gameplay".[15] A 1994 survey of strategic space games set in the year 2000 and later gave the game two-plus stars out of five, stating that the Populous "clone ... offers a short diversion into strategic whimsy before degenerating into an also-ran".[13] MegaTech magazine said that it was "very easy to get into (but) there are only nine levels". In 2017, Gamesradar ranked the game 46th on its "Best Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games of all time".[16]

A sequel was being planned and had started development, but was never released.[17]

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Whitta, Gary (January 1991). "The Approach to Sensible Strategy". The One (emap Images) (28): 33–34. https://archive.org/details/theone-magazine-28/page/n31/mode/2up. 
  2. ↑ "Mega lo Mania - PCGamingWiki PCGW - bugs, fixes, crashes, mods, guides and improvements for every PC game". https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Mega_lo_Mania. 
  3. ↑ "Gamer: Mega-Lo-Mania". Amiga Computing (Europress Publications) (41): 28–29. October 1991. https://archive.org/details/amiga-computing-magazine-041/page/n93/mode/2up. 
  4. ↑ Pattenden, Mark (September 1991). "Screen Scene: Mega-Lo-Mania". CU Amiga (EMAP) (19): 102–103. https://archive.org/details/cuamiga-magazine-019/page/n11/mode/2up. 
  5. ↑ Presley, Paul (September 1991). "Mega-Lo-Mania". The One (emap Images) (36): 86–87. https://archive.org/details/theoneforamigagames36199109/page/n85/mode/2up. 
  6. ↑ "Game Index - M - Mega-Lo-Mania". MegaTech (emap Images) (22): 100. October 1993. https://archive.org/details/mt-22_202005/page/100/mode/2up. 
  7. ↑ Webb, Trenton (September 1991). "Screenplay: Mega-Lo-Mania". Amiga Format (Future Publishing) (26): 54–56. https://archive.org/details/Amiga_Format_Issue_026_1991-09_Future_Publishing_GB/page/n53/mode/2up. 
  8. ↑ "Mega-Lo-Mania". Amiga Action (Europress Interactive) (25): 94–95. October 1991. http://amr.abime.net/review_6175. 
  9. ↑ Osborne, Ian (October 1991). "Use Your Loaf! - Mega-Lo-Mania". Amiga Force (Impact Magazines) (10): 14–16. ISSN 0967-702X. https://archive.org/details/amiga-force-10/page/n15/mode/2up. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Ramshaw, Mark (September 1991). "Game Reviews: Mega-Lo-Mania". Amiga Power (Future Publishing) (5): 22–25. https://archive.org/details/Amiga_Power_Magazine_005/page/n21/mode/2up. 
  11. ↑ McCandless, David (October 1991). "Review: Megalomania". Zero (Dennis Publishing) (24): 56–57. https://archive.org/details/zero-magazine-24/page/n55/mode/2up. 
  12. ↑ West, Neil (March 1993). "Game Review: Mega-Lo-Mania". Mega (Future Publishing) (6): 37–39. https://retrocdn.net/images/f/fb/Mega_UK_06.pdf. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 M. Evan Brooks (May 1994). "Never Trust A Gazfluvian Flingschnogger!". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (118): 42–58. ISSN 0744-6667. https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_118/page/n49/mode/2up. 
  14. ↑ "The Top 50 Mega Drive Games - Mega-Lo-Mania". Mega (Maverick Magazines) (26): 78. November 1994. https://retrocdn.net/images/0/0b/Mega_UK_26.pdf. 
  15. ↑ Brassil, John (June 1993). "The Gods are Definitely Crazy: UbiSoft's Mega lo Mania". Computer Gaming World (Golden Empire Publications): 148–149. ISSN 0744-6667. https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_107/page/n147/mode/2up. 
  16. ↑ GamesRadar Staff (2017-06-21). "Best Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games of all time" (in en). https://www.gamesradar.com/best-sega-genesis-games-all-time/. 
  17. ↑ "Mega Lo Mania 2: Hall of Light - the database of Amiga games". http://hol.abime.net/6050. 
  • 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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