Software:Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire

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Short description: 1998 video game

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Quest for Glory V:
Dragon Fire
Developer(s)Yosemite Entertainment
Publisher(s)Sierra FX
Producer(s)Jay D. Usher
Designer(s)Lori Ann Cole
Programmer(s)
Artist(s)
  • Jon Bock
  • Terry Robinson
Composer(s)Chance Thomas
SeriesQuest for Glory
Platform(s)Windows, Macintosh
ReleaseDecember 8, 1998[1][2]
Genre(s)Action role-playing game
Mode(s)Single-player

Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire is the fifth and final game in the Quest for Glory computer game series by Sierra FX, a former "sub brand" of Sierra On-Line. Unlike the first four games, Dragon Fire is primarily an action role-playing game[3] with some elements of graphical adventure.[4]

Gameplay

Dragon Fire retains its point-and-click graphical interface and introduces a new combat system. Previous entries had moved combat encounters to a separate, isolated combat screen, but Quest for Glory V's interface allows for these battles to take place in the same environment as the rest of the gameplay.

For the first time in the franchise, Quest for Glory V partially transitions to 3D: unlike prior entries, the last instalment employs polygonal 3D for its virtual characters, while retaining its two-dimensional, pre-rendered visuals for both backgrounds and objects. This makes the last instalment of the series one of the earliest adopters of a 3D character creation system, with such technology predating the popular role-playing games EverQuest and Asheron's Call.

Quest for Glory V provides more variety in the form of story paths, side-quests, and puzzles than its predecessors.[5]

Plot

The wizard Erasmus introduces the player character, the Hero, to the Greece-like kingdom of Silmaria, whose king was recently assassinated.[4] Thus, the traditional Rites of Rulership are due to commence, and the victor will be crowned king. The Hero enters the contest with the assistance of Erasmus, Rakeesh, and many old friends from previous entries in the series. The Hero competes against competitors, including the Silmarian guard Kokeeno Pookameeso, the warlord Magnum Opus, the hulking Gort, and the warrior Elsa Von Spielburg, who played a significant role in the first game.

As the Rites commence, an unknown assassin begins systematically picking off the contestants. Each contestant is murdered by a poison dagger, and they all are murdered near Dragon Pillars, the objects used to keep the Dragon of Silmaria locked up. After completing the second Rite, defeating the General of the Mercenaries, Rakeesh is attacked by the assassin and, depending on the course of action chosen by the player, either lives or dies. The conspiracy is eventually unraveled and the Dragon, having been released due to the destruction of the Dragon Pillars, is defeated.

The characters Katrina and Erana make a return in this installment, as assistance for defeating the Dragon.

This installment also marks the return of Bruno, a character from the first Quest for Glory game. He is revealed to be the assassin who has been terrorizing the streets of Silmaria, characterized as a quiet, shady character until he reveals himself to the player.

Silmaria Marketplace

Development

File:Lori Cole Sierra Entertainment 1998.jpg
Lori Ann Cole, game designer (AI-upscaled image)

The first four games were intended to indicate the four elements and the four wind directions: in the first game, the player is the Hero from the East, in the second, the hero from the North, etc. Dragon Fire was always planned to be part of the series (whereas Wages of War originally was not), but it would not have been produced if not for fans' enthusiasm and their pleas to Sierra On-Line.[6]

The game originally had a voxel engine, which was later changed to a 3D engine because of hardware limitations.[6] According to Corey Cole, Lori Cole was predominantly responsible for the game's design, as he was preoccupied with programming on the game.[6]

Because of deadline issues and financial pressures, several features were dropped from the fifth game before release, such as the ability to use a bow, the ability to play as Elsa von Spielburg or Magnum Opus (two prominent non-player characters from the game), and multiplayer capability. A demo released in late 1997 contained a multiplayer game, but Sierra decided to remove it from the final product. Yosemite Entertainment, the development team responsible for the game, was closed on February 22, 1999.

The fifth game is arguably a different genre from the first four; while the first four are mostly adventure games incorporating role-playing elements, the fifth game is a role-playing game incorporating some adventure elements. For instance, the fifth game has a wide variety of weapons, armor, and magical items, whereas the first four do not. Also, in the fifth game nearly every major mission consists of going to some place and defeating some monster in physical or magical combat. Additionally, the controls and battle system are substantially different from those of the first four games and different from the fourth's side-scrolling, fighting game-like combat as well.[7]

Also differentiating the fifth game from the first four are a new graphics engine programmed by Eric Lengyel and a soundtrack by Emmy-winning composer Chance Thomas, which was released on CD.[4] Some tracks were made available for free download from MP3.com.

Compatibility

There is an official patch for the game itself, fixing several problems. To run this game under Windows XP, the compatibility mode can either be set to Windows 98 or a fan-made patch[8] can be applied.

There is an official installer named "New Quest for Glory V installer". This installer allows the game to be played without a disc and on modern versions of Windows.[9]

Re-release

The Quest for Glory I–V Collection released by Activision through GOG.com includes all the games including QFG5 patched to run on modern Vista and Windows 7 PCs.[10]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings73%[11]
Review scores
PublicationScore
MacAddict"Freakin' Awesome!"[12]
MacHome JournalStarStarStarStarStar[13]
Computer Games Strategy PlusStarStarStarHalf star[14]
PC GamesB+[15]

Chance Thomas' soundtrack was released alongside a demo prior to Dragon Fire's launch. This product sold 50,000 copies and made $500,000 alone.[16]

The game received mixed reactions from players, although "critics tended to be kind to the game".[attribution needed][4][6] Next Generation summarized it as "a fine contribution to the genre that is accessible to novice and expert gamers alike."[17] Joshua Darien Maciel of RPGamer scored the game 9 out of 10 points, considering it a polished and seamless combination of combat and gameplay.[5]

Dragon Fire was a nominee for CNET Gamecenter's 1998 "Adventure Game of the Year" award, which ultimately went to Grim Fandango. The editors wrote, "What Dragon Fire does really well is give traditional adventure gamers a place to call home."[18]

Retrospective

G4TV's Adam Rosenberg considers Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire the best entry in the series.[19] Griffin McElroy of Polygon positively characterised the game as "fan service" for fans of its predecessors.[20] Rowan Kaizer of Engadget considers this entry the worst of the series, largely due to its use of primitive 3D graphics.[21] Richard Cobbet of PC Gamer considers the game a "stumble" due to the game's 3D graphics and arcade action gameplay.[22][7]

References

  1. ↑ "News Briefs". December 7, 1998. http://pc.ign.com/news/6009.html. 
    Quest for Gold: "Sierra informs us that Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire, the latest installment in its long-running fantasy adventure game series, has gone to replication and should be hitting store shelves this week. Some gamers may already have copies."
  2. ↑ "New Releases for 1998.". 2001-01-27. http://www.gonegold.com/golden/golden98.shtml. 
  3. ↑ "Quest for Glory". http://www.sierragamers.com/uploads/24082/The_Games/quest_for_glory_5_e_spine.jpg. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Barton, Matt (2014). Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games. CRC Press. ISBN 9781439865248. https://books.google.com/books?id=qPPRBQAAQBAJ&q=%22quest+for+glory%22+game&pg=PA229. Retrieved 23 December 2016. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Maciel, Joshua Darien. "Quest for Glory V - Review". http://www.rpgamer.com/games/qfg/qfg5/reviews/qfg5strev1.html. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Böke, Ingmar (9 November 2012). "Corey Cole: Recruiting for Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption interview". http://www.adventuregamers.com/articles/view/23214/page3. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Cobbett, Richard (9 June 2012). "Saturday Crapshoot: Quest For Glory 4 1/2". http://www.pcgamer.com/saturday-crapshoot-quest-for-glory-4-12/. 
  8. ↑ QFG5Win2k patch
  9. ↑ NewSierraInstallers
  10. ↑ GOG.com gamecard
  11. ↑ "Quest For Glory V: Dragon Fire for PC". CBS Interactive. http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/43361-quest-for-glory-v-dragon-fire/index.html. 
  12. ↑ Parker, Samuel (May 1999). "Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire". MacAddict. http://www.macaddict.com:80/issues/9905/rev.q4gloryv.html. 
  13. ↑ Staff. "Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire". MacHome Journal. http://www.machome.com/reviews/MacReviewZone.lasso?grr8=33813. 
  14. ↑ Backer, Andy (January 14, 1999). "Quest for Glory V: DragonFire". Computer Games Strategy Plus. http://www.cdmag.com/articles/016/155/quest_glory5_review.html. 
  15. ↑ Brenesal, Barry (February 1999). "Quest for Glory V". PC Games: 91. 
  16. ↑ Bethke, Erik (January 25, 2003). Game Development and Production. Wordware Publishing. p. 349. ISBN 1556229518. 
  17. ↑ Staff (December 24, 1998). "Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire". Next Generation. http://www.next-generation.com/jsmid/reviews/3671.html. 
  18. ↑ "The CNET Gamecenter.com Awards for 1998". CNET Gamecenter. January 29, 1999. http://www.gamecenter.com:80/Features/Exclusives/Awards98/index.html. 
  19. ↑ Rosenberg, Adam (18 September 2012). "Quest For Glory Creators Turn To Kickstarter For Hero-U". http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/728034/quest-for-glory-creators-turn-to-kickstarter-for-hero-u/. 
  20. ↑ "Best games of July 2014 - The Besties". 6 August 2014. http://www.polygon.com/2014/8/6/5975145/best-games-of-july-2014-the-besties. 
  21. ↑ Kaizer, Rowan (17 May 2012). "The glory of Quest For Glory". https://www.engadget.com/2012/05/17/the-glory-of-quest-for-glory/. 
  22. ↑ Baker, Michael. "Quest for Glory III: Wages of War - Retroview". http://www.rpgamer.com/games/qfg/qfg3/reviews/qfg3strev1.html. 
  • 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 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]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

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. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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