Software:MoonBase Commander

From HandWiki
Short description: 2002 video game
This page is about the 2002 video game on Microsoft Windows. For the 1990 video game for MS-DOS and Amiga platforms, see Moonbase (video game).
MoonBase Commander
Developer(s)Humongous Entertainment
Publisher(s)Infogrames[lower-alpha 1]
Designer(s)Rhett Mathis
Composer(s)Stuart Ellison
EngineSCUMM
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
  • NA: August 13, 2002
Genre(s)Turn-based strategy
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

MoonBase Commander is a strategy video game released in 2002 by Humongous Entertainment. In the game, the player controls a main hub, which can send out other hubs, attack enemy structures, create defensive buildings, and collect energy for further expansion; this is accomplished through launching buildings and/or weapons from a hub. Each building is connected to its parent hub by a cord, which cannot overlap with other cords. The game features both single-player and multiplayer formats. It won the "Best of 2002: The Game No One Played" award from IGN.[1]

Gameplay

The game is turn-based, allowing the player to spend a limited number of energy points per turn. The player can spend these energy points by attacking their opponents and/or adding more buildings to their base. Most units are ground-based and are attached by a cord to the unit that created them. Cords cannot overlap or land in water. Regardless of whether a unit is ground-based, all units need to be launched from their originating unit, similar to many artillery games. The power of a shot is not preset, but determined by how long the player holds down on the launch button. The longer it is held down, the further the unit launches. Wind can also affect the accuracy of launching units. Game maps wrap around at the edges, meaning that no player is ever in a corner.

MoonBase Commander has four factions that can be played: NiceCo, DeWulf, System7, and Team Alpha. The factions are functionally identical with only cosmetic differences.

The Skirmish mode allows the player to fight up to three computer players of varying difficulty levels. The goal of a skirmish is to destroy all opposing players.

Challenge Mode consists of sixteen premade missions, four for each faction. Each challenge has different goals, enemies, and settings. The player earns a Gold, Silver, or Bronze medal upon completing a challenge, based mainly on how long it took them to complete it. The challenges progress linearly and when one challenge is complete, the next is unlocked. The credits are played when all the challenges have been completed.

Multiplayer

Although the game has built in LAN functionality, Internet play is only accessible through third-party software. Initially Internet play was only available through GameSpy, but the Moonbase Commander Console was created shortly after the release of the original game to overcome this limitation and eventually became the most common method for fans to play online. In 2013, the source code to the Moonbase Commander Console was released under the MIT License.[2] There is another utility called MoonbaseIP that also bypasses the need for GameSpy along with MBCImport which allows for custom maps and export/import maps.[3]

Development

MoonBase Commander was developed on the SCUMM engine, best known for its use in LucasArts adventure games.[4] In 2024 Moonbase Commander was made to work with ScummVM thereby removing limitations to only Windows only PCs.[5]

Re-release

In early 2014, MoonBase Commander was re-released on Steam[6] in its complete and unabridged form. It includes the full original gameplay, both single player campaigns and local (LAN) multi-player.

Reception and legacy

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings77.42%[7]
Metacritic77[8]
Review score
PublicationScore
IGN8/10[9]
Award
PublicationAward
IGN"Best of 2002: The Game No One Played"[1]

MoonBase Commander received mostly positive reviews on GameRankings and Metacritic.[7][8] It was praised by Tycho of Penny Arcade at the 2002 E3.[10] Despite this, sales of the game were low, such that when an intellectual property valuation for Atari Interactive was performed in 2006, Moonbase Commander was estimated to be worth somewhere between $0 and $100,000.[11] The rights to the MoonBase Commander franchise were sold at auction to Rebellion Developments following Atari's bankruptcy.[12]

The editors of Computer Games Magazine presented MoonBase Commander with their 2002 "Best Budget Game" award.[13] It won GameSpot's annual "Best Game No One Played on PC" award.[14]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Best of 2002: The Game No One Played". IGN. http://m.ign.com/articles/382922. 
  2. ↑ "Moonbase Commander Console". https://github.com/michaelbarlow7/moonbase-console. 
  3. ↑ Millet), Z-Ware (Taron. "Zauron's Lair". http://www.zauron.net/utilities.php. 
  4. ↑ Cobbett, Richard (December 22, 2017). "How ScummVM is keeping adventure games alive, one old game at a time". PC Gamer US. https://www.pcgamer.com/how-scummvm-is-keeping-adventure-games-alive-one-old-game-at-a-time/. 
  5. ↑ "ScummVM :: Latest Developments :: “Your move, Commander.”" (in en). https://www.scummvm.org/news/20240703/. 
  6. ↑ "Moonbase Commander on Steam". Steam. http://store.steampowered.com/app/254880. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Moonbase Commander - GameRankings". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/555470-moonbase-commander/index.html. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Moonbase Commander reviews at Metacritic.com". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/moonbase-commander/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  9. ↑ "Moonbase Commander Review". IGN. https://www.ign.com/games/moonbase-commander/pc-477995. 
  10. ↑ "Penny Arcade - News - Quote News Unquote". http://www.penny-arcade.com/2002/6/10/. 
  11. ↑ "SEC Info". http://www.secinfo.com/dsvr4.tadr.9.htm. 
  12. ↑ "Game Informer". Game Informer. http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2013/07/21/3380720.aspx. 
  13. ↑ Staff (March 2003). "Best of the Year 2002; 12th Annual Computer Games Awards". Computer Games Magazine (148): 58–61. 
  14. ↑ GameSpot Staff (December 30, 2002). "GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2002". GameSpot. http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/bestof2002/. 
  1. ↑ The Steam re-release was published by Rebellion Developments.
  • 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:MoonBase_Commander&oldid=3960479"